Stupid Is On the Way to the NBA

Photo Courtesy of USA TODAY

If life gives you tests that you cannot pass, hey, just stop taking them and attempt to cash in your chips.
That's the route Fab Melo is taking.
Last week the 7-foot sophomore from Syracuse declared for the 2012 NBA Draft. Just as he so frequently skipped out on doing schoolwork this past season, Melo will avoid playing the final two years of his eligibility at Syracuse.
Melo missed three games in late January and the entire NCAA Tournament because of academic troubles.
When he played, the Brazilian averaged 7.8 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.9 blocks for the Orange.
Now the center will try to get an NBA team to ignore his character and work ethic issues to draft him for a healthy chunk of change.
According to ESPN, Melo is projected to be a late first round pick.
Even if he finds success on the court, his past decisions to shirk his responsibility as a student-athlete doesn't bode well in a league that sees so many of its players wind up broke just a few years after their playing days end.
Katherine Mansfield once said, "make it a rule of life never to regret anything and never to look back."
Perhaps down the road a more mature Melo will feel differently.