"Many see little correlation between big-time pro sports and the real world. Hardly a surprise, given the disparity in weekly paychecks.

Then again, most don't give consideration to where athletes like Cavaliers guard Mychel Thompson spend so many games, sitting at the ends of benches, their tomorrows -- like their contracts -- not guaranteed.

It's why Thompson's father, Mychal, a former NBA player, dispenses real-world wisdom to a son who had played just two minutes in the Cavs' first 18 games.

"I told him you have to treat every day like another job interview," Mychal Thompson said. "Every day at practice he has to convince his coaches and his teammates he deserves to be there. He has to be a professional and he has to be prepared for when his opportunity comes." "