Wellington Smith isn’t going to be drafted tomorrow night. It’s possible Da’Sean Butler won’t be, either. Devin Ebanks could hear his name called, but perhaps not in the first round. If he — of Butler — goes in the second round, nothing is guaranteed, least of all the money. Life in Europe or elsewhere, a scenario that probably awaits Smith if he wants it, is a major, major change.

The NBA dreams are big today, but can be reduced, if not removed, tomorrow. Who knows where they end up, either in the league, in the D-League or on another continent? Who knows how they react to news that may not be what they anticipate today?

Well, to be honest, Mike Gansey might know. It was 2006 and he was thinking he’d be selected in the NBA Draft. He was not and signed a free-agent deal with the Miami Heat. Then came the MRSA infection and a year away from the game before seasons in Italy and Germany. Now after a productive year in the NBA’s D-League, he’s wondering if he might make the most of an invitation to play for the D-League’s summer league select team.  

“I just want to keep playing as long as I can,” he said. “I feel like I had a good year this year at a top level so I don’t want to stop now. I want to keep pushing. When I was sick and trying to come back, I took a whole year off.

“I couldn’t do anything to get my mind off of it and I was so miserable. You go from playing basketball every single day to doing nothing. It felt like my life was over. But to be where I am now, after all of that, it’s like, man, anything now is a bonus.

“Why quit now?”