shallowcal

March 3rd, 2015 at 10:13 AM ^

on his end.  this is not a sign to whether he will stay or go.

im sure that they will be honest with him and tell him hes a mid to late first round pick depending on his workouts and medical exams on his foot.

Tater

March 3rd, 2015 at 11:25 AM ^

If he is the last pick in the first round, he will make approximately $1.6 million guaranteed over two years.  Being picked at #15 would put him around $3.16 million guaranteed.  I hope the advisory board doesn't give him an inflated expectation.  

I really didn't see a first round talent this year.  I saw a solid college basketball player but not one who can dominate at this level, let alone the NBA.  We also don't know how many other players are going to leave early.  When you add in his injury, I don't see anyone risking a first round pick on him.  

It all comes down to what the board tells him.  There is an unfortunate side to being Michigan; evaluators seem to "bump" players a few slots because they are wearing maize and blue.   I just hope the evaluation is correct and he makes the right decision either way.

Monkey House

March 3rd, 2015 at 12:49 PM ^

i agree with not seeing a first round pick. I didn't understand those that were talking him up this year as a first round pick. early in the season it seemed like he disappeared for long stretches of games.

Michigan4Life

March 3rd, 2015 at 1:34 PM ^

points to Caris getting a 1st round grade.  6'7" SG who can shoot, handle and create for others don't grow on trees and has room to get better which means he has potential to be one of the better SG in the NBA with his length, athleticism and shooting. There is a reason why he's considered a 1st round pick.

Wolverine Devotee

March 3rd, 2015 at 10:16 AM ^

I guess I don't understand why guys in Basketball go pro their junior year.

You're one year away from getting your degree. iirc the average NBA career isn't that long. Take the guarantee JUST in case things don't work out in the NBA.

notetoself

March 3rd, 2015 at 1:10 PM ^

true, but if you're the type of dude who's considering coming back for your senior year for the express purpose of finishing your degree, i imagine you're also the sort that's not gonna blow all your cash before your playing days are over...

i suppose that's a little presumptuous, but i just find it hard to believe the guys that are bankrupt at 25 were also thinking "i don't know, this is a risk to leave school without a degree..."

xtramelanin

March 3rd, 2015 at 4:59 PM ^

come from next to nothing money-wise.  i had a cousin who played pro ball and his sister was actually a pretty successful agent.  they told me stories of all sorts of kids who signed nice contracts out of college, got a $500K signing bonus, and were broke within a couple of months - take out some taxes, the agent's %, a benz and a house and its all gone. 

its tough for us normal folks to comprehend that type of forward thinking and fiscal discipline if it's nothing you have ever had to do and suddenly, boom, here's a wheelbarrow full of money.  i know, high class problems, but i suspect that plays a big part of it. 

mGrowOld

March 3rd, 2015 at 10:25 AM ^

Time value of money.  If he's a mid first round pick he'll be looking at several million dollars that he'll have year one that he would never be able to recapture.

What's limiting is a pro athlete's career length.  The BEST he's going to do is play into his late 30's and most are out of he league far before then.  What will always be there is his opportunity, should he desire it, to go back to school and finish his degree.

What I wonder is why anyone stays if they know they are going first round, not why they leave.

LeBron James

March 3rd, 2015 at 10:38 AM ^

There are people who actually like college and playing college basketball. I wish more guys were like that. Imagine if we had a senior Burke, junior McGary (the weed, I know, but just pretend that didn't happen), junior LeVert, and junior Walton all playing full time this season with the current supporting cast. We would be top-five right now, celebrating another conference title, and likely looking at a number one seed in the tournament.

M-Dog

March 3rd, 2015 at 10:55 AM ^

College is also a great experience, one you will never be able to replicate for the rest of your life.

At this point in my life, I can afford nice vacations, cars, house, etc.  The stuff money can buy.  What I can't do is replicate the college experience.  What I wouldn't give to be able to go back in time for even one year of college.

So, if you know you are good enough to play in the NBA and get the big paycheck, why not stay in college an extra year?  It's the last chance you'll ever get. 

M-Dog

March 3rd, 2015 at 11:17 AM ^

Not really.  

A 30+ year old ex NBA player with a wife and possibly even kids can't really recreate the college experience.  They can get their degree off to the side, which is what a lot of them do, but they're not actually going "back to school".

Hell, I could go back to Michigan and take some classes, but it wouldn't be replicating the college experience.  I'd just be some creeper around campus.

The college experience as a young person is a unique and highly underrated life experience.  I would not trade mine for anything.  But once it's over, it's over.

 

OccaM

March 3rd, 2015 at 11:36 AM ^

Is college experience the same for a high profile college athlete though as it is for us plebes? Think about the cons vs the pros. There is a lot more to lose imo that is more tangible to one's future success vs. personal enjoyment.

Then again idk if you can put money on one's college experiences (non-athlete) 

 

jmblue

March 3rd, 2015 at 3:14 PM ^

General Studies is misunderstood.  It isn't a set curriculum.  Beyond your distribution requirement, you can take what you want if you're BGS.  It's a way for people with unusual schedules (like having football practice from 2-6 every weekday) to design a course of study that interests them.  I don't see why someone going through BGS would feel bitter about it.

Now, if you were nudged into Sports Management and Communications, I could maybe see it.  But the guys who have to do that are the academically marginal ones.  Even then, they have the chance to transfer into LSA if their grades are good enough. 

 

jmblue

March 3rd, 2015 at 12:21 PM ^

In terms of being a celebrity, maybe.  But you might have a bunch of teammates that are 10 years older than you and don't want to be your friend.  You may also live in a crappy city that you'd have never chosen if it were up to you.  A lot of young pros talk about the isolation they feel in their new city.

 

 

TheLastHarbaugh

March 3rd, 2015 at 12:25 PM ^

There are also plenty of college towns that are in the middle of nowhere with not a lot going on where you would experience some isolation, especially if you're a young black kid going to a predominantly white school well away from home.

You also don't need to go to college for 3 or 4 years to fully exeprience college. 

jmblue

March 3rd, 2015 at 12:50 PM ^

That may be, but people still choose where they're going to school.  They can't choose which pro team picks them.  And the difference in locker room atmosphere is something that pretty much every young pro talks about.  They go from being close friends with their teammates to having teammates they have no relationship with off the court.

You don't have to be in college 3-4 years to get the experience, but once you give it up you can't get it back - not as an athlete anyway, and not even really as a regular student either.  Being a 25-year-old taking summer school classes isn't really the same experience.

M-Dog

March 3rd, 2015 at 1:53 PM ^

once you give it up you can't get it back

Yes, this is the whole point.  
 
If you don't really like college, or you just came to college to kill time until the Pro's, then fine, leave as soon as you can.
 
Or if you think you only have one shot to make it big in the Pro's and that time is now, then fine, leave now.  The college experience is great, but not great enough to miss out on the chance to make millions vs. thousands.  
 
But if you like college and you can help your future draft status even a little by staying another year, then stay.  Once you give it up you can't get it back.
 

Wolverinefan84

March 3rd, 2015 at 2:45 PM ^

In last year's draft, only 2 of the first 25 players drafted were seniors (Doug McDermott-11, Shabazz Napier-24). Kaminsky is one of the few who will be in that select group this year. Caris hasn't had anywhere near the career Kaminsky has, and will have to have a very strong, injury-free senior year to even have a chance at being a first rounder. All I was pointing out is that history and the numbers are against him. Nowadays NBA GMs would rather draft an 18-19 year old kid who's considered a "project" than a senior.