derrick coleman? isiah rider? john wallace? chris andersen? a lot of the jailblazers? and many more players who did went to college and did some dumb things in their careers or didn't fulfill their potential. you think carmelo learned anything from college? i don't think so. kevin durant? nope. the guys you mentioned (lebron ,tmac... who you claim to "wilt" in the big games) did not struggle in the big moments as much as a guy like paul pierce who was a ghost for an entire series or ray allen who was a ghost for many series the past few years... but those guys won b/c they were on a BETTER TEAM. i hate arguing over this damn argument. how the hell do you average 30, 7, 7 and you're "wilting (lebron)?" really? paul pierce putting up 12 pts and shooting 34% is wilting (yet he won). how the hell do you average 28, 7, 7 for your career in the playoffs (tmac) and you're wilting? really? ray allen being non-existent for several series during a playoff run is called wilting (yet he won) the college game is overrated. the high schoolers who are ready to go to the NBA have styled their game for the NBA. guys like JJ redick are made for the college game.
College does nothing for the superstars. What could they teach you that a handful of NBA coaches could not? Players are now forced to go to school because a few NBA teams didn't do their homework and either lost out on a star or accidentally picked a bust. This has actually weakened the draft in the sense that great players rarely fall these days where in the past one could have conceivably drafted John Wall at say 14th overall in the draft. The NCAA was probably throwing a ***** fit as well for not being able to make money off these superstar caliber players. I detest the argument that it makes them stronger or more mature. The majority of these great players come from incredibly tough backgrounds. In many cases they have been the man of the house since they were a child, and if that doesn't make you grow up quick than I guess I don't know what does. They know their golden ticket, and the key to taking care of their usually poor families is to out work anyone and everyone. Stern once used the terribly flawed argument that HS players were taking away too many jobs from the vets. One and dones will be kicking those weathered vets out at the same rate after just one year stern bot. Nice try though. I wonder what the kickback would be for handing the NCAA the top basketball talent in the world. Talent that it should not be receiving in the first place. Pity one is mature enough to die for their country at 18, but can't play basketball. Old enough to die, but not to play a game? I'm afraid that just doesn't make much sense.
Are Kevin Garnett and Kobe Bryant and Bynum the only players who have won NBA titles straight from HIGH SCHOOL?
Oh and Stephen Jackson came out of high school and won a title too with the Spurs. There may be some more.
Nah, college is unnecessary if you are prepared. Simply put, if you are like Kobe, Garnett, Lebron and plenty of others you do fine. It's all about your desire to play. If you are not ready don't blame the players, blame the GMs. 1 year rule should go away. If you can serve your country and die for it you can also play professional basketball. Let the market decide whether you are ready or not, GMs should learn how to better evaluate talent.
I think the whole "goto college to learn fundamentals" idea is antiquated in today's game. There is so much turnover in regards in head coaches that a lot of coaches just tell their best ball handler to try to score as much as possible. Obviously I think places like Duke and UCLA, which can churn out NBA rotation players regardless of their athleticism (Kevin Love, Matt Barnes, Kapono, Redick, Boozer, etc.) are great places for hungry kids to get better at the game, but I've actually noticed a ton of the more athletic college guards at all schools are forced to be scorers and don't necessarily learn how to be PGs until they get to the NBA. (Aaron Brooks, Westbrook, Bayless, even Rondo to an extent) Thinking about all of the great players to come out of Carolina since Dean Smith left, IMO a lot of those guys arent the most fundamentally sound. UNC in particular over the past 10 years has been successful at getting the most athletic guys, and getting out on the break. Their players dont strike me as being NBA ready at all when they come out. Exceptions are Vince Carter and Ty Lawson.
*Also, in terms of maturity, I think being semi-anonymous in a minor leauge (be it in the NBDL backwaters or in Europe) is much better preparation for the eventual fame/fortune of the NBA than being the Big Man On Campus at a school that doesnt hold players accountable for their schoolwork.
I agree with all of that. Dwight might have actually had a post game by now if he had a year or two of college experience. I saw Robin Lopez use moves on Bynum that I've never seen dwight use....ever. And Robin was the defensive twin. Guys like Kobe and Garnett are few and far between when you look at all the high school players that try and make it. Since Lebron I think the only guys who could've gone from highschool to the pro's are Rose and Wall.
The NBA is a business and not a government entity. As a free enterprise, they can impose whatever qualifications they deem fit for their business. It's the equivalent of the oil refineries hiring degreed engineers and not high school kids. Regardless of how smart the high school graduate may be, nobody will hire them on their potential...only their actual.
These guys want to play in the NBA. Teams want them to play for them in the NBA. What's wrong? I think it should be back down to 18.
If your able to go to war and kill people at 18 then you should be able to play a game of basketball and get paid for it.
The rule should either be 2 years or none at all. This 1 year crap is useless. There are a few exceptions to the rule, but the majority of high schoolers who have jumped to the NBA have failed miserably. For every big name that makes it, there are dozens more that don't. But then again, the college game really isn't that different. There could be an argument that the college game puts them in a place where they play better talent than the inferiority that they played against in HS or that they will ride the pine and "learn" for a year to 2 while taking up a spot that could be used for a veteran back-up. If the talent is there and there is a market(which there always will be in the Association...I buy...
The majority? Really? What do you mean by failed miserably? Do they have to be a big name to make it?
I never understood this argument because it could be used for anything. If you're able to go to war and kill people at 18 then you should be able to be President of the United States.
If you saw Robin Lopez use moves on Bynum doesn't it mean he learned them in the NBA and not in college? Otherwise he would have done them in college against college opponents. College might make you a more well rounded player, but only if you stay for 3 years at minimum. One or two years won't make a lot difference, your coach will be focused on winning games instead of developing players. If he knows you're gonna leave in 1 year why bother teaching you anything? He'll just try to squeeze every single win out of you.
There's a difference between leading an entire nation and playing in a professional league that you're gonna play in anyway in 1 year. If you're already matured enough to go to war and kill other people legally why can't you play in a basketball league, esp. since basketball is what you've been doing for most of your life anyway?
NBA is a business. Most corporate companies require a college degree. How is it that the NBA lets the kids come in the the business without having any education? What they do on and off the court affects the NBA respectively.
Are you from the Southeast Texas area? you seem to know players from the region (Perkins and Jackson)... and im from around that area and i knew they both came from around there as well.
