I was just wondering what everyone thought about this. It is usually a hot topic in basketball around the draft. I really have nor problem with kids skipping college or leaving college early. If I had the skills and thought I was ready I'd take the 5 million. I don't see why people say it ruins the game; have KG, Kobe and T-mac ruined basketball? Hell no they've improved it. It may take them longer to develope then college kids but It usually takes as long as they would have stayed in college. IMO if the player is talented enouph then he should be able to do whatever he wants. You can rant and rave all you want about how more polished Euros are and that they have better fundementals but the future of the NBA is in the hands of American ballers becuase they are still much better. The problem I have is with all the bad advice these kids recieve. Cooke and Collins must have been told at 1 point that they would be first rounders and they ended up not being drafted. Would college have helped them? Of course it would have and those players should have gone to college. Would college have helped Kobe, KG and T-mac? I don't think so.
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I think the NCAA should allow high schoolers who don't get drafted to go to college. Why should a 17 or 18 year old kid pay the price of listening to greedy adults. Agent or no agent. The NCAA should allow these kids two summers to pay back any money they received(half before their frosh season, the second half before their soph season). Could you imagine if every decision you made as a 17 year-old kid could have totally effected and/or destroyed the rest of your life? I also hate this new rule that however many games you play in the predraft camps you have to sit out the next season if you withdraw from the draft. What does this accomplish? College basketball needs to be more player friendly and they need to hold on to every player they can.
can some one list the players so far that are in the NBA directly from highschool, im not sure exactly how many have done it so far. Other than Kobe, Garnett, Tmac, Miles, Bender(?), Al Harrington, Jermaine O'neal, Kwame Brown, Eddy Curry, Tyson Chandler, and Amaire Stoudamire I can't think of many more, and im talking about American players not young guys from other countries like Parker or Gasol.
oh I didn't know that, well I would still like to see a list of all the players who have come out of highschool, does anyone know a website that has one?
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True, players like McGrady, Garnett, Bryant, have helped out the NBA. But here's something you have to understand this, more people are pouring out into the NBA's ranks before they're ready. So instead of having a lot of players in the first round getting major minutes, and becoming instant players, they have to sit on the bench and wait, and when they go out on the court it's so apparent they're not ready it's not funny.
If a player went pro early because they believed they were good enough to compete, go ahead, feel free, I'm all for it. But if you're just going so you can catch up on years of pay, that's the absolute wrong decision. Who knows, I might not be saying this very same thing if I was in their position, but I have to talk it how I know it, and that's as an outsider.
This year was the perfect example of how agents and others can lie to young kids, a ton of players exited school early, and a lot were talented, but those players weren't even drafted. The sad thing is, it not only is hurting the status of the NBA, it's hurting the college game. But it's hard to feel sorry for either.
In college, the players are more or less exploited for major dollars,while they're pretty much living under poverty on campus. They aren't going to school for education in the first place, but rather to play basketball. In the ideal world, all players would go to college, refine their game, find out what life's like away from home as a very well known person, and see how you react to it. It's a growing period of sorts.. but is it worth it now?
Who knows?
It's gotten to the point where the league is going out of the country to scout for talent, because the guys over in Europe are taught the intricies of the game. And with Stern hoping to get back to how things were in the 80's believes that's the best way to go. And the more foreign prospects thrown into the draft equals more state-side prospects who are overlooked, and forced into a life of playing basketball in minor leagues hoping for a chance to get back into the NBA.
And while that's going on, you have to notice that most high school kids don't learn all of the things involving the game. Because if you're talented, you pretty much have a free ride as a superstar sports player, you know if you're good enough they can't do anything, you can just declare and join the draft.. and get drafted on potential.
Thing is right now, there's no solution to this muddy puddle we're all staring at. It's like Pandora's box has been opened and we all have to deal with all the evil that's been unleashed..
The only cure for something like this, is by installing a system like they have up in Canada with Hockey, where the players are working on their game and learning. And then picked by teams when the teams believe they're ready..
It might sound weird, but I believe that's the only solution. And the way things are shaping, it looks like that's the only way it'll go.
-Tim
If a player went pro early because they believed they were good enough to compete, go ahead, feel free, I'm all for it. But if you're just going so you can catch up on years of pay, that's the absolute wrong decision. Who knows, I might not be saying this very same thing if I was in their position, but I have to talk it how I know it, and that's as an outsider.
This year was the perfect example of how agents and others can lie to young kids, a ton of players exited school early, and a lot were talented, but those players weren't even drafted. The sad thing is, it not only is hurting the status of the NBA, it's hurting the college game. But it's hard to feel sorry for either.
In college, the players are more or less exploited for major dollars,while they're pretty much living under poverty on campus. They aren't going to school for education in the first place, but rather to play basketball. In the ideal world, all players would go to college, refine their game, find out what life's like away from home as a very well known person, and see how you react to it. It's a growing period of sorts.. but is it worth it now?
Who knows?
It's gotten to the point where the league is going out of the country to scout for talent, because the guys over in Europe are taught the intricies of the game. And with Stern hoping to get back to how things were in the 80's believes that's the best way to go. And the more foreign prospects thrown into the draft equals more state-side prospects who are overlooked, and forced into a life of playing basketball in minor leagues hoping for a chance to get back into the NBA.
And while that's going on, you have to notice that most high school kids don't learn all of the things involving the game. Because if you're talented, you pretty much have a free ride as a superstar sports player, you know if you're good enough they can't do anything, you can just declare and join the draft.. and get drafted on potential.
Thing is right now, there's no solution to this muddy puddle we're all staring at. It's like Pandora's box has been opened and we all have to deal with all the evil that's been unleashed..
The only cure for something like this, is by installing a system like they have up in Canada with Hockey, where the players are working on their game and learning. And then picked by teams when the teams believe they're ready..
It might sound weird, but I believe that's the only solution. And the way things are shaping, it looks like that's the only way it'll go.
-Tim
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I agree, what will DeAngelo Collins and Lenny Cooke do if they don't make NBA teams. They'll end up with a crappy job, playing cheap NBDL ball, or at best...play overseas.
Although, if HS players don't get drafted and can still go to college. You might get tons of HS seniors entering the draft, knowing that even if they don't get picked, they'll have another chance in college.
I'd rather have that scenario.."tons of HS seniors entering the draft"... then guys losing their eligibility . Plus the idea of busting your butt two summers to pay back your agent or NBA teams for flying you out for workouts might keep them from applying without being serious.
I completely agree, thats just BS that these kids from highschool, many of whom aren't even legal adults, are cheated by the NBA into thinking they should enter the draft, and then end up throwing away any chance they had of getting a scholarship and a good education. Its pathetic.
Korleone Young declared out of HS and spent like a year in the NBA and was out.
Leon Smith came out and I believe is with the Hawks.
Taj McDavid declared but was never picked years ago.
Im sure there are more, but those are the only ones I can think of(that havent been named by others) right now.
Leon Smith came out and I believe is with the Hawks.
Taj McDavid declared but was never picked years ago.
Im sure there are more, but those are the only ones I can think of(that havent been named by others) right now.
Another interest point made was that it takes a high school kid about 2-4 years to develop into an NBA Player... so during that time i suppose they could be also getting their degree if they play college ball...
if not i suppose you could take the couple mil. and go to college but just not play....
if not i suppose you could take the couple mil. and go to college but just not play....
i think that all players would benefit from spending some time in college. that way they mature their bodies and more importantly, their minds. i think it would be great for the overall play of the NBA if there was an age restriction letting only players who are the age of at least 20 enter the draft. that way, the highly touted top prospects would be more ready to contribute to the team. with that rule, instead of letting a project languish away on the bench, every player is capable of logging in quality minutes. this rule could also encourage players who enjoy the college atmosphere or those who want to seek out a degree to go to school and stay put for a couple years.
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Tony Key declared out of high school two years ago and went undrafted. He was a 7 footer with decent athleticism but obviously he was extremely raw.
Part of the problem, is guys like Key, DeAngelo Collins and Lenny Cooke wouldn't be eligible to play ball because of the classroom. Neither of those guys ever achieved the "very difficult" NCAA regulations. Turning pro or JUCO (prep school for Key since he never graduated) are their only options. Also, you will be very find very hard to find a college to touch these kids because of agents. I know that Carolina stayed far away from Sani Ibrahim and Lenny Cooke, who both expressed a lot of interest in Carolina. Both would have been huge additions but they would have came with a big price (see Corey Magette, Jonathan Hargett, Tito Maddox, etc.). In the end, Dohtery comes out the winner because neither had the grades to play D1 ball.
It's my opinion that if you can't put the effort in to make the requirements (learning disabilities aside) then you have no business in college from day one. Prove yourself in JUCO or prep school. Athletes have enough given to them already.
Part of the problem, is guys like Key, DeAngelo Collins and Lenny Cooke wouldn't be eligible to play ball because of the classroom. Neither of those guys ever achieved the "very difficult" NCAA regulations. Turning pro or JUCO (prep school for Key since he never graduated) are their only options. Also, you will be very find very hard to find a college to touch these kids because of agents. I know that Carolina stayed far away from Sani Ibrahim and Lenny Cooke, who both expressed a lot of interest in Carolina. Both would have been huge additions but they would have came with a big price (see Corey Magette, Jonathan Hargett, Tito Maddox, etc.). In the end, Dohtery comes out the winner because neither had the grades to play D1 ball.
It's my opinion that if you can't put the effort in to make the requirements (learning disabilities aside) then you have no business in college from day one. Prove yourself in JUCO or prep school. Athletes have enough given to them already.
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the ONLY way this can be solved IMHO is by having a true minor league system like the MLB, this would also gain NBA interest in areas without NBA teams like the iowa cubs with baseball
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i doubt the collins and cooke are regretting what they did, teams know that these guys have mad potential and signed them, collins is with the raptors and cooke is with the sonics
The NCAA is evil
They don't care about the players, they care about making themselves look good. The rule without consistency and have a very strange definition of what a pro player is. That said, the NBA should institute a 20 year old age limit. Name one player who under the age of 20 had an impact on the game. They should make sure that the NBDL is available for those players who just can't get through two years of college but aren't old enough for the NBA. This would improve the NBA game and the college game. I don't think the NCAA should allow people to declare and return to college if they're not drafted though. Those guys can play in the NBDL or other minor or foreign leagues until they're good enough to sign an NBA contract.
They don't care about the players, they care about making themselves look good. The rule without consistency and have a very strange definition of what a pro player is. That said, the NBA should institute a 20 year old age limit. Name one player who under the age of 20 had an impact on the game. They should make sure that the NBDL is available for those players who just can't get through two years of college but aren't old enough for the NBA. This would improve the NBA game and the college game. I don't think the NCAA should allow people to declare and return to college if they're not drafted though. Those guys can play in the NBDL or other minor or foreign leagues until they're good enough to sign an NBA contract.
The NBA and the NCAA brought it on itself with the kids entering early. The NBA instituted the salary cap. The cap has the most stringent rules on younger players first 4 years. No matter how good player is, he cannot get more than a few million. No wonder kids come out early or don't go to college. If he had incentive to stay in school and get better and get a higher contract, players might stay longer. As soon as they can get drafted, the go to the NBA, so they can put in theri years when they make the big money. Also, many of the high schoolers can't go to the NCAA, because they are ineligible
THe NCAA has also contributed to this. I feel for the kids who declare and don't get picked. They should be eligible to go to college, after all they have not been paid to play. Players should be allowed to enter the draft, get payed by a pro team, but play in college for a couple of years.
The NBA doesn't want to abuse the NCAA too much becuase they rely on them as a feeder system. It is cheap, and they don't have to play the players. They are happy, the NCAA is happy
THe NCAA has also contributed to this. I feel for the kids who declare and don't get picked. They should be eligible to go to college, after all they have not been paid to play. Players should be allowed to enter the draft, get payed by a pro team, but play in college for a couple of years.
The NBA doesn't want to abuse the NCAA too much becuase they rely on them as a feeder system. It is cheap, and they don't have to play the players. They are happy, the NCAA is happy
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They can go to college, they just can't play basketball there.
Kobe Bryant takes summer classes at UCLA.
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But, they haven't signed them yet. They are just on their SL teams. We knew that they were going to be on SL teams, it's a question of whether they get signed.
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