NBA draft question?

diew its james

diew its james

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hey nt, i was just wondering if anyone can tell me why the NBA changed the draft age? i know that a person must be at least 19 years old and have went to college for at least one NBA season to qualify but what brought about the change?

edit: thanks for the info. not that i want to create a debate but has this helped the NBA and NCAA?
 
Instead of letting players come directly from high school -- which was stopped after the 2004 Draft -- the league now requires both a year out of high school and a 19-year-old minimum age requirement before a player can be drafted.

It means a little less baby-sitting that the NBA coaches must do. It means players will come with a little more maturity, and a little higher skill level if they attend college or play overseas or in the Development League for a year. It means a better product.


Link

*Before people start screaming that this rule is unfair etc., it was AGREED upon in the CBA....both owners and PLAYERS were for it. 
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Collective bargaining agreement summer 2004. Wrote a paper about this rule one time in college, the premise being that by regulating the age a player must be to enter the league meant placing a higher premium on the value of draft picks and thusly empowering the owners and marginalizing player prospectus. Speaks to a much more prevalent theme in modern society. 
 
Originally Posted by GUNNA GET IT

because its not cool for 17 & 18 yr old black kids to be millionaires ...


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Yeah it has nothing to do with guys like James Lang going pro out of high school and not getting drafted.
 
Is it better for owners and gm's sure, is it better for the players? No. My inclination is always to avoid limiting personal liberty if you feel you are ready to be an NBA player then you should be able to declare for the draft. I think one year is a fine compromise, but anything more than would be taking it too far.
 
Originally Posted by Osh Kosh Bosh

Is it better for owners and gm's sure, is it better for the players? No. My inclination is always to avoid limiting personal liberty if you feel you are ready to be an NBA player then you should be able to declare for the draft. I think one year is a fine compromise, but anything more than would be taking it too far.
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i dont agree, it should be like the NFL....

the terms of talent in the NBA is gettin watered down because you have these kids who ball one year, and think they are a top 10 pick.... then the GMs because only have 1 year of tape take a kid and he doesnt produce, draft classes are becoming
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i get that some players have to mature and should go to college and other players feel that they are NBA ready but what does this rule do college basketball?
 
Originally Posted by diew its james

i get that some players have to mature and should go to college and other players feel that they are NBA ready but what does this rule do college basketball?
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Makes games more entertaining.
 
Originally Posted by diew its james

i get that some players have to mature and should go to college and other players feel that they are NBA ready but what does this rule do college basketball?
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makes it more of a show, but for programs who have those one and done guys, its hard to rebuild their program to compete again the next year. 
plus, just like all major sports leagues, the owners and execs try to make things favor them more than the actual players.

its all about revenue and power, baby

for all the money that big athletes get, these execs and owners make muchhhhh more $

the players are finally having a problem with it, hence the possible lockouts/work stoppage for the NBA and NFL next season
 
Originally Posted by diew its james

i get that some players have to mature and should go to college and other players feel that they are NBA ready but what does this rule do college basketball?
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makes coaches cheat in order to get these pro players who have to go to school for a year.
 
The history of high schoolers in the NBA


The number of players who made the jump from high school basketball to the NBA without playing in college can be divided into four eras. Starting from Tony Kappen and Connie Simmons in 1946 through to Brandon Jennings here in 2009, prep stars have made an impact, both positive and negative, on the NBA. Let’s take a look at the history of preps-to-pros players:
Spoiler [+]
1946-1962: In 1946, the inaugural season of the Basketball Association of America (which became the NBA in 1949 after merging with the National Basketball League), Tony Kappen became the league’s first player without any college experience. Later that first season, Connie Simmons joined the Boston Celtics as a teammate of Kappen’s and became the second player in the BAA without college experience.
Kappen played just that one season and averaged 6.5 points per game. Simmons, however, enjoyed a 1o-year career and finished with averages of 9.8 points and 6.2 rebounds a game. He won championships with the Baltimore Bullets in 1948 and the Syracuse Nationals in 1955.

Joe Graboski was a contemporary of Kappen and Simmons and was the third NBA player without college experience. Graboski played in the league for 13 seasons and and finished with career averages of 11 points and 8.1 rebounds per game.

***

1963-1994: In 1962, Reggie Harding became the first player to be drafted into the NBA directly from high school when his hometown Detroit Pistons took him in the fourth round. Harding, however, didn’t enter the league until the 1963-64 season. He averaged 9 points and 9.1 rebounds per game in four NBA seasons. His career was cut short by drug addiction and off-court problems. Harding died in 1972 at the age of 30 after being shot at a Detroit intersection.

After Harding, another player didn’t go from high school to the NBA until 1976. Moses Malone signed a letter of intent to play at the University of Maryland in 1974 but changed his mind after the American Basketball Association’s Utah Stars drafted him that same year. Two years later, the ABA merged with the NBA and Malone played until 1995, enjoying a Hall-of-Fame career that resulted with one championship and three league MVP awards. He remains one of the most successful players to make the jump from high school.

Darryl Dawkins and Bill Willoughby were two of Malone’s contemporaries, as both were taken in the 1975 NBA draft. Dawkins was the fifth overall pick and played until the 1988-89 season, but never fully lived up to expectations. He averaged 12 points per game for his career and his best remembered for being a ferocious dunker (video evidence below) who nicknamed his slams. Willoughby, the No. 19 pick in ’75, had a journeyman career, playing for six teams in eight seasons and can probably be considered as the first prep-to-pro player to be a bust, strictly based on his high draft position. He became the last high school player drafted for the next 20 years.

No high school players were drafted from 1975 to 1995. However, there were several players who enrolled but never played in college before turning pro. Shawn Kemp was by far the most successful of this group of players. Kemp committed to the University of Kentucky in 1988 but never played for the Wildcats, leaving before the season started because of academic trouble. He enrolled at Trinity Valley Community College in Athens, Texas, but arrived too late to be able to play. Kemp declared for the 1989 NBA draft and was taken by the Seattle SuperSonics with the 17th overall pick. He led the Sonics to the NBA Finals in 1996 and was a six-time All-Star during a 14-year career where he averaged 14.6 points and 8.4 rebounds per game.

***

1995-2005: This decade saw the number of high school players drafted rise dramatically, which undoubtedly influenced the NBA in its decision to enforce an age limit. The era of drafting based on potential was ushered in by the Minnesota Timberwolves when they took 1995 USA TODAY national player of the year Kevin Garnett with the fifth overall pick. Garnett gradually developed into one of the NBA’s best players and turned the Timberwolves into a perennial playoff team. A 12-time All-Star, Garnett has won an MVP award and a Defensive Player of the Year award while being a regular honoree on the All-NBA and All-Defensive teams. He won his first NBA championship as a member of the Boston Celtics in 2008.

In the years following Garnett, the list of preps-to-pros drafted has its fair share of stars:

1996
- Kobe Bryant (No. 13)
- Jermaine O’Neal (No. 17)

Analysis: Bryant is arguably the NBA’s best player and has won four championships, two scoring titles, and one MVP award. He is an 11-time All-Star and a regular member of the All-NBA and All-Defensive teams. Though his career started slowly because he was on a talent-laden Trail Blazers team, O’Neal hasn’t been too shabby himself. He is a six-time All-Star and has a career scoring average of 14.3.

Class rating: The only preps taken in ’96, both Bryant and O’Neal were well-worth their draft positions. Both have had embarrassing moments (Bryant with his sexual assault case and O’Neal for the role he played in the infamous 2004 brawl with fans in Detroit) but they’ve enjoyed a great amount of success. Two-for-two gives this class a 100% rate of success.

1997
- Tracy McGrady (No. 9)
- Stephen Jackson (No. 43)

Analysis: McGrady is a seven-time All-Star, has been named to seven All-NBA teams, has two scoring titles, and was named the league’s most improved player in 2001. Jackson averaged a career-high 20.7 points per game this past season and is a career 15.4 scorer.

Class rating: The biggest knock on McGrady has been his inability to win playoff series. In recent years he has also had to contend with injury problems. Jackson wasn’t ready when the Suns took him in ’97 and didn’t make his NBA debut until 2000 with the Nets. He has stuck around and prospered despite seeing trouble away from the court. He was suspended 30 games by the NBA for his role in the same brawl with Pistons fans that O’Neal was involved in (see video below). That incident was followed in 2006 with Jackson being charged in a shooting after a fight broke out at an Indianapolis strip club. Since we’re not judging character here, but only what a player brings to the table, 1997 also gets a 100% rate of success.

1998
- Al Harrington (No. 25)
- Rashard Lewis (No. 32)

Analysis: Harrington has been solid with a career average of 13.8 points per game, including a career-high 20.7 with the Knicks last season. Lewis, though, has been the most successful of the three preps taken in ’98. He is a two-time All-Star and averages 17 points a game for his career. The third prep taken that year was Korleone Young, at No. 40 overall by the Pistons.

Class rating: Harrington and Lewis are solid pros, if not borderline stars in the NBA. Young on the other hand, appeared in just three NBA games and if not for his lower draft position, would easily be considered one of the biggest busts among preps who tried to turn pro. Two out of three gives this class a 66.7% rate of success.

1999-2001


Analysis: Of the nine preps taken during this dry three-year stretch, none can really be considered to be among the upper echelon of NBA players. In 1999 we saw Jonathan Bender (No. 5) and Leon Smith (No. 29). In 2000 there was Darius Miles (No. 3) and DeShawn Stevenson (No. 23). Finally, in 2001, the five preps taken were Kwame Brown (the first prep to go No. 1), Tyson Chandler (No. 2), Eddy Curry (No. 4), DeSagana Diop (No.
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, and Ousmane Cisse (No. 46).

Class ratings: Bender never played a full 82-game season in an injury-plagued seven-year career, thus making him one of the biggest prep-to-pro busts. Smith didn’t actually play in the NBA until 2001, and even then only saw action in 15 games for the two seasons he was in the league. Behavioral and personal issues cut Smith’s career short. Miles has been OK, averaging 10.1 points per game for his career. He hasn’t played a full season since 2001-02 because of injuries and inconsistency, in addition to a variety of off-court problems. Stevenson has been a role player his entire career and has also seen his name on the police blotter. Brown remains the poster boy for high school players who were busts. Already with his fourth NBA team, his career average is just 7 points per game. Perhaps no other prep player was more unprepared for the NBA than Brown, as evidenced in this Washington Post piece. Chandler has carved a niche in the league as a rebounder and defender but hasn’t lived up to such a high draft position. The same can be said of Curry, who at 13.4 points per game is a solid scorer, but has struggled with conditioning and for someone who is 6-11, 285 lbs., he averages a paltry 5.3 rebounds per contest. Diop is a massive disappointment with a career average of just 2.1 points. Cisse never appeared in an NBA game.

This three-year stretch of bad draft picks caused heartache for many NBA owners and general managers. A lot of money was spent and very little was received in return. Perhaps nothing had a bigger influence on the NBA changing its policy than the disappointing return from these three years. Only because Chandler and Curry are serviceable starters, this three-draft class is two-for-nine for a 22.2% rate of success.

2002
- Amare Stoudemire (No. 9)

Analysis: Stoudemire was named the Rookie of the Year and is a four-time All-Star. He was named to the All-NBA First Team in 2007 and averages nearly a double-double for his career.

Class rating: Though he recently suffered a serious eye injury that will require the use of protective goggles, Stoudemire is a superb talent at power forward. Since he was the only prep taken in ’02, the class gets a 100% rate of success.

2003
- LeBron James (No. 1)

Analysis: James (AP photo) won Rookie of the Year, a scoring title in 2008, and was named league MVP this past season. He is a five-time All-Star and regular honoree on All-NBA teams. Preps drafted with James were Travis Outlaw (No. 23), Ndudi Ebi (No. 26), Kendrick Perkins (No. 27), and James Lang (No. 48).

lebronx.jpg

LeBron James, who appeared on magazine covers before he was a senior in high school, is probably the best example of a preps star who was ready to play in the NBA right away.

Class rating: James’ name comes up in every conversation about who’s the NBA’s best player and his top-pick status was definitely warranted. Ebi and Lang played in a combined 30 NBA games. Outlaw is an integral, if not spectacular, player for the Trail Blazers who has averaged double figures the last two seasons. Perkins, known more for his rebounding and defense than his scoring, won an NBA title with the Celtics in 2008 and is their starting center. James, Outlaw, and Perkins give this class three out of five for a 60% rate of success.

2004
- Dwight Howard (No. 1)
- Al Jefferson (No. 15)
- Josh Smith (No. 17)
- J.R. Smith (No. 18)

Analysis: Howard is a three-time All-Star and was named the NBA Defensive Player of the Year this past season. Jefferson’s scoring average has gone up with each season, including a career-high 23.1 this past year. The Smiths are double-figure scorers and play key roles on their respective teams. Joining this class were Shaun Livingston (No. 4), Robert Swift (No. 12), Sebastian Telfair (No. 13), and Dorell Wright (No. 19).

Class rating: Howard’s game gets better each year as he asserts his place as the NBA’s best center. Jefferson suffered an ACL injury that ended last season prematurely but should have many bright years ahead. The Smiths should continue to have value wherever their careers take them. Livingston has had an injury-marred career thus far and has averaged just 7.3 points per game, making him a bust thus far. Swift is an even bigger bust and has never played more than 47 games in one season. For a 7-1 center, his averages of 4.3 points and 3.9 rebounds don’t justify his high selection. Telfair has started his fair share of games but poor shooting and turnovers make him an average point guard at best. Wright was slowly showing signs of improvement but spent most of last season injured and remains a bit-part player for the Heat. This class hit on four of the eight picks so it gets a 50% rate of success.

2005
- Andrew Bynum (No. 10)
- Monta Ellis (No. 4)

For an in-depth summary on how the class of ’05 turned out, read this earlier post. When healthy, Martell Webster (No. 6), Bynum, C.J. Miles (No. 34), and Ellis are starters for their teams. Louis Williams (No. 45) has averaged double-figures off the bench last two seasons and is primed to start for the 76ers this upcoming season while  Gerald Green (No. 18), Andray Blatche (No. 49) and Amir Johnson (No. 56) will need to show more. Thus, this class hit on five of the eight picks for a 62.5% rate of success.

***

2006 and beyond: Since the NBA changed its draft eligibility policy beginning with the 2006 draft, 26 of the 240 picks (or 10.8%)  in the last four drafts have been one-and-done players. If we count sophomores as underclassmen, which they are generally viewed as, then 58 of the 240 (24.2%) picks, or one out of every four have been spent on players with two or less years of college experience. The percentage would be even higher if we were to count foreign players, many of whom start playing professionally as teenagers.

One player did not figure into the above tallies. Who is he? Brandon Jennings, of course. The No. 10 pick by the Milwaukee Bucks in this year’s draft, Jennings opted to take a different path to the NBA, and one that many more players will consider in the future. After being unable to pass an entrance exam in order to play at the University of Arizona, Jennings decided to bypass college and play in Europe for one year before entering the NBA draft. He signed with Italian team Lottomatica Virtus Roma and made over $1 million during his one season abroad according to adviser Sonny Vaccaro.
 
Originally Posted by bittersweet

Dwight Howard.
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Johnathan Bender.

IMO, the current rule is perfect. One year out of high school and being 19 means you're still able to learn the system while joining the NBA at a fast pace. Plus one year of college ball can be highly beneficial unless you have the size already. College ball can prepare you for the exposure and the celebrity status; if you do indeed make it to that level.

Someone like Lebron was exposed to early exposure due to his overachieving game style and his size really sealed the deal for him. That Nike shoe deal boosted his ego. $100,000,000 at the age of 18 before you even step on the court, he knew the expectations he had. On top of that, being drafted by a team that was located less than 40 miles from where you literally grew up, it was more comfortable for him. So there are chances where a young kid can surpass expectations after high school, but how rare is that?

I understand the owners point of view. They gave Johnathan Bender a $30,000,000 contract in his second season, only to see his stats decrease. That's a failed investment.

9 times out of 10 nowadays, a kid from high school will not blossom into his full potential.

  
 
It's a good rule because often these high school to the pros athletes were the super star of their respective league (or hell, even their entire state), probably averaged about 25+ points a game, ran the entire offense, and the coach probably just put them on the floor and said "go." There's little discipline with these types of players. A year in college or overseas instills that discipline in a program led by a top tier coach who can manage talent and egos, while teaching the finer points of the game. It's a better product for the NBA. Vets don't like prima donna rookies coming in who've basically only had glorified AAU coaching their entire lives. GMs and owners can make safer investments on talent. Add in the rookie pay scale and the NBA probably has the best rookie structure out of the three major sports.
 
I read an interesting article the other day about Duke and how they're actively avoiding players who could go pro early - because it is harmful to their team. I think college coaches are pretty unanimous in that it is harmful to their game.

The NBA doesn't care about the NCAA.
 
Originally Posted by Animal Thug1539

Originally Posted by bittersweet

Dwight Howard.
Click to expand...

Johnathan Bender.

IMO, the current rule is perfect. One year out of high school and being 19 means you're still able to learn the system while joining the NBA at a fast pace. Plus one year of college ball can be highly beneficial unless you have the size already. College ball can prepare you for the exposure and the celebrity status; if you do indeed make it to that level.

Someone like Lebron was exposed to early exposure due to his overachieving game style and his size really sealed the deal for him. That Nike shoe deal boosted his ego. $100,000,000 at the age of 18 before you even step on the court, he knew the expectations he had. On top of that, being drafted by a team that was located less than 40 miles from where you literally grew up, it was more comfortable for him. So there are chances where a young kid can surpass expectations after high school, but how rare is that?

I understand the owners point of view. They gave Johnathan Bender a $30,000,000 contract in his second season, only to see his stats decrease. That's a failed investment.

9 times out of 10 nowadays, a kid from high school will not blossom into his full potential.
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Jonathan Bender is a bad example. The dude had shot knees from the get-go, you ever hear of Kevin Durant (sarcasm)? Bender was Durant before Durant............. Other than that I do agree with what you said.
 
it was agreed upon by the players because it protected the vets. I think it's stupid for someone who is capable of playing in the League straight out of HS to have to wait a year. And watered down talent can also be attributed to the number of teams in the league.
 
Speaking simply as a viewer, the longer the kids have to wait and prepare for the league the better the viewing product is going to end up being. Yes we know there are Lebrons and yes we know there are stiffs. But this is in general.

The NBA became too much of a league that was taking in kids who weren't ready and were being educated on the fly. The NBA should not be a minor league, it SHOULD be as close to a top product as possible. And we saw how doing opposite of that turned fans off 5-10 years ago. I don't know if "one year rule" is the perfect solution (probably not)...but I would bet if you asked newer stars like Durant, Melo, Rose, Bosh, etc whether it was worth having to experience that one year on campus they pretty much all would say they wouldn't change a thing.

Again...an entirely different argument is whether young men should be able to earn a living. I'm speaking merely as a viewer and paying fan.
 
it is the information age. If you draft a kid out of HS and he turns out to be a bust, thats your fault. There is enough footage and scouting available now to make an educated decision. Kids are being ranked way before they even enter HS. The rule is stupid.
 
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