Here’s a first: Jeremy Tyler, a 6′ 11″ stud from California who gave a verbal to Rick Pitino and Louisville, has decided to forgo his senior year of high school along with what would have been his first and only year at Louisville to play pro ball in Europe.

From Pete Thamel at the New York Times:

“Nowadays people look to college for more off-the-court stuff versus being in the gym and getting better,” Tyler said. “If you’re really focused on getting better, you go play pro somewhere. Pro guys will get you way better than playing against college guys.”

[ ... ]

“It was boring and I wasn’t getting better,” Tyler said. “Each game was the same thing. I was getting triple-teamed and getting hacked. After each game I’d have scratches and bruises up and down my arms from getting triple-teamed. It just wasn’t for me.”

It’s hard to disagree with Tyler. His team wasn’t good last year, and opponents just ganged up on him because of it. If this dude is destined to be a one-and-done in college and a high draft pick, why not play against much better competition next season in Europe and comparable talent to what he’d see in college at Louisville the following season? In the process, he’ll make a solid six-figure contract a year. How can you fault a kid for wanting to get better at his game and make some money while he’s at it?

But, there’s also a downside side to this, one we saw with Brandon Jennings last year, when he decided to play in Europe out of high school instead of going to Arizona.

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We all know Bulls guard Ben Gordon is a wee bit upset with the Bulls. (He’s gone as far as saying he’ll never wear a Chicago uniform again.)

But dang: I didn’t expect him to join the growing trend of American-born ballers in giving the middle finger to the league and finding equal — and oftentimes more — pay overseas. (Though I suppose when there aren’t a ton of other NBA teams clamoring for your services, one might have to go this route.)

The report, first found state side by Da Bullz, comes for a Greek Web site. Here is how Da Bullz sees it:

Greek news sources are reporting that Ben Gordon has been offered a $5.5 million contract with CSKA Moscow. That contract is the equivalent to an $8.9 million contract in the NBA, as European teams deal in net. Gordon is said to be demanding at least $7 million from CSKA Moscow, which would be the same amount that Josh Childress is making. That deal would be the equivalent of an $11.3 million NBA contract, and would provide Gordon great incentive to leave the NBA for Russia.

…

The article says that Gordon will make his decision by Wednesday.  This likely is just when Gordon will decide if he is going overseas or not.  There is no indication that if Gordon turns down CSKA Moscow’s offer, that he will make a decision on what to do with the Bulls at the same time.

This is by no means a done deal. For now, the Daily Herald is reporting both Gordon and his agent are keeping a tight lip on this report and his future. However, if the money is good, the team is top-notch as reported and Gordon isn’t getting a lot of interest or as much scrilla here in the NBA, this certainly seems like a viable option for the guy.

Plus, he can always chill with Jannero Pargo.

{HT: Blog a Bull.}