-
Website
http://www.insidethehall.com/ -
Original page
http://www.insidethehall.com/2008/04/07/stern-and-brand-ponder-new-age-limit-rule/ -
Subscribe
All Comments -
Community
-
-
Top Commenters
-
Popular Threads
All Comments
It'd also be nice to have a player committed to your program for at least two years. However, there's always the question of whether or not the kid is ready. And if he's ready, he shouldn't be forced to stay if it's not going to make him any better. You're forcing a kid to take a chance on injury when he could be making millions in the league.
I would argue with anyone that thinks kids can go straight to the pros. Very few have the maturity level and life experience needed to succeed as a professional. They might have the skills, but they lack in public speaking and ability to manage the stresses associated with such a high profile profession.
I would have to agree with the statement that if there's going to be a rule, it should at least be two years, or not have the rule at all.
I disagree with this statement. There are a handful of players that made the wrong call and didn't make it, but the majority of high school direct to NBA players have been successful. Most have actually turned out to be all-stars or highly contributing players.
Disclaimer: I count players like Bender and Miles as having made it. Unpredictable injuries, not talent, railroaded their careers.
31 of the 37 are still in the league. 9 have played in all-star games. Of the 2004-05 high school players I guesstimate that at least 12 of the 15 will earn or have earned second contracts, with Dwight Howard, Al Jefferson, Josh Smith and Monta Ellis headlining the group.
I would argue that only 5 of the 37 haven't or are not projected to sign at least two NBA contracts. That's way better odds than players that went to college.
I'm not a big John Hollinger fan, but I believe he's done some statistics that prove that direct to high school players are overwhelmingly more successful than players that went to college.
Spend a year in Europe and you get paid, you get life experience and you play against professionals.
Who art thou???
Can someone tell me ALLL the bad things that would happen to a kid who has NBA Talent but has to spend 4 years in college maturing academically, emotionally, and athletically.........gee what a horrible life.......and to compound that get a crappy degree also........
On the other hand it's hard to deny anyone the chance to make millions, no matter what age you are. If the kids dont want to go to school I say make them play in the minors, D-League. Then they will know whats its like to work and not be given NBA $ and college perks. I'm sure you will see more kids staying in a college program then.
Although, no matter what anyone thinks of the NBA, I have to agree, there is no denying that players coming to the league not ready to contribute has definitely impacted the product on the court in a negative way.
I mean it's crazy that a 50-win team is going to miss the playoffs and that 3 1/2 games separates #1 and #6 in the west, then Boston is absolutely destroying teams and Detroit is the sixth team since 76-77 to win four straight division titles.
Plus you have LeBron, Dwight Howard, Chris Paul and Deron Williams coming of age, Boston and LA resurrected, Shaq in Phoenix and Kidd in Dallas. A possible BOS-LeBron matchup in the secrond round in the east. Can Duncan and SAS finally go back-to-back. Can Phoenix get over the hump? Does Chris Paul have enough experience to guide a team through the playoffs?
I don't know how a basketball fan would not be totally psyched for the NBA Playoffs...
And isn't the MLB/minors thing just a reality of thier (still developing) talent? I'm sure people who know more about it than me can name kids who started games in the minors the same summer they graduated from HS.
I seem to remember M. Clarett loosing a case related to this, but I just can't understand how the NBA has a legal leg to stand on.
I'm not being argumentative, I really want to understand...
"Because these agreements were the result of the federally mandated bargaining process through which the union and the NBA, in light of the unique economic imperatives of professional basketball, negotiated a host of creative solutions to settle their differences, we held that to permit Wood to challenge particular aspects of their agreement on antitrust grounds would “subvert fundamental principles of our federal labor policy.”
The NBA/NFL/MLB is no different than any other business that has a relationship with a union. You might be the world's best electrician, but if you don't have a certain level of certification, you will find yourself unable to get some jobs because of the union contracts.
Forget about what is fair, this is all about money. Both Pro and College (although they won't admit it) basketball only care about profits. I think this works well for both of them as College gets an increase in the talent level and the NBA gets a better trained athlete which increases the quality of their product. The NBA would also gain more interest from College fans who would follow their players in the NBA. For example, I really don't feel any attachment to Gordon and won't bother following his career in the Pros. However, if he played another year or two and actually developed into the type of player we thought we were getting then I would tune into his games.
The NBA can make it an age limit of 20 y/o and/or two years of playing experience. so this can help players that are older or played in some type of prep school before college.
Again, I have no law or facts to back that up, so I welcome a more clear explanation as well.
certainly it would behoove me to employ the best and most talented, but sometimes the best and the most talented aren't necessarily the same person. i can hire a kid straight out of high school, but there is a lot i'm going to have to teach him. he may have raw skills, but he doesn't have the experience of being in this position before, and he most likely won't have a developed business acumen or an understanding of common business principles. i also will question his ability to represent my company when put on the spot. in short, he may become my best salesperson, but he's not going to be for a while. most business people would rather hire a kid out of college who is more likely to succeed sooner rather than later. he's still going to take some polishing, but only a couple of months, not years. i can take the best and the brightest right out of high school, but i'm going to have to educate them on my own dime and time. see any parallels?
everybody's favorite success stories are bryant, mcgrady, and garnett (lebron doesn't count because he is in a league of his own). those three weren't anything more that sixth or seventh men their first two years in the league. it wasn't until their third year that they because starters and started posting the numbers that we are used to today.
nba owners and gm's have established a practice of hiring kids straight out of college who don't have the experience, acumen, or savvy to contribute in the same way that they can contribute after if they had attended college, but the thought of losing out on that potential is something there are willing to pay for.
this age rule has come about because there is more talent in the association that ever before and gm's/owners feel like they can afford to miss out on the potential because of all of the options that will give them immediate returns. a day will come when there isn't enough talent to go around and they will look for ways to get around the rule in order to get the best talent back to the association.
edit: sorry that was so long. these fingers just kept on going.
A. before interviewing them or even seeing their resume
B. solely on the basis of their age (after they are emancipated adults), you might be in a little legal trouble
I think the answer is the union and the CBA, not the employer's right to hire/fire....
b. it's not solely their age at all. i specifically said that it was because of their experience. it just so happens that because they are young, they don't happen to have that experience. it is my right as an employer to require a certain amount of experience.
you are right in that the union has a certain amount of power in whether or not this happens, but the fact of the matter is that the nba does have the right to require a certain amount of experience outside of high school.
If it's two years, then we'll start saying "two and thru."
If 3 years becomes the standard, then "three and flee."
I think if the NBA increases it to two years, there needs to be more education to families about insurance policies. If the NBA wants to institute this to improve the game and give more 10-12th man roles to its veterans, then at least out for the rare occasion when a kid blows his knee out.
Let the NBA make whatever rule they like and then let these 10star studs who are ranked on websites that they made themselves decide.....go to college for 4 years, go to the NBDL, go to Greece or work at the Jordan YMCA on the southside of Indy until you are old enough..................
I've worked with some of these guys and I can attest personally that these guys learn way more practicing a full season in the NBA than they ever would playing in college. And like I pointed out above a vast majority of these guys pan out, especially when you compare them to the rate of college players that pan out.
And the argument that for every Kobe there's a DeAngelo Collins really doesn't matter. You could say the same thing about good college players. For every Tim Duncan there's a Trajan Langdon.
But the basic point is still that for every Kobe there isn't a DeAngelo Collins. I noted above that since 1995 (KG's draft year) 37 high school players have been drafted, and 31 were on a roster, plus Jonathan Bender would be if he hadn't gotten injured. 31-out-of-37 have remained in the league, that's an absurdly high rate.
What worries me is if there is a 2or 3+year rule , more good players will go to the NBDL instead of college. If true the it will hurt the college game not help it just like tprofessional tennis killed the interest in amateur tennis.