Am I the only one who is completely sick of the NBA's draft habits? It seems to me that in the NBA you are rewarded for being an unknown commodity than actually showing your strengths and weaknesses on the college level. I still can not believe that Telfair got drafted when he did, and Jameer Nelson getting robbed. Perfect example is Charlie Villenuveua (sp). All indications was this kid was a lottery pcik last year but he decided to go to school. Now, the kid couldn't sniff the first round if he tried. Darius Rice was a proven scorer and has an NBA body and game, yet because he was a 4 year player, he doesn't even get a look. Guys like Eric Barkley, Omar Cook and God Shammogd (who owned Bibby in the 97 Arizona- Providence elite 8 game) can't even get a look while some HS punk gets all the looks cause of the "unknown " element. I cant say I blame the kids because coolege actually hurts them.

there was supposed to be a "SICK" in the title, my bad

i hear ya , i hate the nba ncaa basketball i love tho lets go rutgers !

My thoughts are that there are way to many teams in the NBA and that the "talent pool" is diluted, much like MLB. If you look at sports around the world there is no problem with drafting 17-18 year olds. The NHL does it with no ill effects as does European Soccer and Aussie Rules football (you knew I had to add that!)

On the "Pro" side:
This year for the Boston Bruins Patrice Bergeron was 18 years old and played like a seasoned pro.
In Euro soccer there are numerous players in between 18-20.
In Aussie Rules (argubaly the most physical sport in the world) teams routinely have 18-20 year old's playing all 100 minutes against older and more physical players and they hold up just fine.

On the "Con" side:
How many college b-ball players make it to their senior years?
How much has the ESPN hype machine worked wonders with High School players?
The European/South American players are GOOD.

The NBA has lost it's way. For F*&ks sake my Celtics just drafted 2 high school players. That goes to show me that there isn't a lot of talent in the college ranks. Plus all the current day players care about is the bling

im a major NBA fan, but I agree, one Lebron is enough, we dont need a million wannabee-Lebrons trying to make it to the NBA at 18

I say they atleast make a 2-year college experience rule

but its never gunna happen :unsure:

why? Other sports can produce great 18 year olds why can't the NBA?

I dont think that the talent level has changed, but the development level has. When was the last time a kid improved his stock by polishing his fundementals in college, Duncan?? And thats a strech! I have no problem with a kid being drafted IF HE'S READY! But it pisses me off to no end when some unknown is taken and given an oppurtunity because of what might be, then when a kid does the right thing and try to develop gets penalized. It happens year after year. Unless you are a teenage phenom or have a senior year coming out of nowhere, you are for the most part penalized by NBA scouts.

why? Other sports can produce great 18 year olds why can't the NBA? [/b][/quote]
because I'm tired of seeing people my age think they can go to the NBA (like Quami Brown a few years ago) ending up being busts

for every Kobe, Garnett and Lebron, theres 20 Quami Browns

college basketball sucks these days because everybody leaves for the NBA, thereby filling the NBA with tons of talent-less 18 year olds that aren't mature enough to make it

its just a waste of time in my opinion, why take players who haven't even played in the farm league yet?

why? Other sports can produce great 18 year olds why can't the NBA? [/b][/quote]
Other sports have the luxury of developing players, the NBA does not. Bottom line lack of development is killing the NBA and college ball since being able to play is no longer a prerequisite in the NBA

Other sports have the luxury of developing players, the NBA does not. Bottom line lack of development is killing the NBA and college ball since being able to play is no longer a prerequisite in the NBA [/b][/quote]
You make a great point my friend. But what is the real question? Do you blame the NBA for drafting unknowns or college players for leaving school in their freshman or sophmore years?

It's all about the $$. There are a ton of fundamentaly sound players in Europe so the NBA goes for them, plus there are the High School kids (pretty much the same as freshman college players) in the draft.

What should GM's do? The college players want to cash in as soon as they can, the Europeans want the big payday and the high school players are beside themsleves to look at a huge paycheck.

Who should shoulder the blame? GM's, college players, high school players, Europeans?

I don't know. All I know is that the rest of the world has caught up to the USA in hopps

The NBA GM's are to blame. Very simply put, if you aren't ready to contribute, you shouldn't be drafted. This would improve the game on both levels by a ton. I can't blame anyone for maling a buck. I can blame someone for paying an undeserving person a buck.

No one cries when hockey, baseball and tennis players go pro. So what? It's the kids and all the street imbeciles that think they can go pro rather than getting an education. If you don't understand how valuable a collge scholarship is to a good school, you're a fool. And too many of these guys are. There are already too many of the guys on campus who don't belong ther in the first place. Let the NBA form a minor league.

Look at Omar Cooke of St.John's. Everyone responsible-coaches, scouts, pro GMs- tells this guy he has no business going into the draft, and because his friends fill his head with crap, he goes and warms the bench until the Blazers draft another likley washout in Telfair. It's awfully hard if you're poor and 18 to go to school rather than potentially make millions. Literally NO ONE tells these guys that not going to college will cost them later in life.

But no one else in life gets a safety net from dumb decisions. So if you want to cry a river, knock yourself out. But I don't see the point. The ratings for the NCAA haven't dropped. And you can't stop anyone from trying to make a living, even if the chance of ever getting a pro job is a pipe dream.

Basketball is very different than those sports, in the NHL & MLB they have minor leagues so when a player is drafted at 17 or 18 they still won't see the pros for a few years(unless they are amazingly special), in tennis it's a young person sport so if you are 30 you are old so they are started much younger.

The difference in basketball is that it is not only hurting the college game but also the pro game, I don't blame these guys for leaving ealry and getting paid but most aren't ready and the learning they would have don in college to polish their games is now being done in the NBA and it hurts the game. They have discussed a minimum 20 yr old age limit but I doubt that goes through so there's no real answer except the College's will continue to lose potential great players early to the NBA.

Totally disagree.

College has been ripping off world class athletes for years.

This is called a free market.

I wouldn't play for some college for free unless it was in my own best interests.

This is what the NCAA deserves. Plain and simple.

18 year olds are still immature, no matter how you slice it. Sure, there are exceptions like a KG or LeBron, but the majority of these kids have almost no hot, and end up with no marketable skills after they get bounced out of the league after a few years.

And age minimum of 20, or your class must complete their soph. year, should be standard fare, Europeans included.

I cant hate anyone for going for the cash, instead of risking injury in college.

Plus I dont really care since I hate the NCAA, and like the NBA about 100x more.