Actual buzz about Michigan Basketball and Emoni Bates

While there has been plenty of debate about Michigan basketball and Emoni Bates, there hasn’t been much actual buzz but that’s starting to change. 

It’s been a waiting game when it comes to Michigan basketball and the transfer portal. The Wolverines have shown interest in guys like Jacob Grandison and Pete Nance but didn’t gain much traction.

Grandison committed to Duke last week and Nance is taking a visit to North Carolina, which is one of the places many expected him to land, or at Gonzaga.

The Wolverines have hosted former Duke top-50 recruit Joey Baker and while Baker would seem to be a great fit, especially to replace some 3-point shooting lost by Caleb Houstan, Baker is exploring other options such as Georgia and George Washington.

It’s a weird situation. I have to believe that if Michigan basketball wanted Baker in the fold, it would have gotten his commitment. Maybe it’s about playing time or maybe the Wolverines are waiting to see what happens with Emoni Bates.

We’ve talked about Bates a ton here. Michigan basketball could use a scorer like Emoni Bates but there are red flags and those have been well-documented.

There also hasn’t been any buzz of Michigan basketball actually being interested, at least until Travis Branham of 247 sports joined a radio show in Louisville to talk about his recruitment because at one time, Bates to Louisville seemed like a done deal.

Is Michigan basketball interested now?

The post below is essentially the same thing that Branham said on the radio. It sounds like things are trending towards Michigan after Caleb Houstan’s decision to keep his name in the NBA draft, which makes sense.  The Wolverines lost two NBA talents and haven’t replaced them.

Prior to the draft, I laid out a scenario where Bates could become a viable option for the Wolverines and this is exactly the situation we find ourselves in.

I’ve said all along that Michigan could use a scorer/shooter like Bates and that while I was concerned, Juwan Howard is the kind of head coach that can command his respect, get him to play team-style basketball, etc.

In my opinion, it’s worth taking a shot if Bates is open to that. Juwan is the one who’s going to have to talk to the kid, lay out the ground rules, and decide if it’s a good fit.

If so, Bates could be the answer to what Michigan needs. He could be a stretch four of sorts and provide some one-on-one scoring ability, as well as a reliable shooter. As poor as he was at Memphis last season, he made 1.4 3-pointers per game and shot 32 percent.

If he played for Michigan, he should be able to get more efficient and he certainly won’t be playing point guard as he did at Memphis.

Either way, Michigan needs to make a move. I like the current roster but the Wolverines need another shooter or two, so it’s time to add Baker if possible and then make a decision once and for all about Emoni Bates.

Baker and Bates would be the perfect additions to me, but it’s possible Baker wants a bigger role than coming off the bench and it’s hard to blame him.

But if that’s the case, it’s hard to blame Michigan for going after Bates. At this point, there aren’t a lot of options outside of standing pat.