Because most fans are fans of teams, not of individual people.

Maason Smith severely underperformed relative to what he was expected to do, but at least he had starting experience at what is now a position of extreme need.
A solid 2024 at LSU would push him a lot higher in the draft, maybe as far as 1st rd if he performed to is perceived potential. It would not only fill a hole in LSU's lineup, it would make his professional path a lot easier.

Instead, he's chosen to jump now, both leaving LSU in the lurch (as they were counting on him), and not having any on-field performance to boost his stock; especially post-injury.
What he's done not only screws LSU over (the primary reason of the negative posts), it doesn't make much rational sense when you look at it from his point of view.

1 ...

Report Post

Posted by Hot Carl

Prayers up for 3

Member since Dec 2005

59422 posts

Posted on 1/20/24 at 3:32 pm to Scoob

quote:
What he's done not only screws LSU over

quote:
it doesn't make much rational sense when you look at it from his point of view.

If only you were capable of looking at it from his point of view, which you, admittedly, are not.

quote:
Because most fans are fans of teams, not of individual people.

You don’t give a shite about Maason Smith, why should he give a frick about you and what you want. If I had a devastating injury and busted my arse to come back only to get constantly shat on by the “fans” of the team I played for all season, I’d probably want to throw the deuces too. And go out shooting all you cocksuckers the bird while at it. He’s at least above that.

But, even though I would have loved him to come back and think he could have benefitted from it, I get why he left.

1) the cavalier assumption that he could come back and just easily walk into the 1st round (or top 10) next year is ridiculous. Could it happen? Sure. Would it? Probably not. And I can’t circle the square of the contradiction of y’all who think he’s good enough to be a 1st rounder if he comes back next year, but sucks so bad he’ll be lucky to get drafted this year. It can’t be both.

2) A lot of y’all are dismissing the very real possibility he could come back and get hurt again. Guys 6’5” 300 pounds get hurt. And after the devastation of missing an entire year already with a season-ending injury, imagine how devastating it’d be if he did it again. Then he’d have to come back for a FIFTH YEAR. Dude battled injuries as a freshman, missed his entire sophomore season, and played most of his junior season hurt. But at least he made it through it and can take advantage of being healthy for all the pre-draft stuff.

3) He’s still an young unknown with tons of untapped potential and the “excuses” of his play this year being due to both not being fully recovered from his knee injury and literally not having a position coach. There’s a lot there for teams to really like and think they can mold. What if he comes back and stays healthy, but still doesn’t dominate? A year older, another year removed from his knee injury, and a year under the daily coaching of the guy considered one of the best DL coaches in college football. All of a sudden, he’s not as exciting, not a shiny unwrapped present, not a block of unlimited potential of clay to be molded, he is more who he is.

3) I don’t think he’s making as much in NIL as a lot of you think. And if you think he sucks—and I will certainly grant he wasn’t very good this year at all—how much money do you think he was being offered to come back? And who was lining to pony that bag up?

I bet it was a really hard decision for him, and I could see an argument for each. But coming back was a much bigger gamble than most of you in this thread concede. And I don’t hold it against him for not taking it and going ahead with the safer decision of leaving while he’s currently healthy. And I, for one, will be rooting like hell for him that it works out.