McHale favors a rise to age 20

[OttoMets]

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.

They shouldn't be forced to go to college, but I haven't heard a compelling argument for forcing the NBA to allow them to be signed.

If they don't want to employ 18-year-old kids, they're within their rights to enact that barrier.

 

[Capt. Tuttle]

"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?

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.

No, as the leagues are really one enterprise spreading around the labor and , not individual enterprises competing with each other. The labor side of the equation has agreed to the terms. My problem is with the artificial barriers to entry which impact upon those who had no part in the collective bargaining process, nor were they represented in it.

 

[Jasoncuse]

The age part would be a disaster.

 

[Capt. Tuttle]

The age part would be a disaster.

Why?

 

[Briancuse]

They shouldn't be forced to go to college, but I haven't heard a compelling argument for forcing the NBA to allow them to be signed.

If they don't want to employ 18-year-old kids, they're within their rights to enact that barrier.

They don't have a problem employing a Lebron Or Kobe at 18, its the 18 year olds who aren't good enough, or mature enough to play in the league at 18.

 

[Marsh01]

“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.”

Id watch one frog just sitting there over the NBA

 

[Knicks411]

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.

I think people mean the spirit of the baseball rule, not the actual rule itself. Since in MLB you can be drafted without declaring.
The idea would basically be you can declare after your senior year of high school, and if you don't, you need to wait 3 years.

 

[Alsacs]

Here is what should happen. Every player is eligible for the draft when reaching 18. Teams can draft you and retain your rights until till your 3rd year after HS/18. Players can elect to sign out of high school and join the NBA or their NBDL team or go to college. If you elect to leave school before your 3rd year then the team that drafted you has your rights and you sign for the slot you were drafted in coming out of HS. However, if you don't leave after your 3rd year then that team loses their rights to you and your eligible to be re-drafted after your 4th year from HS. Thus if you were Tim Duncan and drafted in the teens coming out of HS and stayed 4 years you could go number 1. Teams would get more developed players in the NBA and if kids left early coming out college they would know exactly where they would be playing. Also, teams couldn't refuse to sign their draft picks if they wanted to sign and the team didn't want them. If a team refused to sign the player they drafted then the player would get whatever guaranteed money he would be entitled to and would become a FA to sign with anyone.

 

[OttoinGrotto]

I think an often overlooked part of the D-league discussion is the difference in coaching quality. What's it worth to a player's development to spend a year or two with Izzo/Boeheim/K/Donovan, etc. vs a D-league staff?

 

[Ghost]

I think an often overlooked part of the D-league discussion is the difference in coaching quality. What's it worth to a player's development to spend a year or two with Izzo/Boeheim/K/Donovan, etc. vs a D-league staff?

How many D-league success stories are there? Do a lot of ppl shuttle back and forth?

 

[Capt. Tuttle]

I think people mean the spirit of the baseball rule, not the actual rule itself. Since in MLB you can be drafted without declaring.
The idea would basically be you can declare after your senior year of high school, and if you don't, you need to wait 3 years.

Everyone should be eligible coming out of high school. Sign and go, or a team can pay pay you a signing bonus and retain your rights until you come out of college. The best players get the cash to help their families and if the team wants them to mature, they can go to school or the D league.