The NBA should just declare war on the NCAA if that happens. In the old days, it didn't make any sense for the NBA to disrupt the free job training the NCAA provided for them, but these days 1) it's not as difficult to identify top talents early on 2) public sentiment has tilted against the NCAA's price-fixing/parasitism model and 3) the value of having live sports content is increasing to the point where running a high ranked elite junior prospect league can be profitable for the NBA (imagine if they had a system of promotion and relegation - THAT woudl be awesome)
You’d have to be a moron to pass up a semester and a half playing for Coach K for 125k and the current G league life. Busses, small gyms and training from guys not good enough to train NBA guys, risk of exposure going against grown men who don’t care about you being successful. These one and one guys are guaranteed big time exposure, fan fare and a great time, and are certain to be drafted unless they are a disaster in college.
The NCAA already made a lot of these changes months ago. HS players can have agents already, for example. The FBI doesn't work for the NCAA, despite your weird beliefs otherwise. If these agents/companies/coaches committed crimes, they will be prosecuted. If they violated NCAA rules, they won't - because the FBI doesn't work that way. The NCAA and NBA were working together in the recent past - the NBA didn't want high school players, and the NCAA was happy to take them. But the NCAA's popularity isn't based on individual players - they aren't going to miss one-and-dones and won't lose market share. The NBA *still* doesn't want those players, which is why they're getting dumped in the G-League.
Here is the thing . . . . people in America LOVE Basketball It is GAINING popularity as Football is losing some Baseball is no where near its glory days I think the biggest evidence is the seemingly successful BIG 3 League This could be a big deal Rocket River
Everything you just said about the G-League applies to the NCAA. You can always go back to college with the money you earned from the G-League if things don't work out. Only this time, you get to concentrate on your studies.
You don't think that if it were allowed to draft 18 year olds out of HS, NBA teams would not go back to drafting 18 year olds out of HS immediately?
NBA *teams* absolutely would. But the reason the NBA put in the 19 year old rule was to save their teams from having to do that. The Kobes/Garnetts of the world are rare. Even now, you don't see a lot of the 19 year olds have immediate success even with an extra year of higher-quality data to evaluate them with. But teams were put in shitty situations: pass on the potential future star, or pay millions to develop him over a few years while your team continues to suck. Individually, teams had to draft them but collectively, they were glad to change the system so they weren't forced into those decisions.
Well, things have changed. You now have 3 extra roster spots, the ability to send your player to the minors and a rookie salary scale. I don't think teams would mind taking-on and developing projects at all anymore. But if benefits the players and the Players Union if they keep young guys out. Their job is to protect their interests, not someone elses. Ultimately it helps protect existing veteran jobs.
To answer this question: it's because the NCAA serves a different group than the NBA. The NBA (and G-League) is entirely focused on income generation. It often feels that way with the NCAA as well, but really, their goal is to create a system that at least sort-of theoretically works for all 300 member institutions, the vast majority of which don't make money off sports. It works like big business for Kansas, Kentucky, Texas, etc - which is why all the scandals revolve around the big schools. But for the Butlers, Old Dominions, and Binghamtons of the world, it's not. And when you inject big time money into the equation, it makes it a mess for those institutions to participate.
Sure - but how would you like to watch your team go 20-62, get the #1 overall pick who's 18 and not ready for the NBA, and then send him to the minors for a year and watch your team suck for yet another year? It's more viable now for the long-term health of the franchise - and that's likely why the NBA eventually changes the rules again - but it still sucks for fans.
makes sense 1. They can play the game adapted to the NBA style, with an NBA 3 point line, and an NBA shot clock ect.. 2. If they end up sucking and being over hyped. At 125k/year they are making enough where if the G-league doesn't work out for them they can go back to college and have the funds to pay their way through college. SO BIG PICTURE it's a low risk move for them.
Times have changed since 2008 - I think there's probably substantially more people in the NBA that would welocme the disruption as an opportunity than back then,when teams were dominated by the jockocracy in upper management. Regardless though, if getting better information and limiting draft risk was the overriding goal - rather than continue to use the NCAA ~ the NBA should go forward with its own highly structured junior league, which seems to be the direction the G league is going in. They're going to have to pay more than $150 though.
Absolutely - I have no problems with the G-League solution. I think it's a win-win for everyone: players, schools, the NBA.
One question I do have - I assume this is a one-year $125K contract and then the players go into the draft? If so, I'm not sure the incentive a team has to develop these guys. If the Rockets' G-League team gets some superstar projected to go #1 in the next draft, what incentive do they have to try to help develop him as a player over that year? They aren't going to get to draft him, so all they'd be doing is helping another team in the future. If anything, they might have incentive to make him look terrible so his draft stock drops and they can pick him lower in the draft. (hopefully no team would actually do this)
Assuming you don’t blow that money. How many of these kids can get into Duke and UNC on their own merit after a failed minor league basketball career? Not many. College basketball is just a better option right now with the current state of the G league. The G league does not offer the same exposure, lifestyle or development, and has a different risk profile.125k isn’t very much money. But I’m sure a couple of kids will take it.
I don't know if this G League option is attractive enough for the cream of the crop considering the differing circumstances of playing at a major college vs. G League. I think they will have to increase the payout substantially. About how many players each year would be eligible?
fwiw: G-league has always had an 18yr rule -- just that max pay was $35k. So this is nothing new except for the increase in the League Max pay (for "elites" whatever that means). Keep in mind, this is all just temporary. Once the league drops the age limit back to 18, the top players who want to bypass NCAAs will just go in the real NBA draft, and no one will use the GLeague Draft $125k route except those who failed to get any contract up to the point of the GLeague draft in late Oct. I also think (like MLB), the GLeague draft will start using NBA lotto order, vs GLeague standings -- now that nearly (if not all) teams are affiliates. So, once the age-limit drops again, this will only be for non-Exhibit 10 protected, Unsigned Players. But who knows, they could expand the Max Pay to cover any GL contract .... AND (maybe the biggest cultural shift) for actually stashing 2nd round picks in a USA league vs Europe. (Morey/Isaiah Hartenstein was first to stash a 2nd Round pick, right.). bottomline: From the NBA's perspective, I think this is just taking advantage of an opportunity to Market the development league, in a slow process to increase the GLeague Max pay (trending with revenue). Once the NBA Draft becomes the route for HSers again, the big win will be the GL competing with Euroleague to attract Euro/Brazil/Argentina/Africa teens as well.
I agree. It was a chicken-egg thing back in 2005 CBA negotiations. The Players Union didn't want an Age limit, but the owners had no development league option, yet, either, and too many FRP mistakes were happening. As we look back, not surprising the re-org of the Dleague to have affiliates started that same year the 1nDone happened. Like you say, it's different now. With the remarkable advent of 2-way contracts, increase of younger talent pool globally, 100% NBA-team buy-in via affiliation, leading to attraction of NBA-track coaches, together with this announcement of a higher GL Max, the league seems poised for a true minor league. Thus, ready to drop the age limit again. What would be really cool is if they can come to increase revenue to truly compete with other, lower-level FIBA leagues, and teen contracts. They need to free up more spending across league-boundaries, with the 2-ways being a strong start, so the actual NBA Affiliate can stash *NBA Draft* players, like MLB. Stashing FRPs likely means altering the rules of Rookie Scale Contracts and Required Tenders. 18yr old FRPs stashed in the G-League (allowing deferring start-date of Rookie-Scale Contracts) would instantly make the GL watchable TV, thus generating further revenue for the GL to outbid for more global talent, creating a snowball effect.
