7 Reasons NBA's One-and-Done Rule Needs to Be Scrapped

The NBA doesn't technically have a "one-and-done" rule, but they effectively mandate one by instituting a 19-year-old minimum age. 

This compels high school graduates to spend a year either attending college or playing in Europe. 

Almost all of them choose to play a year in college though, and debates over the semantics of what the rule is are along the lines of "to-MAE-toe" or "to-MAH-toe" debates. Whatever you call it, it's tantamount to the same thing. 

It's a dumb rule and it needs to be scrapped. Here are seven reasons why. 

It's a Stupid Premise

The entire premise of the rule is idiotic on the face of it. If you're 18, you're not old enough to play basketball professional, but if you're 19, you are?

At 18 you can join the military and go die for you country but you can't get paid to dribble a ball? Ahem!

Plus, look at the results. Kevin Garnett, Kobe Bryant and LeBron James have combined to win five of the last eight MVP awards and seven of the last 12 NBA titles. 

Furthermore, of the 14 players who played in the NBA straight out of high school, all have played at least two years, 12 of them had careers that lasted at least three seasons and 11 of them have had careers that lasted at least seven seasons. 

Might there be 18-year-olds that never saw the court? Sure there have. But is that because they were 18, or because they weren't good enough?

It Ruins the Experience of the Rest of the College Players

The college team experience gets ruined by the whole one-and-done philosophy. Rather than a group of players coming together and spending four years bonding and growing together, the players that stick around for four years watch different groups of players come and go. 

One-and-done it is disrespectful to the very notion of teamwork and team building. 

It Encourages Cheating

As a Chicago Bulls fan, I can't retreat from this issue. The one-and-done rules make it easier for players to cheat because they will never have to face repercussions for their actions.

Derrick Rose allegedly cheated on his SATs. OJ Mayo allegedly received improper benefits. Both schools were punished for what happened, but neither player had to deal with the aftermath.

However, the school gets a pass in public opinion because they can blame everything on the players and play the victim card even though they were willing participants (allegedly) in the cheating. 

In either case, the reality is that neither the players nor the teams really have to worry about the full ramifications of cheating, so in essence, it is encouraged. 

College Fans Can't See Teams Develop

Two years ago, the Kentucky Wildcats tied an NCAA record when five of their players were selected in the draft. It is expected that they will break that record this year and be the first team to ever have six players taken in a single draft. 

Over a three-year time frame and they will have had 14 players drafted, a ridiculous number of players. Throw in Rajon Rondo and you have an entire NBA team from one school. 

That's all very well and good. Kentucky won their title, but name a player who's returning. It's hard to build an appreciation for a team when there's no continuity. 

It Doesn't Work for the NCAA

The ratings are up for the tournament, but that has more to do with the expanded coverage that CBS provides than it does a vibrant interest in the product. 

Face it, the typical NCAA Tournament fan hasn't watched a game before the first tipoff. 

Of greater concern is that attendance is down in the regular season. The core fans aren't happy with the product, and ultimately, that's what drives your revenue. 

It Doesn't Work for the NBA

It doesn't really work for the NBA either. One of the most exciting players in recent memory coming into the draft was LeBron James. How great would it be for the NBA if Jabharri Parker were entering the draft a year from now?

Did the NBA really gain anything by having Derrick Rose or Kyrie Irving play a year in college? No. It did however, cost the NBA a chance to see those two players add one more year to their exciting careers. 

It's Not the American Thing to Do

Wanna know what's more American than hot dogs, Mom and apple pie?

Well hot dogs come from Germany. 

Everyone has moms. 

Apple pie is English. 

So none of those things is really American. But you know what is? Capitalism. 

Well technically, that's English too, but we made it American like we made all those other things American. 

Basketball really is American though, and the two should stay together.

One-and-done is pretty close to forced labor. The NBA wants it because it gives them a year of free seasoning in the NCAA. The NCAA wants it because their product would suck without it.

That's the equivalent of government regulation. Let the market speak. If the fans don't want to support 18-year-olds, they don't have to.

If players come out and can't play, it's on them.

Let the market decide, not regulation. It's the American way.