I like the recent move by the NCAA to allow players to come back to school after visiting the combine. I'd take it one step further - a kid can apply for the draft and if they aren't drafted they can return to their college team.

I like the recent move by the NCAA to allow players to come back to school after visiting the combine. I'd take it one step further - a kid can apply for the draft and if they aren't drafted they can return to their college team.

 

They did have that rule, Randolph Morris.

 

The only problem with that is it puts teams behind the 8 ball. You would have a lot more players declaring for the draft then hoping they get drafted knowing they can easily go back to college if not. That then leaves the teams not knowing if they need to recruit a player to replace that player who declared or not since the team would also have to wait until after the draft to see if that player is back or not.

I like the recent move by the NCAA to allow players to come back to school after visiting the combine. I'd take it one step further - a kid can apply for the draft and if they aren't drafted they can return to their college team.

 

I agree with the first part. You should have the opportunity to go and advertise yourself and get very valuable feedback for your career.

 

I think the people at the next level would give them valuable feedback as whether they were ready to make the jump or not.

 

They would also be able to tell the ones not ready, how to improve themselves to prepare for the next level. I honestly believe a good number of them that were thinking of declaring, would get feedback that would send them back to college.

 

I think a 2 - 3 week period after the National Champuionship game would be a big enough window. Then I would make them choose between the draft or returning.

Best suggestion I have seen is to make the rookie contract that the player must "endure" based upon age / years removed from HS. I think the standard rookie contract is 2 yrs. + club option to extend to 3 yrs. (which most exercise due to economics unless the kid is a total bust.). Let's change that to 4 yrs. + club option for kids that come out after FR year (1 & done), 3 yrs. if after SO year and no change if after JR year.

 

NBA would love it because they either get longer control over a player OR a more polished & proven player with less years of control.

 

NCAA would presumably like it because the marginal players have more incentive to stay and get better at a premiere college program than they will in the D-League or sitting on the bench.

 

NBA Players Union is a tougher call. They don't like it for the lottery pick "1 & doners" because it pushes their larger contracts back a couple of years. However, those guys are technically in the Union yet. The actual members of the Union are the guys who are going to keep a job on a 12 man roster because 10-15 fewer underclassmen that can make a roster are coming out each year.

 

The "1 & doners" are not a particularly sympathetic bunch. "I don't like this rule change because it makes me wait 2 extra years earning only a couple million $ before I get my multi-million $ contract."