Reasons to turn down the NBA

**alaskaguy** · 04-15-2007, 12:25 PM

Greg Oden's agent is saying that Greg Oden has not decided whether he will turn pro. There is some confusion on this story since Oden's father has reported that his son will be entering the NBA draft. He is the projected number one NBA pick. What reason could someone have for returning to college when they are the number one lottery pick?

**thakeepa14** · 04-15-2007, 12:51 PM

Education?

**dbronco7sc** · 04-15-2007, 02:27 PM

In Oden's case... there aren't many 40 year old college girls to date... and dating a professor would be kinda awkward... so it can't be the college girls...

**BurgundyClone** · 04-15-2007, 02:57 PM

Education is about #25. There's no law about attending class after your NBA career is over, or during summers. There is no valid reason, especially if you're going to be the #1 pick.

If I'm 19, I'm gone. You have a very small window to play professional Basketball. You have your entire life to go to school.

**alaskaguy** · 04-15-2007, 03:07 PM

Isn't there a lot of free time as a NBA player? Haven't other players picked up a degree while they were players? And college may just not be some kids calling. After all there are successful and happy people that did not graduate from college.

**alaskaguy** · 04-15-2007, 03:21 PM

Oden probably would have been the first selection in the 2006 draft had it not been for the age minimum. What sports besides basketball have an age minimum? Is the age minimum a good thing? If it is why don't more sports adopt do the same thing?

**Cyclone62** · 04-15-2007, 03:24 PM

NCAA Football has it. I don't believe baseball does, but you have to make a run through the minors first anyways, so it's kind of like an age limit there. Wrestling and Gymnastics don't have gargantuan fan bases, so there's no limit to perform in the Olympics there (I think, NCAA guidelines may not allow that).

**isutrevman** · 04-15-2007, 03:25 PM

I believe you can't go to the NFL until you have been in college for 3 years.

**alaskaguy** · 04-15-2007, 03:33 PM

Originally Posted by isutrevman

I believe you can't go to the NFL until you have been in college for 3 years.

Isn't there some type of hardship rule in the NFL that allows players to go earlier?

Kids can sign huge contracts right out of high school for soccer, hockey, and baseball. They may have to start in the minor leagues but still get large signing bonuses.

**arganbright2** · 04-15-2007, 03:58 PM

This thread is kind of whack because the first line says that his "agent" doesn't know if he will go pro or not. If he has hired an agent, he cannot return to school.

**CyCy** · 04-15-2007, 04:04 PM

The best reason for a top athlete to stay in school is to become educated enough to manage the money that they will be making. I have read stories about a number of athletes who have basically thrown all of their money away and are broke a year after they retire.
I think that the younger a person is when they start making huge money, the bigger chance there is that somebody will be able to talk them out of it.
After the agent takes 10%, the financial advisor takes 10%, taxes take 40%, the kid buys 17 Hummers, and then gets talked into an oil-and-gas limited partnership that's going to double his money, he's got nothing left.
Better to stay in school and learn the difference between a hedge fund and a hedge apple first.

**Cydar** · 04-15-2007, 04:13 PM

The "agent" is Mike Conley Sr. Yes that's freshman pg Mike Conley Jr.'s dad. He is certified to be an NBA Agent.

Is it okay for Oden to have contact with Mike Conley Sr. as long as he doesn't hire him or is it a violation with the NCAA to have any contact with an agent? Kind of a gray area as Mike Conley Jr. & Oden are teammates.

Mike Conley Sr. was a stud athlete at The University of Arkansas. Olympic triple jump champion in 1992. I remember watching him on tv competing in the Foot Locker Slam Dunk Competition.

**Bobber** · 04-15-2007, 04:20 PM

Oden should go as the money is just too big to walk away from. More questionable is mid range players that are not first rounders. They're walking away from a "free" education. I wonder if 10 years from now guys like Stinson and Blaylock would wish they finished school?

**thakeepa14** · 04-15-2007, 04:24 PM

I hope everybody saw that "education" was a joke.

..

**Dormeezy** · 04-15-2007, 04:55 PM

Originally Posted by Bobber

I wonder if 10 years from now guys like Stinson and Blaylock would wish they finished school?

It's BLALOCK!! Good lord, he played here for 3 years and was one of the better players we've seen here. You still haven't learned how to spell his name??