NBA age limit

[SkoobyDoo]

NBA age limit: Wrong idea, wrong time
Chris Broussard blog

Tuesday night marked the end of an era – that 10-year period between Kevin Garnett and Gerald Green, when high school kids began pouring into the NBA like never before. Due to the league's new collective bargaining agreement, this was the last year high schoolers were eligible for the draft.
Prep schoolers? Yes. 19-year-olds? Yes. College freshman who are so much more mature than high school seniors? Yes. But no more high schoolers.

When I look at this new toothless age minimum of 19 years, two things come to mind.

First, what's the point? Especially since the same collective bargaining agreement will allow teams to send first- and second-year players to the NBDL? That alone is the perfect solution for the prep-to-pros fanaticism that overtook the league in the past decade.

The difference between 18-year-olds and 19-year-olds is miniscule, and having players such as Greg Oden go to college for one year only adds to the hypocrisy of big-time college athletics. At least before, there was the pretense or illusion of the "student-athlete.''

It's clear the student part has been eliminated altogether in many cases. Who or what, besides the bankroll of a college and its coach, will benefit from this arrangement? It'll be interesting to see if these "one-year wonders'' carry out the charade and go to class and study at all.

Second, Jermaine O'Neal was right. This is not blatant, in-your-face racism, and it would be foolish to suggest that David Stern and the owners are sitting in their meetings saying, ''We've got to stop these black kids from making all this money.''

But I believe this ruling is clearly a form of racial paternalism. It is a documented fact that ever since blacks have been in what's now called America there has been a strong segment of the white population that felt it knew what was best for black people, the implication being that blacks can't make logical, well-informed decisions on their own.

It seems to me that, at least on a subconscious level, Stern and the owners are saying just that – that many of these young men are impoverished, uneducated, from broken families and easy prey for unsavory street "agents,'' so they and their families can't make proper decisions regarding their future. That's paternalism, pure and simple.

Blacks, like any other race, don't need paternalism. What we need and want, in my view, is fairness. And in this case, fairness would be to treat prodigious young black athletes the same way those in the "white'' sports are treated.

Notice the only two professional sports that have such a stringent age requirement are the NBA and the NFL, two sports dominated by blacks. I understand the NFL's rule because of the physical nature of the game. I think an 18 year-old could get hurt beyond repair in the NFL. But that's not the case in the NBA.

It's not like teenage athletes in other sports haven't had their share of issues. They may even encounter greater problems than the young NBA stars. In tennis, there was Jennifer Capriati's drug problem, which appeared to result from her turning pro as a young teen.

In gymnastics, the tales of bulimia and anorexia are many. In hockey, young men 15 and 16 go to live with families they don't know hundreds of miles from home. Some have been abused in various ways by coaches who have become their surrogate fathers on the road.

In baseball, recent high school grads come across the same lifestyle and temptations that those in the NBA have to face.

I keep hearing about Leon Smith, the high school draftee who flunked out of the NBA, but I can name a dozen high schoolers who've had great success in the league, on and off the court. So can you. I can also name several players who went to college yet still did reprehensible things in the NBA. For example, Ron Artest spent two years at St. John's.

Stern's stated desire to keep young kids (read: young black kids) from placing their emphasis on playing in the NBA instead of going to college is admirable. But even before Garnett entered the NBA in 1995, too many young black men were putting their eggs in the basket of professional sports.

That's a real problem in the black community -- overemphasizing sports to the detriment of academic and other pursuits. But it is not the NBA's responsibility to solve it. That job belongs to the adults, parents and schools within the black community.

[tysuave]

they hate to see a young nigga with money!!

[se11]

they hate to see a young nigga with money!!

a 19 year old is young.

mike wilbaum a black sports reporter for ESPN and i think he writes in the chicago sun times once in a while, loves this idea. he said that this is a must in the NBA because some kids that go into the NBA suck and wont be able to make a carrer out of it. they dont get picked up, then what? having a few college credits in some major courses is a good thing in many cases and this will set them up for their future. the kids will probably spend the year on scholarship money anyway, so if they can get a few credits they can be safe either way. weather they make it big like lebron or they dont make it at all, they at least have something to lean back on.

i personally like having some young kids that can spice the game up, but they are hard to come by. lebron is an extreme exception because he is lebron. but not every kid that comes out of high school is going to be a star like that. kids will come out of high school and start on the bench, others will be the 7th or 8th man, others wont even make the cut. not every kid will be as good as lebron, we may not have another kid like that for a decade or two. a lot of these kids aren't making the jump from high school to pros and a lot of kids will be disapointed. i can see where this angle is coming from, but if you have another lebron james, i say let em in.

[Interested]

In my opinion. If you can join the Army at 17 you should be able to play at 18

[FoEvaFlamin]

THE SHITS POLITICAL MAN. THE NBA WAS TAKING AWAY FROM THE COLLEGE GAME. COLLEGE RATINGS HAVE WENT DOWN WHICH HURTS THE SCHOOLS POCKETS.

[se11]

THE SHITS POLITICAL MAN. THE NBA WAS TAKING AWAY FROM THE COLLEGE GAME. COLLEGE RATINGS HAVE WENT DOWN WHICH HURTS THE SCHOOLS POCKETS.

you obyviously have no clue what so ever about ratings. march madness was like the 3rd most popular thing in sports TV, behind only the superbowl and nascar in 2004.

[Fatestar]

Let the 18 year olds play, whats the big deal? theyre adults... let them play and get a chance to make $$$$$.

[SkoobyDoo]

The NBA is a private organization, not public. If the NBA and Union agrees to an age limit, even if it's 30, then the age limit is 30.

Personally, i think it should be 20.

[se11]

Let the 18 year olds play, whats the big deal? theyre adults... let them play and get a chance to make $$$$$.

but some of them suck. they get drafted and dont put up the numbers. they go from team to team, barley making cuts, and in seven years there gone from the league with no name. where are they going to go then?

[SkoobyDoo]

Let the 18 year olds play, whats the big deal? theyre adults... let them play and get a chance to make $$$$$.

but some of them suck. they get drafted and dont put up the numbers. they go from team to team, barley making cuts, and in seven years there gone from the league with no name. where are they going to go then?

Well, if they was smart, with seven years of NBA money they should be well off. But of course, many of them don't think straight cuz their 18 year olds with millions of dollars.

[Fatestar]

and people say "get a college education first", but look at Shaq, he went into the NBA, made millions, and then went back to college to earn his degree later on... so why not enter the NBA?, and then you can always go back to college and finish your education later.

[se11]

Let the 18 year olds play, whats the big deal? theyre adults... let them play and get a chance to make $$$$$.

but some of them suck. they get drafted and dont put up the numbers. they go from team to team, barley making cuts, and in seven years there gone from the league with no name. where are they going to go then?

Well, if they was smart, with seven years of NBA money they should be well off. But of course, many of them don't think straight because their 18 year olds with millions of dollars.

unless their lebron james there not getting that big of a contract. if they do suck, they'll probably get no burn or be cut. many players bounce from scrub team to scrub team and then get out of the NBA with no real profit or name and wind up playing in europe or something.

[WIP]

maybe it might make some of these youngstas at least stay focused during high school, pass a SAT and to college. then bounce after freshmen year if they want. maybe.

[PlayaLarga]

just a filter to get kids into the new NDBL league-- an NBA farm system.

[Ice]

man, that rule would be BS...if someone can ball and put food on the table for his family, then he should have the chance to do it...yeah, there will be kwame brown's and darko milicic's , but you got so many cats who would've wasted 3-4 years in college instead of jumpin in the deep water and learnin the NBA game right away, because they have the talent to adjust to it real quick...look at amare stoudemire, look at lebron james...these kids didn't need to go to college...

[Y.g. Kappa Don]

Shit i gotta agree with my dogg ice on this topic some of these young doggz got game 4 real and if they go to college they might end up like my poppz did had major game can ball in any position and messed around and broke both knees (career ender) when you get injured alotta teamz dont want 2 risk the money on U bekuz your a major liability factor with having 1 injury they'll lable you injury prone, just think of all the major hooperz in your neighborhood that neva went pro more than 1/2 of them will tell ya i use ta be tight but i messed my knee up or i messed my anklez up, and i dont kare what anybody sayz with bad kneez and anklez you kant be Mike Jordan, sometimes u gotta think what if KOBE went 2 college and went up for a dunk and landed wrong messing up his ankle he probably would'nt be a LAKER or if K.G. broke his knee in a college game accidental collision goin 4 a rebound these young katz know when there ready most of the time 4 the NBA but some of them just kopykat lebron in highschool and think that its gone B eazy when they get 2 the NBA makin more problemz then there worth, I think the NBA should have more hands on exams and test for NBA rookies qualify pre-games and thingz like that where they get 2 really see how good a rookie is just like in college football they put them through all those test and tryouts qualify examz the NBA should be more strict with there rookie programz

[Ice]

that's some real shit, kappa don...plus goin to college doesn't guarantee you anything...college legends like mateen cleaves and trajan langdon didn't do shit in the league, and there's 100s of other college players who had it the same way

[se11]

if the kid can ball he will be spotted and recruited to the NBA and the team will get him. most players aren't good as lebron and need college to make a name for themselvs, or else they won't be in the NBA at all. unless your a sure thing like lebron, college is a good idea. these kids comin out of high school can't keep up with kobe, carmello, shaq, nash, lebron, or any of the big name guys unless there as good as lebron or better. and when do you think the next lebron will come around?

[Ice]

see se11 , what you missin is , when they entered the NBA , cats like kobe, KG and jermaine o'neal weren't ready either...but they did it for many reasons - cash, quicker adjustment to the league, and also - gettin to the league without injuries...and think about this - if your MAIN goal is to one day play in the NBA and you know you will get drafter, why postpone achieving your MAIN GOAL? you gonna have to adjust to the NBA anyway, even if you played in college...

[se11]

because when they get drafted to the NO hornetes and fail in three years, they wind up playing in europe, streetball, or doing nothing. college can prepare them physically and mentally. lebron and prodogies like him should be allowed in, but im sure if high school drafting ever became more popular, there'd be a lot of failures and kids dissapointed.

[Ice]

like i said , college doesnt guarantee you anything, there are so many great college players that didnt do shit in the NBA....

[se11]

like i said , college doesnt guarantee you anything, there are so many great college players that didnt do shit in the NBA....

no, but at least when they fail they will have some sort of degree or college education than none.

[Ice]

great college players will never do anything but play ball...they'll just have to go play in other countries

[Y.g. Kappa Don]

And thats real talk my nigga ICE can you imagine KOBE workin at churches chicken or K.G. workin at Mickey Dee'z or T-mak at KFC hell naw theez niggaz knew that hoopin wuz in thay kardz Se11.

[se11]

but not every kid is going to be the next kobe or lebron. you will have kids that get drafted by the new orleans hornets or the charolette bobcats and then bounce around from weak team to weak team for a few years, and can't make a good name for themeselvs, then instead of living up to their hype, they wind up as the 12th man, or getting cut.

i agree kids like lebron should be able to be taken from high school. but if they take it too out of proprtion, and start drafting kids that aren't ready for the NBA there are going to be a lot of disapointments, and kids who could have had something that now have nothing.