McHale favors a rise to age 20

[SBU72]

In an USA Today article, Kevin McHale is in favor of rising the minimum age for the NBA to 20 if not 21/3 years out of hs. He thinks that in reality all factions would be in favor of this change, from management all the way over to players. Despite the obvious stars (Kobe, LaBron, Garnett etc) far more of the early entry kids fail to make the NBA than succeed. He says that the argument about getting to the market and make your money doesn't work if you can't get by a 3 year career.

 

[NineOneSeven]

He would be correct.

 

[Marsh01]

In an USA Today article, Kevin McHale is in favor of rising the minimum age for the NBA to 20 if not 21/3 years out of hs. He thinks that in reality all factions would be in favor of this change, from management all the way over to players. Despite the obvious stars (Kobe, LaBron, Garnett etc) far more of the early entry kids fail to make the NBA than succeed. He says that the argument about getting to the market and make your money doesn't work if you can't get by a 3 year career.

the nba

 

[ImperialOrange]

Hopefully they arent short sighted enough to make it an age minimum and omit the years out of HS part. Otherwise you'll have 20 y/o HS seniors like some of these Texas football recruits.

 

[Ghost]

Just have them apply for admission, like kids do to grad school. Then McHale can just decide who can stay and who can go - from HS through age 20!!

All hail McHale, your new overlord!

 

[BlackKnight76]

Please, just do the baseball rule. It would make everything so easy.

 

[Capt. Tuttle]

Screw any rule. If you can play, play. The NBA can always not draft guys. Perhaps if GMs picked accomplished college players like Doug McDermott or CJ Fair instead of unproven players, kids would stay in school longer to maximize their draft status.

 

[Ghost]

Screw any rule. If you can play, play. The NBA can always not draft guys. Perhaps if GMs picked accomplished college players like Doug McDermott or CJ Fair instead of unproven players, kids would stay in school longer to maximize their draft status.

Eh, why would they do that? Risk/Reward - successful people are usually less averse to risk to begin with. If I could pick McDermott or some 18 year old with great measurables out of HS, I'm going with the kid most times. One one side you end up with McDermott (how big is that upside???), on the other hand you might end up with Kobe (13th pick overall) type generational talent.

A rule (like the baseball one referenced earlier) is probably the most productive way to go. You can leave out of HS, but if you don't, two years minimum. Or maybe you get invited to the NBA like some secret society/frat ceremony out of HS - McHale, Metta World Peace, and Bill Walton show up your house at 2am, sneak into your room, blindfold you, and lead you out for some hazing...

 

[TexanMark]

Need at least 2 years out of HS before you can get drafted and play in the NBA.

If the kid doesn't want to go to college (or can't qualify) each NBA team can each sponsor 1 player at anytime to the D league.

 

[BostonOrange]

In an USA Today article, Kevin McHale is in favor of rising the minimum age for the NBA to 20 if not 21/3 years out of hs. He thinks that in reality all factions would be in favor of this change, from management all the way over to players. Despite the obvious stars (Kobe, LaBron, Garnett etc) far more of the early entry kids fail to make the NBA than succeed. He says that the argument about getting to the market and make your money doesn't work if you can't get by a 3 year career.

I think that would be good for the NBA, college hoops, and the sport in general. And you can justify it in a number of ways from a fairness standpoint. With that said - it still makes me uncomfortable.

One simple thing the league could do is adjust the rookie salary scale to make it much steeper. If you are worried about salary cap just exempt rookie deals from the cap. If going #1 meant 40 mil and going lower than 15 meant non-guaranteed league min deals with team options it would be a lot more worthwhile to stay in school and try and improve your stock.

 

[HarrisonJBounel]

the nba

“If the NBA was on channel five and a bunch of frogs making love were on channel four, I’d watch the frogs, even if they were coming in fuzzy.”

 

[jncuse]

Please, just do the baseball rule. It would make everything so easy.

The baseball rule would be a disaster in basketball. Remember baseball players are choosing between minors or college (HS players do not make the jump to MLB)... some basketball players can make the jump to the NBA so it complicates things.

Last thing we need is teams making high lotto picks and players choosing to go back to school because they do not want to play in that city, or basicallly saying I am playing for this city... and if you draft me I go to college.

The goal of the NBA draft should be:
1) Setting up a system that is best for the worst teams,

2) Not selecting a system that forces bad teams to be a) too conservative or b) having to take too many risks.

3) Players that are more developed entering the NBA.

The baseball rule does not nothing to adress that. Going to 20/2 makes a hell of alot more sense than the baseball rule if you are looking for the good of the NBA.

If you are looking purely for the good of the player, and not the product, than sure the baseball rule is better for them. But all it will do is hurt the NBA product.

 

[SBU72]

I think that would be good for the NBA, college hoops, and the sport in general. And you can justify it in a number of ways from a fairness standpoint. With that said - it still makes me uncomfortable.

One simple thing the league could do is adjust the rookie salary scale to make it much steeper. If you are worried about salary cap just exempt rookie deals from the cap. If going #1 meant 40 mil and going lower than 15 meant non-guaranteed league min deals with team options it would be a lot more worthwhile to stay in school and try and improve your stock.

For years I have suggested this. It is said kids go early not for that first contaact but to get to free agaency at ayounger age. Make the rule such that every year short of 4 out of hs, adds a year to the first contract. The reasoning here can be that when ateam drafts a young player they have him opnger to develop. Now you don't get the kid coming out early, going to some small market team who lose him to free agenecy just as he is getting good. May have to do something about the salry cap, but I don't know how that works. Instead of a 4 year first contract for a kid out of high school, it is an 8 year contract, 7 for a freshman, etc. Now this doesn't do anything about kids who leave early who aren't ready but it does eliminate one reason for going. Maybe if the contract has a garantee element, maybe it will make some GM's skiddish. Also, the NCAA has to do something about allowing kids to test the water without losing their eligibility.

 

[Oakland]

Arbitrarily and illegally limiting aspiring professional players, hurts them, corrupts the college system, and hurts the NBA. The NBA should take a few of their precious, taxpayer subsidized millions and turn the NBA dev league into a real farm system. Like baseball, this would be best for all concerned.

In an USA Today article, Kevin McHale is in favor of rising the minimum age for the NBA to 20 if not 21/3 years out of hs. He thinks that in reality all factions would be in favor of this change, from management all the way over to players. Despite the obvious stars (Kobe, LaBron, Garnett etc) far more of the early entry kids fail to make the NBA than succeed. He says that the argument about getting to the market and make your money doesn't work if you can't get by a 3 year career.

 

[STEVEHOLT]

Of course management, players already in the league, and "fans" would be in favor of this rule.

1. Ift gives the NBA a free minor league system and takes pressure off their scouting / development staffs as there is less uncertainty about a player after two years of college than out of high school. It saves you from drafting guys like Paul Harris in the first round out of high school.

2. Players already in the league don't have to worry about the next big thing competing for their jobs for a couple more years. that is a couple more years of potentially big cash. the kind of cash that you can literally live on with compounding interest.

3. The 'fans' get to better players playing for their school for longer periods of time.

you know who doesn't like the rule? the people who it actually directly effects. Im glad we can all agree to make their decisions for them.

I think they should get rid of the one and done rule and just let them go pro. If they are so worried about the "kids" than they NBA can set up a lifetime fund for people that go one and done and flame out. Bet they dont do that.

 

[Capt. Tuttle]

Eh, why would they do that? Risk/Reward - successful people are usually less averse to risk to begin with. If I could pick McDermott or some 18 year old with great measurables out of HS, I'm going with the kid most times. One one side you end up with McDermott (how big is that upside???), on the other hand you might end up with Kobe (13th pick overall) type generational talent.

A rule (like the baseball one referenced earlier) is probably the most productive way to go. You can leave out of HS, but if you don't, two years minimum. Or maybe you get invited to the NBA like some secret society/frat ceremony out of HS - McHale, Metta World Peace, and Bill Walton show up your house at 2am, sneak into your room, blindfold you, and lead you out for some hazing...

why should any kid have to wait? That the point. I understand the collective bargaining/public sector part of it, but it just galls me that we keep people out of their chosen field using an arbitrary criteria which has nothing to do with their ability to do the job.

 

[jncuse]

Arbitrarily and illegally limiting aspiring professional players, hurts them, corrupts the college system, and hurts the NBA. The NBA should take a few of their precious, taxpayer subsidized millions and turn the NBA dev league into a real farm system. Like baseball, this would be best for all concerned.

"Hurts Them" - It doesn't hurt player development and in the long run it will generally help players.

Some HS or one and done players will be hurt because they will get undeserved guaranteed contracts based on potential -- if they had played in college longer and been exposed they do not get the contracts (but somebody else will get those guaranteed contracts instead). But, I assume if you are against the one and done rule, you must be against guaranteed contracts anyway... cough, cough.

If you talk about players right to choose, I guess it does take away from this right. But what I always find odd about the take that "Players should be able to enter draft out of HS" is that is completely hypocritcal. If you are for HS players being eligible for the draft based on "rights", you should also support
- No Draft, players are free to sign with any organization they want
- No Trades unless players approve
- Unrestricted Free Agency at the end of each contract
- No Salary Cap
- No Salary Structure for Rookie Contracts
- A player of ANY age signing an NBA contract

Its the nature of professional sports. Nothing is abritrary. There are many violations of "choice" that are OK because they are collectively bargained. How can you be against one rule but not against all other limitations.

"Corrupts the College System" - Yes this is a by product of forcing players to go to college with no other viable options. I can't disagree with that.

"Hurts the NBA" - No, an age limitation vastly improves the NBA product, increases parity, reduces risk for draft teams, gives them free development / marketing. It's great for the NBA product - not sure how you can argue otherwise.

"Subsidized Minor League System" - Something else I agree with. The NBA should put more money into strengthening the minor league system.

Although, consider 18 and 19 years olds that do not want to go to college and are only average prospects and may not be drafted in the first round. Is playing for the Bakersfield Jam for $40,000 a year more attractive than playing at a school like Syracuse... travel all day on buses, stay at lower class hotels, rent a basic apartment, not the big kid on campus (and its related social "benefits"), poorer training facilities, harder to follow an optimal food diet.

So even though they don't really want to go to college for academic reasons, the free market forces them to choose it. College is still more attractive. And this applies to the majority of players -- the players that are not stud NBA prospects.

Should the NBA over-pay these marginal / undrafted prospects to play in their minor leagues?

 

[jncuse]

why should any kid have to wait? That the point. I understand the collective bargaining/public sector part of it, but it just galls me that we keep people out of their chosen field using an arbitrary criteria which has nothing to do with their ability to do the job.

As per my prior point.. are you against the Draft in General, Free Agency Restrictions, Trades, Salary Cap, the inability of a 15 year old to Sign in the NBA, Minimum Contracts for Rookies?

The US professional sports model can only work with limitations. That is why we have CBA's. To me the draft age is no different - if it is approved under collective bargaining I have no issue with it.

 

[Briancuse]

I am all for the baseball rule, if you are good enough to play in the nba at 18, you should be allowed to go, if not you have to stay three years.

 

[cto]

I think the NFL rule is the best model... cannot enter the draft until three years after graduation of high school class. Why doesn't the NBA consider this

 

[jncuse]

I think the NFL rule is the best model... cannot enter the draft until three years after graduation of high school class. Why doesn't the NBA consider this

It probably has, but it's all collectively bargained. The players would want something major in return for this in the CBA.

 

[Briancuse]

I think the NFL rule is the best model... cannot enter the draft until three years after graduation of high school class. Why doesn't the NBA consider this

I think it is unfair to the kids who are ready at 18 to play in the NBA, Guys like Lebron should be allowed to go right after HS.

 

[jncuse]

I think it is unfair to the kids who are ready at 18 to play in the NBA, Guys like Lebron should be allowed to go right after HS.

The Ontario Hockey League (Junior Hockey for 16-19 year old's) has an "Exceptional Prospect" clause that allows 15 year old to enter the league early, if approved by an impartial committee.

IIRC, they only allow about 1 player a year. Perhaps the NBA could come up with a similar model. The top 2 NBA ready prospects could be allowed early entry each year.

 

[Ghost]

why should any kid have to wait? That the point. I understand the collective bargaining/public sector part of it, but it just galls me that we keep people out of their chosen field using an arbitrary criteria which has nothing to do with their ability to do the job.

You have to pass the bar exam to practice law - I think a lot lawyers would tell you it's pretty arbitrary. Barriers to entry are pretty common in a lot of career fields. However, right or wrong it may seem. The NA could argue it does impact their ability to do their job - i.e. they suck w/out the proper training.

 

[RF2044]

Of course management, players already in the league, and "fans" would be in favor of this rule.

1. Ift gives the NBA a free minor league system and takes pressure off their scouting / development staffs as there is less uncertainty about a player after two years of college than out of high school. It saves you from drafting guys like Paul Harris in the first round out of high school.

2. Players already in the league don't have to worry about the next big thing competing for their jobs for a couple more years. that is a couple more years of potentially big cash. the kind of cash that you can literally live on with compounding interest.

3. The 'fans' get to better players playing for their school for longer periods of time.

you know who doesn't like the rule? the people who it actually directly effects. Im glad we can all agree to make their decisions hsituatem.

I think they should get rid of the one and done rule and just let them go pro. If they are so worried about the "kids" than they NBA can set up a lifetime fund for people that go one and done and flame out. Bet they dont do that.

True. But in a collective bargaining situation, it is an easy "concession" for the player's association to make, given that it doesn't impact / affect any of the union's current membership. That's how arrangements like this get made.