And make the college better? For who? The coaches? Why should someone with pro opportunities live hand to mouth so some administrators and coaches (who are amateur only in the pejorative sense) can live large off their efforts? These guys are only in college because the NBA forces them there.

And for those of you arguing for staying in school: is that really a great role for institutions of higher learning, to be some kind of cheap ass farm system for the pros? I mean, look at college football.

and apparently, the college education system is also getting “weeker”

Players who decided to stay and the money was there. Now they aren’t stars but the point is that them and others did it and still make pretty good money I think.

Perhaps if Greg Oden stayed he might be better suited to deal with the rigor of the NBA.

And even if he hadn’t and lost out on Millions but still have his degree and had still found joy then he is ok.

Again I said that coaches should explain that it is a gamble but let us be honest the money is there, whether the player gets to it or not, and more times than not I do believe they get to it. It’s there. It is the chance you take but as you can see some have taken that chance and still reached the money.

Hey though I do see your points. I agree with much of it aside from a little.

I guess we can both say that if a player stays and makes it, it’s cool.
If a player leaves early to support his family it’s cool.
If a player leaves early and goes back it’s cool.
And hopefully no player who stays will get injured and miss out on more money they could possibly have, and if they do lets pray they still get to a point where they are happy and well off.
Coaches should inform their players fully regardless of their heart’s desire and at some point knowledge should be grasped to better deal with money and make good decisions, hopefully sooner than later.
Also lets hope the youth of america can take the better message of always putting what is most important first.

Ekstor nice debating with ya. I am out on this one.

To your point, I have neither statistics nor examples of players who lost millions by staying, but the lack of actual cases does not alleviate the obvious risk.

Career-ending injuries are far-and-few. For the pros, the situation is less impactful from a financial standpoint. Greg Oden could be a great example of someone who could have lost a lot had he stayed and suffered the kind of injuries we see today. The injury prone nature of other players like Grant Hill and Penny Hardaway would have been disastrous had they suffered any of those season-ending injuries in college (neither player was the same after their first significant injury).

You misunderstand what I’m referring to as a “travesty.” If a coach wants to request his kid stay, that’s fine… but saying “the money will be there” is an ABSOLUTE irresponsible statement because the coach does NOT have the ability to guarantee the kid’s future, make up for a lost contract, or prevent freak injuries… and the NCAA doesn’t do any of those things either. If they want to argue that college will enrich his life in other ways. Ok. He’ll develop great relationships and memories. Fine… but don’t make promises that a coach himself is unable to guarantee.

Don’t get me wrong. Money is NOT the most important thing in life… but it’s a terrible and oppressive master for those in debt or suffering stress from it. Thus, if you can guarantee your financial independence, it means you put yourself in a position where you can spend your entire life focusing on things more important than money itself.

When considering the impact that has on both current and future family… that to me, is a more unselfish action than staying for personal enrichment or “the good of the game.”

Where aside from what we agree upon then the point of difference is I have no problems with a coach telling his players that the money will be there, cause it will. I think it’s a nice amount of players and even stars that have stayed all 4 gotten drafted and still made a very nice amount of money.

Sure I do feel a coach should spell it out (I totally agree with your last paragraph) and make it clear that it is a gamble. Still for a coach to request a dude he recruited to stay for so many different reasons, for money that will still be around… I have no problem and in no way do I see it as an absolute travesty.

I mean seriously who is it, who is, or who are the guys who decided to stay and got injured and didn’t make their money? Who are these injured masses who lost out on millions by deciding to stay? I’m just wondering?

That’s the first post from you (in this thread) that I’ll agree with. I never condoned taking the money simply for riches. If you notice, my arguments all center around being able to secure your future, whether for the individual himself or for his family (current or future).

With a little education, they can provide themselves with a safety net that allows them to later pursue whatever they desire if their career is cut short… whether it be education, business, investment, etc.

That said, the cynic in me tells me that most of these athletes treat school as a formality and could care less about an actual degree. People like Duncan and Carter are exceptions to the rule.

I agree with your implication that there is far more to life than just money… and more power to the individual if they decide that getting their degree is more important than the guaranteed contract, BUT it’s would be an absolute travesty if a coach were trying to talk a player into doing it with false assurances like, “the money will be there”… “you owe it to your team and to basketball.”

The decision should be both informed and based on hard facts… and from a financial standpoint, the fact is that an elite player has an opportunity to completely guarantee his financial independence if he leaves early and risks losing that if he doesn’t.

@ Eyes

Nice points.