Report: James Southerland Passes On The San Antonio Spurs

Mar 28, 2013; Washington, D.C., USA; Syracuse Orange forward James Southerland (43) high fives fans after defeating the Indiana Hoosiers during the second half of the semifinals of the East regional of the 2013 NCAA Tournament at the Verizon Center. Syracuse Orange won 61-50. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

Have you ever been in a situation that has arose and you thought to yourself, should I take it, or not. Well, a former Syracuse forward had a chance to be selected by the San Antonio Spurs Thursday night, put passed on an opportunity because of according to his agent, certain conditions.

Many kids growing up playing the game of basketball always have the thought playing at the highest level imaginable, and others, well they know the chance of it happening are unlikely.

Mar 30, 2013; Washington, D.C., USA; Syracuse Orange forward James Southerland (43) dunks against the Marquette Golden Eagles during the second half of the finals of the East regional of the 2013 NCAA Tournament at the Verizon Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

For former Syracuse Forward James Sutherland, his chance of possibly landing on an NBA team came to a halt on Thursday Night. Lets it all out there that was on his table. He had a chance to be picked by a team that year in and year out have made a trip to the playoffs, this past year to the NBA Finals, have four championships, and all around the league are known for developing players and getting the best out of them.

That is where Sutherland and his agent drew the line when they knew the Spurs were really interested in selecting him in the second round of the NBA Draft.

According to Syracuse.Com, San Antonio was ready to pull the trigger on drafting Sutherland. They also stated that they would like him to spend a year over in Europe to polish his skills.

He and his agent declined.

Wow. Right?

Again, you have a chance to play for an organization like the San Antoino Spurs who do a great job with developing their players and using them in roles that best is suitable for a team and you decline it because you don’t want to do what they feel is in your best interest, there is the door. Good luck with finding another team that will sign you.

Surely he will look back on this and realize the opportunity in which he had and be kicking himself. As of right now, he has not yet signed nor been offered a contract from any team in the league.

Jared E. Smith from NunesMagician stated it best:

If your dream is to get drafted by a NBA franchise — especially one as good as the Spurs, who in the NBA Finals proved they use shooting forwards very well and showed interest in you before the draft — and one tells you they want you but you need to do this, this and this; I personally would have a tough time saying, “Ahhhhh. No thanks.”