Phenomanul
04-15-2005, 11:58 AM
from his Xanga site.... I thought it was very thorough.
(p.s. don't make fun of his picture... we've already harrassed him about it for months...)
http://www.xanga.com/home.aspx?user=terraunj
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Friday, April 15, 2005
I owe my 5 readers an apology. The atrocity of my writing is a result of writing an article half-asleep in your office starting at 6:55am (I got in like 10 minutes before).
11:23 AM - add eprops - add comments - email it
Even though this will seem like a sports blurb, there is a bigger picture here. I just have to set it up! So bare with me.
The NBA's collective bargaining agreement (the guidelines that dictate money allocation within the NBA) comes open this summer. The Player's Union and the Owners must agree to all the guidelines for it to be implemented. If not, then the NBA can't operate (like the current NHL lockout or the NBA lockout of 98-99). One of the hot topics is an age limit for NBA players. The proposed limit is 20. This would mean that a player would not be eligible to play in the NBA until he turns 20 by somewhere around draft night (which is usually the last Wednesday in June). Big deal right? Well, Jermaine O'Neal was asked by a Canadian newspaper whether this rule was targeted to black athletes. O'Neal responded yes. And the "race card" has been played.
In all fairness, Jermaine and types like him would be directly affected. His type is this: he made the leap from HS to NBA in 1996. No race driving force there. Here are the hard numbers. 76% of NBA players are black. There is only one white player to ever jump from HS to NBA and get drafted, and that was Robert Swift this past draft (taken middle first round). To date, Amare Stoudamire, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett, Lebron James, Tracy McGrady, and many others are prep-to-pro sensations. This would also affect one-and-done players (1 year college guys) like Stephon Marbury, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh, Dajuan Wagner, and the like.It will also affect international players like Tony Parker, Darko Milicic, Nene, and others. Jermaine also made another valid point. If an 18 year old can die in war, why can't he play basketball for 48 minutes.
The flip side of the coin now. Most HS players making the jump flounder or fall out of the league as a whole. Even the superstars struggled. Kobe averaged 7 a game and shot poorly as a rookie. Jermaine himself didn't even play much. Neither did McGrady. Kevin did average 10 a game, but he shot poorly from the field and got beat up pretty good. Until Amare came on the scene in 2003, Kevin was a only HS rookie to break 10 a game (I don't count Moses Malone because he did play a little junior college ball). Most of these guys it takes a lot of time and effort to bring them along enough to where they can contribute, costing teams, and ultimately fans, money and patience.
I'll start by saying I disagree with an age limit in general, but in the this I strongly disagree. However, I do not think this is racially motivated, directly or indirectly. I'll make my pointby taking what most people in and around the NBA cite as reasons pro and con.
Having an age limit forces guys to go to college to get better. That's wrong. If I am a HS prodigy and I really want to play pro, I can go overseas for 2 year then come back here when I'm 20 and enter the draft. Also, college basketball is being treated like a farm system here and there was a one where college players used basketball to get an education. I personally like that guys who are not serious about getting an education or enjoying the college experience don't go. People say college football does it and it works for all parties. The greed of the NCAA and college basketball for 1 ACC conference football championship game destroyed several conferences (a conference has to have at least 11 teams to hold a conference championship in football and the ACC had 9). All kinds of rivalries were undone. And that's what drives college's popularity. Not the players. Basketball as a sport is for more sensitive to the "me-first" mentality because there are less guys on the court and on the team. One guy can splinter an entire team. The 2005 NCAA basketball tourney was the best I've seen since I became a fan some 15 years ago. And there was no Lebrons an the such. So college doesn't need the players. Do the players need college? Theoretically, yes. Realistically, no. If your heart's not in it, you won't get anything out of it. And most of these guys are seeing dollar signs, not textbooks. And they're on borrowed time. After 2 years, there will be the "leaps".
The quality of the game in the NBA improves. Very dumb argument here. First off, 10 year vets travel, double dribble, shoot bricks, and all the other "ugly" parts of the game all the freakin time. That's not a function of age. That's a function of fundamentals. You have to drill good habits. It's like anything else in life. Studying is a drilled habit. Working out is a drilled habit. The job of assistant coaches in the NBA is to make sure players are fundamentally sound. That's why even coaches have entourages now. And the influx of young, unpolished players is the fault of management for drafting these guys! If I am an 18 year old 6'9" kid with hops and a shaky game, I'm still going pro because some chump GM will gamble on me thinking I'm the next Lebron or whoever you want to throw in here. Your fundamentals get better in college, but not to the point that the NBA product improves. Bad shooters don't become great shooters overnight.
The players affected are economically disadvantaged youth who want to help their families and that's why it's bad. I hate to soud insensitive here, but if you've been broke for 18 years, what's 2 more? I know it's an argument that sides with me, but it's weak. other people come from struggling backgrounds and help their families in other ways. Plus, if you've survived this long, your resiliency will allow you to survive a little longer. Plus, the recently youth movement is actually coming from overseas in the NBA. 19-yo guys who played pro ball since 14 are the ones taking up most of the draft spots and they are just as bad as the local youth from a basketball sense. The difference is GMs can draft these guys, send them back overseas to play, then call them back whenever they feel like it.
The NHL and MLB works. The NBA should too. Well, the NHL and MLB have formal minor league systems associated with their pro counterpart teams. In fact, MLB has as many as 3 teams or minors for every major league team. 18 year olds can go pro, play the farm system, and get called up when they are ready. The NBA? It has nothing remotely close. The NBDL was started as a NBA-sponsored minor league. First off, it's a free-for-all league where only the best in the entire league even get a look. That encourages selfish play and glory-hogging. Secondly, rarely do NBDL guys stick in the league, and the ones who do usually have NBA experience previously. Thirdly, not every namy guys get that call anyway. If you're gonna do an age limit, you better have a systematic minor league system that allows guys younger than the age limit to play somewhere if they are not eligible for college. Furthermore, there should be a systematic call-up system as well. I have a few ideas on how to pull this off too, but this article is long enough.
In general, it's way too easy to play a discrimination card. I can do that in just about every facet of life that praises superiority. This is a money issue more than anything else. Race is a far distant second. Is there racism imbedded in the NBA? I don't doubt it one bit. And I don't fault Jermaine for answering the way he did because he is an example of what is being limited. However, the major issue here is whether the rationale for what they are doing is justified and even the reasons being cited are flawed at best. You make big decisions on flawed principles, and you are bound to screw up something.
BTW, the age limit will like be passed since both sides agree on it. (ouch...I was serious for an entire article...that hurt...)
(p.s. don't make fun of his picture... we've already harrassed him about it for months...)
http://www.xanga.com/home.aspx?user=terraunj
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Friday, April 15, 2005
I owe my 5 readers an apology. The atrocity of my writing is a result of writing an article half-asleep in your office starting at 6:55am (I got in like 10 minutes before).
11:23 AM - add eprops - add comments - email it
Even though this will seem like a sports blurb, there is a bigger picture here. I just have to set it up! So bare with me.
The NBA's collective bargaining agreement (the guidelines that dictate money allocation within the NBA) comes open this summer. The Player's Union and the Owners must agree to all the guidelines for it to be implemented. If not, then the NBA can't operate (like the current NHL lockout or the NBA lockout of 98-99). One of the hot topics is an age limit for NBA players. The proposed limit is 20. This would mean that a player would not be eligible to play in the NBA until he turns 20 by somewhere around draft night (which is usually the last Wednesday in June). Big deal right? Well, Jermaine O'Neal was asked by a Canadian newspaper whether this rule was targeted to black athletes. O'Neal responded yes. And the "race card" has been played.
In all fairness, Jermaine and types like him would be directly affected. His type is this: he made the leap from HS to NBA in 1996. No race driving force there. Here are the hard numbers. 76% of NBA players are black. There is only one white player to ever jump from HS to NBA and get drafted, and that was Robert Swift this past draft (taken middle first round). To date, Amare Stoudamire, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett, Lebron James, Tracy McGrady, and many others are prep-to-pro sensations. This would also affect one-and-done players (1 year college guys) like Stephon Marbury, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh, Dajuan Wagner, and the like.It will also affect international players like Tony Parker, Darko Milicic, Nene, and others. Jermaine also made another valid point. If an 18 year old can die in war, why can't he play basketball for 48 minutes.
The flip side of the coin now. Most HS players making the jump flounder or fall out of the league as a whole. Even the superstars struggled. Kobe averaged 7 a game and shot poorly as a rookie. Jermaine himself didn't even play much. Neither did McGrady. Kevin did average 10 a game, but he shot poorly from the field and got beat up pretty good. Until Amare came on the scene in 2003, Kevin was a only HS rookie to break 10 a game (I don't count Moses Malone because he did play a little junior college ball). Most of these guys it takes a lot of time and effort to bring them along enough to where they can contribute, costing teams, and ultimately fans, money and patience.
I'll start by saying I disagree with an age limit in general, but in the this I strongly disagree. However, I do not think this is racially motivated, directly or indirectly. I'll make my pointby taking what most people in and around the NBA cite as reasons pro and con.
Having an age limit forces guys to go to college to get better. That's wrong. If I am a HS prodigy and I really want to play pro, I can go overseas for 2 year then come back here when I'm 20 and enter the draft. Also, college basketball is being treated like a farm system here and there was a one where college players used basketball to get an education. I personally like that guys who are not serious about getting an education or enjoying the college experience don't go. People say college football does it and it works for all parties. The greed of the NCAA and college basketball for 1 ACC conference football championship game destroyed several conferences (a conference has to have at least 11 teams to hold a conference championship in football and the ACC had 9). All kinds of rivalries were undone. And that's what drives college's popularity. Not the players. Basketball as a sport is for more sensitive to the "me-first" mentality because there are less guys on the court and on the team. One guy can splinter an entire team. The 2005 NCAA basketball tourney was the best I've seen since I became a fan some 15 years ago. And there was no Lebrons an the such. So college doesn't need the players. Do the players need college? Theoretically, yes. Realistically, no. If your heart's not in it, you won't get anything out of it. And most of these guys are seeing dollar signs, not textbooks. And they're on borrowed time. After 2 years, there will be the "leaps".
The quality of the game in the NBA improves. Very dumb argument here. First off, 10 year vets travel, double dribble, shoot bricks, and all the other "ugly" parts of the game all the freakin time. That's not a function of age. That's a function of fundamentals. You have to drill good habits. It's like anything else in life. Studying is a drilled habit. Working out is a drilled habit. The job of assistant coaches in the NBA is to make sure players are fundamentally sound. That's why even coaches have entourages now. And the influx of young, unpolished players is the fault of management for drafting these guys! If I am an 18 year old 6'9" kid with hops and a shaky game, I'm still going pro because some chump GM will gamble on me thinking I'm the next Lebron or whoever you want to throw in here. Your fundamentals get better in college, but not to the point that the NBA product improves. Bad shooters don't become great shooters overnight.
The players affected are economically disadvantaged youth who want to help their families and that's why it's bad. I hate to soud insensitive here, but if you've been broke for 18 years, what's 2 more? I know it's an argument that sides with me, but it's weak. other people come from struggling backgrounds and help their families in other ways. Plus, if you've survived this long, your resiliency will allow you to survive a little longer. Plus, the recently youth movement is actually coming from overseas in the NBA. 19-yo guys who played pro ball since 14 are the ones taking up most of the draft spots and they are just as bad as the local youth from a basketball sense. The difference is GMs can draft these guys, send them back overseas to play, then call them back whenever they feel like it.
The NHL and MLB works. The NBA should too. Well, the NHL and MLB have formal minor league systems associated with their pro counterpart teams. In fact, MLB has as many as 3 teams or minors for every major league team. 18 year olds can go pro, play the farm system, and get called up when they are ready. The NBA? It has nothing remotely close. The NBDL was started as a NBA-sponsored minor league. First off, it's a free-for-all league where only the best in the entire league even get a look. That encourages selfish play and glory-hogging. Secondly, rarely do NBDL guys stick in the league, and the ones who do usually have NBA experience previously. Thirdly, not every namy guys get that call anyway. If you're gonna do an age limit, you better have a systematic minor league system that allows guys younger than the age limit to play somewhere if they are not eligible for college. Furthermore, there should be a systematic call-up system as well. I have a few ideas on how to pull this off too, but this article is long enough.
In general, it's way too easy to play a discrimination card. I can do that in just about every facet of life that praises superiority. This is a money issue more than anything else. Race is a far distant second. Is there racism imbedded in the NBA? I don't doubt it one bit. And I don't fault Jermaine for answering the way he did because he is an example of what is being limited. However, the major issue here is whether the rationale for what they are doing is justified and even the reasons being cited are flawed at best. You make big decisions on flawed principles, and you are bound to screw up something.
BTW, the age limit will like be passed since both sides agree on it. (ouch...I was serious for an entire article...that hurt...)