Syracuse Basketball Will Struggle Without Malachi Richardson

If you’re an NCAA basketball fan, it’s hard not to be curious whether or not the Syracuse Orange would be able to take the next step next year, but unfortunately for them and their fans, they might be moving on without Malachi Richardson. Many basketball fans have held a longstanding resentment towards the NBA for raiding the college game for all of its best talent. The debate has seemingly gone on forever, and it doesn’t appear that this will do much to change that.

It’s not like they needed it, but fans of the Orange were reminded of how brilliant Jim Boeheim can be and how proud this program was. Just before the most recent NCAA tournament, many of the so-called experts openly voiced their displeasure at the Orange being on their brackets as the tournament started. What followed was Boeheim admonishing those experts as only he can and one of the great tournament runs which would see Syracuse make it all the way to Final Four weekend before being eliminated by the North Carolina Tar Heels.

Next year seemed like it was going to be special and it probably still will be, but the Orange are preparing for the fact that the 13 points, four rebounds and two assists that Richardson was responsible for may need to come from another source. There is some good news for fans of this team, though. Richardson announced he would enter the upcoming NBA Draft but had not signed with an agent. This does actually indicate that he may have some interest in returning.

A new rule implemented this year states that players are allowed to express interest in entering the draft and see where they may be selected. By not signing with an agent, the player is also given 10 days to change his mind and return if that’s his wish.

Some of the initial belief is Richardson can be taken anywhere from the late part of the first round to the early part of the second. If that’s good enough for him, Syracuse may be in the market for a guard in a conference where production at the position seems pretty important. Stories indicate Grant Mullins may indeed transfer, but we’ll have to wait and see what happens.