17 y/o leaving HS to go pro in Europe

Garnett is 32 years old and MIGHT have another good year left. Bryant just turned 30 and he's on the downswing of his career. Shaq and Sheed came up in a slightly different time.

But that's besides the point. There are always exceptions. Always. What about Jonathan Bender? What about Bill Walker, who would have been a lottery pick out of high school and is now lucky to be in the league. What about Leon Powe, who has now torn his ACL three times, I believe? What about Randolph Morris, who would have gotten first-round money out of high school but choose to go to college and now is barely in the league.

 

If he gets into the league one year earlier, he hits max contracts one year earlier.

 

I'm guessing that the incentive to the Eurpoean teams is to insert large buyout clauses.

 

The ideal situation is to have something for this kid to play in while he is here.

If they choose to not attend college (still a mistake, but oh well) they can go straight to a developmental league or a team that would play in a European League based in America (two weeks at home, two weeks on the road). They can make $100,000 or $200,000 (which most of them will still live paycheck to paycheck) for one or two years, then become eligible to play in the NBA.

Kids dropping out of high school to play 3,000 miles away from home with a fistful of dollars is not the best idea. There will be horror stories coming from this if it catches on. Horror stories.

 

I doubt this is going to open the floodgates for kids dropping out of school to play pro. Just like K.G. didn't all of a sudden make scores of ill-prepared kids decide to skip college for the NBA.

Also, I still don't get why it's so great for these kids to go to college. You go to college to prepare for your career. He's ready. Why not start his career now? It's not like these elite athletes are having the same college experience as us.

 

The people who think it is great that these kids go to college are worried about their own viewing experiences and mask it behind the "kids need college to grow" garbage.

 

Good for this kid. He can do whatever the fuck he wants. Despite what anyone on this board thinks. Anyone who thinks any of these superstars really benefit from the one-and-done bullshit is sniffing glue.

 

KG did open the flood gates.

These kids need to find work from ages 33-63 or they need to be smart enough to hold onto this money they earned in their 20s.

If a kid has only $1,000,000 left over from his playing days, that will not take him through life.

If he makes $50,000 a year for 40 years (30-70) that's two million dollars. Remember, he will have to pay all of his own medical if he retires at 30.

 

Don't forget that athletes who retire aren't automatically done making money. They either get into coaching or they slap their name on stuff.

 

Can you say exploitation? Jeremy Tyler is in 11th grade. He may be going on his 18th birthday but come on, the kid hasn't completed school. Of course there will be others who will follow his lead.
Brandon Jennings was the first graduate to do it and after he becomes lottery pick, there will be a plethora of players attempting to do the same thing.
As for slimeball Sonny, well, he is what he is.

 

KG opened the modern flood gate. I remember when Moses, Dawkins and Willoughby did it. Talk about a beast, Moses was a monster during his high school days in Petersburg, Va.

 

KG opened the floodgates for successful preps-to-pros guys. That's my point. It's not like there was an influx of ill-prepared kids who's lives were ruined because they chose to go to the NBA rather than spend a few years not going to class at Louisville.

And it's not like pro athletes typically go from the NBA to a cubicle as an accountant. They typically remain in their sport or spend their money opening businesses. Just as many athletes who went to school end up broke after their pro careers. Going to college has nothing to do with it. It's idealistic to assume Tyler is sacrificing an MBA by going to Europe.

The NBA age minimum is not good for the athletes. It's good for the NBA and it's good for college basketball, though I'd argue it's not even good for that since the parity in the NCAA tournament is less than it once was.