Stan Van Gundy on 1-and-Done Rule: 'I Think a Lot of It Was Racist'

Detroit Pistons head coach Stan Van Gundy expressed his feelings on the one-and-done rule Sunday before his team squared off against the Charlotte Hornets. 

"People that were against [players] coming out [of high school] made a lot of excuses, but I think a lot of it was racist," he said, according to the Detroit Free Press' Vince Ellis. "I've never heard anybody go up in arms about [minor-league baseball or hockey]."

Van Gundy also took aim at the NCAA in the aftermath of a Yahoo Sports report that detailed how several prominent college basketball programs and players allegedly violated the organization's rules on amateurism. 

"The NCAA is one of the worst organizations—maybe the worst organization—in sports," he said, per Ellis. "They certainly don't care about the athlete."

As far as the one-and-done rule is concerned, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver recently told reporters at his annual All-Star press briefing the league is "conflicted" about whether or not it should eliminate the requirement for players to be at least 19 years old and one year removed from high school to declare for the draft. 

"We're conflicted, to be honest. We're outside of our cycle of collective bargaining right now, which is when we generally address an issue like that," he said. "But [NBPA executive director] Michele Roberts and I have also agreed there's no reason we shouldn't at least be discussing it right now. ...

"We think we have a better draft when we've had an opportunity to see these young players play at an elite level before they come into the NBA. On the other hand, I think the question for the league is: In terms of their ultimate success, are we better off intersecting with them a little bit younger? Are we better off bringing them into the league when they're 18, using our G League as it was designed to be, as a development league, and getting them minutes on the court there?"