First of all, people in college aren't 'good people' because they're in college. Look at the NFL- every player was in college, including standout folks like the Vick brothers and Pacman jones. Secondly, don't buy into that BS that college is the penultimate job training place. It's a good place for education for most people. But it's not for everyone, and you're fooling yourself if you think that a pro-sports level talent has to work hard in college.
I don't agree with you guys that think the Europe route is so unappealing. I guarantee you if a Lebron caliber player was coming out some foreign team would pay him at least 5 million a year. On top of that Nike, Adidas, etc... Would be throwing 20+ million (easy) trying to lock up the kid for as many years as possible. And I guaran-damn-tee you they would come up with some gripping marketing campaigns in the US for their foreign investment. So lets say I am Lebron James good. In high school. You come at me and say; heres 25+ million, you get a paid vacation in a beautiful country, don't worry about studying, play against great competition, etc... I know I would be out.
Thank you for the sense. 25-35 year-old B-ball players living in Europe is one thing, but 18-19 year-olds living over there by themselves? I guess a few may try it, but not many. And European coaches aren't going to babysit "uncultured" American youngsters who have trouble adjusting. For the record, I've been to Europe more times than I can count. Also for the record, I think one year of college is fine. That's enough to sift out most of the busts. I admit a two year requirement would be a major boon to college basketball, but 99% of my concern is about the NBA. When I see a great college player, all that matters to me is how he fits at the next level.
go to a college prep school for a year. then you wouldn't have commited to ncaa basketball, and you will be 19 when the draft rolls around. that's what i would've done if i was a lebron james type kid who know's they will produce in the pro's. if i was one of the other guys (gerald green, marvin williams, etc...) that came out of hs or freshman year not knowing what kind of pro i'll be, i would rather enjoy being a celeb on a college campus. either somewhere with great bball history like unc, duke, kansas, ucla.. or somewhere by a beach where i can check out all the babes... like florida, usc, or ucla again... come to think of it, ucla would be the place of choice for me as a top college athlete.
A degree is much more than that. You need to be smart and dependable. Many companies also have criminal backgrounds checks etc. I see no reason why the NBA can't set its own standards and job requirements.
name some jobs that require a degree. seriously do you think being a police officer is equilvalent to being an nba player? edit: not degree but two years of college
That's for the employer to decide. The NBA is a business, not a playground. If you ran a company would you hire based on talent alone?
If talent was the only requirement yes. mcdonald's is also a business, should they require degrees. the nba being a business has nothing to do with it. the only thing that you don't want is kids who get into trouble. and being in college two years doesn't prove anything in that regard. this guys are playing basketball, that's it, no matter how much you try to make it into a business, they're just athletes.
What a joke. That is probably the worst reasoning for this rule. So going to college for two years makes you a better person than if you didn't go for that long? Rodman played college ball for 3 years, Artest played college ball for the magic number of 2 years. Obviously, College didn't filter these two out did they? Let's be real, the College scene is not all about education. There is lots and lots of partying and chances for you to get into trouble. Sorry, but people need to realize that College is not for everyone. Not to mention that so many things can happen in 2-4 years. If you get seriously hurt in college, you future is in possible jeopardy. Whether its injuries, academic problems or the fact that they really need to money to support their families, you have to take all these things into consideration. Like somebody said earlier, if you can go fight and die for this country at a young age, you should be able to get a chance to make millions if you want to.
If you can guarantee me that this will happen - how come it has never come even close to happening - once, in the last twenty years?
How so? There is more than one hospital in this world and some hospitals require it and some don't. There is more than one basketball league in this world some may require it and some don't.
because its apples and oranges. i didn't even know what it was and I have a degree. I had to google it. what point are you making. we're talking about athletes, not people working in hospitals with pregnant women or whatever.
technically you don't need a degree to do a lot of jobs, the employer just likes you to have some of the training you get beyond high school. what kind of training do you need from college to dribble the rock and shoot.
Probably because you can stay in your home country and end up making more money that way. He's just saying that IF the 2 year rule was to come into place, the Europe route doesn't look bad at all. A top college ball player would probably make more money in one year of international ball than he would if he got a 4 year degree. So it's either 2 years of college ball OR 1 year of college ball plus 1 year on international ball with a contract.
another reason most jobs that require degrees require them is because that's the only measuring stick an employer has to judge you against other potential employees.
