Basketball pundits have been arguing for months on what effect the NBA contract renegotiations will have on college basketball this year. The effect most people have been talking about is the draft. If there is a lockout and nobody is playing (and therefore not getting paid), would the NBA teams still draft college players or would ALL college players have to wait until next year? Obviously that would have an impact on next year’s Kentucky team (who wouldn’t want to see a starting five of Marquis Teague, Brandon Knight, Mike Gilchrist, Terrence Jones and Anthony Davis?). But the bigger impact could be on the teams for years to come.
Auburn Coach Tony Barbee stated in a [URL=”http://www.sportingnews.com/ncaa-basketball/story/2011-02-01/auburn-coach-barbee-says-nba-will-end-age-limit-for-draft”]recent article[/URL] that he believes the new collective bargaining agreement between the NBA and the Players Association will eliminate one-and-done’s. Barbee thinks the system will revert back to 2007, where players could go directly from high school to the NBA without having to go to college (the current rules state that a player must be 19, or one year removed from high school). For his part, NBA commissioner David Stern wants to move the age limit to 20. NBA Player Association Executive Director Billy Hunter wants the age limit eliminated.
The battle seems to be more between the NBA and the players’ agents than the players themselves, but either way it’s all about money. The NBA owners want longer time to review recruits so they don’t waste a lot of money on a rookie who turns out to be unready for the big league. The agents want less time so they don’t risk losing their “relationship” with the prep players to another agent who may make money on the “transaction” if it takes a year or two.
I for one think that a 20-year-old age limit would be best. Not because I care about David Stern or the NBA losing money (I don’t), and not because I care about agents wasting money or time (I don’t), but because I don’t think most high school seniors are ready mentally and emotionally for the NBA. Sure, there are a few who could handle it, but most could not. Two years in college would go a long way toward the maturation process of a young man about to become a superstar, and everything that goes along with it. Plus, I’m sure everyone in the college world would prefer two-and-done over one-and-done. If the NBA benefits and the agents suffer, I couldn’t care less. Unfortunately, they are the ones who will be making the decision.
