alamo50
02-11-2009, 05:30 AM
Caulton Tudor - Staff Writer
Published: Wed, Feb. 11, 2009 12:30AM
Modified Wed, Feb. 11, 2009 02:52AM
Raleigh's John Wall, rated by some talent scouts as the best high school basketball player in the country, has emerged as the latest example of how badly the NBA has mismanaged its draft rules.
The star guard on the Word of God team, Wall obviously has little or no interest in playing college ball, whether he winds up playing for a season with Baylor, Duke, N.C. State or somewhere else.
Wall simply wants to get paid for his skills, and there's not a thing in the world wrong with that. Odds are, Wall isn't nearly as good as he sees himself, but so what if he isn't?
http://media.newsobserver.com/smedia/2009/02/11/02/665-reg-5122-2760.standalone.prod_affiliate.3.jpg
Staff Photo by Ethan Hyman - Word of God standout John Wall could be talented enough to jump straight to the NBA from high school, but he will have to wait.
The prevailing issue should be an open and free pro marketplace, which is why the NBA should revert to its old rule of allowing high school players -- heck, even junior high players -- to enter the draft without having to serve a year in a college program.
Some years ago, I had the opportunity to chat with Joe Nuxhall, a former pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds. He was 15 years old, didn't own a razor and was operating out of a borrowed suitcase when he made his major league debut in June 1944. Those were the World War II years, when most of baseball's most talented players were in service. Nuxhall wasn't old enough for the military draft, but there were no age restrictions on MLB participation.
"I had no business being in the majors, but that didn't matter to anyone once they put me in the game. I just wanted to make the most of where I was," Nuxhall said.
To this day, MLB has no rule that prohibits high school players from making the jump straight from high school. The stipulation is that players who don't sign with a pro team out of high school then have to wait three years before becoming draft eligible again.
That policy should be the sports industry standard, and especially in pro basketball. The NBA's motives are as obvious as they are regrettable. By forcing the overwhelming majority of the nation's top high school players into college for one season, the league benefits immensely from the media exposure those players generate during that one season.
It's unfair to the players and unfair to the college game. It's just good for NBA business. And in this case, the NBA has found a way to dictate policy across entire spectrum of the sport.
http://www.newsobserver.com/sports/story/1401626.html
Published: Wed, Feb. 11, 2009 12:30AM
Modified Wed, Feb. 11, 2009 02:52AM
Raleigh's John Wall, rated by some talent scouts as the best high school basketball player in the country, has emerged as the latest example of how badly the NBA has mismanaged its draft rules.
The star guard on the Word of God team, Wall obviously has little or no interest in playing college ball, whether he winds up playing for a season with Baylor, Duke, N.C. State or somewhere else.
Wall simply wants to get paid for his skills, and there's not a thing in the world wrong with that. Odds are, Wall isn't nearly as good as he sees himself, but so what if he isn't?
http://media.newsobserver.com/smedia/2009/02/11/02/665-reg-5122-2760.standalone.prod_affiliate.3.jpg
Staff Photo by Ethan Hyman - Word of God standout John Wall could be talented enough to jump straight to the NBA from high school, but he will have to wait.
The prevailing issue should be an open and free pro marketplace, which is why the NBA should revert to its old rule of allowing high school players -- heck, even junior high players -- to enter the draft without having to serve a year in a college program.
Some years ago, I had the opportunity to chat with Joe Nuxhall, a former pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds. He was 15 years old, didn't own a razor and was operating out of a borrowed suitcase when he made his major league debut in June 1944. Those were the World War II years, when most of baseball's most talented players were in service. Nuxhall wasn't old enough for the military draft, but there were no age restrictions on MLB participation.
"I had no business being in the majors, but that didn't matter to anyone once they put me in the game. I just wanted to make the most of where I was," Nuxhall said.
To this day, MLB has no rule that prohibits high school players from making the jump straight from high school. The stipulation is that players who don't sign with a pro team out of high school then have to wait three years before becoming draft eligible again.
That policy should be the sports industry standard, and especially in pro basketball. The NBA's motives are as obvious as they are regrettable. By forcing the overwhelming majority of the nation's top high school players into college for one season, the league benefits immensely from the media exposure those players generate during that one season.
It's unfair to the players and unfair to the college game. It's just good for NBA business. And in this case, the NBA has found a way to dictate policy across entire spectrum of the sport.
http://www.newsobserver.com/sports/story/1401626.html