NBA's wish for age limit racist?

nobody cares about kids going into hockey because... well, nobody cares about hockey.

the last two rookies of the year were straight out of high school -- amare and lebron. but they are by far the exception. you get way more deshawn stevenson's and darius miles'. they may eventually become good players, but the nature of the contracts often means they don't develop until they've gone on to another team. heck, o'neal should know that.

personally, i don't have a problem with the draft age being 18. i think it does scramble the drafts a bit as people try to hit homeruns by drafting on pure potential (since results don't exist for many of these guys). i think they could do a lot to discourage this stuff by cracking down on the playground antics and travelling violations that have krept into the league. dribbling violations used to be the bane of the unschooled player. now, you can jump-stop and take two steps, dunk on the rim and slap the backboard. lebron always lifts his pivot foot before dribbling. they call a much tighter game in college. which may be why people avoid it and think it would only hurt their money making potential.

something people don't seem to realize, tho, is that a guy making millions of dollars has less need of a college education and plenty of time to go should he decide that's what he wants later in life. it's not like if you skip college after high school they won't let you in later.

 

I guess you really don't pay attention to what these kids are doing in the league. Right now you can say their success rate is just about the same as players who went to college. If you look year by year.

95...Garnett...all-star 2nd year in the league. He will be a hall of famer when he finshes.

96...Kobe...all-star 2nd year in the league (yea the fans voted him in but the talent of the kid was obvious...even if he is an asshole).
- Jermaine O'Neal...His days in Portland can easily be described in one term...Mike Dunlevey. His refusal to play the kid cost him. The trade the Pacers pulled for him could be one of the greatest ever. Dale Davis will never see this kid's level.

97...T-MAC...could not shoot a lick in Toronto and that's what killed him (plus the fact Darrell Walker never liked him) but he did show great potential in slashing and shooting 3s. Goes to Orlando and Grant who?

98...All Harrington...still earning a paycheck. yea he can be label a bust but college would make him a NBA star?
...Rashard Lewis...Houston will NEVER forget that they didn't use 1 of 3 first round draft picks to take the hometown kid (when is the last time anyone ever seen Michael Dickerson, Bryce Drew, and Mirsad Turckan?)

99...Jonathan Bender...still earning a paycheck...put him in the bust category (we can)?
....Leon Smith...An orphan kid who just happen to be 6'11 with some basketball talent. Yes he is a total bust but no way I ever seen him ever playing a college game either as crazy as he was.

00...Darius Miles...bust
...DeShawn Stevenson...bust

01...Kwame Brown...bust
....Eddy Curry...1st year 6.7 pts, 2nd year 10.5 pts, 3rd year 14.7 pts, 4th year 16.1 (damn sounds like a college player). FINALLY did an attitude change and one of the main reasons the Bulls are where they are now
....Tyson Chandler...Productive player in the amount of playing time given
....Sagana Diop...Diop flop.

02...Amare Stoudamire...2002 ROY, nuff said.

03...LeBron James...NBA Legend.

I won't even include the class of 2004 because they still to early to judge (even though some have some bright futures such as Howard, Telfair, and Josh Smith). And who cares about the high school kids who didn't get drafted?

So out of 16 players just mentioned you got 5 complete busts...2 borderline bust...7 all-stars...and at least 3 will be Hall of Famers.

So age limit is needed for what?

 

Are these the only ones? You could add I would think the freshman who went pro as well.

 

well the colleges got something out of freshmen for the fact they went to college. they get nothing for high school players who make the jump.

 

I've had a 180 degree change of opinions on this subject.

This is not like the army. The NBA is a career. Most career's have requirements. Doctors are required to have an MD. Lawyers are required to pass the bar. NBA players should be required to major in Basketball at a University. They should take courses that prepare them for the NBA, just as doctors, lawyers and bankers do. The players should be required to obtain a 2 or 4 year degree in Basketball or Sports Training or what ever the hell you want to call it. The NBA shouldn't allow unqualified applicants to enter the draft. If the shit is a business, then lets make it a business. Both pro and college basketball would benefit. Maybe we could start winning international games again too, seeing as now the NBA is nothing more than a circus full of high flying unskilled youngsters with no understanding of the game.

Then NBA needs to take the game back from the players and make them earn their positions. That is all.

 

The only requirement that most careers demand for is that you can do the job. Only a few professions -- like doctor and lawyer -- require the kind of certification you're talking about. Seems to me that if a kid can play, that's the only requirement needed to get into the NBA.

 

Nurses? Certification. Computers... GENERALLY a degree or certification, but on a few rare occassions you can get in with past knowledge. (You have to know someone.) I guess if you wanna compare them to McDonalds or WalMart prior requirements aren't quite as necessary.

 

tru dat

I'm a lowly contractor and I'm required to have a license to operate.

As a fan we should require that they put competent NBA players on the court....if they don't we stop going....kind of like whats happening now in the NBA....low attendence.

These guys should have to prove they are worth the money they receive. Most of them are flops and receive millions. It's a load of crap. They should be required by the NBA to prove themselves before being allowed to enter the draft.

 

the thing is, what the hell do you do with a degree is basketball if you don't make the nba? part of the issue is that the nba feels like it's got some responsibility towards the kids trying to get into the league to do right by them.

but of course, money talks. i think the game is more street now because that's what's popular. or at least, that's what they see as popular. the nba caters to showboating because it's entertainment and showboating is gets the crowd excited.

 

What crowd? Hell attendance is down across the league. Why pander to the few that are there with the same crap that drove a lot away?