Agree or Disagree: End the NBA Age Limit

[JBHuskers]

Do you agree with the NBA Players Union looking to end the age restriction, or do you think the restriction should still be in place?

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=5899152

[Rudy]

I like the one year restriction but I also recognize there are some special athletes like LeBron who are ready right away. Too many kids before this restriction were going pro and ended up 2nd rounders and out of the league quickly. You can argue that it's there decision and we shouldn't hold their hands but agents are seedy and might push these kids in the wrong direction. It's also better for college and the NBA if kids do develop a bit in college.

I'd personally like a split rule. Allow kids to declare for the draft right out of high school but forbid them to hire an agent. Only allow NBA teams to draft high school players with the first 5 picks of the NBA draft. After that you can't draft a high school kid and they have to go to college for a year (or Europe). This way you allow the elite kid who can play right away a chance to go pro but protect basketball from these clueless high school kids who need more time to develop.

[JBHuskers]

For me, there are just some kids that aren't college material and to give the school that player on a one-year loan basically to me makes no sense. No you'll have those guys that listen to the wrong people...but that is always going to happen in the sports world (hello Cam Newton)....so I am (it looks like the sole) proponent for lifting the restriction.

[morsdraconis]

For me, there are just some kids that aren't college material and to give the school that player on a one-year loan basically to me makes no sense. No you'll have those guys that listen to the wrong people...but that is always going to happen in the sports world (hello Cam Newton)....so I am (it looks like the sole) proponent for lifting the restriction.

I think it would be a good thing because it would stop the bullshit that Calipari does since 95% of those kids could just go straight the NBA and be lottery picks most likely. But, it would also be terrible for college basketball just like it was when the restriction wasn't in place.

College basketball missed out on some absolutely AMAZING talent because of their ability to go straight to the NBA (Kevin Garnett, Kobe Bryant, Brandon Jennings, Dwight Howard, Lebron James, Amar'e Stoudemire, Jermaine O'Neal, and Tracy McGrady) that could have been the likes of Byrd vs Magic in the NCAA Championship game back in the day if they were forced to play 1 or more seasons before jumping.

My feeling is, to cut down on this bullshit rental ideal that Calipari has going on and to not hurt college basketball (since the NCAA refuses to just cut the shit about Academics and treat it like the minor leagues instead) is actually force them to play 2 years before being able to jump. It's my feeling that none of these kids, outside of the VERY rare case like Lebron James, are ready to immediately make the jump to the NBA after one year. 9 times out of 10, it doesn't work out and these kids take another two years to truly develop into a solid player, which they could have been doing in college instead, getting an education as well as working on their fundamentals (like playing defense and shooting free throws well).

[SmoothPancakes]

They need to set it up like college baseball. You can either enter right out of high school or else you wait three years at a college or until you turn 21. The players who truly want to expand their skills and give themselves a chance, can go the college route. The few who are ready can jump right into the NBA. The dumbasses who think they are ready but then disappear off the face of the earth within two years can go also if they so desire.

[CLW]

They need to set it up like college baseball. You can either enter right out of high school or else you wait three years at a college or until you turn 21. The players who truly want to expand their skills and give themselves a chance, can go the college route. The few who are ready can jump right into the NBA. The dumbasses who think they are ready but then disappear off the face of the earth within two years can go also if they so desire.

Agree 100%. For the dummies/thugs/prodigies there should be the ability to go to the NBA straight out of high school. However, if you choose to go to college you should actually stay for awhile.

[steelerfan]

if you choose to go to college you should actually stay for awhile.

I agree, 1 year is just ridiculous. Smooth is spot on with mirroring baseball. I actually like hockey's approach better than baseball's, but with no minor league system in basketball it's far less viable.

[cdj]

They need to set it up like college baseball. You can either enter right out of high school or else you wait three years at a college or until you turn 21. The players who truly want to expand their skills and give themselves a chance, can go the college route. The few who are ready can jump right into the NBA. The dumbasses who think they are ready but then disappear off the face of the earth within two years can go also if they so desire.

I agree with your idea completely.

The big reasons holding it back are: too many teams in the NBA (this needing more bodies to fill out rosters), and a lot of college coaches are perfectly fine with the one year hired guns. Obviously Calipari has no problem with it and IIRC Boeheim has said he is as well.

[CLW]

I agree, 1 year is just ridiculous. Smooth is spot on with mirroring baseball. I actually like hockey's approach better than baseball's, but with no minor league system in basketball it's far less viable.

It's really not even a year its a semester. If I recall correctly, you only need 10 hours of "class" to stay elligible for the entire basketball season.

That's 3 classes of: bowling; basket weaving and history of television.

[cdj]

Good point, CLW! I remember reading about that problem a few years ago. Some Texas phenom (not Durant) quit going to classes once 2nd semester started since he could still play as grades wouldn't become a factor until the season was already over and he knew he was going into the Draft.

[JBHuskers]

It's really not even a year its a semester. If I recall correctly, you only need 10 hours of "class" to stay elligible for the entire basketball season.

That's 3 classes of: bowling; basket weaving and history of television.

Good point, CLW! I remember reading about that problem a few years ago. Some Texas phenom (not Durant) quit going to classes once 2nd semester started since he could still play as grades wouldn't become a factor until the season was already over and he knew he was going into the Draft.

Yep that's why I said yes given the choice between one year and no restrictions.

[morsdraconis]

How about this?

Yes kids can go directly from High School to the NBA, but under this condition: They MUST spend 2 seasons in the D-League. That way they can get paid to play and will learn the speed of the NBA game VERY quickly and emerge as ready players. Imagine how interesting the D-League would become because of that.

Or they could choose to stick it out in college for 2 years (forcing them to actually attempt to get a freakin' education while there) and build their legacy that way.

The incentive would be to stay in school (build your name in college and have it out there already before hitting the big stage) but the ability to go straight to the D-league gives these kids the ability to go to the money immediately and skip the formalities of college if they so choose.

Win-Win in my opinion.

[JBHuskers]

Not a bad idea....I think instead of a time restriction in the D-League, you have a performance restriction.

[JeffHCross]

The big reasons holding it back are: too many teams in the NBA (this needing more bodies to fill out rosters)

I call shenanigans. There's an NBA-D league for a reason. The NBA does not need NCAA to let players go after one year in order to fill out rosters.

It's really not even a year its a semester. If I recall correctly, you only need 10 hours of "class" to stay elligible for the entire basketball season.

Right, 'cause you just need to be an eligible full-time student.

That's 3 classes of: bowling; basket weaving and history of television.

To be fair though, two of those classes would only be worth one hour at most schools But your point is accurate.

[CLW]

To be fair though, two of those classes would only be worth one hour at most schools But your point is accurate.

LOL my final semester before lawschool was like that. I had all of my major and minor requirements fullfilled and just needed to stay a fulltime stupdent to graduate. I took:

Volleyball - 1 hr

Beginning Tennis - 1 hr

Beginning Karate - 1 hr

Coaching Soccer - 2 hr

Senior Seminar Political Science - 1 hr (basically a show up class - help with jobs had to give a presentation)

Golf - 1 hr

Personal Health - 3 HR

Music Appreciation - 3 Hrs

These classes consisted of 95% of scholarship athletes and the rest were students like me just getting the hours they needed to graduate.

[JeffHCross]

Sadly, even my last quarter I had classes that decided whether or not I graduated. I took a handful of 1 hr classes while I was a student, but didn't get to take them all at once.

[Rudy]

4 out of my 5 classes each semester were pretty much mandatory. I got a math and stats degree and you only took 4 math classes out of 10 in your first year. But to get the math AND stats I needed a total of 27 math classes which meant 23 more in the next three years. So I took 4/5 math classes every semester and tried to take a bird course for my other one. Sometimes those bird courses weren't so easy. I thought Astronomy would be easy but it was actually a real course that required work.

LOL my final semester before lawschool was like that. I had all of my major and minor requirements fullfilled and just needed to stay a fulltime stupdent to graduate. I took:

Volleyball - 1 hr

Beginning Tennis - 1 hr

Beginning Karate - 1 hr

Coaching Soccer - 2 hr

Senior Seminar Political Science - 1 hr (basically a show up class - help with jobs had to give a presentation)

Golf - 1 hr

Personal Health - 3 HR

Music Appreciation - 3 Hrs

These classes consisted of 95% of scholarship athletes and the rest were students like me just getting the hours they needed to graduate.

Are you serious about those classes? You can actually take sports for credit? And 1 hour classes as well? Those weren't part of Windsor's offerings.

[JeffHCross]

Are you serious about those classes? You can actually take sports for credit? And 1 hour classes as well? Those weren't part of Windsor's offerings.

That's America for you.

[NatureBoy]

For me, there are just some kids that aren't college material and to give the school that player on a one-year loan basically to me makes no sense. No you'll have those guys that listen to the wrong people...but that is always going to happen in the sports world (hello Cam Newton)....so I am (it looks like the sole) proponent for lifting the restriction.

I agree with what you said. It's a waste of time IMO for a college to go after these guys knowing they will only be around for one year. If they are good enough for the NBA, let them go right after high school.

[Rudy]

I agree with what you said. It's a waste of time IMO for a college to go after these guys knowing they will only be around for one year. If they are good enough for the NBA, let them go right after high school.

But Carmello proved it's not a waste of time. Oden also helped out OSU significantly. The right one year player can make a huge difference in these programs.