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Would-be NBA rookies face hard times on the hard wood
- Thread starter katze019
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NurumbiCongo
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According to a Forbes magazine report, 17 of the league’s 30 teams reported operating losses in fiscal year 2010, losing a combined $144.9 million. The league is projecting losses of $350 million next year, and owners are calling for players’ salaries to be reduced by a total of $700-800 million.
As a result, current pro-caliber college athletes expecting a shot at the next level may not be in for as much cash as they had hoped. But more importantly, they may have nowhere to play next year if a lockout occurs and lasts throughout the season.
If there is a stoppage, Gophers men’s basketball coach Tubby Smith said, "[Seniors] are the biggest problem because a lot of them are going to have to end up going overseas and stuff like that. That’s something I know the seniors focus on more than the underclassmen."
But it is Minnesota’s underclassmen that have popped up on the NBA’s radar. Neither sophomore forward Rodney Williams nor redshirt junior forward Trevor Mbakwe have indicated they will go pro next year, but both are considered potential draftees.
Williams is projected as a "late lottery to mid first round" pick by ESPN.com.
Mbakwe, who leads the Big Ten in rebounding, field goal percentage and double-doubles, said he is aware of the situation in the NBA and that it may affect his plans and those of his peers, but that he has not had time to dwell on it.
"That’s something I’ll worry about at the end of the season," Mbakwe said, but added "I think a lot of players are going to change their plans."
Asked whether any of his friends in college basketball are frustrated with the uncertainty surrounding the near future of the league, Mbakwe said, "I’ve talked to some people who [don’t know] what’s going to happen … but that’s something that nobody will know until July 1."
According to a Forbes magazine report, 17 of the league’s 30 teams reported operating losses in fiscal year 2010, losing a combined $144.9 million. The league is projecting losses of $350 million next year, and owners are calling for players’ salaries to be reduced by a total of $700-800 million.
As a result, current pro-caliber college athletes expecting a shot at the next level may not be in for as much cash as they had hoped. But more importantly, they may have nowhere to play next year if a lockout occurs and lasts throughout the season.
If there is a stoppage, Gophers men’s basketball coach Tubby Smith said, "[Seniors] are the biggest problem because a lot of them are going to have to end up going overseas and stuff like that. That’s something I know the seniors focus on more than the underclassmen."
But it is Minnesota’s underclassmen that have popped up on the NBA’s radar. Neither sophomore forward Rodney Williams nor redshirt junior forward Trevor Mbakwe have indicated they will go pro next year, but both are considered potential draftees.
Williams is projected as a "late lottery to mid first round" pick by ESPN.com.
Mbakwe, who leads the Big Ten in rebounding, field goal percentage and double-doubles, said he is aware of the situation in the NBA and that it may affect his plans and those of his peers, but that he has not had time to dwell on it.
"That’s something I’ll worry about at the end of the season," Mbakwe said, but added "I think a lot of players are going to change their plans."
Asked whether any of his friends in college basketball are frustrated with the uncertainty surrounding the near future of the league, Mbakwe said, "I’ve talked to some people who [don’t know] what’s going to happen … but that’s something that nobody will know until July 1."