71 replies to this topic

[Pedro Cerrano]

The other night I was fortunate enough to sit about 8 rows up from the floor, center court for the Wiz game.  That close, when you can actually hear the players calling out defensive switches and see the physicality of the game, you realize that the whole "they don't play defense in the NBA" mantra is complete and utter bs.

 

You also gain a real appreciation for how big these guys are and how relatively small the floor is -- makes spacing on offense so very important.

[BSLMikeLowe]

IMO college hoops should be set up in the same way as college baseball. The option of going directly to the NBA from HSshould absolutely be there, but if you commit to go to college, you're committing to a few years. I think the one and done stuff has really killed the sport. 

 

Also, I know this isn't the purpose of the thread, but I'm not sure how you can be a fan of the sport of basketball and prefer college to the NBA. Lack of offensive talent does not mean the defense is better. I can understand if for one reason or another you're just more emotionally invested in your favorite college team versus your favorite NBA team, but if you're objectively looking at the two as a fan of the game, the NBA is far superior in every way IMO.

 

RE: your first paragraph. I agree, but there is something I don't understand about the current baseball setup....that being if you do declare a year early for the draft, but then change your mind after the draft (i.e. you can't get the contract offer you think you deserve), you can regain your eligibility and go back to college for another year. Why the NCAA allows that for baseball but not any other sport seems dumb (of course, look who we're talking about).

 

I'm all for a player having the opportunity to negotiate the best deal he can get for his services, and a lot of the current structure in pro sports takes that away from them when they first enter, so any leverage they do have should be fair game. But whatever way the NCAA wants to do it, just do it uniformly for all sports. I know the issue around losing eligibility seems to be the player's dealings with agents once they declare for the draft. So in baseball they call them "advisors" instead....like there's really a difference. C'mon.

[Pedro Cerrano]

It's easy. You either a) go to the NBA right away or b. if you sign a LOI you are ineligible to enter the NBA draft until the draft falls in the same year as your 21st birthday.

This lets the great players that would are just wasting their time playing for Kentucky that one year go pro right away and allows for more continuity in the college game with players that actually need to develop their skills. And, if college somehow doesn't work out, they are of course free to play overseas until they are eligible.

This rule would pretty much destroy John Calipari haha.

[BSLMikeLowe]

Of course the issue here is the NBA has no real incentive to change its policy. They don't get enough benefit out of propping up college basketball....in fact, better play at the college level might hurt them a bit by drawing more attention away. All the league wants is a year to see how some of these players measure up against competition that is better than what they had in high school, or the anarchy that is AAU ball. Being a prospect in the NBA seems to fall between MLB (where it is almost entirely about projections when you are drafted) and the NFL (who are looking for a finished product, or close to it). It seems some basketball players can definitely hurt themselves draft-wise by staying an extra year in college, and not because they had an injury or bad season.....but simply because they have less "projectability," even though they're actually more polished and ready to make a contribution.

[bnickle]

Yeah, go to the NBA right away or you have to stay 3 years or 21 yrs old.

[Pedro Cerrano]

Well you could argue that if they want the most talented players in there as quickly as possible they'd at least eliminate making guys go to school for a year.  But I see what you're saying.  They can wait a year for Anthony Davis.

[bnickle]

I mean, I know they don't want a bunch of unready 18 yr olds declaring and either going undrafted or sitting at the end of an NBA bench for multiple years.


Ideally, they get the NFL rules but that seems unlikely to be allowed to happen.

[Pedro Cerrano]

BOB is right.  What incentive does the NBA have to institute a rule that prevents talent from entering the league until they are 21?  They would need something back from the NCAA, but I'm not sure what that is.

[mweb08]

I don't see much reason for the NBA to change the rules to be like baseball. That will result in a lot of guys coming out straight out of high school, which they don't want, and will keep some good talent out of the league longer than they'd prefer while helping out a competitor. Also, I'm not a fan of restricting the ability of young athletes to get paid simply to help the NCAA.

[Adam Wolff]

Yeah, the current rules are perfect for the NBA. Teams don't have the risk of drafting a HS kid, but supreme talents are available to them after a 1 year tryout. Really no incentive for them to push to change anything. 

 

I'd much rather see HS kids allowed to go straight to the NBA, the NBA continue to build out their developmental league so that it's more like the MLB, and implement a rule saying you have to stay in college for 3 years if you choose to go that route. I think this would actually benefit all parties. Allows NBA teams to draft and develop players (ultimately would reward teams who did this well and developed a pipeline of young talent with their D League affiliate, similar to MLB), allow HS kids the ability to go and get paid right away if they want to, and improve the quality of the college game by not having top programs swapping starting 5s every year. 

[DJ MC]

RE: your first paragraph. I agree, but there is something I don't understand about the current baseball setup....that being if you do declare a year early for the draft, but then change your mind after the draft (i.e. you can't get the contract offer you think you deserve), you can regain your eligibility and go back to college for another year. Why the NCAA allows that for baseball but not any other sport seems dumb (of course, look who we're talking about).

 

I'm all for a player having the opportunity to negotiate the best deal he can get for his services, and a lot of the current structure in pro sports takes that away from them when they first enter, so any leverage they do have should be fair game. But whatever way the NCAA wants to do it, just do it uniformly for all sports. I know the issue around losing eligibility seems to be the player's dealings with agents once they declare for the draft. So in baseball they call them "advisors" instead....like there's really a difference. C'mon.

 

That's an important difference, because the agents/advisers don't actually represent players. The players or the families still have to negotiate, even if they're running everything through Scott Boras the minute they get off the phone with the team.

 

I don't know the draft rules for sure, but as far as I know a player can go back as long as they don't actually hire an agent. You definitely can if you go undrafted, for example--I remember at least one player doing so.

[BSLMikeLowe]

That's an important difference, because the agents/advisers don't actually represent players. The players or the families still have to negotiate, even if they're running everything through Scott Boras the minute they get off the phone with the team.

 

I don't know the draft rules for sure, but as far as I know a player can go back as long as they don't actually hire an agent. You definitely can if you go undrafted, for example--I remember at least one player doing so.

 

I am inclined to believe nearly every player is doing just that. To me, it's just a charade. But if the NCAA is willing to let baseball players do that, then let players from all sports do it. But like I've always said, expecting them to simply apply their rules uniformly is like asking for the moon.