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Should He Stay or Should He Go?
Should He Stay or Should He Go?
Jim Meadows
Published by Swampy Meadows
01-29-2010
Should He Stay or Should He Go?

BEVERLY HILLS (MI) -- This column was being saved for the end of the season, but at that point it might be too late. UD is two-thirds of the way thru the 2010 campaign. As we all know, Chris Wright has a big decision to make when it’s over, but he’s no doubt already started thinking about it. And so Chris, here is some food for thought before, as Yogi Berra once observed, “You come to the fork in the road and take it.”

The arguments for and against are many. As a matter of fact, you should probably try that old decision-making exercise and get out a piece of paper and draw a line down the middle. On the left, write “For” and on the right, “Against.”

Then list your reasons.

Here are some financial considerations for you to, well, consider:

-- The shifting sands of NBA Draft regulations. The NCAA, in its infinite wisdom, changed the rules in the middle of the game yet again this year. Before, early entry college players didn’t have to make a firm decision until mid-June. Now you have to irrevocably declare for the draft by May 8th, which is well before the Portsmouth, Orlando and Chicago pre-draft sessions. This move is not in your favor. What this means is that you will only have what teams tell you to base your decision upon at that point…and they will not have seen you in any of the pre-draft camps. Unless some NBA GM promises you “we’re going to pick you in the 1st round and I’ll sign a sworn statement in front of you, your mom and your uncle to that effect” don’t believe him. The term ‘talk is cheap’ has never had deeper meaning than it does in discussions between athletes and their prospective employers.

-- There are 2 rounds to the NBA Draft, consisting of 30 picks each. Forget the 2nd round. 2nd round money isn’t guaranteed. The draft isn’t all about the money, Chris; it’s about guaranteed money. I always chuckle when I read about some guy signing a 5 year $75 million deal with the NFL. Yeah right. How much of that coin is guaranteed, dude, ‘cause most likely, that’s all of it that you are ever gonna see. Same with the NBA. Without a guarantee, teams can walk away from that piece of paper and the player gets jack.

-- One and Dones. Last year there were 5 One and Dones, including Brandon Jennings who ‘done’ his one year overseas; the draft before there were 12. You know that guys like UK’s John Wall and Demarcus Cousins, Derrick Favors at GT, Xavier Henry at Kansas, maybe even UC’s Lance Stephenson are probably coming out. Every one of them that does is most likely going to take away one more slot in the 1st round, because O&Ds tend to go in the 1st round. All 5 in 2009 were drafted in the 1st round; 11 out of 12 in 2008 were. This is because unless they have been absolutely assured of that fact, the O&D kids don’t come out. The worst part is that you won’t really know how many O&Ds are fully committed to the draft until it is time for you yourself to decide.

-- Early Entries. 21 of the players chosen in 2009 were EEs; 17 of them were drafted in 2008 You are not the only guy thinking of leaving early this year, but again, who knows how many will?

-- Internationals. 13 players from other countries were selected in the 2009 draft, including former BG target Patrick Beverly who played overseas for 2 years; 11 of them were taken in 2008. Herein lies the real wild card to the whole process, because you not only don’t know who they are, you have no idea how many of them have been thoroughly scouted and vetted and are now being lusted after by NBA GMs.

-- Seniors. Oh yeah, can’t forget the 4 year guys, can we? 21 seniors were picked in the 2009 NBA draft. In 2008, there were 20.

-- The fact of the matter is that NBA teams draft according to specific needs; NFL teams tend to select players based upon “the best athlete available” scenario. It’s a shame you don’t play football, because you would be a sure-fire #1 draft pick.

-- You were smart to forego declaring for the draft last year, because you would have been painted into a corner this time around. You only get to test the waters once without penalty, wise move to wait until this year to do your toe dipping.

--This is not a do or don’t deal. If you decide to pass at this time, guess what: the money will still be there next year…and probably more of it.

Non-Financial Reasons:

-- The diploma. I got news for you, Chris: there is life after the NBA, a lot of it. What are you gonna do with it? The average NBA player’s career only lasts 5 years. That’s all. You’re gonna need that sheepskin.

-- Get out a tape of the New Mexico game. Is that the best you’ve got? Wouldn’t you like to be around to crush those Lobos next year when they come to the Arena?

-- You still have one last chance to beat X at their place. ‘Nuf said

-- Juwan Staten. The kid is a player and has said that his dream is to be throwing oops to you next year. You have the ability to let him live it.

-- The rest of the incoming class: Josh Parker, Brandon Spearman, Devin Oliver, Ralph Hill and Jesse Berry. With all of that fresh talent around you, opposing teams won’t be able to cramp your style and focus on just you.
Add in Devin, CJ, Paul, Josh, Matt and you and that’s a nice looking squad, dontcha think?

-- BG

-- The Mid-Range Jumper. We can see that you’ve been working on it, but it ain’t there yet. Until you can drain the MRJ consistently in games, scouts might mistakenly dismiss you as just another tweener SF who can jump out of the gym.

-- Doesn’t it seem like your college career has flashed by in a millisecond? It certainly does for us fans. Are you sure you want to end it now?

-- Your legacy. Stay and you have the chance to write UD history; go and you’ll always be well remembered, just in an incomplete sentence: “Yeah, CW really was a freak athlete, but…”

That’s it. Just one guy’s opinion, Chris. We all hope that whatever decision you make that you believe it is the right one for you and that you are comfortable with it.

Oh yeah and thanks for choosing to come to UD.

That’s it “From the Swamp.”
You can email me at: swampy@udpride.com
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