A few weeks ago, some people including certain media types were piling on Henry Ellenson. The former Marquette one-and-done star received vitriol after the Detroit Pistons, the team who drafted him, cut him after three seasons. The fit with the Pistons did not work for Ellenson. This led some people to pile on and say how much a mistake he made with the ‘one-and-done’ thing at Marquette. The talk was ridiculous. Pistons drafted Ellenson in the middle of the first round meaning he had guaranteed money from Day one of his NBA career. Detroit didn’t pan out. It happens to a countless number of first-round draft picks. After Detroit let him go, New York signed him to a 10-day contract, and they’ve liked him enough to sign off on a full-year contact. This is the perfect situation for the former Marquette forward.

The idea of going to a tanking team is perfect for any young guy trying to revive their career. It is likely that most of the veterans will not be playing on a regular basis, and the young guys will get their chances more often than not. That’s type of situation you want if you’re Ellenson. He already showed New York what he can do with 13 points, nine rebounds and five assists in a win versus Orlando a couple days ago. In last night’s loss to Cleveland, he added 13 more points and five rebounds. If he continues to show out this year, there will be an NBA team interested in him next summer to come off the bench. He has the game that’s perfect for today’s NBA.

Good for Hank, and it shows why people who write things about one-and-doners are usually pretty wrong. The article came out of a spite for not going to a certain school instead of looking at the facts of why a guy went pro, and how college is not the choice that everyone wants to make for themselves. There are players we watch locally today that should have been in the league two years ago.

Charlie.