re: If Players Aren't Going to Make It In the NBA, Why Not Stay?

It would be interesting to see some statistical study as to which is more likely to lead to making an NBA roster for at least 1.5 seasons:
A) An extra year in college
B) The NBA D-League
C) Europe

D-League players are paid terribly. We're talking $13,000 to $25,000.

European UDFAs can get more but it's not clear how much more. But it seems like $60,000 to $80,000. Very nice salary for a 21 year old, but probably pretty short lived.

Starting salary for your average LSU undergraduate looks to be about $50,000. LSU Employment Stats

Meanwhile, if the dream dies, the average starting salary in the workforce for someone with "some college" is about $38,000. Average Salary Article from Houston Chronicle

I also know that the disparity in income between college graduates and non-college graduates widens as a person ages.

So if they fail to "realize their dream," they very well could be throwing away six or seven figures of future earning potential for walking away from a free education.

And for what?

I would posit that a contributing player at an SEC school gets as good, if not better exposure, than they would in Europe. While making $75,000 playing basketball in Europe sounds great, it's not all Paris and Positano. It's Slovakia, its Russia. It's oppressive tax regimes. It's halfway across the world from your family and friends. And it doesn't strike me that many guys who leave U.S. colleges, declare for the draft, go undrafted, leave for Europe and find their way back into the NBA is very high.

My sense is that a guy like Mickey has a slightly higher chance of getting on an NBA roster if he winds up in the D-League than if he stays at LSU for one more year and plateaus. Of course, the odds are still against him and he won't make half of what the average LSU grad makes.

So even putting aside my LSU fan hat, I believe Mickey made a colossal error that he will live to regret. There is a value to an LSU degree that he has thrown away. There is value to being on ESPN and SECN most games. There is a value to being the veteran on a young squad that can really make some hay in the SEC tournament. If he sticks around, he had a legit shot at being drafted low second round. Now, it's doubtful.

Anyway, my two cents. I don't have all of the answers. But I do know that if you have a chance to improve your lot in life without paying for it, it's usually a good deal.