OT Mark Cuban says go to the d-league

[CusefanATL]

instead of college. Hate to say it, but its hard to argue.

http://espn.go.com/dallas/nba/story/_/id/10538276/mark-cuban-says-nba-d-league-better-option-ncaa

 

[Full_Rebar]

He's right. It's nice to see that he realizes the importance of NBA teams providing tuition benefits and mandatory personal development sessions.

I don't think it kills CBB either. It changes the dynamic, but even Kentucky fans might admit that it's frustrating to deal with a constant turnover on your roster each year. Overall talent will drop, but you'd see "better" basketball with more experienced teams.

 

[rocklloyd]

He's absolutely right. One and done is hurting the game even for teams like Kentucky.

 

[orangecuse]

He's right. It's nice to see that he realizes the importance of NBA teams providing tuition benefits and mandatory personal development sessions.

I don't think it kills CBB either. It changes the dynamic, but even Kentucky fans might admit that it's frustrating to deal with a constant turnover on your roster each year. Overall talent will drop, but you'd see "better" basketball with more experienced teams.

I agree. Look no further than our game yesterday vs. UVA...the epitome of team basketball...with likely no NBA guys on that roster.

 

[Madbiker]

His commissioner and many NBA GM's would disagree with Cuban on this. As a business model it's flawed. The NBA currently has a no cost "farm development system, the NCAA. It produces branded stars the public already knows and creates the desire to see them perform when they get to the NBA. If these kids went straight to the D-league out of high school and played for these out of the way teams in anonymity, they would would be faceless nobodies rather than stars entering the league. All these NBA fans already know Andrew Wiggins from watching him at Kansas and the media building him up. If he went straight to the D league nobody would know him nor care. Nobody is watching Maine Red Claw games on national TV... which aren't on anyway. The thought that D league kids will go to college in their spare time is ludicrous, they are not going to go to classes. All this would do is incent kids (and not just the most talented but the mediocre ones who have inflated opinions of their skill) to bypass college to the detriment of 99% of them who will never earn an NBA paycheck.

 

[shandeezy7]

His commissioner and many NBA GM's would disagree with Cuban on this. As a business model it's flawed. The NBA currently has a no cost "farm development system, the NCAA. It produces branded stars the public already knows and creates the desire to see them perform when they get to the NBA. If these kids went straight to the D-league out of high school and played for these out of the way teams in anonymity, they would would be faceless nobodies rather than stars entering the league. All these NBA fans already know Andrew Wiggins from watching him at Kansas and the media building him up. If he went straight to the D league nobody would know him nor care. Nobody is watching Maine Red Claw games on national TV... which aren't on anyway. The thought that D league kids will go to college in their spare time is ludicrous, they are not going to go to classes. All this would do is incent kids (and not just the most talented but the mediocre ones who have inflated opinions of their skill) to bypass college to the detriment of 99% of them who will never earn an NBA paycheck.

LIES! They get their one game a month on NBA TV, the epitome of prime time television baby! Seriously though, has anyone watched a D-League game lately? Every team is just a collection of guys trying to "get theirs." Nobody plays defense, nobody plays team basketball, nobody cares about winning. It's a joke. How is that supposed to prepare you better for the NBA than college basketball?

 

[jncuse]

If the "one year minimum" stays in effect it's possible.

The NBA would need to make it much more attractive to those players. Say a player that is projected to go 15th in the draft, decides to investigate the NBDL route. Right now he is currently looking at:
- $30,000 - $40,000 pay
- Longer Bus Rides
- Shatty Apartment
- Crappier Hotels
- Poor Training Facilities
- Loss of Tail

Its not much of a choice. The NBA would need to invest a lot in the league (travel and living costs for all players, facilities, coaches, skanks) to make it more attractive than a big time school.

And if they want to give extra benefits to only a select few, how do they choose?

And its not like these kids (the majority) would really increase NBDL revenues. Sure people would watch if it was a hyped prospect like Andrew Wiggins or Greg Oden... but most first round prospects are not a draw. Would the league have really drawn more revenues if the Harrison's decided to play in the NBDL?

Ultimately it's a business, and since it won't generate much extra revenues for them, why would the NBA incur all these extra costs to keep a dozen or so prospects a year from Kentucky, UNC, Duke, Kansas, Syracuse...

 

[Full_Rebar]

His comissioner and many NBA GM's would disagree with Cuban on this. As a business model it's flawed. The NBA currently has a no cost "farm development system, the NCAA. It produces branded stars the public already knows and creates the desire to see them perform when they get to the NBA. If these kids went straight to the D-league out of high school and played for these out of the way teams in anonymity, they would would be faceless nobodies rather than stars entering the league. All these NBA fans already know Andrew Wiggins from watching him at Kansas and the media building him up. If he went straight to the D league nobody would know him nor care. Nobody is watching Maine Red Claw games on national TV... which aren't on anyway. The thought that D league kids will go to college in their spare time is ludicrous, they are not going to go to classes. All this would do is incent kids (and not just the most talented but the mediocre ones who have inflated opinions of their skill) to bypass college to the detriment of 99% of them who will never earn an NBA paycheck.

Funny, MLB teams don't seem to have a problem when they have high draft picks that don't go to college and come up through the minor leagues. Even a guy like Rubio had a ton of hype before he played a game in the US. The NBA isn't banking off the name brands of many incoming rookies. Who is the last NBA rookie who would be considered a tv or ticket draw- Durant? Sometimes we assume that NBA fans are big college hoops fans when that's not always the case. I mean the NBA's biggest media fan is Simmons and he's pretty clueless about college ball until tourney time (he's usually basing his opinions on what Ford and others are saying about prospects).

As for academics, check the graduation rates for D1 MBB players (not the GSR, but the Federal Graduation Rates). 47% actually graduate from the institution where they started. Let's not pretend like the top programs are filled with a bunch of scholars.

Yes, the current D League is flawed, but go read the Grantland series on what the Rockets are doing with their D-League team. It won't take long for other teams to copy this approach and start really taking advantage of what can be done with a consistent developmental program. NBA GM's are really ahead of other pro leagues in using analytics in their approach. They aren't going to accept doing business the same way because that's how things have always been done.

 

[Madbiker]

LIES! They get their one game a month on NBA TV, the epitome of prime time television baby! Seriously though, has anyone watched a D-League game lately? Every team is just a collection of guys trying to "get theirs." Nobody plays defense, nobody plays team basketball, nobody cares about winning. It's a joke. How is that supposed to prepare you better for the NBA than college basketball?

Well that's good training for most NBA teams that aren't the Heat, Pacers, Spurs, Thunder.

 

[jncuse]

Funny, MLB teams don't seem to have a problem when they have high draft picks that don't go to college and come up through the minor leagues. Even a guy like Rubio had a ton of hype before he played a game in the US. The NBA isn't banking off the name brands of many incoming rookies. Who is the last NBA rookie who would be considered a tv or ticket draw- Durant? Sometimes we assume that NBA fans are big college hoops fans when that's not always the case. I mean the NBA's biggest media fan is Simmons and he's pretty clueless about college ball until tourney time (he's usually basing his opinions on what Ford and others are saying about prospects).

As for academics, check the graduation rates for D1 MBB players (not the GSR, but the Federal Graduation Rates). 47% actually graduate from the institution where they started. Let's not pretend like the top programs are filled with a bunch of scholars.

Yes, the current D League is flawed, but go read the Grantland series on what the Rockets are doing with their D-League team. It won't take long for other teams to copy this approach and start really taking advantage of what can be done with a consistent developmental program. NBA GM's are really ahead of other pro leagues in using analytics in their approach. They aren't going to accept doing business the same way because that's how things have always been done.

A minor league baseball team is a better business model than a minor league basketball team (they get better revenues). They can sustain themselves.

 

[Madbiker]

Funny, MLB teams don't seem to have a problem when they have high draft picks that don't go to college and come up through the minor leagues. Even a guy like Rubio had a ton of hype before he played a game in the US. The NBA isn't banking off the name brands of many incoming rookies. Who is the last NBA rookie who would be considered a tv or ticket draw- Durant? Sometimes we assume that NBA fans are big college hoops fans when that's not always the case. I mean the NBA's biggest media fan is Simmons and he's pretty clueless about college ball until tourney time (he's usually basing his opinions on what Ford and others are saying about prospects).

As for academics, check the graduation rates for D1 MBB players (not the GSR, but the Federal Graduation Rates). 47% actually graduate from the institution where they started. Let's not pretend like the top programs are filled with a bunch of scholars.

Yes, the current D League is flawed, but go read the Grantland series on what the Rockets are doing with their D-League team. It won't take long for other teams to copy this approach and start really taking advantage of what can be done with a consistent developmental program. NBA GM's are really ahead of other pro leagues in using analytics in their approach. They aren't going to accept doing business the same way because that's how things have always been done.

Every awful team in the draft lottery IS banking on the brand name of it's 1st round pick to sell tickets and give the fans hope that he will be the guy to lead the franchise turnaround to winning days.
The NBA commissioner knows that most teams are acting foolishly drafting freshmen who are not nearly ready to produce in the league and paying them millions to go play in the D league when they should leave them in college to develop their games on somebody else's dime. Some of these fools would draft kids out of junior high if they could.

 

[Full_Rebar]

Actually a revamped D League system is much better for player development than leaving guys in college. Again, use the Rockets as an example. They are playing an up-tempo style which looks for 3 pointers, or shots at the basket. What good does it do them to have players stay in a college system where they play zone defense and are coached to shoot mid-range jumpers because that's what wins games?

NBA teams all have facilities like the Melo Center. They have bigger staffs than any college program and they are the best place for a player to develop for the NBA game.

I agree that the current NBA draft/developmental system is lousy. However, the new GM's aren't going to take years to adjust and change. The NBA folks are the biggest attendees of that Sloan conference which just finished-it won't take them long to adapt and force the league to move.

 

[strumpfasaurus]

Am I the only person that actually likes the One and Done Rule? It exposes guys who were way overrated in high school like Barnes and Wiggins, and it gives scouts more info about the player. I just wish they taught the guys how to better handle money.

 

[rstone7727]

Instead of the D-League, just send them to the SEC...

 

[Col. Bleep]

In terms of ending the "student-athlete" hypocrisy in college, it's hard to argue with Cuban.

But there's one big problem in making this a reality: $$$$$.
Way too much TV money at stake now for colleges to go along.
We're much more likely to see colleges paying players.

Also...if the NBA via the D-League is going to draft players out of high school...then you could see a lot of the current college hypocrisy shifted down to the high school level. It's already there to some extent.

 

[strumpfasaurus]

In terms of ending the "student-athlete" hypocrisy in college, it's hard to argue with Cuban.

But there's one big problem in making this a reality: $$$$$.
Way too much TV money at stake now for colleges to go along.
We're much more likely to see colleges paying players.

Also...if the NBA via the D-League is going to draft players out of high school...then you could see a lot of the current college hypocrisy shifted down to the high school level. It's already there to some extent.

Agreed with everything you said. I am a huge fan of Bilas policy how colleges shouldn't be paying players but players should be able to market their own like-ability and make money off jersey sales, autographs and other things. I feel like fi oyu start paying college players you are opening a can of worms especially with title XI involved.

 

[realorange]

If you've ever watched Cuban on Shark Tank, you know all he sees the D league as is a holding pen for beef--whoops I mean possible NBA players.

 

[stuckinbig11]

It is hard to disagree with many points that Cuban makes. He admits that he has not thought it out very much, and maybe there is no business model that would work, but I don't think the current system will last forever.

 

[orangefan13]

Or the NBA could just use its brains and make some of these d league teams nba teams.

The NBA has become water downed all star games. As Syracuse fans we realize this with the loss of dajuan, keita, grant recently while ennis, cj get tired late in the season. Not that we haven't already heard, but the NBA really needs to cut its amount of games down to 40-50. Forget the money, do it for the sport. If they players don't like it they can go to the nfl or overseas.

 

[RF2044]

"Then you wouldn't be under the stupidity of the NCAA," Cuban said. "There's no reason for the NCAA to exist. None."