Dj Wilson declares for NBA draft, doesn't hire an agent

[UMRules06]

MSU will be a top 5 team easily next season, with as good a chance as anybody at a national title. Bridges/Ward/Winston all looked sensational as freshmen, and they're supposed to have more good recruits next season as well.

I think that's all Bridges is thinking about is just next season. He's not thinking "if we don't win a title this year then i'm still staying." He will probably evaluate things year by year. He's risking an injury of course, and forfeiting one year of NBA dollars, but more power to him. We all would have loved if some of our early departures had stuck around.

Getting another year of education towards a degree is also never a bad thing.

 

[dubbsco]

I agree with most of your sentiment except the degree stuff. Players of his caliber don't care about school. Hell, I'd be surprised if they actually do their own work and just let a staffer do it.

And can you blame them? When you know you'll be making millions upon millions of dollars, studying English Comp is the last thing on your mind.

If education is that important, he can complete while he makes all this cash.

 

[UMRules06]

I didn't mean to imply that Bridges is making his decision based on the educational standpoint. I was more responding to the notion that he might be "returning for nothing" if they don't win a title. It's good to have options if for some reason your NBA career doesn't pan out, or by the time you reach 40 years old and can't play anymore.

 

[biggunsbob]

Yeah unfortunately Msu is going to be real good , and even of both Wagner and wilson stay Michigan will be just going to be just pretty good.

 

[MSUMatt28]

From a business standpoint Bridges should go, as generally if you're in the top 20 it's the better decision. However, it sounds like the rookie cap will go up next year and if he improves his position he could make up a portion of what he doesn't make this coming year. He could always drop too if NBA scouts are given a year to overanalyze and nitpick his flaws, which has definitely been known to happen, though Bridges probably isn't really counting on not improving.


Mostly though it just sounds like he loves being in college and playing with his teammates and wants to leave some kind of lasting legacy beyond a Round of 32 knockout in a single year. End up a legend at MSU AND still make millions in the NBA vs being a footnote and making millions.

 

[thewolverines24]

More kids need to stay. It makes the college and NBA game better. Everyone needs to stay at least two years.

Rookies in the NBA suck now. Blake Griffin is the last rookie to average 20 PPG and only three total players have done that since the 04-05 season. Griffin, Durant, and Tyreke Evans. We no longer see any rookies at the level of Jordan, David Robinson, Shaq, Duncan, Allen Iverson, Ewing, Mourning, Hakeem, Bird, and Magic.

The best you basically can hope for now is a guy who averages 15 a game and sucks ass on defense.

 

[dubbsco]

I hear that a lot about the rookie cap, but I think people forget that this whole year at MSU he'll be making 0. He could be banking for an entire year, improving his value with performance on the court and getting other money from endorsements, etc...

I do think he loves college. But the money part doesn't line up for me.

 

[hungry]

More kids need to stay. It makes the college and NBA game better. Everyone needs to stay at least two years.

Rookies in the NBA suck now. Blake Griffin is the last rookie to average 20 PPG and only three total players have done that since the 04-05 season. Griffin, Durant, and Tyreke Evans. We no longer see any rookies at the level of Jordan, David Robinson, Shaq, Duncan, Allen Iverson, Ewing, Mourning, Hakeem, Bird, and Magic.

The best you basically can hope for now is a guy who averages 15 a game and sucks ass on defense.

I completely disagree. They need to do away with this 1 and done system and the 2 and done system wouldn't fix it at all. Either you somehow convince them to stay for a degree or let them enter the draft right out of high school. The one and done thing is ruining the NBA AND the NCAA. Just let them enter right out of high school.

 

[thewolverines24]

I completely disagree. They need to do away with this 1 and done system and the 2 and done system wouldn't fix it at all. Either you somehow convince them to stay for a degree or let them enter the draft right out of high school. The one and done thing is ruining the NBA AND the NCAA. Just let them enter right out of high school.

I agree with that would be ideal, but it's never going to happen.

The best we could ever hope for is 3 years like football.

 

[MSUMatt28]

I prefer 1 and done to kids entering straight out of high school. As a fan of college basketball I would also prefer 2 and done to 1 and done as it would make for a better product. However, I don't like the idea of limiting opportunities for kids who are ready to make the jump. So I think the 1 and done strikes a reasonable balance as far as allowing kids who are physically ready to make the jump to do so, but at least make sure they have a certain level of maturity that someone entering straight out of high school may not have.


I really don't like the NFL rule of 3 years and they are only able to get away with it because, well they are the NFL and the NFL always gets it's way. Nowadays some kids are ready after 2 years. And then you have kids suffering devastating injuries in college when they probably should have been in the NFL already. If someone tries to enter the NFL out of college who isn't physically ready, the NFL will not be forgiving and draft them anyway so they can sit on the practice squad and "develop". So why impose a rule for that when it would likely work itself out naturally?

 

[hungry]

If they go out of high school and fail, oh well. That is on them. Then they have to pay their own way through college and work a real job like the rest of us. Oh the horror!!!

 

[dubbsco]

How about, you either declare your intentions to go pro after high school, or you commit to a college for 3 years? If you choose pro and don't get drafted, go make some money overseas and come back if/when you are ready.

 

[thewolverines24]

I wish the NBA would do it like the NHL. You can get drafted, but still play in college. Teams retain rights to a player until 30 days after he has left college.

Why would that not work for basketball?

 

[dubbsco]

Complete speculation, but it's gotta involve the size of the leagues. There's like 14 rounds in the NHL, so I would think there's less urgency for players to go when they know they could be cut immediately if they don't make the club.

NBA, you want that payday immediately and there's only a couple of rounds.

Just throwing stuff out there.

 

[thewolverines24]

Complete speculation, but it's gotta involve the size of the leagues. There's like 14 rounds in the NHL, so I would think there's less urgency for players to go when they know they could be cut immediately if they don't make the club.

NBA, you want that payday immediately and there's only a couple of rounds.

Just throwing stuff out there.

They could expand the draft. The draft has only been 2 rounds since 1989. It's not that long ago that the NBA had a larger draft.

Of course none of this will ever happen.

 

[hungry]

How about, you either declare your intentions to go pro after high school, or you commit to a college for 3 years? If you choose pro and don't get drafted, go make some money overseas and come back if/when you are ready.

I'm fine with that, but there is no way to hold them to their pledge. What if they just drop out? What if they flunk out?

 

[dubbsco]

Yeah it would have to be an agreement with the NCAA and NBA. I don't know all the ways it could work, but it's gotta be more than a year that they go to college.

 

[hungry]

I just thnk the 1ndones and the 2and dones if they go there are ruining NCAA basketball. Without the presence of certain players, can't even call them student athletes, some of these elite teams would just not be able to be elite. They'd actually have to scout, coach, and develop players.

Of course this won't happen. Duke, UK, KU, and UNC set the standard for NCAA basketball. The powers that be aren't going to change that.