Should the NBA raise the age limit to 20 for draftees?

Well...I guess it is good. It's not bad to watch all these young players develop. But I still like that idea of having the NBDL as like the Major League Baseball Minor Leagues...that would be neat. To have your own little organization. And if someone needs development...just send em down to the NBDL...and when they're ready...they can be called up. And their rights would belong to your team. And yeah...that would be neat.

 

I havent seen this announced anywhere. When did this happen????

You would think that this would be a big story.

 

I read that Stern wanted to do this, but I have yet to here that it actually happened.

 

I just scoured NBA.com, ESPN.com and CNNSI.com and found nothing regarding this announcement. I too have heard it discussed.

A big "BOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!" to the deceptive title of this thread. Lame.

 

I think that would be great. Maybe then some of these players will actually realize their potential (superstars like Kobe, T-Mac and KG not included).

 

I believe this could slow some players development, but it's a good way to force kids to think about an education or to think about playing minor league ball. It evens out the decision making process a lot. Especially if they set the salaries for the NWBL. But I don't see how it could be a minor league team. If they had a draft it would unbalance the actual NBA draft. For example, does Cleveland get pick #1 both times. So I think it would end up an open league where kids can play for whatever team they want. If you combine the drafts into one draft then you'll have an NBA team paying millions for a kid to play NWBL. That will really piss them off.

 

nbdl, I meant.

 

I think half the fun of the league is watching the young players develop. I'd be less entertained if they did something like that.

 

JV,

Seriously? The turnovers, the bricks, the empty-eyed confused looks as they get in the way of other players? I dislike all of that.

 

I think this is bogus. Players should get to play when they are ready for pro ball, just like in Europe. Screw college, they often exploit players as much as any place.

What I'd like to see is NBA teams being allowed to designate non-active roster players to play in any league, until "called up." This rule would almost instantly flood the NBDL with better players and the coaches would follow, and it would really become a development league like baseball. You don't really need to match an NBA team with a NBDL team; it would just happen that the players would be sent to the teams with the best coaches/NBA training.

Would NBA teams do this, risking injury? Well, imo, they should.

As far as selecting busts go, there have always been busts and there always will be busts. The issue is what is best for the players and the league. Allowing these guys to play in real games in the NBDL against mature players is good for them, and good for the league, and good for fans, as these games would become televised for sure.

Of course, the success of any other league cuts into the NCAA's profits, and they just won't go for it. Screw the NCAA if they block such a thing.

 

The league has NOT decided this yet, your title is very misleading.

 

This is a great thing if it passes. It is fun to look at a HS kid and try to project where they will be in a couple of years, but look at how many people have turned on EG this year. It isn't fair to anybody for the EGs, Chandlers, and Kwame's of the world to be playing against Shaq, Duncan, or Webber. If the level is 20, the kids will still most likely leave after 1 year of NCAA ball so what is it hurting? I would loved to have seen TMac and Kobe play each other in college a la Bird and Magic.

 

This is a bargaining chip for the players and owners this summer. The players, reportedly, will agree for a loosening of luxury tax implications to older players' contracts.

Sounds like a good trade to me. Probably to Kevin Willis and Danny Manning and and -- Glen Rice?, too.

 

I think you exxagerate their level of incompetence. I don't play so ugly that I couldn't stand watching myself but I know the youngest scrub in the league would still school me on the court. It's true that watching a young phenom get embarassed by a savvy vet (which is really what the bricks and turnovers are mostly about) is sometimes painful, but it is only part of the experience. And it is nice to sometimes watch a collection of veterans working at a very high level of precision. But, I also like watching players mature and overcome hurdles. In many ways, sports are like good books.. or maybe soap operas. The little dramas of their public personas are entertaining. And, if everyone comes on the seen full-grown and unchanging, I don't know if I'd bother to watch -- or anyway post.

 

I pretty much would agree with the motivation for such an action, but the particulars would rankle...I am not entirely sold on the idea of being able to decide someone's age of eligibility for employment contrary to law...I would probably prefer the game, college and pro, a bit more were it to become reality as a fan of basketball, but as a person I'm not as sure...

 

Older would be better. Colleges being allowed to practice more would help. Organized summer leagues for amateurs? Maybe invite the world to join in.

 

Here's a link....of the denials.

Union director denies secret agreement on age limit

 

JV,
Fair enough. I guess it's just a question of preference and extent. I didn't mind watching Hakeem come into his own and quit fouling, but on the other hand, some of these newbies shooting 3 for 20 cannot be written off to excellent veteran defense. It's just ugly sometimes.

But overall, I like your analogy of reading a good book. My argument would be that some of today's NBA is written by a washed-up hack though.