Stay in School, Kids...or Not

Ever since the lottery results were announced, I’ve been spending many hours analyzing the NBA Draft Class of 2010, to the detriment of my college coursework. 

So maybe this criticism may be a little hypocritical.

However, there was one thing that automatically jumped out at me.

Out of the top five, three are freshmen. Depending on who you ask, at least three (possibly four) of the top five are under the age of 20.

Even more worrying? Not a single senior is projected to go into the lottery. Some reports even put the top-20 as being completely free of college graduates.

Gone are the days of finishing school before jumping to the NBA, or even teams drafting such proven guys at the top.

Now, buzzwords like “upside” and “potential” are all the rage. Which is why we will see one-and-done guys like Hassan Whiteside and Daniel Orton become NBA lottery picks when they’re barely ready for the D-League.

Call me Dick Vitale, but I see something wrong with this.

Maybe it’s my upbringing — I was raised in a fairly traditional Indian home, where education was stressed — but I truly believe something has to be done to keep these guys in school.

Many of them are my age. Hell, the bulk of this year’s draft class are younger than I am, and I know that I would in no way be able to handle the pressure that comes with being a professional athlete, and the pressures that come with it.

I can hear the claims of “oh, you’re just jealous of these kids cause they’re going to make a few million a year while you’re working in a supermarket.”

No, I’m not. I could have been playing college ball had I had a willingness to stay in shape during the offseason (for the record, I was a New South Wales State representative, and tried out for the Australian Institute of Sport team that Andrew Bogut and Patty Mills both played on before they came to the US for college), and get my knees repaired.

I’m not jealous of them, and I wish John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins, Derrick Favors, and the rest of them the best of luck with their professional careers.

I’m only thinking about it from a basketball fan’s point of view. I don’t particularly follow college basketball, because I don’t have a single horse to get behind.

However, I have friends and family who are devoted college fans. Not one of them thinks that a large quantity of one-and-done players is a good thing. Even my brother-in-law, who went to Kentucky and worships at the altar of John Wall.

Everyone looks to Duke and how they are continually successful — it’s because Coach K recruits guys who he knows are going to stick around for three or four years, and develop into champion teams.

And as an NBA fan, I also have to agree with them. Every year, we see a bunch of “projects” drafted on potential alone to bad teams who hope they can eventually become their saviors.

For every one of these guys who is a success (Kevin Durant), there’s a DeMar DeRozan who entered too early.

The closing of the prep-to-pro rule was an attempt to fix this, but as it turns out, it’s had the unintended side effect of further reducing the quality of college basketball, and the NBA as more-and-more guys are leaving and entering too early. 

How to fix this problem?

I don’t believe in making a rule that says that players have to graduate before entering the NBA or anything like that, because as we can see with this rule, people will find a way around it. For instance, you’ll probably find more guys going to play overseas before entering the NBA.

As the old saying goes, “you attract more flies with honey than vinegar.” So to get more guys staying in school, I propose that we come up with an incentive. Well, two, to be exact.

Firstly, what’s the main reason for leaving school early? Let’s not kid ourselves — it’s the money, plain and simple. This is why the first part of my plan involves contracts.

Under my plan, every player who gets a contract after the draft, gets an automatic bonus for every year they stayed in school, along with an extra one for those who graduated. Let’s say five percent for every year, plus an extra 10 percent for graduation.

However, that doesn’t address the fact that many of the guys who declare early have pressing financial issues right now.

Take DeMar DeRozan, who last year declared so he could help pay his mum’s medical bills, or Lance Stephenson, who left this year to help support his family, even though he’s a late first-rounder at best. 

This leads into part two of my plan.

In theory, college players are prohibited from receiving money for playing. However, we all know the reality of this situation, and I’m not just talking about John Calipari at UMass here. I’m scared of getting sued by the NCAA, so I’ll say no more.

My point is, why don’t we bend the rule a little bit?

The college basketball season isn’t all year. These guys have an offseason. Why not allow them to sign contracts overseas during that time? Go play a few games, make some money, get some different life experiences, whatever.  Plus, it’ll have the side-effect of giving these guys more playing time and hopefully speed up their development.

Something is clearly wrong when a guy like Derrick Favors (who, while extremely talented, is barely NBA-ready), is projected by almost everyone to go ahead of a dude like Wesley Johnson, who can contribute to any team right away but doesn’t have the same sort of "upside."

Under my scheme, Favors will have a chance to make some money, while developing his game further in college, and Johnson would be rewarded for doing the right thing.

Except for those programs that have relied more on recruitment than coaching up to this point (I’m looking at you again, Calipari), everybody wins.

College teams get to see more good players stay for longer, and the chance to build greater emotional connections with these players and teams.

NBA fans get guys coming into the pro leagues who are more ready for all the on and off-court pressures who can provide them with a better product as well.

The players themselves get a chance to support themselves during college.

And I might get the chance to see college stars from the USA pulling on Sydney Kings or Woollongong Hawks jerseys, which I can add next to my 1998 Stephen Jackson Kings #1, in my collection. (Actually, the thought of DeMarcus Cousins trying to pronounce Woollongong would be worth it in itself). 

How about it, Mr. Stern?

By the way, if you ever want to discuss any other ideas or giving me a job in the NBA, I’m available on B/R to chat.