A Question Without An Answer

Sunday, April 13, 2008

(posted by One More Dying Quail)

A question for a lazy Sunday afternoon...

Tomorrow, Kansas State freshman Michael Beasley plans to announce whether he will leave school for the NBA or stick around for his sophomore season. So it comes down to that age old question:

Should he stay? Or should he go?

My opinion? Stick around for another year or two. Whenever kids are trying make this decision, people always throw the money issue out there (it's even in the second line of the above link). The thinking goes that you can always go back to school, but you risk losing millions if you return and get hurt, or someone manages to uncover and exploit a hole in your game.

Those are good points. But there are two things I can think of to counter them:

1) The old adage, "Money doesn't buy happiness," is true. Being the number one overall pick and signing a multi-million dollar contract does absolutely nothing to guarantee Beasley's happiness or peace of mind.

2) I transferred after my first two years of college and began commuting rather than living on campus, which totally changed my college experience. I was still in college, but I wasn't really "in college", you know? If Beasley truly wants to be a kid and have fun and experience college, he may do well to stick around.

But those are just my thoughts. Anyone else have an opinion?

Posted by One More Dying Quail at 5:05 PM

11 Comments:

he will gain nothing by staying at kstate for another year. he's gone.

Unknown said...
Apr 13, 2008, 5:45:00 PM  

Gain nothing? Look at how Tim Duncan dominated the league from the start after staying in college all four years. Kobe didn't dominate straight out of high school, neither did Garnett. Carmelo could have benefited from another year in school.

Beasley is great, and will be a great player in the NBA, but would gain experience and maturity staying for at least another year. Will he stay? Probably not.

His teammate Bill Walker definitely needs another year, if not two.

Yes, I'm a K-State fan, and would love to see him stick around. I hope he does the best for him and his family.

Clay W. Ginn said...
Apr 13, 2008, 6:09:00 PM  

Winning an NCAA title (ala Carmelo) would have been nice for Beasley, but that isn't going to happen at K-State. I agree he would benefit from staying in school, but talented kids who stay in school are extremely rare. Geez - you can't even get women's basketball players to stay four years anymore (hello, Candice Parker).

Mal said...
Apr 13, 2008, 7:39:00 PM  

Candace Parker didn't stay for her last year of eligibility because she's graduating next month. She has a degree and 2 championships, so I think at that point she'd be shortchanging herself by not going pro.

On Beasley, if he and his family need the money (unlike Kevin Love and, before him, Grant Hill) then he should go pro.

"Wilson" said...
Apr 13, 2008, 9:40:00 PM  

If you're considered to be a Top 5 pick, declare for the draft, even if you don't need the money. Matt Leinart could have bought countless kegs and beer bongs with the money he left on the table (not that there's anything wrong with that).

Anonymous said...
Apr 13, 2008, 10:47:00 PM  

If Bob Huggins were still at K-State I would have said stay.

But Huggins is in Morgantown, Frank Martin is a joke as a head coach, and Beasley outdid Melo's numbers for double-doubles in the Big 12, never mind several 40 point games.

He should have been player of the year over Tyler Hansbrough. He should start collecting pro paychecks.

Signal to Noise said...
Apr 13, 2008, 11:17:00 PM  

@s2n:

How odd now that after all of the capitulation over what moribund team would win the "Michael Beasley Sweepstakes," according to nbadraft.net, Beasley's no longer the #1 pick (Rose is). It's just one website out of many, but how quickly people have gone from calling him a "can't miss" to "Derrick Coleman lazy" (I forget what braying moron on ESPN Radio said that).

Apr 13, 2008, 11:30:00 PM  

In general, most college players needs to stay to improve their skills and whatnot but they really don't want to be a student so they rather sit on the bench in the pros rather then stay and actually be a student but after he weights his options, he should do whats best for him.

Anonymous said...
Apr 14, 2008, 1:36:00 AM  

Michael Beasley is a basketball player, and that is really the end of it. He's not in college to earn a degree, he's there to display his basketball skills. As such, he will never be more valuable than he is now, and even if he never plays a second in the NBA, he would be a fool to turn down the signing bonus. If the money in the NBA wasn't that good, of course he (and every other underclassman) should stay. You just can't turn down that sort of cash. It might not buy you happiness, but it can buy you security - especially when you have few other marketable skills.

The NBA and NCAA need to work it out so that a player has to stay in school for two years. This business with a player being able to pass six first-semester hours and never having to go to class again is helping no one.

Apr 14, 2008, 8:36:00 AM  

I'd love for Beasley to stay. He's a joy to watch in college, whereas in the NBA he'd be just another talented lottery pick stifled by a horrible team. And like prophetcat said, why not hone your skills so when you do make the jump, you're that much further ahead than other rookies?

Kyle said...
Apr 14, 2008, 4:22:00 PM  

A question without an answer? This is really a question without an answer?

Let's see. You're going to be the top pick in the draft, or #2 pick at the worst. You have absolutely no interest in college, given that you had no interest in high school having gone to seven of them over your life. You and your family may need the money. And getting an extra year as a pro will likely earn you at least another $15 million in your career by accelerating your window to free agency and ultimately allow you to be a pro another year.

And your "counter" argument is that "money doesn't buy happiness" and "have fun and experience college"?

Freaking moronic. Dear Abby you aren't.

Anonymous said...
Apr 15, 2008, 12:23:00 AM  

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