More Paulus

Well, I was putting the finishing touches on a beautifully written blog post and was about to hit the "Publish Post" button when I saw that Rob had created a post of his own...basically taking all of my same thoughts and stealing my thunder. There goes an hour out of my day. Thanks, Rob!

In all seriousness, Rob did a great job of showing why Paulus and Michigan do not mix. I agree that he should not come to Michigan and a scholarship should not be offered (Way to drop the ball on that story, ESPN!). Forcier and Robinson need time to learn and get experience and this would just cut them at the knees in getting a chance to play.

Lastly...Billy Gillespie? Really?!? This could be the coldest thing Rob has ever said about anything outside the state of Minnesota. But back to Paulus.

I'm willing to go a step further. Not only should Paulus not play for Michigan....He shouldn't be playing football at all!!! The fact the Green Bay Packers told this kid he had no shot to be drafted should have been a huge hint a Duke grad could follow.

Watch this interview. Does this look like a guy who seems confident in his ability to play football?



It's like you can almost see Paulus thinking "What the ^#$% am I getting myself into?" just by looking at his face. I don't think he can be a football player, and that interview shows that he probably doesn't believe it himself.

Here's something Paulus DOES do well: Basketball! Sure, he got bounced from the starting lineup at Duke this past year. But he was arguably the best sixth man in the nation. (Note: UNC's Ed Davis is not a Sixth Man. After the whole Marvin Williams departure of 2005, I'm buying into the conspiracy that Roy Williams was trying to keep Davis from jumping early because he knew his team was going to lose ten guys this year. After that Final Four, you cannot tell me Deon Thompson is better than Davis. It's not possible.) Paulus should head to Europe for a couple seasons and refine his skills. Great example of what Europe can do for a guy's skills is Will Bynum in Detroit. Coming out of Georgia Tech, Bynum didn't have the necessary skill set to make it in the NBA. But after he played in Europe for a few seasons, he developed a great first-step and a smooth jump shot to compliment his speed. Now he is arguably the Piston's starting point guard next season, after Stuckey took nights off this year and the "Iverson Experiment" went south.

I think this can work for Paulus. He is a tough guy, a smart basketball player, and has a great three point shot in his arsenal. With a little refining, I think he could definitely "pull a Bynum." OK, so he'll probably end up playing for Maccabi Tel Aviv or throwing alley-oops to Josh Childress on Olypiacos in Greece.

But it sure beats getting beat on by Will Campbell and Brandon Graham every week.