Its pretty disturbing to me that we assume that all these elite athletes have to cheat to become eligible for college. All of these kids aren't in a situation where they have to resort to something like this! We see a few articles and we all assume that all these kids are academically inadequate.

 

I like the rule for one. It allows for another year of maturation for these kids. From your post you are proposing its the NBA's fault these kids are having to cheat to get into college. The blame shouldn't be placed on anyone but the individual who committed the act. The rule was intended to protect the young athlete's and the NBA franchises. In my opinion the rule should stay. It also shows the franchises these players go to what kind of character they have. Will they put in the work off the court and in the classroom to get themselves ready for the profession they want to pursue. Why should these kids be held to a lower standard than say a kid who wants to be a stock-broker. If you don't put in the time and effort you don't get what you want in life! The same should apply to these athletes.

 

B/c if a kid wants to be a stock broker he has to find someone willing to pay him for his services. In order to do that he doesn't need to go to school, but it sure helps. He's a free agent. If John Wall right now were eligible for the draft he would find an employer.

I would have to agree with Bobby Knight on this one. Either make them go to school for two years or go straight to the league. His point is the kid only has to pass one semester of college to play and that is not being a student athlete.

 

I agree w/ him too. Some of these kids are forced to become eligible by any means necessary. There is way more money to be made by playing one year of college ball than there is going to Europe. There is absolutely nothing stopping certain borderline kids from cheating their way in. If they get caught before hand they go to Europe for a year and get paid. If they don't get caught they take 4 classes the first semester and wait for March to drop out of school. The only people risking anything are the coaches and schools. I would like it if they either went to the NBDL or Europe for a year. The NCAA should step up and make it a mandatory 2 years if you want to go the college route.

I agree w/ him too. Some of these kids are forced to become eligible by any means necessary. There is way more money to be made by playing one year of college ball than there is going to Europe. There is absolutely nothing stopping certain borderline kids from cheating their way in. If they get caught before hand they go to Europe for a year and get paid. If they don't get caught they take 4 classes the first semester and wait for March to drop out of school. The only people risking anything are the coaches and schools. I would like it if they either went to the NBDL or Europe for a year. The NCAA should step up and make it a mandatory 2 years if you want to go the college route.

 

Agree 100%

It is a bad rule. I don't really know how much better it has made the NBA. Derrick Rose had future star written all over him.

That's why the elite players take out insurance policies. May not be what they would've made, but a couple million isn't too bad.

I know a couple of million isn't bad, and it seems silly to say it as I'm sure any of us would take a couple of million dollars, but they'd still be getting the short end of the stick. A couple of million and that's it would be peanuts. Derrick Rose made 4.8 million dollars this season alone.

I like the baseball way. You can go right out of high school if you're good enough. If you go to college it's 3 years. Or you can go JUCO and it's 2 years.

It is a bad rule. I don't really know how much better it has made the NBA. Derrick Rose had future star written all over him.

It has helped the NBA a lot.

 

You never know what kind of player one is going to be in the NBA. It is always a risk. Drafting a kid out of high school was even more of a risk. The rule gives the NBA guys another year of evaluation against Division 1 talent in a structured setting instead of evaluating talent against low level HS competition.

 

A good example is Randolph Morris. Out of high school, Morris most likely would have been a lottery pick. Well, we see how his NBA career has gone...

 

I just hate the rule because you take a kid like Derrick Rose. His first semester he takes Jazz Appreciation, Basket Weaving, Remedial Bow & Arrow, and Nintendo Wii 101 and he is ready to play. Once the real classes start the next semester, he is on his way out the door anyways, so it really does not matter and he does not go to class. Again, a mockery is made of the entire collegiate system. But then again, when was a college or the NCAA really concerned about protecting the integrity of academia???

I am not sure what the NBA is trying to accomplish with the rule? Because I am not sure one year makes a difference. I think what they are trying to do is get some kids to understand he isn't ready for the NBA.

 

The NFL has a good rule. They make kids wait 3 years to enter the draft. It helps kids. I don't think the NBA rule helps kids.

I am not sure what the NBA is trying to accomplish with the rule? Because I am not sure one year makes a difference. I think what they are trying to do is get some kids to understand he isn't ready for the NBA.

 

Again, they have eliminated all the kids that jumped to the NBA and were drafted, that had no business doing so. (i.e. Korleone Young, Nbudi Ebi, Sebastian Telfair, etc.). There are still going to be players that bust in the NBA out of college, but some of these guys coming from HS never had any business in the NBA but just looked the part; thus they were drafted.

It has helped the NBA a lot.

 

You never know what kind of player one is going to be in the NBA. It is always a risk. Drafting a kid out of high school was even more of a risk. The rule gives the NBA guys another year of evaluation against Division 1 talent in a structured setting instead of evaluating talent against low level HS competition.

 

A good example is Randolph Morris. Out of high school, Morris most likely would have been a lottery pick. Well, we see how his NBA career has gone...

 

I just hate the rule because you take a kid like Derrick Rose. His first semester he takes Jazz Appreciation, Basket Weaving, Remedial Bow & Arrow, and Nintendo Wii 101 and he is ready to play. Once the real classes start the next semester, he is on his way out the door anyways, so it really does not matter and he does not go to class. Again, a mockery is made of the entire collegiate system. But then again, when was a college or the NCAA really concerned about protecting the integrity of academia???

 

 

Exactly. It has been fantastic for the NBA and really good for the college game. The problem is it has made getting eligible a must at all costs.

 

I still think Stern is trying to make the D-League profitable out of all of this. If these kids have to go to school a few years not all of them will do it. If they can make a little money in the D-League and get endorsements I think people will play there rather than going to Europe.

Andy Katz chimes in:

 

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/blog/index?entryID=4221734&name=katz_andy

Andy Katz chimes in:

 

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/blog/index?entryID=4221734&name=katz_andy

Very good read here although he doesn't really cover anything to make the situation better. I see two things that can help improve the situation, and they are both directly tied to fixing the situation as much as possible right now.

 

1. Go towards the MLB model. Give kids the choice and if they don't go pro make them stay in college at least 2 years. Please stop comparing it to the NFL rule. They have to have that rule because kids under 3 years removed from high school would literally have their lives in danger playing in the NFL.

 

2. Figure out a way to make the NBDL relevant. If you want to make this work, there has to be a way pay the not quite ready kids enough to not just jump to Europe. I spent some time with a guy handling the recruitment of 5 star kid about 6 weeks back that warned how real the chance a lot of the momentum is shifting to kids going to Europe. I could tell stories on that for a few hours, but the bottom line is Sunny V is looking to get back at the people he feels turned their back and wants to do so by brokering multi million dollar deals overseas.

 

That's how you fix what Katz is talking about...

Very good read here although he doesn't really cover anything to make the situation better. I see two things that can help improve the situation, and they are both directly tied to fixing the situation as much as possible right now.

 

1. Go towards the MLB model. Give kids the choice and if they don't go pro make them stay in college at least 2 years. Please stop comparing it to the NFL rule. They have to have that rule because kids under 3 years removed from high school would literally have their lives in danger playing in the NFL.

 

2. Figure out a way to make the NBDL relevant. If you want to make this work, there has to be a way pay the not quite ready kids enough to not just jump to Europe. I spent some time with a guy handling the recruitment of 5 star kid about 6 weeks back that warned how real the chance a lot of the momentum is shifting to kids going to Europe. I could tell stories on that for a few hours, but the bottom line is Sunny V is looking to get back at the people he feels turned their back and wants to do so by brokering multi million dollar deals overseas.

 

That's how you fix what Katz is talking about...

 

For the most part I would agree, but there would be exceptions. Amobi Okoye while being 3 years removed from high school, was the same age as a lot of high school graduates when he started playing in the NFL. If he could physically do it at that age, surely there are others who would be capable as well.

For the most part I would agree, but there would be exceptions. Amobi Okoye while being 3 years removed from high school, was the same age as a lot of high school graduates when he started playing in the NFL. If he could physically do it at that age, surely there are others who would be capable as well.

He still had 3 years in a structured big time strength and conditioning program. While an exception to the rule, still not a very valid comparison to my argument...

I agree w/ him too. Some of these kids are forced to become eligible by any means necessary. There is way more money to be made by playing one year of college ball than there is going to Europe. There is absolutely nothing stopping certain borderline kids from cheating their way in. If they get caught before hand they go to Europe for a year and get paid. If they don't get caught they take 4 classes the first semester and wait for March to drop out of school. The only people risking anything are the coaches and schools. I would like it if they either went to the NBDL or Europe for a year. The NCAA should step up and make it a mandatory 2 years if you want to go the college route.

 

In general, they only have to pass 6 credit hours in the fall...then they don't have to attend another class in theory. Horrible rule.