I heard Mike Beasley say about a year ago that he wished he had stayed longer in college, about how going pro made the game less fun, more work, and just generally regretting leaving school for the NBA after one year. Granted, Harkless seems like a far more mentally stable kid who just isn't the headcase Beasley is, but Beasley came in as a SF with a much, much more refined game then Moe, and has struggled to find his role as an NBA player so far. Even with getting picked in the top 3, and having what most would agree was an NBA ready game, Beasley reflects back and wishes he stayed in school. He just basically didn't realize, like somebody above said, he was trading in his youth and a couple more years of fun for a paycheck, and all of the responsibilities that come with it, that he simply may not have been ready for yet.
I think to go to the league that soon, you have to have a special combination of mental toughness and maturity, combined with supreme skill. We saw it when Lebron came to the league, saw it with D-Rose, and are beginning to see it in Kyrie Irving perhaps. Moe seems like he has the mental side down, but I just don't think he is at all ready for the NBA physically or in terms of skill refinement. As good as Moe was this year, we never saw him dominate and take over a game because he is so raw in so many areas. He would seem to put his stamp on the game in so many different areas, but never completely be able to dominate a game. He doesn't have an NBA jump shot, his handle is questionable, doesn't play much of a back to the basket game, and he doesn't possess a signature, or go to move where he can get a good clean look whenever he wants it, and his is physically too small to defend guys at his height, in my opinion. Now, all of these things can be improved upon, but that is the point, he would have been much better served to stay for one more year and enter the draft with some improvement in these categories. I don't blame or hold it against Moe for leaving, I will never tell a kid to leave that money on the table if he and his family really need it, and I will never hold it against a kid for wanting to realize his dream, even if he may not be ready yet. Best of luck Maurice, it was a pleasure to watch you play, and I just hope that you don't bounce around team to team and never fulfill all of that potential and regret this one day. Here's to hoping you end up in a situation with a coach and teammates who can mold you into the star that you have the talent to be.