NBA Money Tempting to Players

Mike Miller’s miracle. The unexpected trip to the NCAA title game. The feel-good spirit on campus as Florida made history with its basketball program.

All those great memories came with one, inevitable byproduct.

For one of the rare times ever at the school, the Gators got to experience the gift of giving--early and often.

Miller, the sophomore who saved Florida from first-round elimination with his last-second shot against Butler, went from promising prospect to can’t-miss NBA lottery pick. Teammate Donnell Harvey, a freshman center, also left.

They were two of the 29 underclassmen who declared themselves eligible for the NBA draft after last season.

The size of the list shows just how lucrative college basketball has become, and top players are eager to get their share.

Just as revealing: The coaches and players who get left behind no longer feign horror at the thought that someone would consider leaving early. They encourage it.

Being true to your school is passe, and anyone in the college game who doesn’t recognize that and adjust his recruiting accordingly will get left behind.

“I’d be betraying them if I told them they’re making the wrong decision, they’re hurting the program, they’re hurting me,” Florida coach Billy Donovan said. “Because it’s not about me.”

Several coaches and teammates at programs that lost big-name underclassmen agreed.

“You can’t blame Stromile for going pro,” LSU coach John Brady said of departing sophomore Stromile Swift. “Could you pass up that kind of money?”

Chris Mihm of Texas didn’t. Neither did DePaul’s Quentin Richardson or Iowa State’s Marcus Fizer.

All their teams made the NCAA tournament last year. And like Florida and LSU, all enjoyed better seasons than they had in years, largely due to their NBA-caliber stars.

Fizer, who led Iowa State to the Big 12 regular-season and tournament titles last year, has two children and a fiancee. Cyclones coach Larry Eustachy practically pushed his star out the door.

“He wouldn’t let me come back,” Fizer said. “He knew my situation. I knew he was making the decision in my best interest.”

Of course, letting players go isn’t always such a selfless act. It’s every bit a part of the recruiting game, as well.

No player who thinks he has NBA talent is going to commit to a coach who has a history of giving underclassmen a tough time when they decide to leave. And although they hate unsettled situations, no coach wants a roster full of players without pro talent--you just can’t win that way.

So, there’s a delicate balance to be struck as the recruiting cycle regenerates, year after year.

“What’s the word? Hired gun?” Texas coach Rick Barnes asks. “The hired gun has to be compatible to what we do. If it’s a one-year deal, it would have to be a guy who fits.”

After that decision is made, Barnes says, “You’ve got to have ‘program guys’ to build a program with. You’ll always have your program guys that you expect will sustain it for you.”

That’s what Donovan thought he had when he signed Miller, along with Teddy Dupay and Udonis Haslem in what was widely regarded as the best Gators recruiting class ever.

But with success come changes.

As Florida’s roll through the NCAA tournament progressed, Miller kept hearing conflicting messages. On one hand, he had NBA scouts telling him he was ready for the pros. On the other, he had people like Magic Johnson telling him he might be better off staying.

“One thing you’ve got to learn is that you’ve got to make decisions for yourself,” Miller said. “It’s not ‘Am I ready? Does anyone else think I’m ready?’ It’s what the coaches or general managers think when they’re going to pick you. I was projected pretty high, and I felt myself that I could come in here and play the game.”

Whether Miller was truly ready won’t really be known until February or March, when the grind of the long NBA season starts taking its toll.

“We all kind of knew there was only so much better he could get here in college,” Haslem said. “He has to go out and experience the 82 games in the NBA. That’s something he won’t experience with another year here in college.”

Still, had the Gators not gone far in the tournament, Donovan is convinced Miller would have stayed. In the coach’s view, it’s winning, not huge stats or highlight-reel dunks, that makes the player marketable these days.

His proof: Miller went fifth in the draft to the Orlando Magic, even though he averaged just 14 points a game last season.

“When I recruit someone, I always want to know if he’s going to college because he wants to win, or if he just wants a year to get more experience,” Donovan said. “If it’s someone who’s interested in playing 35 minutes a night, putting up big numbers, then leaving and going pro, that’s a guy I’d have reservations about recruiting.”

But if he’s interested in winning, then a coach would be crazy not to want him, Donovan says.

Even if it’s just for a year or two.