Donnie Nelson: D-League “fastest, most effective” path to the NBA

[Oráiste]

I'm posting this here rather than Other Sports because, as the attitudes in this article become more widely known and accepted, it is going to change the nature of college ball. More and more marginal players will opt to leave early (and fewer and fewer quality grad transfers will become available). Why should Battle or Lydon, for example, return when a major NBA talent decision maker is telling them they have a better chance of making it in a league where they are at least getting paid?



D-League Gaining Respect As Minor League System

 

[OrangeDW]

Nobody even has Battle in their top 100. Some Syracusefan.com posters are the only people talking about Battle to the NBA so far.

 

[Fly Rodder]

I'm posting this here rather than Other Sports because, as the attitudes in this article become more widely known and accepted, it is going to change the nature of college ball.

Pretty quick too if they're serious about getting to 30 teams. That's another ~96 spots to fill.

 

[Cusefan0307]

There's still only 2 rounds of the draft. If they paid more money more guys would jump, but there's a reason a lot of guys go to Europe and China...$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

 

[cuseinseattle]

Look that crowd in the background. There is literally not a single person after courtside. I don't really want to get into a big back and forth on this subject because it is so divisive. All I will say is I would think the NBA would be better off having kids go to college where they don't pay them and then have them come to a combine like thing every year and tell the kids what they need to work on to be ready for the league as opposed to paying them salaries to develop. There are some d-league success stories but there are many kids down there who will never be productive NBA players. This would allow the NBA continue to evaluate and not draft kids in the top 20 picks that are not ready to play in the league who they have to pay. There are kids being praised as smart to leave early so their warts aren't exposed and they can maximize their value (Tyler Ennis for example) and you would think it would make sense for the NBA to avoid that.

 

[Alsacs]

The D league will never be like minor league baseball. Minor league baseball is a niche during the summer when there are no other sports but soccer playing.

The D league won't matter because it won't make money thus teams aren't going invest it as much as they if they could make money. In baseball it takes years to become a big leaguer. No real prospect would go to the D league than the NBA. The D league is all projects.

Now it does have value because it allows fringe NBA players the place to pursue their dream. I hope the league offers a livable wage and college players would go pro instead of making college basketball a one year sport.

The fact players like Billy Owens, Derrick Coleman, Alonzo Mourning, Dikembe Mutombo, Shaquille O'Neal, Penny Hardaway, Chris Webber, all played atleast 2 years of college hoops before going pro is laughable.

 

[Cusefan0307]

I thought Jonathan Givony's tweets from Thursday regarding Tyler Ennis not being able to contribute at an NBA level right way as a first round pick was interesting. Makes me wonder if McCullough and Mali are going down the same path.

 

[cuse10]

This is completely false. Guys who get sent down to the D-League rarely get called up unless they were already drafted by said team and even then, they aren't ready for NBA minutes. The D-League is not a serious minor league and won't be until drastic changes are made. Some people never get called up by the team that drafted them. If you aren't ready to play, you are sent down as a punishment.

 

[Fly Rodder]

NBA would be better off having kids go to college where they don't pay them

Oh, I'm sure the NBA would love that, too. Unpaid internships are great for team owners. The downside right though is that, say there are ~10 players a team targets as potentials, but need some seasoning. Is a team better off letting them blow up in college and being drafted by another team, or taking a player maybe a year too earlier and developing them under their control. Baseball used to have a way around this with draft-and-follow, but they did away with that.

Edited to add: 90% of the guys in the D-League are there so that the odd handful of real prospects can play/practice against decent competition.

 

[Alsacs]

With the upswing of International talent the NBA doesn't need college hoops for talent. Basketball is the second most popular sport in the world behind soccer. There is talent in Europe/Africa/Asia/Australia/South America.
That kids in US colleges aren't needed. Thus, the draft has become a gamble. I mean somebody made the point yesterday that is right. Andruw Wiggins was the first pick in 2014 and he still in year 3 isn't ready to be a franchise guy. In 3 more years he will but that is 6 years after he is drafted and by that time he will be done with his rookie deal and almost half way thru a second contract.
Elite talent isn't even ready to contribute. The best player to come out of the draft the last 5 years Anthony Davis in 2012 still hasn't won a playoff series.
Kyrie Irving in 2011 needed LeBron James to be his teammate to start winning.
Steph Curry in 2010 took 3 years to develop.

Teams think the 2003 draft is every year. That was a generational draft. Players leaving after one year when they aren't ready kills teams getting impact rookies and has made college hoops talent drained.

 

[Fly Rodder]

The fact players like Billy Owens, Derrick Coleman, Alonzo Mourning, Dikembe Mutombo, Shaquille O'Neal, Penny Hardaway, Chris Webber, all played atleast 2 years of college hoops before going pro is laughable.

Tim Duncan averaged almost a double-double his freshman year, played four years, and was POY twice. I think he would have given Webber a run for No. 1 overall if he entered the draft after his frosh season.

The NBA has a lot of money invested in finding and developing new talent. It's an arms race there. A team isn't content to let the next Steph Curry pass them by because they didn't like him as a sophomore and told him to go back to school for another year.

 

[Oráiste]

I can imagine a near future where the NBA has a secondary draft, where anyone eligible for the NBA draft who does not get selected gets put into a D League draft.

 

[Cusefan0307]

I can imagine a near future where the NBA has a secondary draft, where anyone eligible for the NBA draft who does not get selected gets put into a D League draft.

Doesn't mean the players would necessarily report right? Why did CJ Fair leave the D league? He was dominating it.

 

[Oráiste]

Doesn't mean the players would necessarily report right? Why did CJ Fair leave the D league? He was dominating it.

probably not, but I would think the drafting team would still have their rights.

 

[OrangeDW]

Tim Duncan averaged almost a double-double his freshman year, played four years, and was POY twice. I think he would have given Webber a run for No. 1 overall if he entered the draft after his frosh season.

The NBA has a lot of money invested in finding and developing new talent. It's an arms race there. A team isn't content to let the next Steph Curry pass them by because they didn't like him as a sophomore and told him to go back to school for another year.

Duncan and Webber weren't in college at the same time. They missed each other by a year.

But yeah, Duncan could've certainly went #1 after his soph year if not sooner. His soph. year, his ACC classmates Joe Smith and Rasheed Wallace went 1st and 4th respectively, and Duncan projected as a better pro than both. I remember watching him clearly outplay Wallace in a game that season, and Wallace had been the bigger name up to that point.

 

[Cusefan0307]

probably not, but I would think the drafting team would still have their rights.

I just don't think they have the demand unless they start paying these guys more. I agree with Melo that they need to and I'd like to see a baseball model type draft, but this is going to have to be bargained between the union and owners.

 

[Alsacs]

I just don't think they have the demand unless they start paying these guys more. I agree with Melo that they need to and I'd like to see a baseball model type draft, but this is going to have to be bargained between the union and owners.

I wouldn't even make it 3 years I would compromise and make it 2 years. Enter the draft out HS you can sign or go to college and have to stay 2 years.

 

[Fly Rodder]

I just don't think they have the demand unless they start paying these guys more. I agree with Melo that they need to and I'd like to see a baseball model type draft, but this is going to have to be bargained between the union and owners.

I think they will. I don't think that D-leaguers will ever be getting six figures, except for a handful that get contracts. D-leaguers are already making more than run of the mill AAA baseball players. Ultimately, IMO, if the league continues with a salary cap and revenue keep increasing, the money will go somewhere(s). One of those places will be securing potential talent and developing it. I think there are 30 NBA teams that are looking to get more value out of their players and one way is to develop players themselves instead of relying on college or foreign coaches/systems.

 

[Cusefan0307]

I think they will. I don't think that D-leaguers will ever be getting six figures, except for a handful that get contracts. D-leaguers are already making more than run of the mill AAA baseball players. Ultimately, IMO, if the league continues with a salary cap and revenue keep increasing, the money will go somewhere(s). One of those places will be securing potential talent and developing it. I think there are 30 NBA teams that are looking to get more value out of their players and one way is to develop players themselves instead of relying on college or foreign coaches/systems.

Triple A baseball salaries are about 2500 a month. NBA D league salaries are about 22000 a year. Not much of a difference. The biggest difference is there are more basketball leagues in the world to make money than there is baseball leagues.

 

[Alsacs]

Triple A baseball salaries are about 2500 a month. NBA D league salaries are about 22000 a year. Not much of a difference. The biggest difference is there are more basketball leagues in the world to make money than there is baseball leagues.

Minor League players also get bonuses when they sign with their parent club.

The D League is a nice avenue for players to showcase their talents but they want to make livable wages they go overseas. The D league will never be viable unless the NBA is willing to lose millions of dollars.
Lottery picks should never have to sniff the D League. However I bet their have been plenty of lottery picks going back and forth to get minutes. If a lottery pick isn't good enough to atleast be a 9-10th guy on your team the draft isn't helping the non-playoff teams.

 

[RF2044]

I wouldn't even make it 3 years I would compromise and make it 2 years. Enter the draft out HS you can sign or go to college and have to stay 2 years.

Sign me up.

 

[Knicks411]

Tim Duncan averaged almost a double-double his freshman year, played four years, and was POY twice. I think he would have given Webber a run for No. 1 overall if he entered the draft after his frosh season.

The NBA has a lot of money invested in finding and developing new talent. It's an arms race there. A team isn't content to let the next Steph Curry pass them by because they didn't like him as a sophomore and told him to go back to school for another year.

I'll nitpick because I'm annoying; Duncan and Webber didn't overlap in college; Webber came out in the 93 draft, Duncan's freshmen year was 93-94. He would have given the big dog a run for his money, I'm pretty sure. This is a weird thing to remember but I seem to remember him getting #1 overall pick buzz at least as a soph.


I think Silver said something about looking at the age rule outside of the pressure of CBA negotiations?

 

[Fly Rodder]

I'll nitpick because I'm annoying; Duncan and Webber didn't overlap in college; Webber came out in the 93 draft, Duncan's freshmen year was 93-94.

Yeah, I looked quick at the draft to see who would have been Duncan's comp for the draft after his freshman year and looked at the '93 draft instead of the '94 one.

 

[Dave85]

I'm posting this here rather than Other Sports because, as the attitudes in this article become more widely known and accepted, it is going to change the nature of college ball. More and more marginal players will opt to leave early (and fewer and fewer quality grad transfers will become available). Why should Battle or Lydon, for example, return when a major NBA talent decision maker is telling them they have a better chance of making it in a league where they are at least getting paid?



D-League Gaining Respect As Minor League System

Anecdotal fake news at best. In my opinion, the best way to make it to the NBA is to follow Steve Nash workout protocols. It would be nice if they actually did real analytics on the actual numbers of players who go into the D-League and actually end up playing in the NBA. I have no idea so I make no claims on being an expert one way or the other. Maybe the D-League is the best path. Prove it!

 

[Knicks411]

Yeah, I looked quick at the draft to see who would have been Duncan's comp for the draft after his freshman year and looked at the '93 draft instead of the '94 one.

It brings up (kinda) a question:

Best NBA draft prospects of the last 25-30 years. Lebron, Anthony Davis, Shaq, Tim Duncan. Anyone obvious I'm missing?