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- Nov 4, 2003
David Stern absolutely eviscerates NCAA over ‘one and done’ rule
The best application of the phrase "lesser of two evils,"in my world at least, will always apply to the NBA being slightly less dubiousthan the NCAA. If there ever were an organization more skeevy, moreduplicitous, more conniving and self-serving and careless and self-absorbed andcynical than the NBA, it's the NCAA. By a hair. This hair is likely sponsoredby something.
NBA commissioner David Stern pointed this out on Tuesday. He wassmarmy, he was passive/aggressive, and he was as self-serving as ever. But hewas absolutely and utterly on point when he pointed out that he and his leagueof owners bent on making a profit above all else are under absolutely noobligation to aid in NCAA basketball's aesthetics by denying players that NBAGMs rank as job-worthy a chance to play NBA ball before they finish theirsecond year of "college." Better to let Kyrie Irving look amazing andwin games for Cleveland, than for free under some antiquated notion of"guidance" at Duke. From Brett Pollakoff at Pro Basketball Talk:
"A college could always not have players who are one anddone," Stern said. "They could do that. They could actually requirethe players to go to classes. Or they could get the players to agree that theystay in school, and ask for their scholarship money back if they didn't fulfilltheir promises. There's all kinds of things that, if a bunch of people gottogether and really wanted to do it, instead of talk about it …"
Brett pointed out that as Stern said this, in a press conferenceheld before a Phoenix Suns/San Antonio Spurs game on Tuesday, NBA deputycommissioner Adam Silver visibly grimaced as the NBA's el jefe went off scripta bit. Silver will likely inherit Stern's gig in a few years; but instead ofplaying nice, Silver should be taking notes. Because if the NBA is a joke, thenthe NCAA is a perpetual laughing stock.
The organization rakes in billions each year off of the work ofplayers that are only compensated by the soulless concept of a"scholarship" that the NCAA barely bothers to attend to while theplayers breeze through classes. As basketball players grow smarter withincreased competition and more televised basketball influence at an early age,these early developers need the NCAA less and less as the game develops, so theorganization has to find new and innovative ways to squeeze more money out ofthese players before they head off to the NBA. Want to know why the NCAA stillhas a possession arrow? It's just another chance for a TV timeout, so thatHarrison Barnes can indirectly team with Peter Frampton to influence you to buysome Buicks.
And the NCAA stands aside while pundits and fans of collegebasketball complain -- absolutely deserved complaints, mind you -- that theshould-be fantastic sport of college basketball is hurt by its top talents onlystopping in to play college hoops for a year before going to the NBA; even ifthose one-and-done players aren't exactly top-three material in each June's NBAdraft. The NBA barred its teams from drafting high school players in 2005partially in response to these complaints, but also mainly because their GMscouldn't be bothered to get it right while drafting Antoine Wright 20 spotsahead of high schooler Monta Ellis because, "I dunno, his knees are shotor something."
It's true that the NCAA product is diminished because playersaren't sticking around, even if they're hoping to land a spot in the low 20s ofthe NBA draft. And the NBA is the reason why. But "is the reason why"is not the same as "to be blamed, and eventually shamed."
The NBA is under no obligation to ensure that Daniel Orton developsfor free for a few years at Kentucky. NBA squads still love the fact that NCAAteams will do their work with the 18-to-22 year-olds for them, but they'd alsorather take a chance on a potential star for the price of a cheap rookiecontract, and let that kid work on his game behind the scenes even if it meanspaying them for very little in-game experience. And even if that guy merelyturns into the answer you give your dad when he asks you, "who draftedthat guy from …," the payoff for these teams is worth it. Some becomeDaniel Orton after one year at school, but some become Wilson Chandler aftertwo.
Pollakoff goes on to quote Stern at his absolute coldest, on recordat least:
"I agree with the NCAA that it would be great for us — I'm notconcerned about NCAA, and our rules are not social programs," Stern said."We don't think it's appropriate for us to lecture kids as to whether theyshould or shouldn't go to school. For our business purposes, the longer we canget to look at young men playing against first-rate competition, that's a goodthing. Because draft picks are very valuable things."
Let's make no mistake, the NCAA's rules aren't social programseither. They're a business just as cold and calculating as the unapologeticNBA, with increased evidence that they care less and less about upholding therules they put in place under the auspices of acting as a social, oreducational program. And, frankly, I don't care about that. Let them continueto connive, because it's of no concern to me that some small forward doesn't goto classes, or recreationally uses things that most 20-year olds use while notgoing to those classes.
This isn't to suggest that the NCAA should go on an NBA-styledbender, and turn their rule book into a free for all (no pun intended) ofsorts. Or to suggest that NCAA basketball is soon to become an anachronism. Farfrom it. The quality of play may have fallen off a bit, but close contests willstill draw our attention, the roots run deep, and it's always going to be funto hem and haw over potential bracket seeding even before the conferencetourneys start up. It's still great to wonder what that kid will be like whenhe becomes a man, even if he's gone by May.
Concurrently, this isn't to suggest that the NBA is to be lauded inany regard. This is a league that would put a headband with a Nike logo onJerry West's famous silhouette, if they thought it would scan well. You knowwe're likely just a few years removed from "the Haier NBA Finals,"while the league's owners cost thousands employment for months during a lockoutthat eventually barely shifted any meaningful cash around between the playersand ownership.
They're just in this muck, together. The only difference is thatthe NBA, at least, is admitting as much.
he's right. But he has some balls to say it because his league isalmost as corrupt just in different ways.
The best application of the phrase "lesser of two evils,"in my world at least, will always apply to the NBA being slightly less dubiousthan the NCAA. If there ever were an organization more skeevy, moreduplicitous, more conniving and self-serving and careless and self-absorbed andcynical than the NBA, it's the NCAA. By a hair. This hair is likely sponsoredby something.
NBA commissioner David Stern pointed this out on Tuesday. He wassmarmy, he was passive/aggressive, and he was as self-serving as ever. But hewas absolutely and utterly on point when he pointed out that he and his leagueof owners bent on making a profit above all else are under absolutely noobligation to aid in NCAA basketball's aesthetics by denying players that NBAGMs rank as job-worthy a chance to play NBA ball before they finish theirsecond year of "college." Better to let Kyrie Irving look amazing andwin games for Cleveland, than for free under some antiquated notion of"guidance" at Duke. From Brett Pollakoff at Pro Basketball Talk:
"A college could always not have players who are one anddone," Stern said. "They could do that. They could actually requirethe players to go to classes. Or they could get the players to agree that theystay in school, and ask for their scholarship money back if they didn't fulfilltheir promises. There's all kinds of things that, if a bunch of people gottogether and really wanted to do it, instead of talk about it …"
Brett pointed out that as Stern said this, in a press conferenceheld before a Phoenix Suns/San Antonio Spurs game on Tuesday, NBA deputycommissioner Adam Silver visibly grimaced as the NBA's el jefe went off scripta bit. Silver will likely inherit Stern's gig in a few years; but instead ofplaying nice, Silver should be taking notes. Because if the NBA is a joke, thenthe NCAA is a perpetual laughing stock.
The organization rakes in billions each year off of the work ofplayers that are only compensated by the soulless concept of a"scholarship" that the NCAA barely bothers to attend to while theplayers breeze through classes. As basketball players grow smarter withincreased competition and more televised basketball influence at an early age,these early developers need the NCAA less and less as the game develops, so theorganization has to find new and innovative ways to squeeze more money out ofthese players before they head off to the NBA. Want to know why the NCAA stillhas a possession arrow? It's just another chance for a TV timeout, so thatHarrison Barnes can indirectly team with Peter Frampton to influence you to buysome Buicks.
And the NCAA stands aside while pundits and fans of collegebasketball complain -- absolutely deserved complaints, mind you -- that theshould-be fantastic sport of college basketball is hurt by its top talents onlystopping in to play college hoops for a year before going to the NBA; even ifthose one-and-done players aren't exactly top-three material in each June's NBAdraft. The NBA barred its teams from drafting high school players in 2005partially in response to these complaints, but also mainly because their GMscouldn't be bothered to get it right while drafting Antoine Wright 20 spotsahead of high schooler Monta Ellis because, "I dunno, his knees are shotor something."
It's true that the NCAA product is diminished because playersaren't sticking around, even if they're hoping to land a spot in the low 20s ofthe NBA draft. And the NBA is the reason why. But "is the reason why"is not the same as "to be blamed, and eventually shamed."
The NBA is under no obligation to ensure that Daniel Orton developsfor free for a few years at Kentucky. NBA squads still love the fact that NCAAteams will do their work with the 18-to-22 year-olds for them, but they'd alsorather take a chance on a potential star for the price of a cheap rookiecontract, and let that kid work on his game behind the scenes even if it meanspaying them for very little in-game experience. And even if that guy merelyturns into the answer you give your dad when he asks you, "who draftedthat guy from …," the payoff for these teams is worth it. Some becomeDaniel Orton after one year at school, but some become Wilson Chandler aftertwo.
Pollakoff goes on to quote Stern at his absolute coldest, on recordat least:
"I agree with the NCAA that it would be great for us — I'm notconcerned about NCAA, and our rules are not social programs," Stern said."We don't think it's appropriate for us to lecture kids as to whether theyshould or shouldn't go to school. For our business purposes, the longer we canget to look at young men playing against first-rate competition, that's a goodthing. Because draft picks are very valuable things."
Let's make no mistake, the NCAA's rules aren't social programseither. They're a business just as cold and calculating as the unapologeticNBA, with increased evidence that they care less and less about upholding therules they put in place under the auspices of acting as a social, oreducational program. And, frankly, I don't care about that. Let them continueto connive, because it's of no concern to me that some small forward doesn't goto classes, or recreationally uses things that most 20-year olds use while notgoing to those classes.
This isn't to suggest that the NCAA should go on an NBA-styledbender, and turn their rule book into a free for all (no pun intended) ofsorts. Or to suggest that NCAA basketball is soon to become an anachronism. Farfrom it. The quality of play may have fallen off a bit, but close contests willstill draw our attention, the roots run deep, and it's always going to be funto hem and haw over potential bracket seeding even before the conferencetourneys start up. It's still great to wonder what that kid will be like whenhe becomes a man, even if he's gone by May.
Concurrently, this isn't to suggest that the NBA is to be lauded inany regard. This is a league that would put a headband with a Nike logo onJerry West's famous silhouette, if they thought it would scan well. You knowwe're likely just a few years removed from "the Haier NBA Finals,"while the league's owners cost thousands employment for months during a lockoutthat eventually barely shifted any meaningful cash around between the playersand ownership.
They're just in this muck, together. The only difference is thatthe NBA, at least, is admitting as much.
he's right. But he has some balls to say it because his league isalmost as corrupt just in different ways.
