Leaving for the NBA....the facts and the myths...

[Bk4life 190]

It's a little agonizing to see the myths about leaving for the NBA thrown around every time a great player seems to want to leave early......Myth 1....Oh, he better leave now while he is a top draft pick because its too risky...what if he stays and gets hurt???...You know how many times a player expected to go to the NBA and possibly be a top draft pick has been hurt after choosing to stay in college?....crickets....crickets......Hell, can you tell me the number of players who have career-ending injuries playing college basketball period??? Lets just put aside NBA prospects for a minute.....crickets...crickets...Yeah....there is about as much chance of it happening as there is the kid being struck by lightning...The fact that there is not ONE famous case on the tip of everyone's tongue when talking about this should tell you something...Myth 2...MONEY.....a millionaire is a millionaire...ok, maybe waiting puts someone in the single millions instead of the double figure millions....wow....shameful....the biggest risk is going to the NBA, being a bust and THEN having a career ending injury after not getting your degree and spending all those millions....THAT happens and there are documentaries about it,,,

 

My point is that the kids can wait....period.....there are no risks...These kids have more of a risk of alcohol poisoning, car accidents, suicide, medical issues outside of basketball ruining their careers than a game injury. Lets stop perpetuating the myth and then maybe more kids will get the picture and stick around.

[8bucks 6,341]

Jared Sullinger from OSU (21st pick)
Roy Hibbert, not sure his drop was injury related though (17th pick)

Those are ones off the top of my head


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[ou812dude 3,326]

and then there are guys that jump and never make an impact due to the fact that they are just injury prone...

like...

Greg Oden

Sam Bowie

[CampHoosier 3,697]

Jared Sullinger and Greg Oden just from tOSU. Jay Williams. Smart from OK St., his draft stock has plummeted. Sam Bowie. There are more players than you think that experience injuries in college that seriously affect their draft stock but more importantly their play. Which in turn affects their future career. 

[TheStillman 991]

Mitch McGary

[ElectricBoogaloo 4,307]

What about falling draft stock for non-injury reasons? GR3, Marcus Smart and possibly Gary Harris this year alone.

[djsalway 4,161]

I realize the football comparison might not exactly work here. But remember when Matt Barkley from USC was a consensus #1 pick after his junior year, but stayed for his senior year to "win a title." Well, they won nothing, he had a shoulder injury, and he ended up being a 3rd round pick for the Philadelphia Eagles, now sitting as their 3rd string quarterback. It happens. Take the money while it's there and you are fully healthy.

[KingPG21 6,582]

Speaking of falling draft stock in the NBA, I'm kind of surprised no one has mentioned Josh McRoberts. His draft stock was super high following his freshman year at Duke, then plummeted, as did he to the second round, following his sophomore year. Again I'll never really understand how people are knocking kids for going and getting paid. There are plenty of risks to staying in college and playing the game

[Yorkal1975 32]

I love NBA ball as well, but it is ruining college ball, imo. NBA should make a 2-year rule. You cannot declare unless you have at least 2 years of school under your belt. If you decide to not attend college or leave after one year, you must automatically go to the D-League or oversees - no-one in the NBA before they turn 21. Just my opinion - but these young kids aren't really helping the NBA game either. Oladipo is the exception. I love Cody Zeller, but what has he done this year? I think he could have stayed and bettered himself and maybe he would have more of an impact at the NBA level. Food for thought.

[BlueDevil 8,655]

[quote name="Yorkal1975" post="53191" timestamp="1395755992"]I love NBA ball as well, but it is ruining college ball, imo. NBA should make a 2-year rule. You cannot declare unless you have at least 2 years of school under your belt. If you decide to not attend college or leave after one year, you must automatically go to the D-League or oversees - no-one in the NBA before they turn 21. Just my opinion - but these young kids aren't really helping the NBA game either. Oladipo is the exception. I love Cody Zeller, but what has he done this year? I think he could have stayed and bettered himself and maybe he would have more of an impact at the NBA level. Food for
thought.[/quote]

I somewhat agree with your assessment but you made a dig at Cody zeller who stayed for 2 years like you say should be the rule. Kind of contradicts what you were trying to say.

[djsalway 4,161]

Teams also want younger kids to build around, rather than a 4 year guy who is 22 by the time they are drafted. They want their players to have a longer period of time in the NBA.

[Yorkal1975 32]

I somewhat agree with your assessment but you made a dig at Cody zeller who stayed for 2 years like you say should be the rule. Kind of contradicts what you were trying to say.

It wasn't a dig a Cody - just used him as an example. I'll always be a Cody fan, but like I said, I think he needed more time to develop.  I know he stayed two years. My point is this - I don't think you should make kids stay four years, but maybe two would be an option. I think the NBA has the control. If they make it a culture where kids should be encouraged to stay in school and develop or at the very least stick around for a little while and develop, I think it might help the game on both levels. I understand both arguments though. 

[BlueDevil 8,655]

[quote name="Yorkal1975" post="53201" timestamp="1395756505"]It wasn't a dig a Cody - just used him as an example. I'll always be a Cody fan, but like I said, I think he needed more time to develop. I know he stayed two years. My point is this - I don't think you should make kids stay four years, but maybe two would be an option. I think the NBA has the control. If they make it a culture where kids should be encouraged to stay in school and develop or at the very least stick around for a little while and develop, I think it might help the game on both levels. I understand both arguments though. [/quote]

Well said thanks for clearing it up

[BlueDevil 8,655]

Lol I didn't mean to like my own post

[Hwy 1 2,053]

Lol I didn't mean to like my own post

 

 

I've done that a couple of times too and I have no idea how it happened. At first I thought I was actually doing it through carelessness but I saw one this morning that "I liked" and I'm sure I didn't do it. I'm blaming the software, it was logging me out all last night and locking me out of my mailbox. Now it's liking my own posts!

[BlueDevil 8,655]

[quote name="Hwy 1" post="53214" timestamp="1395757359"]I've done that a couple of times too and I have no idea how it happened. At first I thought I was actually doing it through carelessness but I saw one this morning that "I liked" and I'm sure I didn't do it. I'm blaming the software, it was logging me out all last night and locking me out of my mailbox. Now it's liking my own posts![/quote]

Haha I'm blaming that too! Now everyone probably thinks I'm full of myself haha.

[OliviaPope40 6,423]

Adam Silver has talked about raising the minimum age to 20.

[8bucks 6,341]

And the OP did not even say thanks to all of us who helped him on this : (


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[bronkonagurski 894]

Fact - whether you like or not, until the NBA draft entry rules change then you are going to continue to see kids go pro more often than not when they are projected as lottery picks.  It doesn't matter what myths people do and do not perpetuate. 

[KelleyHoosh 2,263]

When's the next CBA in the nba?


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