Enjoy the kid while you can

[skyvue]

I don't have any kids, but I have scads of nieces and nephews (and grand-nieces and nephews), and if one of them was a star athlete at Fears' high level and young age, I'd urge them to remain in college for at least two years. There's lots of money to be had in college now and s/he could spend some of that dough on an insurance policy against a career-ending injury (which, let's face it, is not that likely to occur).

I just think the jump in maturity and good judgment required by a move to the NBA (or the NFL) is a lot to ask of a 19-year-old. It's tough enough in college, I would imagine, but the NBA is a world of grown men and there are sketchy people of every stripe looking to take advantage of those players. Tricky enough waters for a person 24 or 25 to navigate, but a 19-year-old? Fears seems to have his head on straight and is an impressive young man, but the pressures and temptations he's facing now are nothing compared to the next level, I'm guessing.

 

[BoulderSooner]

I don't have any kids, but I have scads of nieces and nephews (and grand-nieces and nephews), and if one of them was a star athlete at Fears' high level and young age, I'd urge them to remain in college for at least two years. There's lots of money to be had in college now and s/he could spend some of that dough on an insurance policy against a career-ending injury (which, let's face it, is not that likely to occur).

I just think the jump in maturity and good judgment required by a move to the NBA (or the NFL) is a lot to ask of a 19-year-old. It's tough enough in college, I would imagine, but the NBA is a world of grown men and there are sketchy people of every stripe looking to take advantage of those players. Tricky enough waters for a person 24 or 25 to navigate, but a 19-year-old? Fears seems to have his head on straight and is an impressive young man, but the pressures and temptations he's facing now are nothing compared to the next level, I'm guessing.

NFL players have to be in college for 3 years ..

 

[skyvue]

NFL players have to be in college for 3 years ..

Yes, and I think it's a smart way to go. Gabe Ikard, on the latest OK Breakdown, was expressing his fervent wish that tOSU's star frosh WR (can't recall his name) could go pro after this season. I don't agree. Fears' is a special case, since he's a year younger than most other true freshmen, but I think few 19-20-year-olds are truly prepared mentally and emotionally for the off-the-court/field stresses and challenges they'll face in the pros.

 

[BoulderSooner]

Yes, and I think it's a smart way to go. Gabe Ikard, on the latest OK Breakdown, was expressing his fervent wish that tOSU's star frosh WR (can't recall his name) could go pro after this season. I don't agree. Fears' is a special case, since he's a year younger than most other true freshmen, but I think few 19-20-year-olds are truly prepared mentally and emotionally for the off-the-court/field stresses and challenges they'll face in the pros.

18 year olds serve in the military all of the time ..

they have far more stress and challenges .. then an 18/19 year old getting generational money to dribble and shoot a ball


the #1 pick in the draft next season is younger then Fears ..

 

[WichitaSooner]

NFL players have to be in college for 3 years ..

Plus, the money he would make in college isn’t even close to what he would make in his first year in the NBA, and the sooner he goes, the sooner he will reach his second contract, which is where players really get paid.

I always think this debate is so funny. Option A: make five or so million dollars next year while getting to play and practice against the best players in the world, without having to focus on anything other than basketball. Option B: make a fraction of that, delay the start of your second contract, risk hurting your draft stock while also risking injury, and, oh, don’t forget, you have a Spanish exam tomorrow and an English paper to turn in.

I saw this a couple years ago with some of the local KU “fans” bashing Gradey Dick because they selfishly wanted him to come back. They said he wasn’t ready for the NBA, needed to get bigger and stronger, etc. They were almost gidddy when he spent some time in the G League last season and kept acting like he made a bad decision and would never amount to much. Now he is averaging 18 a game and I think Wemby might be the only guy from the ‘23 draft who is outscoring him. There is very little chance that he would be nearly this good right now if he had spent another year in college. Add in the extra few millions in his bank account, and it’s the easiest decision in the world IMO. Unless Fears falls flat in conference play, he will be in the same situation. And don’t forget that he reclassified, which certainly suggests that he is eager to test himself against the best.

 

[skyvue]

18 year olds serve in the military all of the time ..

they have far more stress and challenges .. then an 18/19 year old getting generational money to dribble and shoot a ball


the #1 pick in the draft next season is younger then Fears ..

I'm not talking about on-the-court stress and challenges (though those exist too); I'm talking about living in an adult world with, as you put it, sudden and generational money and countless people of questionable character eager to their hands on that dough. Those in the military certainly face stress and challenges (and dangers, if deployed), but they have organizational oversight and restrictions that keep them on the relatively straight and narrow (there are exceptions, of course). I'm not downplaying the challenges of the military experience, but the comparison is apples and oranges, in my view.

Anyway, it's just my opinion. I love my nieces and nephews and they are terrific young people, but I wouldn't wish an NBA career with a giant paycheck on them at 19. I just think it's a lot to handle at that age.

 

[WichitaSooner]

I'm not talking about on-the-court stress and challenges (though those exist too); I'm talking about living in an adult world with, as you put it, sudden and generational money and countless people of questionable character eager to their hands on that dough. Those in the military certainly face stress and challenges (and dangers, if deployed), but they have organizational oversight and restrictions that keep them on the relatively straight and narrow (there are exceptions, of course). I'm not downplaying the challenges of the military experience, but the comparison is apples and oranges, in my view.

Anyway, it's just my opinion. I love my nieces and nephews and they are terrific young people, but I wouldn't wish an NBA career with a giant paycheck on them at 19. I just think it's a lot to handle at that age.

I think your nieces and nephews would gladly accept the difficult fate of a pro sports career and several millions a year at 19.

 

[WaymanFan]

I'm glad the NFL has a 3-year rule upon high school graduation. Most bodies just aren't developed enough to take the wear and tear of being hit by grown men. I remember fans arguing the Jadeveon Clowney was an exception and there was no purpose for him to have had to stay beyond his freshman season. Yeah, right. He's a solid NFL player (nothing more) who has had his fair share of injury problems through the years. It's a pretty good bet he would have had a lot more injury problems if he entered the NFL before he did.

As for the NBA, there is a mental / maturity aspect to entering the League after one year, and most should not consider it. Another reason to spend a second year in college is that most players will develop quicker playing 30 minutes a game in college than sitting at the end of an NBA bench. However, if you are a sure-fire lottery pick, that's just too tempting to pass up. I can see both sides of that argument for sure. I'm just glad Buddy Hield stayed 4 years since it's unlikely he would be where he is now if he packed his bags sooner...same with Austin Reeves.

 

[WichitaSooner]

I'm glad the NFL has a 3-year rule upon high school graduation. Most bodies just aren't developed enough to take the wear and tear of being hit by grown men. I remember fans arguing the Jadeveon Clowney was an exception and there was no purpose for him to have had to stay beyond his freshman season. Yeah, right. He's a solid NFL player (nothing more) who has had his fair share of injury problems through the years. It's a pretty good bet he would have had a lot more injury problems if he entered the NFL before he did.

As for the NBA, there is a mental / maturity aspect to entering the League after one year, and most should not consider it. Another reason to spend a second year in college is that most players will develop quicker playing 30 minutes a game in college than sitting at the end of an NBA bench. However, if you are a sure-fire lottery pick, that's just too tempting to pass up. I can see both sides of that argument for sure. I'm just glad Buddy Hield stayed 4 years since it's unlikely he would be where he is now if he packed his bags sooner...same with Austin Reeves.

But you’re talking about two guys who would have had zero chance to be drafted after two years in Buddy and Reaves.

I disagree about the developmental comment. Like I said in the earlier post, do you think Gradey Dick would be averaging 18 as a rookie right now if he spent last year back at KU? You develop by playing and practicing against the best players in the world. If you play 10 minutes a night in the NBA, you’ll play almost as many minutes over the course of the season as you would playing 30 minutes a game in college. The difference is the quality of competition and the practice time.

 

[MercedeSooner]

Fears has been so good. The only downside to that is he may only be here for one year, which sucks.

I'm much happier he's playing his way into the lottery because he'll be OU's legacy going forward. OU would not be able to keep a player like him next year so this is best case scenario for this program and fan base especially as a recruiting tool. Illinois really, really fed this up not making sure he made it their campus no matter the circumstances.

 

[TINY]

I'm much happier he's playing his way into the lottery because he'll be OU's legacy going forward. OU would not be able to keep a player like him next year so this is best case scenario for this program and fan base especially as a recruiting tool. Illinois really, really fed this up not making sure he made it their campus no matter the circumstances.

Yep. If he doesn’t go pro, he will be naming his price in NIL. That doesn’t bode well for him sticking with Ou.

 

[skyvue]

Yep. If he doesn’t go pro, he will be naming his price in NIL. That doesn’t bode well for him sticking with Ou.

Assuming he'd leave for another school is throwing in the towel rather easily. He might love it at OU (he might even have a girlfriend there by then, if he doesn't already) and if the season turns out to be a really good one, some donor might step up. You never know. Moore stayed and yes, I understand he likely wouldn't get the same kind of dough, but I'll bet he could have shopped himself around. Maybe he did.

 

[WichitaSooner]

Assuming he'd leave for another school is throwing in the towel rather easily. He might love it at OU (he might even have a girlfriend there by then, if he doesn't already) and if the season turns out to be a really good one, some donor might step up. You never know. Moore stayed and yes, I understand he likely wouldn't get the same kind of dough, but I'll bet he could have shopped himself around. Maybe he did.

There isn’t a college player in the country who makes anywhere close to what a mid-first round pick makes. No program has that kind of NIL money. Moore might have made been able to make a little extra cash transferring. Fears will be able to make several millions of NBA money. That’s a very different situation.

 

[skyvue]

There isn’t a college player in the country who makes anywhere close to what a mid-first round pick makes. No program has that kind of NIL money. Moore might have made been able to make a little extra cash transferring. Fears will be able to make several millions of NBA money. That’s a very different situation.

I'm fully aware a player who's drafted high in the NBA draft would make more than he could get via NIL. I mentioned Moore in relation to the scenario that had Fears transferring, not him declaring for the draft. Moore opted not to enter the draft, but there was nothing preventing him from seeking a bigger NIL bag once he made that decision, and yet he stuck with OU.

 

[WaymanFan]

I'll never underestimate the power of money, but some of these players may also bond with their head coach or one of their assistants. Jalon Moore was not exactly a sought-after portal player the year prior. He had a better year than most expected. As such, he may have decided staying at OU even for less money was his best chance at developing into an NBA-ready (or at least high-priced overseas) player. If the feedback Fears gets is that he needs one more year to be a lottery player, he might stay put for less money because he already knows he will lead the team next year. If he transferred to a school like Kentucky next year for more money, he may be playing with three other guys looking to be in the lottery as well. Let's go back to Trae Young. Had he chosen to play at Kentucky or Kansas, there is no way he would have been drafted as high as he was after one season. Calipari nor Self would have handed him the keys right away and he would not have put up the numbers he did. Not a chance. Yes, money is a huge motivator, but that applies to both short-term and long-term scenarios.