OT: G League to offer $125K to elite prospects as alternative to college 1-and-done route

[Son of Robert]

I think that it's good to have choices.

 

[Mano]

In a move that could challenge the NCAA's monopoly on elite talent

What a silly opening line to this article which is clearly coming at this from the NBA's perspective. It's their freaking rule thats the cause of it all.

 

[Dream Jobbed 2.0]

Why would the Duke/UK/Louisville kids want to take a pay cut?

 

[superjohn]

Duke is paying Zion more.

 

[intlzncster]

Sure, but if you figure 1/20 kids does get injured you'd want a one-year premium >50 Grand to make money. Add in some risk for players that don't make the NBA therefore won't have the 50K to retroactively pay the policy and suddenly the cost might be 100K for 1M of insurance. If you are already selected as an elite player for one of 15 NBA $125K G-League contracts & getting extra training the risk of making the NBA is drastically reduced. That insurance policy is prob 25% of whatever the college kid's 1M policy costs.

While not wrong, the risk of career threatening injury is much lower than 1/20. 1/100? 1/200? It doesn't include the risk of a medium level injury (ACL or something) causing you to fall in the draft.

 

[Dogdeacon]

While not wrong, the risk of career threatening injury is much lower than 1/20. 1/100? 1/200? It doesn't include the risk of a medium level injury (ACL or something) causing you to fall in the draft.

I don't know, seems like every year 1 of the top 10 kids has a major injury (Bradley last yr, Giles yr before) and for awhile all of those kids were drafted by the Sixers! I don't follow recruiting so I don't even know the #1-20 high school ranked kids we don't hear about & never get drafted. The risk isn't career ending injury, its the risk that any injury severely impacts your draft position and first contract.

That's probably higher than 1/20 and then we'd have to know exactly what they are insuring.
Probably its something like $250K of first year's contract, meaning they only pay to the extent you don't make 250. Then you've lowered the risk (not guaranteeing lottery or even first round) and made it such that only the most catastrophic 1/100+ injuries you mention cause a payout.

My point is people on message boards like to throw out that players can just buy insurance and they are automatically fully protected. Anyone who has ever bought any type of insurance or made a claim knows it doesn't quite magically work that way.

 

[intlzncster]

I don't know, seems like every year 1 of the top 10 kids has a major injury (Bradley last yr, Giles yr before) and for awhile all of those kids were drafted by the Sixers! I don't follow recruiting so I don't even know the #1-20 high school ranked kids we don't hear about & never get drafted. The risk isn't career ending injury, its the risk that any injury severely impacts your draft position and first contract.

That's probably higher than 1/20 and then we'd have to know exactly what they are insuring.
Probably its something like $250K of first year's contract, meaning they only pay to the extent you don't make 250. Then you've lowered the risk (not guaranteeing lottery or even first round) and made it such that only the most catastrophic 1/100+ injuries you mention cause a payout.

My point is people on message boards like to throw out that players can just buy insurance and they are automatically fully protected. Anyone who has ever bought any type of insurance or made a claim knows it doesn't quite magically work that way.

I've never heard of a policy that does that. Perhaps they are out there. It's usually stipulated for things like not ever being able to play again medically.

It'd be damn nigh impossible to measure what you're proposing, because there's no guarantee you'd be a first rounder anyway, and you could blame a simple ankle injury on playing bad, and hence dropping in draft position. Or what defines a major injury. Or a number of other variables.

And really, you've got just as much chance of getting injured in college.

 

[BUConn10]

Kentucky still pays more. Your pick of 10,000 eighteen year old white girls is also a favorite perk.

 

[Dogdeacon]

I've never heard of a policy that does that. Perhaps they are out there. It's usually stipulated for things like not ever being able to play again medically.

It'd be damn nigh impossible to measure what you're proposing, because there's no guarantee you'd be a first rounder anyway, and you could blame a simple ankle injury on playing bad, and hence dropping in draft position. Or what defines a major injury. Or a number of other variables.

And really, you've got just as much chance of getting injured in college.

Well let’s see the premium & coverage of one athletes insurance policy. Seems logical to me that it’s $ based. And has to be sliding scale as larger policy weighed against odds that it actually occurs (if not every 12th man would buy a 1M policy).

Would you insure say 17-18 Donte Divenchenzo for $3M or even 1M? He hit his best case and will still take 2yrs to earn 3. Can you imagine negotiating with the Balls in 17-18?! They’d ask for 280M cuz they think he’ll earn that in his career. No one is underwriting within 1/100 of that prior to start of a college career & if they did Lavar would have Lonzo taking dives looking for the payout.

 

[Mokum]

I say good riddance to the one and dones. They do nothing for college ball, take playing time from legit college players, and allow Kentucky and Duke to load up with guys who should be pros.

 

[Mokum]

Kentucky still pays more. Your pick of 10,000 eighteen year old white girls is also a favorite perk.

I am not one to call “racism” on everything and anything as seems to be the norm now days, but considering most of the top players are black guys, I would say your comment is a bit racist. It is pretty obvious.

 

[whosurdaddy2720]

I am not one to call “racism” on everything and anything as seems to be the norm now days, but considering most of the top players are black guys, I would say your comment is a bit racist. It is pretty obvious.

I disagree.

Fact is that the majority of the student body at any major bball university is white and as a big, tall, strong semi-famous athlete you generally get the pick of the litter when it comes to girls on campus. Thus, "your pick of 10k white girls" isn't that far from reality.

(I'm black btw)

 

[Mokum]

I disagree.

Fact is that the majority of the student body at any major bball university is white and as a big, tall, strong semi-famous athlete you generally get the pick of the litter when it comes to girls on campus. Thus, "your pick of 10k white girls" isn't that far from reality.

(I'm black btw)

I don’t agree ( and I am 44 years married to a woman of color). Why designate the white girls? It is, IMO, a subtle reminder of an old racist idea that every black man wants a white woman. I’m white, and if I was a superstar athlete hell man I’d be chasing the black girls! I have liked dark women since I was a kid. It’s not a big deal, I just think the word white could have been left out.

 

[freescooter]

$25000 pay cut from what Louisville was paying but still it is about time. Let the guys who want to go pro from high school go pro and let college hoops get back to being college hoops. 18 year olds can go into the service, buy things, vote. But the NBA is too complex for them. What nonsense.

 

[intlzncster]

I disagree.

Fact is that the majority of the student body at any major bball university is white and as a big, tall, strong semi-famous athlete you generally get the pick of the litter when it comes to girls on campus. Thus, "your pick of 10k white girls" isn't that far from reality.

(I'm black btw)

I don’t agree ( and I am 44 years married to a woman of color). Why designate the white girls? It is, IMO, a subtle reminder of an old racist idea that every black man wants a white woman. I’m white, and if I was a superstar athlete hell man I’d be chasing the black girls! I have liked dark women since I was a kid. It’s not a big deal, I just think the word white could have been left out.

Not for nothing, but UK is ranked something like #1,636 in the nation in terms of ethnic diversity.

 

[intlzncster]

$25000 pay cut from what Louisville was paying but still it is about time. Let the guys who want to go pro from high school go pro and let college hoops get back to being college hoops. 18 year olds can go into the service, buy things, vote. But the NBA is too complex for them. What nonsense.

Which might solve one and done, but won't solve 'pay-for-play' in college.

 

[BUConn10]

I am not one to call “racism” on everything and anything as seems to be the norm now days, but considering most of the top players are black guys, I would say your comment is a bit racist. It is pretty obvious.

Its racist to say Kentucky has lots of white girls as students? Be smarter.

 

[whosurdaddy2720]

I don’t agree ( and I am 44 years married to a woman of color). Why designate the white girls? It is, IMO, a subtle reminder of an old racist idea that every black man wants a white woman. I’m white, and if I was a superstar athlete hell man I’d be chasing the black girls! I have liked dark women since I was a kid. It’s not a big deal, I just think the word white could have been left out.

Fair enough.

Black women rock! 100% agreement with you there.

 

[husky429]

Seems to me like it's a way for the NBA to boost G-League attendance/views. Getting kids like Zion in a G-League gym would sell every game out.

 

[Waquoit]

Its racist to say Kentucky has lots of white girls as students? Be smarter.

Why did you have to say white girls? Why didn't you say girls?

 

[bmayuc]

I think most of you are dead wrong about this. I don't think you will see the top 10 kinda guys take this route. Think Zion Williamson.

But the guys who's eligibility is in question(grades, payments, etc) who may just want to get on with it and get a paycheck(Brandon Jennings, Gerald Green, etc) will be an attractive option. Keep in mind $125k is the salary but they can also sign ENDORSEMENT DEALS which could easily by in the 7 or 8 digits.

In a way it is a massive competitive advantage. They get an extra year of unlimited training with world class nutrition/strenth/conditioning apparatus etc.

I think you will see 5-10 guys a year do it. Not the big names, but the secondary players. And I bet it becomes more popular with time, not less

 

[Mokum]

Its racist to say Kentucky has lots of white girls as students? Be smarter.

No it’s not. But that isn’t exactly what you said, is it? Let’s just drop it. It’s not a big deal.

 

[NowInStorrs]

We should just lock all the threads and be done with it.

 

[BUConn10]

Why did you have to say white girls? Why didn't you say girls?

Because it’s funny getting you old squares tilted because I know the idea bothers you, or else you wouldn’t all be making such a fuss out of a single word detail in my post. LMAO. To me the racist ones are the ones so upset about a fact. I got the reaction I was expecting from this demographic btw. You guys have daughters going to school down south? @Mokum ?

 

[Mokum]

Because it’s funny getting you old squares tilted because I know the idea bothers you, or else you wouldn’t all be making such a fuss out of a single word detail in my post. LMAO. To me the racist ones are the ones so upset about a fact. I got the reaction I was expecting from this demographic btw. You guys have daughters going to school down south? @Mokum ?

No I don’t. But I lived two years in Georgia in the late ‘70’s, with my colored wife. Believe me sonny boy, I may be old, but far from square. You know nothing about me or the life that I have lived.