The Roanoke Times: Press Boxwith our sports staffNBA draft has name recognitionPosted Jun27, 2008 at 03:28 PMThe NBA draft certainly holds more interest for the average fan now that college players are the top picks. For the past two years, the early picks are mostly players we've gotten to know, even if it was only for one season. David Stern wants to raise the minimum drafting age by another year, and I hope he gets his way. It's better for college basketball, which makes it better for basketball as a whole. Who would know who Derrick Rose is if he hadn't led Memphis to the national title game? Not many outside of the Chicago Bulls. -- Jeff Gilbert |
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NBA draft has name recognition
Posted Jun27, 2008 at 03:28 PM
The NBA draft certainly holds more interest for the average fan now that college players are the top picks. For the past two years, the early picks are mostly players we've gotten to know, even if it was only for one season. David Stern wants to raise the minimum drafting age by another year, and I hope he gets his way. It's better for college basketball, which makes it better for basketball as a whole. Who would know who Derrick Rose is if he hadn't led Memphis to the national title game? Not many outside of the Chicago Bulls. -- Jeff Gilbert
Comments
[June 28, 2008 6:10 AM]
Ken KazumaI agree there should be a two-year minimum. The main thing players get out of college is NOT getting an education so much as maturing (not only their games but as PEOPLE) and learning how to LIVE. Besides, I'm tired of seeing all these kids being drafted for nothing other than pure "upside" and then being pure busts. For every KG and Kobe, there are at least 20 Kwame Browns, Dajuan Wagners, Jonathan Benders. Even a two-year minimum wouldn't eliminate the problem, but much better than too many one-and-dones who will wind up never realizing their "boundless potential." Let NBA draft prospects have some substance, not just style.
[June 28, 2008 6:33 PM]
ChrisMacwould you want some body to tell you that you had to wait 2 years after high school to start making a living huh think about it.
[June 30, 2008 4:42 AM]
Ken KazumaChrisMac, thanks for your reply but please don't instruct me to "think about something" when it is obvious that someone else hasn't been doing much thinking.
First of all, you neglect the fact that U.S. high school graduates can play pro ball overseas for a good chunk of dough until they are NBA-eligible if they are THAT desperate "to start making a living" as you say. (By the way, the international leagues are better than you may think; why else has Team USA not finished any better than 3rd in its last two major international competitions? If I remember correctly, the Greece team it lost to in 2006 had ZERO NBA roster players.) In fact, OJ Mayo considered playing pro ball abroad instead of going to USC. But in the end, he chose the latter over the dough. Why do you think this is?
Potential NBA prospects leaving high school and entering college as freshmen don't just "wait" passively until they are NBA-eligible. Obviously, they develop as players---do you think Carmelo Anthony would have been as good coming out of high school vs. out of college? Exact same thing can be asked about Derrick Rose. But even more importantly, as I wrote in my original post (which I am not even sure that you read beyond the first sentence based on your overly simplistic response), players don't just learn in college the game of basketball (which they do need to do) BUT ALSO they learn how to live on their own. There is more to being an NBA player than simply playing ball, my friend. NBA players need to be able to deal with themselves off the court and also with bad people who may want to take advantage of them (with $$millions come huge responsibility). College coaches teach responsibility, accountability, and discipline---as talented as Michael Beasley was, for example, he had some behavioral issues coming out of high school. If these weren't ironed out in college, do you think he would have been drafted as high as #2 (and there's a big money difference being drafted that high vs. late in the first)? Actually, even the day before the draft, the Heat's Pat Riley had reservations about drafting him even though he was clearly one of the best two players in the draft. But where Beasley got drafted is not as important as whether Beasley will have a successful NBA career and the fact that he clearly matured enough during college to be taken with the second pick of the draft shows that college will indeed help him to be an NBA mainstay given his enormous talent.
Also remember to think about the long term, not just the short term. What's the point of entering the league too early with a high risk of becoming an underdeveloped bust and out of the league in under 5 years unemployed or rotting unhappily on he bench when going to college can enhance the chance of a LONG and successful NBA career? It's like getting 100 pieces of candy after 4 days instead of two pieces after 1 day.
I rest my case.
[July 3, 2008 10:34 PM]
ChrisMacwell i guess you put me in my place.and btw pat riley is an idiot.and i am a lifelong laker fan