http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/sports/13047507.htm Timberwolves give up on former first-round pick Ebi BY RICK ALONZO Knight Ridder Newspapers MINNEAPOLIS - The Minnesota Timberwolves waived Ndudi Ebi on Monday, officially giving up on their 2003 first-round pick who didn't develop as the organization hoped. In conjunction, the Wolves traded a future second-round pick to the Detroit Pistons for forward Ronald Dupree, a 6-foot-7 forward who has averaged 4.7 points in 94 games over two seasons. Minnesota has 15 players on its roster, the NBA maximum, heading into Wednesday night's season opener against Portland at Target Center. In a phone interview Monday evening with the St. Paul Pioneer Press, Ebi sounded at times as if he was handling the decision remarkably well, although he also became upset and emotional at times. "That's life," Ebi said in an even tone. "You know what I'm saying? Life is a beautiful thing. I'm always going to respect Mr. Glen Taylor, coach (Dwane) Casey . . . because of the effort they put in to try to make the Timberwolves the best team possible. "I'm always going to respect Mr. (Kevin) McHale and Mr. Jim Stack, and I'd just like to thank them for giving me the opportunity to play the game of basketball." Ebi's Wolves career ended after two seasons. He played just 86 minutes spread over 19 games. Minnesota drafted him 26th overall after his senior year at Westbury Christian High School in Texas, where he was a Parade All-American. Ebi, 21, will be paid the $803,600 he has left on the final season of his original three-year guaranteed contract. The organization decided that his spot on the roster was more valuable than the money he was owed. McHale, vice president of basketball operations, said when asked during a conference call whether he regrets drafting Ebi: "Ndudi's a good kid. Ndudi worked hard and stuff like that. Do I regret the pick? It didn't work out the way I wanted to. It has nothing to do with the kid." McHale said Ebi was caught in a numbers game. The team already was stocked at forward with two other young players, Eddie Griffin and Nikoloz Tskitishvili, coming off the bench. "It was a basketball decision," McHale said. "I wish him well. We'll be in contact. It was hard. Of all the people in the organization, I worked with him 50 times more than anybody. It was frustrating for him that he didn't get a lot of (playing) time." Ebi said he appreciated the time he spent with his teammates, and thanked former teammates, including Latrell Sprewell and Sam Cassell. He said he learned valuable lessons from all-star Kevin Garnett. "Wherever I go, I'm going to take that energy and the work ethic that he brings, and I'm going to carry that with me for the rest of my life," Ebi said. Ebi appeared in just two games last season. The Wolves petitioned the NBA for a waiver to let Ebi play in the Development League, a request that was denied because of stipulations in the collective bargaining agreement. Ebi said he believes he proved he had earned playing time with his performance on the practice court. "I believe that," he said. "I always had the patience of a sniper and the heart of a lion. I'm always going to continue to have that patience. I believe without struggle, there will be no reward." Even had he known how his NBA career would unfold, Ebi said he would have entered the draft out of high school. He declined to discuss whether he would try to sign with another NBA team, saying it wasn't fair to think about that at this point. "All I can say is I'm a diamond in the dirt," he said, "and somebody's going to find that diamond."
If he could have been sent to the D league he would still be playing, but he is a 3rd year player and not eligible. He can however sign with a D-league team....and he is only 20 years old. DD
If the players association doesn't want 3rd-year players in the NBADL, is it better for them to be released? It seems like it would benefit the player to relax that rule.
Boy, karma sure is a b****. The guy's only banked $2.5 million or so over the past three years for playing basketball, and he's just 21 years old. I bet he wishes he was wrapping up a B.B.A. in Finance instead. Of course the guy might have been a higher draft pick had he stayed in school, but this is quite a decent consolation prize, isn't it? I just don't see why an age limit is necessary. The only people hurt by this are the team that wasted a draft pick and 2 years of time and money attempting to develop his skills, and that is the risk that they knowingly take every time they make a draft pick. Maybe Stern should instill a "no-dumb-GM" rule.
He is 20 years old with 2.5 million in earnings. he can buy 10 cold stones and be set for life. I do not feel bad for him at all.
Is that after tax (+ Min tax) or pre tax. If it was like 1.4 after tax, and assuming he didn't buy a car/house or anything else, yeah he could be set if he were disciplined (could probably draw 50K per year, no adjustments for inflation). But with no education, probably no other skills, his career earnings expectations would be a far cry from most pro basketball players, and probably your average college graduate as well. And again, this assumes he was a very reponsible 20 something year old. I don't have a big problem with him going pro early. But when he admitting he always knew he was going to go pro, yet strung along college coaches, fellow potential college teammates, and took bunches of free trips, scholarship offers, etc--that could go to others who do want to play college ball--lost all respect for him there.
