From a si.com article: LeBron James watched Michael Jordan say farewell to Washington Wizards fans earlier this week and couldn't help but think about his future.

"Within the next two weeks, I'm going to try to sit down with my family and make a decision about what I'm gonna do ... so everything starts flowing," he said.

Here's my question: Even if he wants to go to college, is he actually eligible? His amateur status can't be very solid. An Ohio judge overturned the earlier ruling and said he shouldn't have been allowed to play the rest of the season. But the judge also allowed LeBron's high school to keep their state title.

I don't think he's an amateur anymore. But that's just me.

I can't believe that LeBron is seriously entertaining thoughts of going to college now. He has behaved like a pro for several months already, and I can't see anything that he has done that looks like he has readied himself for college. Has he even started the NCAA clearinghouse process? Taken ACT/SAT? Considered his amateur status (and potential lack thereof)? Talked to any schools about attending them? Did anybody even try to recruit LeBron this year, or did they all assume he was NBA bound?

Something is happening here and I don't know what it is - but I am convinced that it ain't college for LeBron.

I'm not sure how the system works with entering the draft, withdrawing, still being eligible, and what the timing of the draft lottery is. But is it possible that if the wrong team wins the lottery (Nuggets?) that he will spend a year in school?

Or will he be able to enter the draft, find out who wins the lottery, negotiate toward a contract, and use the prospect of going to college as a tool in that negotiation? If he doesn't get an offer he likes from the lottery winner before the withdrawal deadline, he pulls out and goes to school for a year?

After posting this topic, I heard John Feinstein on the radio talking about this same subject. He brought up the fact that LeBron is in Washington to play in an all-star game. This will be the 3rd all-star game he has played in. The NCAA only allows you to play in TWO. So, even if he did hit the books and give it the ol' college try, the NCAA would probably hit him up for a multi-game suspension (minimum).

He just has "One shining moment' playing in his head!

The rule that allows a player to enter the draft, withdraw and return to school does not apply to high school players. It only applies to college players.

You beat me to it
 

and you hit the nail on the head, bktballref. HS players can't enter the draft then reconsider.

If LeBron is really trying to reconsider due to some late revelation, he has probably stepped beyond NCAA bounds on several fronts. A Hummer, the throw-backs (even after the throw-back give-back) and the all-star games are the examples we know about. And if LeBron is worried about some loser team winning the lottery, who does he think gets there in the first place? The entire Eastern Conference stinks, and better half of bad all make the playoffs anyway. Doesn't leave much in the lottery.

We can't say much for the Cavs this season, but we can say that they have some integrity. The Nuggets lose on the season's final night and the Cavs WIN?!? thus they tie for last.

What has he thought all along! He probably figured that he would go #1 in the draft and who usually gets the number one pick....one of the teams in last place! I just hope he is worth all the hype.....

AK ref SE

I read the article awhile ago so I might be mistaken, but I thought the decision wasn't to go pro or not but to be a nike man or an adidas man. He gets $10,000,000+++ either way.
I read Nike has been paying Michael to push him their way.

It's official!
 

You nailed it on the head, Coach. Didn't seem like he really had much of a choice.

http://espn.go.com/nba/news/2003/0425/1544721.html
http://espn.go.com/nba/columns/wojna...n/1544776.html

The second article is a rant, but might be worth a read.

Re: It's official!
 

[[/B][/QUOTE]
The second article is a rant, but might be worth a read. [/B][/QUOTE]

Don't you think if you're going to have a banner at your press conference with your website plastered all over it, you'd have that website up and running? Just a thought.

Re: It's official!
 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by ChuckElias

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http://espn.go.com/nba/columns/wojna...n/1544776.html The second article is a rant, but might be worth a read.

This guy's an idiot. Firstly, he fulfills his professional obligation to write a column for a sports rag by writing about how Lebron James & StV-StM cashed in on a particular talent that LJ has in huge abundance. He's part of the LJ money printing sideshow - how's that for subtle irony. Secondly, what I really want to see is a column by some sports-yahoo bemoaning a HS senior's decision to join the plumbers union instead of going to college. Then they'll have a little more credibility when they write about kids deciding to not pursue a college degree.

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On the other hand, colleges don't give full 4-year scholarships for students to do plumbing work part-time on campus. Just a thought.

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Well, they certainly don't give *athletic* scholarships for talented plumbers, and they don't give free rides to many of their athletes either. The point is (which I think you got) is that many kids decide to work rather than attend college. It's a personal decision based on many factors and nothing in the LJ case is unusual - except the huge earnings potential that he has now, which makes the decision that much easier ("hmmm, let's see, should I take this full ride to Syracuse or sign this $10M NBA contract...and this $50M Nike contract...and this $20M Wendy's contract...and this...."). It's getting boring, IMO, for these low-brow media types to continually make commentary on one kids decision to work rather than go to college. There's plenty of other stuff to write about, I mean they can spend an entire summer predicting when the annual Red Sox meltdown will begin! :D

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I can only assume that you are somehow suggesting that NCAA bball is a part-time activity. At the D1 level, I am willing to bet these guys put in their 40 hrs per week. College players do not travel as much as the pros, but the coaches have much more authority over these kids than a pro coach has over his millionaire players, and the kids put a lot of time in. Probably close to or more than what the pros do in terms of a time commitment.

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Yeah, I wasn't trying to dispute that point. I was only trying to point out that many of the kids who skip college to directly to work don't have the option of going to college. For many of them, the financial obligations are either completely out of reach or so large as to make it unreasonable to carry so much debt. Others simply can't get in based on their academic merit. There's nothing wrong in them making that decision.

But if a kid who was mechanically gifted were offered a full boat to college and turned it down to join the union, I think you might see some people talk about it. Again, I would say that there's nothing wrong with making that decision, but it might prompt some discussion, just as Lebron's decision has.

And I also agree that it's a no-brainer for Lebron. College and a possible blown knee, or $100 million in the bank tomorrow. . .

Chuck

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If you changed "many" to "some" you would have a more believable argument. I think today we are lucky enough to live in a country where generally if you want to go to college you can make it happen, full time or part time, even at the high cost. But you have to want to make it happen. (And before we fire this one up again yes, there are some who find it economically impossible to attend college.)

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But if a kid who was mechanically gifted were offered a full boat to college and turned it down to join the union, I think you might see some people talk about it.

Well, they might & they might not wonder but not one of these people would complain about how *the system* failed the budding young plumber. And they would certainly be less inclined to wonder if the kid joined the union so he can one day take full ownership of his father's huge plumbing business. Starts to look like a no brainer.

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Again, I would say that there's nothing wrong with making that decision, but it might prompt some discussion, just as Lebron's decision has. And I also agree that it's a no-brainer for Lebron. College and a possible blown knee, or $100 million in the bank tomorrow. . . Chuck

Even if LJ was given a written guarrantee from the Diety of your choice that he would survive 4 yrs of college ball unhurt it would be a no-brainer. College is just not going to give anything to this kid that he doesn't already have, except an education. And he does not have to be a college basketball player to get an education.

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If you changed "that he doesn't already have" to "that he can't learn in the pros" then you'd have a more believable argument ;) I think that he would be able to learn a lot from a good college coach, don't you? You think his HS coaching taught him all he needs for the NBA?

In my experience, 98% of the people who go to college don't go for the pure experience of getting and education. They go to get an education that will allow them to get the type of job they want at the level of salary they want. If you can get that after high school, take it.

I also wonder why it's the basketballers who go straight to the NBA from HS that are criticized, while the baseballers who sign $50,000/year minor league contracts are not. When LeBron signs his name on his NBA contract (actually, when he signs the shoe deal) he will be set for life and will never need college. When Joe Schmoe at the local high school gets drafted in the 46th round by the Braves and signs for $50,000, he has a very good chance of washing out without enough money to make him secure, and without a scholarship offer.

What about the Backstreet Boys or Brittany Spears
 

Is anybody asking whether pop idols (music, TV, or movie stars) are going to college or what harm we have done by them not going there? (it may be harmful to your sanity to listen to them, but I am not here to question musical taste!) There are many failed musicians and actors out there that decided to roll the dice and skip the college experience. They too suffer as a result of skipping school, but we don't have a huge debate over the harm to them of seeing their millionaire brothers and sisters make it big in music or movies.

If we didn't have college B-ball teams that were setting people up for pro B-ball jobs, nobody would ask these questions. What needs to happen is that these people (whatever their field of endeavor) get proper advice so they cna make a good decision and then handle the money and the fame. Most of them come with no preparation for the adulation that accompanies being a big star. That is far more of a threat to their future than signing a huge contract.

I think the point of the article is, which is the same frustration I have, that our obsession with sports is ruining their very essence. High school basketball is supposed to be played in small gyms, with foldout wooden stands. Stands that are filled with fans who are passionate for their respective teams, led by cheerleaders who haven't a clue who's winning. And, if the game makes it to TV, its just another score in a long line of scores.

LeBron James isn't the problem. He's just the latest symptom of a worsening disease. Let the kid makes his millions. Just don't ruin the game along the way.

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All right, neither of us are believable. :)

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I think that he would be able to learn a lot from a good college coach, don't you? You think his HS coaching taught him all he needs for the NBA?

Well, let's see...odds are he'll go first in the NBA draft. Evidence seems to indicate the answers to your questions are "no" and "yes".

[Edited by Dan_ref on Apr 29th, 2003 at 09:47 AM]

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Originally posted by ChuckElias I think that he would be able to learn a lot from a good college coach, don't you? You think his HS coaching taught him all he needs for the NBA?

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Originally posted by Dan_ref Well, let's see...odds are he'll go first in the NBA draft. Evidence seems to indicate the answers to your questions are "no" and "yes".

Kwame Brown went first in the draft, and you can't answer either of those questions the way you did with respect to his game. He would have benefited greatly from some NCAA prep, and he didn't learn everything he needed for the NBA in HS. It is ridiculous to assert that HS play can prepare a kid for an 82 game pro season where, every night, the worst guys on the bench are bette than the guys you played last year. And you are not expected to be at the level of those bench players, you are supposed to be taking it to the other team's starting line-up every night - that's why you are the #1 pick.

NBA teams take a LeBron James because they feel they have to, since a kid with his raw talent doesn't come around every day. Even if he isn't ready yet, they will never have a kid with his talent if they don't pick him first (or so they believe). Clearly, many of the direct to pro players like Kobe, KG, T-Mac, and Jermaine O'Neal are at the top of the league now, but it took time to get there. And not everyone does it. It's worth the investment if you can hang onto them long enough to benefit from them.

It is extremely rare for a HS kid come in and be productive his first year the way that Jordan did, or any other strong post-college #1 pick. Amare Stoudamire is exceptional because he is the lone exception.

The problem is not that these kids need more *basketball* experience/education. The problem is they need more *life* experience (and usually 30 more lbs of muscle). It's a rare HS kid that can compete with men in the high pressure, high stakes, high visibility world of pro sports. To a large degree they might be just as well served if they joined the plumbers union & matured for 2 or 3 years. Or even the Navy for that matter. So, what you're really saying here is that big time NCAA basketball serves as the minor leagues for the NBA. Could very well be true. Anyway, I'll stick by my original statement but change it slightly, because the maturity issue is a major problem for many of these kids: there is nothing LJ will learn in college that he couldn't learn on the job that he'll need to be a succesful pro.

I am willing to bet that Carmelo Anthony has a better first year than LeBron has in his second year.

It is more than just muscle that the HS kids lack. Every time a player steps up in level, the moves that used to work don't work so well anymore, at least not at the speed they worked before. Doesn't matter if you are talking about going from rec ball to travel ball, MS to HS, etc. Skipping a level often acts as somewhat of a set-back. It takes longer to develop (and some never do) when the leap is too great. Not saying that this is universally true, but the consensus in the league is that these direct from HS players take 3-4 years to get pro ready.

That said, if you can hold the kid after the initial contract, you will probably have a bonafide all star. And college kids can spend 3-4 years at school and either be unprepared or take a year or two to excel. And I wonder if it isn't more appropriate that an outstanding young player that doesn't want a college education goes straight to the pros rather than having a one-year stop a Syracuse.

That is completely besides the point.

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It is more than just muscle that the HS kids lack.

You need to reread my post. The key issue IMO is maturity, not muscle or even basketball skills. College, Navy, plumbers union, European ball, USBL, NBDL - if a player has the package to be succesful in the NBA but needs to develop as an adult then any of these that will add the years to gain that maturity.

My Carmelo point is that he would never have been considered for the number one pick last year, but one year of college has him as a serious possibility. His rookie year places him one year beyond HS, just like LeBron's second year will. And I am arguing that this year's second pick (and non-consideration for last years first pick as an HS senior) will be better in his second post-HS year than a guy that considered going pro last year.

And when we look at each player one year beyond HS, it is definitely relevant if the college experience will have made Carmelo more ready than LeBron. It demonstrates that the college step helps prepare people to make the NBA step.