Bronny James Is A Headache Worth Exploring for Dana Altman
By STEVEN VAUGHAN, 750 THE GAME
The Nike Hoop Summit is on Saturday and Bronny James is playing in the game. LeBron’s son is one of the last high school players to commit to a college next season, but Oregon is on his short list.
James acknowledged this week at Team USA practice that Oregon-commit Jackson Shelstad was among those attempting to recruit him to their respective programs. But when Bronny was asked a follow-up as to when he expects to make his decision, the exchange was interrupted by a public relations representative for USA Basketball.
“I think we can move on to questions about USA basketball and the Hoop Summit,” Renee Felton, head of communications for USA Basketball, interjected.
Bronny is considered a solid prospect. There are some flaws to his game but he can definitely play on the Pac-12 level. But there are some concerns. His media availability at the Hoop Summit was the first time he has talked to the media. There are security guards around him at all times.
Host John Canzano says there will be difficulties if the Ducks bring Bronny to Eugene.
“I think it’s problematic potentially,” Canzano said on 750 The Game. “You’re looking at the addition of Bronny James. You’re looking at his people, meaning LeBron is going to bring a body guard to campus with him. He’s going to bring marketing people that are going to be awfully interested in putting bubble wrap around Bronny to make sure that he’s successful in every way that he can.”
Is the juice worth the squeeze?
On paper, Bronny could help this Ducks team. He is a great athlete that has become a really good shooter while also playing very hard on the defensive end. But while he’s not looked at as an elite prospect, he will certainly be treated as one.
So is it worth it for Oregon to recruit James? Dana Altman was complaining about his basketball program not having enough support this past year after the Ducks lost to Wisconsin in the NIT quarterfinals, and there was only 3,300 people in attendance.
Canzano says Bronny is worth it for Oregon.
“It also might help bring splash back to the program,” Canzano said. “And that’s really what’s been missing from the equation at Oregon.
“You could talk about the game operations being bad, and I think they are stale. You can talk about Matthew Knight Arena lacking energy. But if you’re going to bring all those peripheral things, like the structure of all that entertainment, back to the building next season, I think Oregon should be interested in doing that. But adding Bronny James into the mix – it feels like a migraine for me for the 64-year-old Dana Altman. But it’s a migraine worth exploring.”
Catch the segment on Bronny and the Ducks at the in the first segment of Thursday’s show below, and listen to John Canzano deliver the Bald Faced Truth afternoons 3-6 p.m. exclusively in Portland on 750 The Game.
