According to Wojo the NBA and NBPA are currently discussing a scenario that would eliminate the One and Done situation in college. In this solution players would be able to enter the Draft straight from High School again, but Players who elect to enroll in college will be required to stay for 2 years instead of just one. Personally I love this idea, but I think there should be a caveat about HS players their eligibility and when they can or can't be drafted. IMO they should be eligible for the 1st round only and if they aren't selected in the 1st round then College should not be eliminated as an option for them. Either that or the G-League needs to be expanded so that all teams have a G-League team they have complete control over the roster for. Expand the draft to 4 rounds (1st and 2nd on Thurs, 3rd and 4th Fri morning) as they would be drafting for both the NBA team and the G-League team.... AKA it would be a true minor league system.
I like being able to draft high schoolers because it opens things up a bit. Gives your scouting department a chance to shine. It's the same with international players.
Good. More chances to find productive players later in the first round/second round. And the second tier prospects who go to college can actually develop instead of being stuck behind the one and dones.
Meh. I'd rather send my son to Australia to play for a year, make some money, experience ADULTING (something that can't be taught in a school). You can always go to school when you get that money.
I'll dissent... Bad move, IMO. Kids going to college exclusively for sports are more likely to take the "quick buck" gamble, as compared to the mindset of the people setting the rules. This change will push more toward going pro straight from HS than just removing the age minimum, because borderline ones would rather risk not panning out than having to wait two years to earn a paycheck.
Do you think teams will pick that many HSers? I don't. At least not enough to make the risk worthwhile for the would-be HS draftees. I think college players will still make up the bulk of those drafted. If during the first year 15 HSers declare and only 5 of them get drafted, leaving 10 ineligible, that'll make future HSers think twice before declaring.
I do. Teams are scared of missing on the next great one. One-and-doners already comprise about 80% of the top-10 picks, and that's after a couple of highly touted HS'ers were exposed as not being that good and slipping out of the lottery. All those high risk high reward players will still be reached for just the same.
Yeah you'd want to pair this with the elimination of the NCAA as an amateur association, allowing players in college to earn money with basketball as their student job.
I don't know about this as much...yes, you're going to see some HS players going overseas, but anecdotally from a couple of connected Euro guys I've talked to, American players in general aren't looked at until they're older. The Brandon Jennings of the world have kind of soured teams. Why would you invest in a kid who's leaving, even if he isn't a total prima donna AAU superstar, instead of, say, 3 Erick McCollums?
I think kids out of HS that didn't go play college ball should enter the league through the G league....and have to sign a 2 way contract for the first 2 years...if college players have to play two years...HS prospects would have to do the same in the development league...making the development league more exciting for fans as well....every team should have a minor league affiliate as well..
I'm all for eliminating the one and done rule. It should be take your chances in the draft or wait till your graduating class is eligible in 3 years. But seriously, can't we wait until 2019 to implement it. I mean can't Oregon have one year of Bol Bol? Come on! That's fair.
If I was a GM/owner, and Silver was trying to get me to let HS players back into the draft, I'd push for an extension of the rookie scale. You want me to accept the risk to get paid as an 18y/o? Fine, let me have a cost-controlled salary until you're 24.
Here's a complicated idea that I like. NBA rules are very complicated in terms of CBA rules, especially towards the salary cap, player acquisitions, etc. So this wouldn't be out of the ordinary in terms of complications. However, I think I covered every scenario to make this make sense. If you understand what I'm getting at with this idea, let me know. I think it'd be very cool, fun, and invigorating for the NCAA and NBA, while also giving young athletes more options. Drafted Out of High School(18): Straight to Pro Ranks (G-League) *(Each team would have it's own G-League Team)* - Playing two years in a two-way player type of situation, but on a rookie scale contract. They would be allowed to play in 18 games without being able to play NBA games after the all-star break to the end of March. They'd be allowed to play in April with an expanded roster slot, but wouldn't be allowed to play in the Playoffs.. We could simply call these players "prospects" instead of "two-way players", as they aren't true two-way players. An NBA team would have 14 "Core" Roster Slots, 4 "Swing" Roster Slots, and 12 "G-League" Roster Slots. Swing roster slots would be any two-way or "prospect" player. The NBA team would only be allowed to have 2 swing players up at one time. A G-League player could be converted to a swing player and replace any swing player that hasn't played an NBA game yet. Straight to Pro Ranks (International) If a player played overseas, the NBA team would still pay him the rookie scale contract. Basically, drafting the player and bringing him into the professional ranks locks them into their rookie contract, no matter what they do. This would give the players the ability to earn an NBA paycheck straight out of high school. College Basketball - Going to college for two years then going to the league (no contract for two years, but the money they'd make would if they were in the D-league would be paid as a "signing bonus" when they make the jump to full-time NBA). The NBA team would own the players rights, even though they're playing in college. Would kind of work like a two year draft and stash, but the stash would be keeping them at the college level. *Players would be allowed to play summer league and in the pre-season, even if they're college players. This could result in high school players getting drafted, committing to a college, playing summer league and NBA pre-season, then reporting to their college team. Players may not play in PS if they can't handle that plus their academics. *Players could play a year of college basketball than play a year of G-League/International basketball. However, they cannot play a year of G-League/International basketball and then play a year of college. Drafted After Freshmen Year (19): A player could enter the draft after their freshmen year of college. The team that drafts them would have the choice of: - Playing one year on a prospect contract or internationally. These players would be allowed to play 22-games without being allowed to play NBA games between the ASB and beginning of April. At the beginning of April, they would be allowed to play for the rest of the season and playoffs, as rosters expand (read below) - Playing one more year at the college they attended. - Same situation as above, just one year less. *Interesting Caveat: You could allow NBA teams to renounce a college player they own the rights to at any time. They would have to pay said player the "signing bonus" explained above, but by renouncing the rights to said player, the team would get awarded a draft pick in the next upcoming draft. That pick would be two-five picks below where they drafted the player they renounced. The renounced player would be allowed to enter the NBA draft again, and get re-drafted. This would lead to interesting strategies, and would make sending a player to college compared to signing them to a making them just as incentivizing. Two-way players. Rosters Expand: In April, NBA Rosters would be expanded from 14 to 16 players. The 2 additional players could be players in college or on G-Leauge, two-way contracts, or in the last year of their prospect contract (one-year removed from HS). The MLB expands rosters in September, and this would be similar. You'd essentially have players on G-League Prospect Contracts as well as college players that could become "fully pro" with this roster expansion. The NBA team would have the option of releasing one of their core 14 players to make way for a third player going "fully pro". 1st-year college players would be allowed to play after the national championship game and until the end of the season, but not playoffs. They wouldn't be allowed to get payed (per NCAA-NBA agreement), and would basically have 10 days to showcase their talent at the NBA level. 2nd-year college players would be allowed to play for their NBA team after the national championship game, for the rest of the season and playoffs. 2nd-year college players would essentially be "going pro" immediately after the national championship game, and therefore wouldn't be restricted to any NCAA rules. How this would look: - You'd have some top players playing two years in college before entering the draft. You'd have some top players getting drafted and still playing two years in college. You'd have some good players playing in the G-League or internationally because they want to earn a paycheck immediately. - The G-League would become a true 30-team minor league, with each NBA team owning their own team. - NBA teams are not allowed to be in contact with college teams, even though said college teams might have their player. They are allowed to be in contact/workout said players before and after the college basketball season ( - NCAA would allow players to retain eligibility even with the signing of an agent. Players would still be considered "amateurs" because they haven't been paid, even if they've been drafted by an NBA team. - In April, you'd have an surge of young players (college, international, 18 and 19 year olds on prospect contracts) start playing in the NBA. They bad teams would likely play these kids, which would create intrigue for their fans. The good teams likely wouldn't, but would be pursuing playoff positioning. - You could have star 18-year-olds who elected to take a "prospect" contract and play in the G-League to be able to play and showcase their talent at the NBA level for 18-games a season. These players may be good enough to even start for the small portion they're allowed to play in the NBA. - You would have 19-year olds who could be fresh out of college or off of "prospect" contracts who would be thrown into the lineup, with the possibility of playing in the playoffs. You could potentially have a 2nd-year college player playing in the Final Four and the NBA playoffs in the same year. How this would benefit everyone: NCAA: This would likely improve college basketball by keeping talent there for two years instead of one. They'd miss out on some players, however they'd keep many. Star players staying for two years is huge for college basketball, as most freshmen don't play long enough to become widely recognized at the college level. We'd have more Miles Bridges, and that'd be a good thing. It would also create intrigue into college basketball from fans who only pay attention to the NBA, as NBA teams would have the rights to some players playing in college. The ability for players to play in SL and pre-season and work out with NBA teams in the off-season would make players better, and improve college basketball as a whole. The NCAA would have to revise it's philosophy and some rules, but these benefits would make it worth it IMO. G-League: This would improve the G-League and make it more interesting with players straight out of HS playing there, and some very talented players who'd otherwise play in the NBA playing at the G-League level. It'd create a true minor league system. NBA: This would allow teams to develop players from a younger age, and the contract system would allow them more time with a player (contract system below). International Players: This would be good for international players, who would have to be stashed or go to the D-League for two years anyway if drafted at the age of 18. All Players: This would be good for all players, as they could earn money right out of high school while working with an NBA team by focusing on their development on the D-League level. They could also elect to have that money paid immediately after they complete one-two years of college. Contract System: (Based off 1st overall pick) *Italics = Paid at the time if professional (G-League/International) or paid immediately after completion of two-years of college *If player played in college for two years then got drafted, they'd start their NBA contract at the 20-year-old mark. *Y1-Y4 Represents Full-Time NBA player on Full-Time Rookie Scale Contract Age-Money 18 - $4,000,000 (Prospect) 19 - $4,000,000 (Prospect) Y1 - $7,000,000 (Potential $4M-$8M Signing Bonus if player played in college) Y2 - $8,500,000 Y3 - $10,000,000 Y4 - $12,000,000 RFA *If a player got drafted at age 20 or older (two years removed from high school), their contract would start at "Y1" This would make summer league and pre-season extremely interesting with good college players and players straight out of high school mixed in. It would also make April (when a lot of bad teams are tanking and don't have anything interesting to sell to fans) very interesting for those bad teams, as the additions of new "fully pro" players as well as 10-game stints of 1st-year college players who are returning to college for a 2nd year would be invigorating and fun, and would help sell more tickets.
I like the idea of high-schoolers being able to go straight to the NBA, because it'd definitely help Gonzaga. They wouldn't lose prospects, but the North Carolinas, Dukes, and Kentuckys of the world would.
So if someone is foolish enough to give my son, at 16, a job paying him millions, why can't basketball players?
At first glance, I think that is an improvement on the one and done rule. However, in my gut I feel that most kids will make wrong decision for themselves in the long run (meaning they will go pro too early) because they have too many people around them telling them they are the greatest prospect since LeBron, NBA teams telling them they will draft them way higher than they really will (probably because they are trying to confuse other teams during the draft process), and the kids themselves being young and naive enough to actually believe they are ready to play 82 games per season against grown men when 9/10 of them are not. That's not good for the NBA game or the college game.
