Question about the NBA draft

[Nocturnal]

Once you declare yourself eligible for the NBA draft it means that you cannot go back to the university you came from and complete your degree or does it mean you cannot go back to your university you came from to play basketball ever again?

Thanks!

edit

How does the draft work? There is a lottery system in which teams get to randomly pick a number in which they'll be able to pick the first pick etc?

I thought it was the team with the crappiest record got to pick first etc etc?

 

[jaybert]

cant play basketball, you've lost your amateur status.

 

[Nocturnal]

Ok thanks. I thought it meant you could never go back to the school and complete your degree. But then again I remembered about Vince Carter and he was still playing ball and completing his degree at the same time. Thanks!

 

[isekii]

Originally posted by: jaybert
cant play basketball, you've lost your amateur status.

so then what happens to the ones that don't get drafted ?

 

[Nocturnal]

You just wait or go to Europe and play in their league until they think you're good enough.

 

[burnedout]

Yep, Europe, Turkey, Israel........ something to that effect. A few come back for the big show, but not many.

 

[flxnimprtmscl]

Actually you can go back and play ball even if you declare yourself for the draft. Only two catches. One, you have to pull your name out before a certain time. I think it's like about a week before the draft. Second catch is if you can't sign an agent. As soon as you do that you're not eligible to go back to school and play ball no matter what.

Edit: Just clarifying things.

 

[CTrain]

As long as you don't hire an agent and pull out on time, you can go back to school and keep your playing status.
But then again, if you don't get an agent, you don't have anyone to peddle your name around the league before the draft.

Its a Catch 22.

 

[Sid59]

MTV did a show with a guy like that. He entered the draft and wasn't picked up. He took an offer to play in Turkey but the owner didn't pay him and he came back to the states.

 

[billandopus]

Some prospective draftees initially do not sign with an agent and/or behave in certain ways in order to not mess up their college eligibility. That means paying their own way to workouts and not accepting things or benefits that a person set on the draft would normally accept. This way they can ascertain their probable draft position and if it doesn't look good then they can rescind their draft eligiblity and resume their path to the college ranks.

Problem is that there are always going to be athletes that have a higher projection/inflation of their skills than do GMs and/or have agents/interested parties that may push them to make decisions that are not always rational but usually greed and way too optimistic. Some of course don't have the grades to get into a college and accept a scholarship so entering the draft is initially a no-lose proposition.

 

[Turkey22]

Don't forget you can still protect your amateur status even if drafted. Voshon leonard got drafted late 2nd round I think 93 or 94... didnt sign with an agent and went back to school. I believe the bucks still had his rights though.

Now here's something else I've been thinking of though, besides forcing trades can you go to your team without the draft. I mean can you be a free agent if you never declared for the draft.... I dont think you can but I've been wondering about that...

 

[oboeguy]

Maybe you have to declare for the draft to be a free agent? Look at Ben Wallace, he was "an undrafted free agent", which I presume means he entered the draft, wasn't chosen, and walked-on with the Pistons.