I'm just going to throw this out here, don't know if it has been suggested already somewhere. It probably has... The age problem is now a fact, at least to some not so good young basketball players and their franchises.There are many aspects of the problem (main thing being young players lose out on experience while sitting on the bench) but I'm not going to go into that too deep here. I want to focus on the solutions. My idea would be to set the limit for when you can get your max contract at 24 or 25, regardless of when you enter the league. We all know guys want that second big deal A.S.A.P! This will make it less profitable to leave for the NBA at an early age and guys staying in college or developing elsewhere won’t lose out as much. Don’t say you need those years to evaluate the players because seeing them in highly competitive environments in college or overseas should be enough, it’s been working the last fifty or so years. I know this won’t completely solve the problem but I think it would go a long way, what do you think? What else can you do besides just setting limit at 20?
Make the Developmental League a minor league. Stern is apparently going to push for this in the next CBA. -15 teams, each team shared by 2 NBA squads. -Rookies (drafted as well as unsigned) would make up the bulk of the league. -Players in the minors would not count against a team's salary cap. -Players in the minors would still have guaranteed contracts. -Whether top 3 draft picks, lottery picks, first rounders, or anyone drafted would be exempt from going to the minors is up in the air. One big can of worms would be the debate over paying a player less if they're in the minor league. As far as I'm concerned, college ball is a pure sham. If a player goes in with little intention of graduating, they shouldn't go in the first place. If NBA is going to be your profession, I see no need for a diploma. Baseball and tennis have no problems with their system, and the only reason the NFL doesn't have underclassmen going is that it takes those 3-4 college years for 99% of its players to bulk up enough to join its league. Also, I'm tired of the NBA rookie classes producing a max of 6 productive first-year players. That's roughly 10% of the draftees. 90% of those drafted become end of the bench players. It's a waste. Send them to the minors, and make sure that the 12 active players on your squad can actually play. Evan
I competely agree, but by the same token, I don't think an age limit should be set up. There is no reason to keep those who are ready (ie LeBron, Amare, etc..) out of the league based on their age. The developmental league will allow those who are not ready to be seasoned while those who are can sign $90 mil. shoe deals.
Yupp, the developmental league is a good idea. Maybe I was thinking a little bit inside the box I think the big problem is making a developmental league profitable. Are other cities people willing to watch young guys not play so good team ball?
TD, I've heard a version of your solution before. I don't know if it was a league idea or a journalist's. Essentially, the idea was that someone coming out of high school would have a 6 year rookie contract, a college freshman 5, a sophomore 4, etc. I don't actually think young players in the league is a problem in need of fixing. I wonder though, if you are to fix it, if it isn't too broad a brush. Should Lebron James have to wait 6 years for a new contract because of Kwame Brown?
Hopefully, players like Kwame won't go as easily if it'd be obvious that developing their game will benefit them financially. As far as Lebron, all the rookies are waiting five years already so I don't see the problem for high school seniors. Maybe if 15 year olds are starting to get drafted, then we have a problem. But I just don't see that happening, too risky, teams invest so much in first rounders already.
Guys like Lebron,Carmelo,KG and Kobe were obviously good enough to play in the NBA straight out of high school but I think they could have done better if they had some college experience. A 20 year age limit could be nice if young players got better and gained some experience but they need to learn basic skills and team play in high school first. College coaches need to spend more time to train players as well while letting them to be creative at the same time. A Developmental League is long overdue and can help ease the transition to pro basketball because it's going to take a lot of resources and time for players to learn the game at a younger age.
Do you mean to say that James, Anthony, Garnett and Bryant would have been better as rookies coming in after their sophomore year in college than they were/will be in the third year of their professional careers?
Probably what he's getting at, is that after some college, the HS players in general would be much more ready to contribute immediately. You want players on your squad that can contribute, it's a waste of your 15-player roster spots to have a development project that's not ready to play. It's not just HS kids though, it's guys that come out too early and foreign players that need to adjust to a different game. Jermaine O'Neal - first 4 years, less than 4 PPG Kevin Garnett - Rookie year, 10 PPG Tracy McGrady - First two years, 8 PPG Dirk Nowitzki - Rookie year, 8 PPG Kobe Bryant - Rookie year, 8 PPG Peja Stojakovic - Rookie year, 8 PPG Kwame Brown - Career avg of 8 PPG Tyson Chandler - Career avg of 7 PPG Eddy Curry - Career avg of 10 PPG Michael Olowakandi - Career avg of 10 PPG However, there are some ready to contribute. I think it's fine that they do and believe that HS players should continue to have the opportunity to come in and play if they're ready. But by that, I mean ready to average over 10 points a game. Amare came in and put up over 13 a game, and last year jumped to 20. Then there's LeBron's 21/game this year. These guys were ready to go, and didn't need college or a minor league system. I don't believe that one year of college would have helped them as much as one year in the NBA, simply because they were good enough to be on the floor already and learn by going against the greatest possible players. In short, I think there isn't a real age that players become ready. Can you say Lebron would have been completely lost if he had come out after his junior year of HS? I also feel a minor league system would be better for training the players than college. College athletics needs to be for student-athletes, not one-and-out kids that have no intention of getting an education. To allow for players that need different amounts of development, I would say all rookies be automatically assigned to the minor league system, with the first three picks of the draft given contracts calling for one year max of development, rest of the first round 2 years, and second round 3 years. A team may call up a player at any time before then, but may not send a player back to the minors once they do so. While in the minors, players earn one half of their contract salary (continue normal rookie pay scale or increase number of years). While in the minors, a player does not count against a team's 15 man roster or salary cap. This plan would allow a team, if they think the player is ready, to immediately call a player up in time for training camp or opening night. It would allow the Darko's of the world to develop and adjust without the indignity of DNP-CDs. Teams aren't giving up roster slots or significant salary to players not contributing. Evan
