Kentucky and Calipari Are Ruining College Basketball

[HakAttack]

I fully subscribe to this notion and I refuse to be budged. I acknowledge that realistically, the days of players staying for four years ala Tim Duncan are long gone.

However, with the NBA's one and done rule, it's enabled Coach Cal to basically act as a feeder NBA program wherever he goes. It's not good for college basketball and it's a farce.

Anyone wish to chime in on this?

 

[Noexcuse]

I fully subscribe to this notion and I refuse to be budged. I acknowledge that realistically, the days of players staying for four years ala Tim Duncan are long gone.

However, with the NBA's one and done rule, it's enabled Coach Cal to basically act as a feeder NBA program wherever he goes. It's not good for college basketball and it's a farce.

Anyone wish to chime in on this?

Kids leaving early, even after one year is what it is. We've had a couple and are recruiting at the higest levels so we can expect more to come. The issue with Kentucky is they have an entire starting 5 (more or less) leaving each year. To me it's kind of like rooting for an all star team. Great to watch, but hard to relate to.

 

[Ghost]

As long as they can get a few players to stay year to year they should make the FF pretty regulary.

 

[SU2NASA]

Officiating is doing well to ruin it too. College basketball is well on its way to NBA territory, which is almost as legitimate as professional wrestling.

 

[MyMeloMyMan]

It was more fun when we could just make fun of Cal for not winning it all. Now we just have to hope he bolts for the NBA.

 

[kuethstheman]

I fully subscribe to this notion and I refuse to be budged. I acknowledge that realistically, the days of players staying for four years ala Tim Duncan are long gone.

However, with the NBA's one and done rule, it's enabled Coach Cal to basically act as a feeder NBA program wherever he goes. It's not good for college basketball and it's a farce.

Anyone wish to chime in on this?

Your blame is mis-placed. As you said, it's the NBA's rule. Cal is just recruiting more good players than everybody else.

 

[DoctorBombay]

I think its sour grapes talking.
I hated to see PayPalCal win last night, but that was the last bit of satisfaction we had over him. The man can coach & he's the best recruiter in CBB.
Now here's the hard part: We can all smell something fishy with how he does his business, but the NCAA is a parasite that refuses to let go of the proverbial teat. Its a toothless hypocritical entity, and all credit to Cal for his deft manipulation of the organizational, ahem, bylaws. He's always skirted on the edges, yet somehow, the NCAA can't seem to catch up w/ him. I no longer see that as an accident, especially now that he's at UK.
Fact is, this billion dollar industry is set up so that everyone, minus the serfs (players), get to benefit. We call them "student athletes" because it makes us feel better. No more, no less.
JMHO

 

[EastCoast2]

WWW and Knight celebrated because it means more top 10 players will commit to UK, and then sign with CAA and Nike, meaning more $$ for them

 

[EastCoast2]

Curious - do any of Cal's former players wear adidas or reebok?

 

[stuckinbig11]

I fully subscribe to this notion and I refuse to be budged. I acknowledge that realistically, the days of players staying for four years ala Tim Duncan are long gone.

However, with the NBA's one and done rule, it's enabled Coach Cal to basically act as a feeder NBA program wherever he goes. It's not good for college basketball and it's a farce.

Anyone wish to chime in on this?

I don't like it any more than you do, but the system is set up that allows Cal to do this, and he is low enough to specialize in it. Rumor has it that pimps use a system also.

 

[SoBeCuse]

Your blame is mis-placed. As you said, it's the NBA's rule. Cal is just recruiting more good players than everybody else.

This. It's not like they aren't improving down there also. Kentucky plays very solid basketball for such a young team and one could see them all develop throughout the year. They are being prepared for the NBA despite what some people are crying about and most of them are succeeding at the professional level. I have no problem with one & dones and what goes on at Kentucky once they set foot on campus. Who knows how they make it to campus.

 

[TinyManInside]

Everyone on this board would be bending over backwards to defend JB if we had Kentucky's roster over the last 3 years.

I'm not fond of the NBA's one year age requirement, but it is what it is. Sure Kentucky takes advantage of it better than everyone else, but it's not like SU hasn't had one-and-dones as well... [Not to mention several would-be one-and-dones such as Dion who originally told JB he was only staying one year].

I wish that the NCAA and NBA would hammer out an agreement where EVERY high school SR is eligible for the draft, but those that sign to a college are committed for 2 or 3 years a la baseball. The big problem there is that it would require a serious investment in the NBDL, and I don't think the NBA wants to do that.

 

[HakAttack]

The big problem there is that it would require a serious investment in the NBDL, and I don't think the NBA wants to do that.

This is a major miss that the NBA continues to strike out on. You have more control over your feeder system when it's yours. Baseball's a prime example of that, which is why A and AA players continue to get more slack in building their careers than college kids.

 

[NFGenROC]

I fully subscribe to this notion and I refuse to be budged. I acknowledge that realistically, the days of players staying for four years ala Tim Duncan are long gone.

However, with the NBA's one and done rule, it's enabled Coach Cal to basically act as a feeder NBA program wherever he goes. It's not good for college basketball and it's a farce.

Anyone wish to chime in on this?

Those that live in glass houses should not throw stones. Most of the main contributors on the UK roster are players we would have been very interested in if said player returned the favor. We have our own one and done in Dejuan Coleman coming in next year. Don't hate the player, hate the game.

 

[HakAttack]

We have our own one and done in Dejuan Coleman coming in next year. Don't hate the player, hate the game.

There's a difference between teams that may have one or two one and done'rs every few years, like us and many other teams, and those that do so with impunity, flaunt the rules and make a mockery of the game, like Kentucky.

One/two players vs. 5 or 6 lottery picks every year. It's not even close and comparing apples to oranges.

Also, there's no way DC2 is gone after this year. He's here for at least two.

 

[SmilinBob]

The SEC schools know how to play the game better than anyone else and it's allowed them to weld too much power regarding the decisions in "college" sports. ESPN has payed too much money to ever hurt them with any type of scandal and you don't kick your money train.

 

[chakka3421]

Why all the fuss? I think everyone misses the point of college - its not just about education but the enabler to get a better job that pays more. The only reason I went to college was to enable me to find a better and higher paying job. If Bill Gates can leave college early to form Microsoft, I think these players can leave early to earn as much as they can while they are able to play ball. Education alone is not the be all end all.

 

[kingtidge]

I fully subscribe to this notion and I refuse to be budged. I acknowledge that realistically, the days of players staying for four years ala Tim Duncan are long gone.

However, with the NBA's one and done rule, it's enabled Coach Cal to basically act as a feeder NBA program wherever he goes. It's not good for college basketball and it's a farce.

Anyone wish to chime in on this?

Would you also say our winning the NCAA championship in '03 with a 1-and-done Melo was also a farce?

If not, then you are a hypocrite.

 

[pfister1]

The problem is with the NCAA, not with the players or coaches exploiting the system that has been created. In its ever growing thirst for money it has allowed itself to be used as a minor league feeder system for professional basketball. Why are half the kids that play college basketball, playing college basketball?? They have no desire or intent to attend college and get a degree, they are only there because it is the best place to showcase themselves for the professional ranks.

 

[joct]

The NBA started this when they expanded by 6 teams in the late 80's early 90's. Of course only Miami and Orlando have had any success. That was the time period where more and more went early. That created an additional 6 1st round picks every year, and 90 additional roster spots. They had to take players from somewhere, and the college talent gradually filled this void. The additional first rounders over several years opened the floodgates. After several years of this, the best freshman became the best draftable player. It was no longer required to be better than most in the preceding class.

The other thing they did was the rookie salary cap. As long as you go in the 1st round, that is good enough. No longer do players stay an extra year hoping to move up from #20 to #5, as there isn't much benefit to the player's salary.

The only thing that I think could stem the tide is if the NBA contracts, which I don't believe it will ever do.

 

[HakAttack]

Would you also say our winning the NCAA championship in '03 with a 1-and-done Melo was also a farce?

If not, then you are a hypocrite.

Difference is...Carmelo was ONE one and done player on a championship team.

Kentucky has TWO, possibly THREE if Teague goes pro.

Not the same thing, friend.

 

[armory]

Strike the root.

Get rid of the ridiculous 1-year-of-college rule.

 

[ForeverOrange]

The college game was ruined the minute they started all these high-school circuits and prep schools to highlight up and coming players along with the sneaker deals and what athletic clothing wear each college should go with. You can even factor in the economy, with it being harder and harder to find jobs out here, why wouldn't these player run at an opportunity to earn money playing ball sooner, on top of that there is so much publicity on players now that it makes it easy for them to already have in their mind that they will only stay in college for one year.

I can't be mad at Cal for methodically, not only recruiting at a ridiculously high level, but to also make sure Kentucky has the highest APR in their conference. I don't know how they are doing it or what they are doing, but you can't argue with results, and now you add a title to that too. Team was pretty much #1 all season, lived up to it, improved as the season went on and finished on top. The only thing I don't like about what he is doing is that it makes it that much harder for other schools to make a serious run at the title, knowing that they will have to go through one of his NBA squads to do it.

 

[Smithers-Jones]

UK doesn't bother me at all, and they aren't "taking advantage" of anything. I'm not even convinced UK is cheating; not sure guys at the level UK recruits at even need to be concerned with extra benefits since they are a year away from the NBA. And players at UK, as a previous poster said, do get better.

 

[Knicks411]

I can't be mad at Cal for methodically, not only recruiting at a ridiculously high level, but to also make sure Kentucky has the highest APR in their conference. I don't know how they are doing it or what they are doing, but you can't argue with results, and now you add a title to that too. Team was pretty much #1 all season, lived up to it, improved as the season went on and finished on top. The only thing I don't like about what he is doing is that it makes it that much harder for other schools to make a serious run at the title, knowing that they will have to go through one of his NBA squads to do it.

Just one note on the APR thing; that Kentucky score includes one year of Cal being there.