So what he signed a 4 year 5.9-million-dollar deal coming out of college, if he blows his knee out playing college ball he might not make a penny, plus maybe he didn't like going to school, always can get a degree later.
I'd ask this.....is 4 years and 6 million dollars not available in Europe/China for a 7 footer with his potential?
In my opinion, all these guys think they're better than they actually are - in part, because everyone around them tells them how good they are and how they're going to be an NBA lottery pick as soon as they turn 16 years old. In reality, these players are declaring and leaving early because people are telling them they think they could be a lottery pick.
If you're a good player in college with a chance to go pro....but you're looking at a late 1st round or 2nd round pick...where the contract is going to be short term (3-4 yrs) and minimum for a rookie....are you going? Or are you going back to school to see if you can raise your stock?
To me....I'm going back to school for another year a la Evan Turner, and seeing if I can take my game to the next level. People always want to throw the injury risk out there - I'm gonna tell you this, give me a team full of kids willing to bet on themselves over a team full of kids playing in fear of injury everyday, all day.
Remember, $6 million is a lot to you and me......it's probably not a lot in the eyes of a 19 year old kid who thinks he's going to be the next Kobe/Shaq/Lebron/Jordan/etc....That kid probably thinks he's going to sign a $25m contract out of college.
