Posted by playa2:

Posted by BRIGGS:

JR Smith has to be *seriously* looked at by the Ny Knicks for the MLE. Does anyone hear know how old JR is right now? 22--this is probably why Stern wants to continue to move the age minimum higher. If JR was a senior this year--people would be talking about JR Smith as pick 1. And he has hurt his own stock by coming in to young and acting immature. Now it appears as if he is starting to really get it--he's playing with a lot of older guys and playing his role as well could ask for. JR Smith legitmately is a fantastic target for us with that MLE---atleast I would go there.

Jr Smith didn't hurt anything.

If anybody offers any highschool senior wiz a job on wall street, he goes no questions asked.

But when an basketball player is gifted athletically he should stay in school and forfeit money for himself and make school for the university.

If the NBA spent more investing time shaping up highschool ball players instead of telling the talented ones to stay in school the players would possibly be more mature.

If Tony Parker and Jose Calderon etc... can play pro ball as a teenager in their european leagues and learn the game and make MONEY why not allow highschool players in america the same.

Yes sir. Its funny, because the flap over young NBA players flies in the face of the capitalistic principles that guide and govern this country. But we all know that notions of justice, equality, and intellectual honesty and fairness fly out the window whenever inner city inhabitants are concerned. The NCCA is fast becoming one of the biggest hustles in the world. Sure, when profits basically covered the expenses associated with collegiate sporting endeavors, one could make the case that stipends and salaries were unnecessary. But given how this has become a multi-billion dollar industry, not paying players who drive this economic machine is traveling down the dual roads of illegality and indentured servitude. Its a shame that these fat cats seem completely comfortable with this.

NBA needs a fully funded and well structured minor league system.

Posted by Bonn1997:

Posted by martin:

and bonny, when you lay something down like, "I did some research", then SHOW your research and put it into words and stats and back it up with some conclusions.

You don't write your papers with paragraphs and paragraphs of "I did some research" do you?

Dude, I'm not gonna have a discussion with you if you're going to be rude and disrespectufl. I got a lot of thoughtful answers from other people and will just talk with them. I don't know what crawled up your ass but I'm not continuing the discussion.

[Edited by - bonn1997 on 03-29-2008 3:43 PM]

Posted by sebstar:

Posted by martin:

the NBA is a business, so why can't they have internal rules that govern what age a player needs to be before he is drafted? This is not a government funded thing. Stern is a smart man and knows it's better business to have an age cap.

60 kids a year get drafted and 30 get guaranteed contracts, and about another 20 may get signed.

The kid who could make the NBA at 16/17/18 and who is worth the investment by an NBA team comes around at most once every 5-10 years.

And the kid who IS 16/17/18 and is ready for the NBA, after 1-2 years of college, is still going to make it to the NBA.

So, what's the problem? Not sure the NBA is long-term depriving those very few who could make the straight jump.

Because, in my opinion, they are working in concert and in support of an NCAA system that is morally bankrupt and wholly Un-American. To have the main cogs in a billion dollar machine receive nothing is a little disturbing from where I sit.

Just cut out the b.s and pretense. Create a real minor league where young players, from day one, are developed with the sole purpose of playing the NBA game and are paid for their services. They can work with trainers so their bodies will be NBA conditioned, attend seminars to deal with the NBA lifestyle, and of course work closely with NBA coaches. This will also provide more of an opportunity to have a hands-on-approach in increasing the NBA success rate.

In other works complete training on how to become a professional both on and off the court; not through-the-motions, crash courses. This dog-and-pony show where athletes are forced to cobble up change for Jack N The Box, while Chancellors, TV Executives and college coaches fill their 5 car garages with Bentleys has gone far enough.

how many current D-league players who aren't drafted make the NBA? 2-5 a year? So, you want to put a minor league system into place so that hundreds more kids a year who think they have a shot at the NBA will by-pass a college education (I am assuming that if a kid goes directly from high school into this minor - professional - league their college eligibility will immediately expire)? In America, who is going to watch this league? And who is going to finance it? And to what overall mutual benefit to the NBA and those high school kids?

I am not disagreeing with the fact that the NCAA may be taking financial advantage of college athletes, but that's the way the cookie crumbles for now.

Posted by Solace:

Posted by sebstar:

Posted by martin:

the NBA is a business, so why can't they have internal rules that govern what age a player needs to be before he is drafted? This is not a government funded thing. Stern is a smart man and knows it's better business to have an age cap.

60 kids a year get drafted and 30 get guaranteed contracts, and about another 20 may get signed.

The kid who could make the NBA at 16/17/18 and who is worth the investment by an NBA team comes around at most once every 5-10 years.

And the kid who IS 16/17/18 and is ready for the NBA, after 1-2 years of college, is still going to make it to the NBA.

So, what's the problem? Not sure the NBA is long-term depriving those very few who could make the straight jump.

Because, in my opinion, they are working in concert and in support of an NCAA system that is morally bankrupt and wholly Un-American. To have the main cogs in a billion dollar machine receive nothing is a little disturbing from where I sit.

Just cut out the b.s and pretense. Create a real minor league where young players, from day one, are developed with the sole purpose of playing the NBA game and are paid for their services. They can work with trainers so their bodies will be NBA conditioned, attend seminars to deal with the NBA lifestyle, and of course work closely with NBA coaches. This will also provide more of an opportunity to have a hands-on-approach in increasing the NBA success rate.

In other works complete training on how to become a professional both on and off the court; not through-the-motions, crash courses. This dog-and-pony show where athletes are forced to cobble up change for Jack N The Box, while Chancellors, TV Executives and college coaches fill their 5 car garages with Bentleys has gone far enough.

I think the point of it is that players who play four years of college will be more mature than those who don't, and thus will have a better shot in succeeding in the NBA. I think that's a fair statement.

Your statement about the money side of it is interesting and has merits. I agree that it's unfair to cut the college players out of the money they earn, although in fairness, they do get compensated with full scholarships by the schools. What about some sort of rewards program to pay talented college players some of the proceeds their schools made, but pay AFTER they graduate? It could be a reward for supporting the school with four years of bringing in fans and a reward for graduating. My only concern with paying the players during their college tenure is that they'll have learned the wrong lesson from college and there wouldn't be extra incentive to play the full four years.

[Edited by - Solace on Mar 29 2008 6:21 PM]

after they graduate. I like that idea.

Posted by sebstar:

Posted by playa2:

Why haven't no addressed the point euro pro leagues take care of their youth to make a living, learn the game and grow up around mature older players, while america collegiate institutions believe in having amateur star athletes make them rich. This is bogus.

C'mon now. You know the answer to this.

Posted by playa2:

Posted by sebstar:

Posted by playa2:

Why haven't no addressed the point euro pro leagues take care of their youth to make a living, learn the game and grow up around mature older players, while america collegiate institutions believe in having amateur star athletes make them rich. This is bogus.

C'mon now. You know the answer to this.

The answer to this is the NBA AND THE NCAA are in bed together, The NCAA wants to use highschool graduates (even if they can't read or write) like they own their rights on a plantation for as long as possible. So if the NBA would upgrade the League with responsible and adequate mentoring the D-League would destroy Unversities cash cow. Euro leagues take care of their own. The NBA doesn't consider Black Urban youth as their own.