What do you guys think about players who jump straight from school to the NBA? I think it isn't that good because college is meant to be all about learning to live by yourself with no help from parents, teachers etc. Sure, they may have the basketball skills to play, but many don't have the life skills neccessary to live by themselves. For every 'good' player that skips college and makes it in the NBA, there are more which just fail under the pressure of the NBA. Think about the following names: Kobe Bryant, Moses Malone, KG,T-Mac, Kemp. These are players that have proved that they are good enough to play in the NBA. Now read these names: Leon Smith, Korleon Young, David Willoghby, Darryl Dawkins, Deshawn Stevenson. These are the players that skipped college, and well when was the last time you heard their names? I'm not saying that college should be compoulsary to get into the NBA, because there are some players that can make the long jump (both athletically and psychologically). But college isn't there to stop you playing good basketball, it is there to give you a sense of living on your own, and fending for yourself. One day there will be so many players in the NBA that have skipped college, that NBA games will consist of more turnovers , poor shot selections, ball hogging, and egos the size of Russia. There are already hints around the NBA that this is happening (Kobe-Phil dilemma). The NBA has to try and encourage players to go to college if the standard of play is going to remain the best in the world. ------------------ Karma happens.... Victoria Titans to win it all!
Daryl Dawkins? You have to be kidding me. Who doesn't know Chocolate Thunder from the planet Lovetron. And Stevenson is a rookie, so of course he won't make an immediate impact. As far as leaving early, I not opposed to it in all cases. Some players are forced because of either financial or educational reasons to go directly to the pros and for some the college game would just be a detriment. The college game in the US is becoming vastly different than the professional game. How does it benifet a low post guy to suffer through a year of triple-teams and full-body contact defense(if he plays in the Big 10 or Big 12)? How does that help him prepare for the NBA? And when you add in Big Brother of the NCAA is liable to suspend you for passing gas in the general direction of a booster for a team, well then I think that for some players leaving early is the best option. ------------------ Founder and President of the Houston Homers Club(HHC) - Are you a homer? Join now! The Rockets will be NBA champions. Believe.
The day the NCAA starts paying the players, you will see the number of highschool players decrease. WHERE are these billions of dollars that these kids produce going? Not to them, that's for sure. I don't wanna hear that "but they don't pay for college at all, and should be grateful for that and not ask for anything else." They are the product creating all the cashflow yet they never reep the benefits. Pay and they will play! It's that simple. ------------------ [This message has been edited by tacoma park legend (edited March 30, 2001).]
David Willoghby Its Bill Willoughby. Mango ------------------ Get it right or just don't do it! Resistance is futile....you will be assimilated.
How would you want them to get paid? Do you think EVERY player on every team deserves equal amount? ------------------
I don't want their to be incentives, because many negative things could come out of that, but a percentage of the TV and merchandise money should go to the players. Not an extravagant amount, but something somewhat significant. I would pay the players in the major conferences the highest amount, simply because they are the showcase. The midmajor teams would get slightly less and then you just work your way down the food chain. Their would not be a great desparity in money given to different schools. A duke wouldn't be shown favoritism simply because it is such a big bball school. ------------------
Bill Willoughby was a starter on the first Houston Rocket team to make it to the NBA finals. Give Stevenson a chance, prior to being on the injured list he was averaging 7 minutes a game with the Jazz, and even started a few. Dawkins had a solid NBA career, averaging 12 points and 6 rebounds while breaking 2 or 3 backboards. He played 8 years. ------------------
How much to Pay? The thing is . .. you pay one u pay all I don't think big schools should get to pay more. I don't think profitable sports should pay more This would probably violate the rules [like the one that says for every male sport there must be a female sport of the same . . the gender 'Seperate but equal' clause of college sports] Rocket River ------------------
I don't understand the "pay the players" argument. The NCAA isn't some big corporation making money off a group of poor kids. The NCAA is a bunch of member schools, including your alma mater(s), that fund a number of sports programs. Some make money (football, men's basketball), but most turn no profit and "lose" money for the schools (women's hoops, baseball, softball, track and field, etc.). It's not a business - if it were, you would eliminate profit-losing men's sports. And Title IX requires schools to fund women's programs. Add in the exhorbitant salaries now paid to college coaches, and at the end of the day I doubt that athletic programs make much money. Those that do aren't "pocketing" the profit; it goes to fund other parts of the school, like academics. I do think that the restrictions on student-athletes having jobs is ridiculous. If they want to earn some spending money, I don't see why they shouldn't be allowed to do so (as long as they aren't given fake "jobs" by boosters based on their status as athletes). ------------------ I'm about to boldly go where many men have gone before.
There shouldn't be rules preventing kids from going to the NBA early. It should be up to the individual person to do what is best for him. I would hope that all of these people would make great efforts to study each option very carefully before making their decisions, but there are often times when going pro early is in the best interest of the player given his situation. I doubt paying players would change the decisions of many people who opt out of college early. Any payments would be considerably smaller than what an NBA player makes (the college game doesn't take in as much as the pro game, and if a college pays basketball players, they also have to pay football players and field hockey players and softball players and bowlers. It wouldn't just be the revenue sports that got paid.) The kids who go pro early to support their families will still go pro early since any college pay would be small. And any kid who goes pro early simply because he wants to play with the big boys will still go pro early because he wants to play with the big boys. ------------------ Houston Sports Board
According to their budget, Texas Tech makes a profit of about $250,000 on their athletic programs. It would be hard to pay every player in each of their 16 Intercollegiate sports with just $250,000. ------------------ Houston Sports Board
I could care less about them leaving early or skipping college. What pisses me off is that no one ever talks about baseball players who skip college at a much higher rate than basketball players. ------------------ www.swirve.com I think my w**** is dead.
I have often wondered about that to. The only explanation I can offer is that, until recent years, baseball draftees got nothing in the way of big contracts or signing bonuses. The went straight to the minor leagues. In other words, would anyone complain if a high school basketball player went straight to the CBA? The pay is on the same scale as minor league baseball players. ------------------ Behad Sergeant at Arms of the Clutch BBS
I have no problem with players skipping college, but I think if somekind of money was given to players,that the Korleone Young's of the world wouldn't declare for the draft. You do realize we're talking billions of dollars being dished out by the TV networks for the rights to college games. I want to know how they divide this money among the schools. If you don't think that most of these schools are recieving ALOT of cash, you are mistaken. ------------------
I don't mean to be offensive, but can you take the time to go out and prove your contention. You essentially say that I am mistaken for trusting the budget of Texas Tech University that shows a profit of $250,000 from the athletic department. Can you please offer me something other than your opinion that there is more money than that floating around to prove your contention that I am wrong. Tech's budget is online. You can go there and find where all that extra money you contend is there is being hidden. ------------------ Houston Sports Board
What RM95 said is true about baseball. What a freaking double standard! Even if Eddy Curry or any of these guys can't hack their first year of the NBA and they get cut, the compensation will be more than adequate for them to pursue a degree anywhere in the world they would want to go. In pro soccer, almost no players go to college (except in the states). Most players are discovered and put on practice squads for pro teams at 15-17 years old. I've read it often that abroad, they consider entering the pros for soccer in the early twenties as way too late. Even now in the US we have players who are not even HS grads playing professionally, and are in the National Team pool! Manchester United (the biggest sports franchise in the world) has a 17 year-old American at goalkeeper to back up Fabian Bartez (arguably the best goalkeeper in the world). As far as Kobe, maybe colege would have been a good thing for him...in developing better social skills (sharing, taking responsibility, etc). From http://www.mlsnet.com/content/00/weekly0523.html <quote>TWO OF MLS' YOUNG STARS TRADE IN JERSEYS FOR CAP AND GOWNS: Chicago Fire midfielder DaMarcus Beasley will receive his high school diploma from Bradenton Academy on Saturday, May 27, at commencement ceremonies in Palmetto, Fla. DaMarcus, an honor student who celebrates his 18th birthday Wednesday, May 24, will miss the Fire's Saturday game vs. the MetroStars and is scheduled to re-join the team next week. DaMarcus signed with MLS on March 16, 1999 as a member of Project 40 and was, at the time, the youngest player ever to sign with MLS at 16 years and 10 months (D.C. United's Bobby Convey is now the youngest player in MLS). Older brother and New England Revolution forward, Jamar, will be unable to attend due to team committments. Colorado Rapids midfielder Seth Trembly, 18, will graduate from Arapahoe High School in Littleton, Col. on Thursday, May 25. Trembly missed the team's May 13 match vs. Miami to attend his senior prom. A member of the MLS Project-40 team, Seth is the youngest player ever to sign with the Colorado Rapids. Still in high school, D.C. United midfielder Bobby Convey, who turns 17 on May 27, is currently in his junior year taking independent studies in Washington, D.C., while living with United President and General Manager Kevin Payne. Convey, the youngest player ever to sign with MLS and who recently passed his driver's license test, has started four matches for the three-time defending MLS Cup champions</quote> ------------------ [This message has been edited by Deji (edited April 02, 2001).]
mrpaige, I'm talking exclusively about men's college basketball players,not about money being divided among EVERY type of sports team in a D1 school. I never said anything about schools hiding money or stashing it either. The problem I have is that everyone in these school programs are benefitting from the TV money except the players themselves, who are the product. These billions of dollars aren't being given away for the rights to baseball or football or any other sport, just basketball,so I don't really know why you brought that into the equation. I'm guessing you thought that if the NCAA payed mens basketball players that they would have to play every NCAA player of every sport money too? Well, the others sports don't have a mulitbillion dollar deal with specific networks. I'm NOT saying that there's extra money lying around or that alumnists or someone is pocketing the extra money. I just think that the money that the PLAYERS PRODUCE is benefitting everyone involved, except the players themselves. How can you justify them not getting ANY compensation ? ------------------ [This message has been edited by tacoma park legend (edited April 02, 2001).]
I really don't know how to divide up the money among the schools, because it would be VERY complicated. The main thing I'm trying to say is that the players deserve some kind of compensation ------------------
tpl, they are getting a full scholarship. Which is what they agreed to when they went into college. They agreed to play knowing full well that the school might benefit financially. Is a scholarship and a college education meaningless now? Plus, the biggest stars are getting great training for their NBA career. ------------------ I'm about to boldly go where many men have gone before.
Just to add on, I think that maybe the NCAA should establish a program where players recieve compensation, but only if that school wants to participate. They would go by an individual basis, so that schools who don't produce a large amount, could put the money towards academic needs. I do realize that many areas of colleges depend on the money created by the athletics program. ------------------
