Mark Zinno: Letting Len Go
Jeff Barker of the Baltimore Sun joined Zinno on "Last Call" to discuss Alex Len leaving Maryland for the NBA. He spoke about the reasons why. Barker said that we all knew this day was coming.
Listen to the full interview here:
Jeff Barker on Len
"The reason they suspected that he would was because he was leaving so much money on the table," Barker said. The guys also talked about how this can actually benefit Maryland comparing them to Kentucky and the way players are recruited there. Barker said, "In the short term, it hurts Maryland, but in the long term you can say 'Hey, come to Maryland and you can get to the pros.'"
One of the teams it is suspected that Len may get drafted by is the Oklahoma City Thunder. Barker told Zinno that he knows for a fact that Oklahoma City is interested in Len. Zinno asked Barker if there is a way that Maryland could be better without Len. Barker said that the Terps could replace Len "relatively easily" with Shaq Cleare and Charles Mitchell, but it hurts them a lot on the defensive end because that's where he was so good.
Finally, Zinno and Barker discussed Len's career in the NBA. Barker believes that he can grow a lot at the NBA level. "It's a question of how badly he wants it," said Barker. "He played great for stretches, then he wasn't great ... and that will tell how long he plays in the NBA."
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