Maybe he’s just looking for any justification to stay. If he gets 1 commitment, no matter how weak it may be, you can reasonably think other teams would be interested and might go for him, also. If his decision is right at 50/50, he might just need 1 more piece of evidence to “stay in the draft”.

the article doesn’t say whether he got the 1st-round commitment he was looking for, which makes me think he didn’t.

No, this is a great and reasonable view. A business-like view on the pros and cons. A lot of people nostalgize sports (esp college sports) and make it into something it really isn’t. Ryan Anderson is a commodity and it is in his rational best interest to try to maximize the return on that commodity. Some might say by staying in school another year, he could better maximize that return. But there is a flip side, which you have expertly pointed out.

What Anderson did is really the most risk-adverse thing you can do. Cash out now. As Devon pointed out to Anderson, there are no guarantees.

I would quibble, however, with the thought that Anderson benefited a lot from Devon being there. I’m sure he benefited some, but he was already viewed very positively going into the year. And as Devon cooled off from his early hot streak, Anderson lost that added protection.

while i agree with the business sense that your view advocates, i also think that it is in the player’s best interest to consider his development track. after all, i don’t think most players enter the draft with the thought of cashing out on their rookie contract (although, for some, that is the only NBA money they’ll ever see). so, i think part of the stay-or-go decision has to rest on how best to improve as a player.

for example, DeVon is a raw NBA-talent, one that, last year, was probably not ready to compete for major NBA minutes. for him, he had a much better chance to develop his game by returning to school and dominating the college game, as opposed to sitting at the end of an NBA bench night after night. that he didn’t end up dominating this year only proves how not ready he was for the NBA.

if, on the other hand, a player (such as Ryan) IS dominating in college, he’s less likely to continue to improve with another college year than if he can now go up against NBA-caliber players every night. another year in college against smaller, less-skilled players might actually hold him back. (this of course ignores the certainty of getting a year of Mike Montgomery’s tutelage vs. the unknown quantity of whichever NBA coach he happens to end up with.)

personally, i think if a player’s game is good enough for the NBA right now (and I think Ryan’s is), and the person is mature enough to handle being a professional basketball player, with all the hassles and responsibilities that come along with that (something only a player and maybe his friends/family are qualified to answer), the guy should turn pro. not that college isn’t great (and I loved college—I could have graduated early, and decided I didn’t want to), but for me, it’s not about the degree; it’s about preparing yourself for the rest of your life, and if Ryan feels like he’s there, after only 2 years of school, then best of luck to him.