OT - Solution for the One and Done??

[Dogdeacon]

People assume there are annual "LeBron's", but in reality the high school kids that go to the pro's right away and contribute are extremely rare. Off the top of my head I think the list is LeBron, Kobe, Garnett & Moses Malone.

And the biggest problem as others have discussed is the lack of development and the negative effect this has on both the NBA game & team's taking risks and spending $ on players that are not ready to contribute. They simply need to fully embrace a minor league system (with less pretense/hypocrisy) where kids stay in college for a minimum of 2yrs.

I think all of these Kentucky kids forced out the door might help. One of the Harrison's is likely out of the league within a year and likely another of the 7. Of course every kids wants to be a one & done, but few are Townes & JOkafor most are still very iffy prospects.

 

[3rdbass]

I would rather just have a rule like baseball. Where the guy can go straight to the draft or if he commits to college he has to stay there for 2-3 years. It gives the kid the option of skipping school and doesn't create the grey area that the OP posted in whether he is a professional or still an amateur.

 

[Dooley]

This kind of concept works for the NHL. Drafted players can still play in college (UConn has a few players who have been drafted) to develop with more playing time. I'm really surprised the NBA doesn't adopt something similar. Even if you just made this a 2nd round thing (if a player is drafted in the 2nd round, they can stay in college if they wanted), that would be more fair to the kid. And I doubt the team would pitch a fuss since they will retain his rights while he develops at the college level.

The one con is NBA development concerns. I'm sure that NBA teams will want their players developed a certain way and those wants/needs might pressure schools into changing their coaching philosophies. It might not be a big deal though. Again, the NHL is fine with it so it's hard to imagine the NBA putting up much more of a fuss.

 

[UconnFanNVa]

I think NBA teams wouldnt want to take the risk. Lets ay Okafor was drafted straight out of high school with the understadning that he would play a year at Duke and the NBA team would then reassess after the year is up. HE breaks his leg ala paul george. Does Okafor still get gauraunteed money? Does the NBA team essentially lose thier high draft pick? Can they just hold onto his rights and never actually bring him up? Or could they just release him at which time he'd remain in college but as an NBA free agent at the same time (since he was already drafted).

I think there are 2 answers. 1. Kentucky keeps doing what its doing and keeps falling JUST short. After a while they might want to change their stratetgy and that could be the end of the 1 and done teams. I dont think this is likely though. If Kentucky keeps doing what they are doing I'd say they'll win a chip once at least every 4 years when they get that cant miss talent like Anthony Davis that can carry them to a chip just on talent.
2. NBA changes the rule to say you have to be 2 years removed from college. This would help but i still think Kentucky would keep a team fully stacked of McDonald all-americans. NOt so sure that would help spread the talent wealth all that much.

 

[UConNick]

College ball is already the minor league. This would keep the borderline kids there continuing to get an education belie they train. Isn't that better for everyone?

I think you mean the football rules. Baseball drafts anyone at any time. If he decides to go pro he's ineligible for college. If he decides not to, his name is back in the draft until next year.

Nope. baseball is similar to football, but different. If you're drafted out of high school and don't sign, then no one retains your rights and you go to college. But then, they are not eligible to be drafted for 3 years, like football.

 

[Lefty2one]

There is no perfect solution.

The owners are supposedly going to push for a 21 year old age limit at the next CBA in two years. Of course they want a free minor league via the NCAA, why wouldn't they? I'm all for it simply from an entertainment perspective, both for the college and pro game. If I was a top HS prospect who was pro-ready I'd be upset but oh well. I'm not concerned about them, I'm concerned about the quality of my entertainment.

 

[BlueMAB]

Nope. baseball is similar to football, but different. If you're drafted out of high school and don't sign, then no one retains your rights and you go to college. But then, they are not eligible to be drafted for 3 years, like football.

You're right, I read this quickly last night and missed that part, my mistake.

http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/draftday/rules.jsp

The thing is though, the NBA would rather not draft players out of HS if that player needs a few years, but the risk of passing them up was too great. So the NBA doesn't allow them to be drafted at all. Baseball's model wouldn't fix that.

 

[BlueMAB]

There is no perfect solution.

The owners are supposedly going to push for a 21 year old age limit at the next CBA in two years. Of course they want a free minor league via the NCAA, why wouldn't they? I'm all for it simply from an entertainment perspective, both for the college and pro game. If I was a top HS prospect who was pro-ready I'd be upset but oh well. I'm not concerned about them, I'm concerned about the quality of my entertainment.

This is why there should be a compromise. The NCAA should stop pretending they only care about academics when they schedule 24 straight hours of games on a school day and rake in billions.

The NBA can tell the players association 21 years old, or let us draft and retain rights for 2-3 years with a system like I've outlined.

And the college coaches can stop losing borderline guys to foreign leagues or the d-league where they are less likely to develop.

 

[SubbaBub]

The model is their for both baseball and hockey. They just need to follow it.

Nothing more needs to be done.

 

[WhereistheDove?]

I don't think the people in charge of deciding see this as a real problem. They get a free minor league and a year against top talent to evaluate the players. Using baseball and hockey as an example doesn't quite work because there isn't as competitive of a college option and players drafted in high school generally won't be in the pros for years (with very established minor league systems to develop them). Apples and oranges on that front.

 

[Kitaman]

How would a Coach recruit with so much indecision and uncertainty?

 

[Lefty2one]

This is why there should be a compromise.

Should be, but there won't be. The NBA holds all the power and can do whatever they want. The PA will fight it initially but there will be other concessions that are more important and they'll likely use this as a bargaining chip to get something else.

 

[CallMeBruce]

Why would the Players Association want to stop the NBA from raising the age minimum? None of the people who would be affected are in the PA, except that fewer of them would lose their jobs the following year.

 

[Lefty2one]

Why would the Players Association want to stop the NBA from raising the age minimum? None of the people who would be affected are in the PA, except that fewer of them would lose their jobs the following year.

I had the same initial reaction but apparently they want the opportunity for longer careers (and thus more money) by starting their careers earlier. You come into the league at 18 and turn into an All-Star then you're getting yourself an extra max contract during your career than if you come in at 21.

I will say that if they raise the age limit to 21 then they'll have to increase the rookie salary scale.

 

[mets1090]

How would a Coach recruit with so much indecision and uncertainty?

I dunno, they pretty much did this 10 years ago when their top players could be drafted away from them.

 

[Doheny]

Why not have a player who leaves early count, at least partially, against a teams APR. This would discourage schools from stockpiling one-and done:s.

 

[BlueMAB]

How would a Coach recruit with so much indecision and uncertainty?

Pretty much the same way they do now. With my suggestion they at least have a fighting chance to keep the kid their once he's there. Instead of declaring for the draft, they declare they are leaving college to start their pro career. Deadline to declare for draft is 4/25, leave that date the same. Undecided seniors will know by then where there are available scholarships. As it is now, there is already uncertainty anyway.

 

[BlueMAB]

Why not have a player who leaves early count, at least partially, against a teams APR. This would discourage schools from stockpiling one-and done:s.

Why punish the school for something the NBA requires? Those guys wouldn't be in college if they didn't have to.

 

[freescooter]

This problem was created by the NBA and the Players Association. And relying on them to solve it is like relying on the fox to guard the chickens. If the NCAA wanted to fix it they could, but they don't. But here's 2 simple solutions. Both would fix it in a NY minute.
1. Don't allow freshmen to play. Basically require a redshirt year. The NBA loses its free place to stash players for a season. Players who have no real college interest all go to Europe or the D-league and the NBA is hoist on their own petard.

2.Tie scholarships to the player. Once it is granted it is tied up until his class graduates. This effectively forces coaches to recruit four year players, or at least 3 year players. Even Calipari would change his approach. Imagine if he looked out at 2015-16 and had to face it with 5 scholarship players. And pretty much the same for 16-17 and 17-18, too. Maybe it happens once, but rest assured that he's never again want to lose that many players. That puts pressure on the coaches to recruit guys who plan to stay. You could tinker with the rules so scholarships of kids who transfer in good standing can get "recycled" but otherwise no. In that scenario maybe you take a flyer on 1 kid, and go 3 years down a scholarship, but it won't be a regular practice, that's for sure, because the impact is cumulative up to 4.

 

[champs99and04]

The problem that the NBA is currently having is that players are being drafted into their league, and being asked to contribute immediately, that simply are not developed enough to compete at the highest level. And, for the record, I think the NBA is a great product. But it could be better, and here is how:

- Maintain the current age limit for draft eligibility. This would save GM's and scouts from high school gymnasiums.

- A player must be three years removed from high school to play in the NBA, and the clock does not start ticking on the rookie contract signed by draftees until they are one year removed from high school (this is somewhat obvious considering the first point).

This would allow much of the current system to remain intact - Karl Anthony Towns and Jahlil Okafor will still shake hands with Adam Silver and begin making money this summer, except, instead of starting their pro careers, they return to school. Late blooming juniors and seniors still unclaimed by NBA franchises will still be draft eligible and immediately ready to compete.

Here is the point I think people miss: because you can play in the NBA does not mean you can make a difference in the NBA. Very, very few players are good enough in the three years following high school to actually shift the balance of power in the league. I also think it's true that players develop faster in the NBA than they do in college - but cumulatively, I think the difference is negligible.

The one problem I see with my proposal is the rookie contract scale. It will be tough to convince teams to allow players to develop in college on their dime, but ultimately, I do not see those first two years of the rookie contract as anything other than expensive growing pains.

I think this could help the NBA if for no other reason than that fans of bad teams have more in the way of tangible hope. One, because their own players are ready, quicker, and two, because it is easy to monitor college careers of players under team control. This also, in my mind, discourages tanking because the draft provides less of a short-term payoff.

If there are kids who want to spend their three years post-high school in the D-League or overseas, let them. But I think they should be eligible to be paid as college students with the caveat that they must remain eligible or risk forfeiting a sizable chunk of their signing bonus.

 

[TheChamps990411]

Pretty sure they had something like that in the past. Larry Bird didn't come out right away but didn't the C's own his rights when he did graduate because of a previous draft or trade? It seems to me Red came up with a beauty in the late 70's to secure him.

Anyway nothing will change unless it benefits the NBA, they don't give a rats a** about the kids and they're fine with the minor league culture which is the NCAA for now.

I think we need to start being realistic about this. First let me just say that imho )and the opinion of many in the league)the college game does do much to prepare kids for the pros and seeing the state of the college game right now i dont see how this could really be argued. My simple solution is kids can go pro out of hs. If they go to college theyre locked in for 2 years. If they go to college and have a monster fr season and they dont want to be in college they can leave to play in europe for a year if theyre that desperate. I dont see the issue with this. if anyone does im all eyes.

 

[TheChamps990411]

This problem was created by the NBA and the Players Association. And relying on them to solve it is like relying on the fox to guard the chickens. If the NCAA wanted to fix it they could, but they don't. But here's 2 simple solutions. Both would fix it in a NY minute.
1. Don't allow freshmen to play. Basically require a redshirt year. The NBA loses its free place to stash players for a season. Players who have no real college interest all go to Europe or the D-league and the NBA is hoist on their own petard.

2.Tie scholarships to the player. Once it is granted it is tied up until his class graduates. This effectively forces coaches to recruit four year players, or at least 3 year players. Even Calipari would change his approach. Imagine if he looked out at 2015-16 and had to face it with 5 scholarship players. And pretty much the same for 16-17 and 17-18, too. Maybe it happens once, but rest assured that he's never again want to lose that many players. That puts pressure on the coaches to recruit guys who plan to stay. You could tinker with the rules so scholarships of kids who transfer in good standing can get "recycled" but otherwise no. In that scenario maybe you take a flyer on 1 kid, and go 3 years down a scholarship, but it won't be a regular practice, that's for sure, because the impact is cumulative up to 4.

Would never work.

 

[temery]

Wait are you saying you want pros who are 3 years in or less to have the option to go to/back to college?

I would have no problem with a former pro returning to college and playing.

 

[temery]

I think we need to start being realistic about this. First let me just say that imho )and the opinion of many in the league)the college game does do much to prepare kids for the pros and seeing the state of the college game right now i dont see how this could really be argued. My simple solution is kids can go pro out of hs. If they go to college theyre locked in for 2 years. If they go to college and have a monster fr season and they dont want to be in college they can leave to play in europe for a year if theyre that desperate. I dont see the issue with this. if anyone does im all eyes.

I'd like to see schools offer only four year scholarships, two to a JC transfer. If a player leaves, the school doesn't get to refill the scholarship.

I am ok with cutting the time in 1/2 (two years scholarship for everyone), but something needs to be done with the one and done mills.

 

[pnow15]

A Kid should be eligible for draft at age of 18. If he gets drafted, he is the NBA property to send to the Dleague, abroad or to the end of the bench. If he signs with a college, then is signing on for two years. This simply means that he has signed a contract with a college. The college has to give him all of the benefits of a scholarship. The player is signing over his basketball rights for two years to this college.
If he quits the team, flunks out or transfers, his basketball rights are retained by the college, meaning he plays nowhere but for the college.
No more one and dones. This also means that the college can not give his scholarship to another player even if the kid quits until the two year period is up. All scholarships should be on this two year basis. Two scholarships for four years. A one year 5th year scholarship could still
be used. So, a kid is not being prevented from earning a living by anyone but signing up for college demands a commitment much like joining the army. This also forces colleges to chose well. After the two years is up, no one has any obligations to anyone. Both students and colleges are now free agents in respect to each other.