On Monday night, the Memphis Tigers lost the NCAA basketball national championship to the Kansas Jayhawks in an instant classic. Heartbroken after the blown lead, Memphis freshman guard Derrick Rose had to fend off questions about whether the NBA lies in his immediate future.
If NBA Commissioner David Stern and NCAA President Miles Brand have their way, players like Rose would have to wait another year to enter the NBA.
Sources confirm that Stern and Brand are in agreement of making college players stay at least two years before entering the NBA Draft. The decision would ultimately depend on the decision of NBA Players Association.
Before I rant about how stupid this rule this would be, I do agree that the rule already in place (no high schoolers can commit, but freshmen can) makes sense and benefits both the NBA and NCAA. It gives freshman players a chance to show that they do deserve the hype. It's hard to judge players on a high school level.
It's always easy for a 6-foot-9-inch raw (but athletic) freak to dunk on a bunch of midget kids. It's harder for this player to totally dominate on a college level unless they are truly ready for the NBA.
Keep in mind, for every Kevin Garnett and Lebron James, there is a Leon Smith and Korleone "Godfather" Young. (If you tell me any biographical information about the latter guys, I'll consider giving you money.)
Stern made the initial rule for various reasons. Kids are now prevented from making bad decisions like Smith and Young. Those players listened to sources that gave them horrible advice.
It also prevented teams from making ill-advised decisions. Some teams placed their future in the hands of 18-year-old kids that were not ready. The Wizards were banking on Kwame Brown being the player to lead them to a championship. He was so bad that I can pretty much guarantee he was the sole reason why Michael Jordan decided to retire for good.
But two years after high school? Really guys?
Honestly, I can see why Brand wants this deal to be done. Of course he wants to keep students' talents for another year. That's how he makes money. He'd rather have Kevin Durant currently in a Texas jersey than a Seattle one.
But I can't see why Stern would see this as good for his league.
Sure, he wants the players coming in to be at their best. But kids with multi-million-dollar talent are not going to stay in college for four years. If they find out they need to improve their individual games, then they will stay. But if they dominate the college game like Rose did this year, they know they are ready for greener pastures.
And by greener pastures, I mean the mountains of cash they will make.
This reassures teams that their talent level is for real. Believe me, the owners that placed bets on unproven high school kids were condemned for life. Knowing that the kids were successful on the college level restores confidence not only in people affiliated with the team drafting, but with fans as well.
So the fact that David Stern is considering this good for his organization is questionable.
The NBA is struggling right now. Even with players like Durant and Lebron making the league exciting, they have lower average attendance than the NHL. When was the last time you saw the NHL on ESPN?
The NBA has also been a PR nightmare with issues such as the Tim Donaghy episode and the Isiah Thomas case coming to the forefront.
They need all the good publicity they can get. With all the young kids that are bound to go pro soon, that would provide the NBA with something to market. It will bring the crowds back as well. You don't think Memphis fans would come in droves to see Derrick Rose on the Grizzles?
I think Stern is in realization that his league needs money, but he's trying to get it in the wrong way. Stern seems to be modeling his league around the dough-making NFL. The NFL only lets players that recently finished their junior years (and up) to be drafted.
But the NBA and NFL are different beasts. The physical demands of adjusting to the NFL from NCAA Football are clearly more difficult than NCAA Basketball players heading into the NBA.
I can name four freshman basketball players that are going to go top 10 in the upcoming NBA Draft. Can you name four freshmen football players from the 2007 NCAA Football season that would be in the first round of the NFL Draft in two weeks? Freshman barely even play, much less star in, football.
David Stern, I understand what you're trying to do. You do truly want these players to come in prepared and coached up. You also want them to have the right heads on their shoulders. I agree with the first age limit, but the second one will be a mistake. You need these players in your league.
Photo: Breadchastick / Wikimedia Commons
