By: Dan

It appears that there might be a little more than meets the eye when it comes to Nick Calathes’ decision to try his luck in the NBA draft.

Kevin Brockway, UF men’s basketball beat writer for The Gainesville Sun, recently wrote in a blog that Calathes was more than a little upset when Billy Donovan benched him down the stretch of the loss against Mississippi State March 4. Brockway wrote that Calathes wasn’t the same after the MSU loss, and the spat with Donovan could be at the heart of that. He also wrote that Donovan lost confidence in Calathes when he bricked three free throws in the 3-point loss to Kentucky in early February.

While Brockway may very well be spot on with his assertions, I have to disagree with the fact that a rift between Billy and Nick caused Calathes’ poor play down the stretch. Rather, I believe that Calathes was terribly fatigued after having to carry Florida on his back for an entire season.

Not only was he called on to get everyone else involved on offense, but he was also Florida’s primary offensive weapon. That had to put a great deal of strain on Calathes, who is still only a sophomore.

The Gators didn’t have another real point guard on the roster. I know that super freshman Erving Walker played the position in spurts, but I see him as a point guard in the mold of UF transfer Jai Lucas, a guy who has pretty good handles but looks for his own shot first. And neither Lucas nor Walker is anywhere near the passer that Calathes is.

On top of that, Florida didn’t have much offensive firepower after Calathes. Alex Tyus (12.5) and Walker (10.1) both averaged more than 10 points a game, but Tyus, a power forward forced to play center, had to go up against bigger guys night in and night out, which hurt his offensive production. At 5-foot-8, Walker was an excellent shooter, but was too small to penetrate and get baskets in close. And the supporting cast, namely Chandler Parsons, Dan Werner and Walter Hodge, left much to be desired.

That left the onus on Calathes, and by the end of the season, I think he was gassed. In the final 10 games of the season, which includes three games before the controversial MSU game, he averaged just 13 points and shot 40.7 percent from the floor. Both numbers are well before his season averages (17.2 points, 48.2 percent). To me, that’s a clear indication of a kid who was burnt out after averaging 33.3 minutes a game, not a sign of a kid who is fed up with his coach.
I watched the Mississippi State game, and while I was surprised that Calathes didn’t play down the stretch, I really couldn’t fault Donovan for the decision. He had an awful game. He was making bad decisions and he was missing wide-open shots. If there was ever a game that he deserved to get benched, that was it.

It’s important to note that Calathes hasn’t hired an agent, so he could still come back to UF. If he’s getting good advice, he will come back, because he’s clearly not ready for professional basketball. If he does come back, I think it could be a special year for the Gators and Calathes. The team will have much better depth next year, and with Kenny Boynton and some much needed bulk inside, Calathes would not be a one-man band.