DS in the draft

[Jstock12]

Better than anyone, the Sabonis family knows the NBA is boring, dreary, and largely unfulfilling. Here's the choice. Sit at the end of the bench of a lottery or first round loser NBA team or be the top player in all of CBB, get the degree and be with teammates he clearly enjoys. Unless the Spurs guarantee a spot, and in that case he wouldn't play for 3 years anyway, his best move is to stay. Hoping for a start in a late winter Detroit Philadelphia game is no way to spend your 20th year.

I can confirm this. I've recently watched an Arvydas Sabonis interview which he gave back in 2003 or 2004 after one Euroleague game. He told the reporter that playing in Europe is a much more fun competitive experience, because every game matters and teams put everything on the line. He said that in the NBA, at least during the regular season, games simply don't matter nearly as much, and aren't that fun. So it gave me the impression that Arvydas wasn't a big fan of the 82-game regular season. It's likely that he let Domas know this as well, at some point.

[MDABE80]

SOunds like absolute "drudgery" for money but you do get wealthy...........I'd love for him to stay. Seems pretty happy here. More to life than money....especially if you're having fun and getting better at the same time. Players don't have to accumulate $50 million to have great lives and be happy. Sounds like the Euro ball might be a nice medium....when Domas is finished here.

[jazzdelmar]

SOunds like absolute "drudgery" for money but you do get wealthy...........I'd love for him to stay. Seems pretty happy here. More to life than money....especially if you're having fun and getting better at the same time. Players don't have to accumulate $50 million to have great lives and be happy. Sounds like the Euro ball might be a nice medium....when Domas is finished here.

But Doc the $$$$ will always be there. Oodles of lucre. Somewhere. This isn't a closing window, grab for a gold ring kind of opportunity. He will be a very rich young man very soon, somewhere. A third year at G is actually the closing window, gold ring, once in a lifetime opportunity. I would be disappointed if he passes on that.

[MDABE80]

Me too. As I tried to say above, money isn't all that important compared to something you'll carry (a certain joy I guess) for the rest of your life. I hope he understands joy vs dudgery no matter the money. He's just 20...he'll have lots of time to generate millions. Get an insurance policy if you must to protect you from damages that might end your career.. but the joy of winning with your friends as a team...well, there's nothing like it.
Seriously nothing.

[Goshzagit]

A determining factor in Sabonis' decision will be his family input AND whether Shem stays or returns to Europe.

Peopl close to Karnowski say he will absolutely, unequivocally leave for Europe if Doctors tell him he only has a couple years of 100% high level basketball under his belt.

Said he's considering staying if he receives the full go "all clear'.

You'd think the opposite would be true but not the case.

[hondo]

Me too. As I tried to say above, money isn't all that important compared to something you'll carry (a certain joy I guess) for the rest of your life. I hope he understands joy vs dudgery no matter the money. He's just 20...he'll have lots of time to generate millions. Get an insurance policy if you must to protect you from damages that might end your career.. but the joy of winning with your friends as a team...well, there's nothing like it.
Seriously nothing.

+1000
The great benefit of having lots of money is that one can afford the luxury of doing exactly what they want to do. As I have said before once you leave school the rest is work no matter how much money you may make its still work.

[Jstock12]

Peopl close to Karnowski say he will absolutely, unequivocally leave for Europe if Doctors tell him he only has a couple years of 100% high level basketball under his belt.

Said he's considering staying if he receives the full go "all clear'.

You'd think the opposite would be true but not the case.

It makes sense. He can go to Europe for those remaining 'couple of years' to make some money playing professionally. Then, after his career is over, he could come back to GU to get his degree.

[jkwhsu]

It's easy for us who want our stars to stay in college to say sliding from #1 to #6 is not that bad. However, in doing so, Noel loss $10 million dollars!!!!!! Not chump change.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/chrissmith/2013/06/28/nerlens-noels-nba-draft-slide-will-cost-him-10-million/#465d56601e56

Whether Sabonis stays or not will depend on whether he truly can jump to the "lottery" status or if he remains in the late teens. Scouting on him is that he has great offensive inside skills, great motor and rebounder, intelligent, & is a great competitor. Doesn't hurt to have a "Hall-of-Fame" father. Downside is that he needs to work on & show that he is willing to take & make more jump shots. He improved immensely as the year went along, but still did not take very many jump shots. Secondly, his defense is fair by NBA standards.

If he is projected to be in the late teens, working on his deficiencies one more year might elevate him near the top of the next draft. However, if he's getting an indication that some teams are willing to make him a lottery pick & let him work on those deficiencies in the NBA, then he's probably gone. Too much to lose.

[GeorgiaZagFan]

Time to revisit the mock drafts. Seems like all but one has DS in the 18-20 range. The outlier, NBA Draft Net, has him, stunningly, at 5.

http://www.nbadraft.net/2016mock_draft

http://www.si.com/nba/2016/04/01/nba-mock-draft-brandon-ingram-ben-simmons-dragan-bender

http://www.draftexpress.com/nba-mock-draft/2016/

Check to see if the NBA Draft Net mock draft is being run by a St. Mary's or BYU fan!!

[gonzagafan62]

NBA is extremely boring. Great in 90s but new day is awful. NBA sucks

[ValencyLovesZagsInAtlanta]

It's easy for us who want our stars to stay in college to say sliding from #1 to #6 is not that bad. However, in doing so, Noel loss $10 million dollars!!!!!! Not chump change.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/chrissmith/2013/06/28/nerlens-noels-nba-draft-slide-will-cost-him-10-million/#465d56601e56

Whether Sabonis stays or not will depend on whether he truly can jump to the "lottery" status or if he remains in the late teens. Scouting on him is that he has great offensive inside skills, great motor and rebounder, intelligent, & is a great competitor. Doesn't hurt to have a "Hall-of-Fame" father. Downside is that he needs to work on & show that he is willing to take & make more jump shots. He improved immensely as the year went along, but still did not take very many jump shots. Secondly, his defense is fair by NBA standards.

If he is projected to be in the late teens, working on his deficiencies one more year might elevate him near the top of the next draft. However, if he's getting an indication that some teams are willing to make him a lottery pick & let him work on those deficiencies in the NBA, then he's probably gone. Too much to lose.

I didn't realize it was 10 million lost! WOW! An injury and a slide from 1 to 6 was costly. You are right! The weird thing also about money is usually those that have it...sometimes are so shrewd about it that they focus more on the business angle than the personal angle. After all the business angle has a greater likelihood of generating more long term capital growth. Of course there are variables to counter this and it depends on the 2017 draft prospects compared to 2016. I could understand either decision by Domas here. If it were me.........hmmmm lol

[VinnyZag]

But Doc the $$$$ will always be there. Oodles of lucre. Somewhere. This isn't a closing window, grab for a gold ring kind of opportunity. He will be a very rich young man very soon, somewhere. A third year at G is actually the closing window, gold ring, once in a lifetime opportunity. I would be disappointed if he passes on that.

I think about it this way: These guys have X number of years when they can play basketball at a high level. Maybe that's 15 years, or 12, or 20.

How many of those years do they want to get paid for, versus how many do they want to play for free? Most people would want to maximize their earning potential.

[VaBeachZAG]

I think about it this way: These guys have X number of years when they can play basketball at a high level. Maybe that's 15 years, or 12, or 20.

How many of those years do they want to get paid for, versus how many do they want to play for free? Most people would want to maximize their earning potential.

Some seem to treat this discussion as, do it now or all is lost forever. DS is a rich man walking (NBA salary wise), whether he goes immediately or returns for one more year at GU before pursuing the NBA. No amount of money can buy back that third year of college experience if he goes now. I really don't think draft positioning (and the money that goes with it) is the pivotal question on DS's mind right now. The simple question is: does he enjoy the GU experience enough to come back one more year. If yes, he returns, if not, he goes. In other words, I think this is much less of a money issue than it is an emotional issue for DS. Purely conjecture on my part, but this is how I see it from the outside looking in. Obviously, it's his call!

[BULLDOG#1]

I think about it this way: These guys have X number of years when they can play basketball at a high level. Maybe that's 15 years, or 12, or 20.

How many of those years do they want to get paid for, versus how many do they want to play for free? Most people would want to maximize their earning potential.

There are a lot of factors in the decision process, but since this post is monetizing the decision, keep this in mind that you're assumng that his best earning potential is if he leaves this year. Given the nature of NBA contracts and that the real money, unless you're a top, say, 8 pick, doesn't come in until the second or third contracts, his best earning potential may be to stay at GU and improve his skills set and draft position and move to top 8. Olynyk and Daye faced the same decision and it seems to have been the right choice for Kelly, but not so much for Austin. Yeah, yeah, Daye did play a lot of years in the league and won a championship, but did he reach his best earning potential?

If Sabonis is a top 8-10 pick this year, then he'd probably be best to take the opportunity (money wise). I'm not sure he'd go that high, tho...

[zagsfanforlife]

There are a lot of factors in the decision process, but since this post is monetizing the decision, keep this in mind that you're assumng that his best earning potential is if he leaves this year. Given the nature of NBA contracts and that the real money, unless you're a top, say, 8 pick, doesn't come in until the second or third contracts, his best earning potential may be to stay at GU and improve his skills set and draft position and move to top 8. Olynyk and Daye faced the same decision and it seems to have been the right choice for Kelly, but not so much for Austin. Yeah, yeah, Daye did play a lot of years in the league and won a championship, but did he reach his best earning potential?

If Sabonis is a top 8-10 pick this year, then he'd probably be best to take the opportunity (money wise). I'm not sure he'd go that high, tho...

Scouts are telling Domas' camp he is top 10. I am just hoping Pryor comes, and possibly can pick up one more big on the Grad Free agent wire.