NBA Draft: Why the One-and-Done Rule Is the Only Thing the NCAA Has Right

In 1995, USA Today’s high school player of the year declared himself eligible for the NBA draft. In 2003, a high school player from St. Vincent-St. Mary’s High School decided to forgo his college years and become NBA draft eligible.

Both players are featured in the 2011 NBA Playoffs with Eastern Conference teams shaped and geared to win their respective conferences and compete in the Finals. These distinguished gentlemen go by the names of Kevin Garnett and LeBron James.

Undoubtedly future hall of famers, both of these men were early absentees at universities hoping to capitalize off of their talents.

Do I believe that the rule should be present in order to keep players from stepping an potentially superstar left foot out of high school and an ill advised right into the league? Yes, I believe that the rule is in place to save athletes from themselves.

The high school players of today have not proven themselves worthy of a headline, let alone the millions of dollars placed on the poker table of their futures.

A year in college is necessary for a young player to become acclimated to the controversy and pressure they will be expected to combat in their professional careers. University athletics have become incredibly spotlighted and appear to operate more like financial institutions instead of educational ones.

One-and-done players are weighing their options and making the most informed and well guided decision provided to them. A majority of them are at least, because you must admit there are a few freshman coming out of college that should be forced to reconsider and start for a wider piece of their seasons. Josh Selby, to be exact.

However, you must consider the success stories that are bestowed upon NBA audiences when players talk with their families and university coaching staffs, and decided to cease the pursuance of their degrees.

Education is the number one goal of everyone in the country, but if that is the case, then why does the tournament collapse so far into the end of a player’s educational stint of that academic year? Tournament participants were forced to take finals in their hotel rooms in order to balance the responsibilities dealt to them by university personnel.

Carmelo Anthony, despite the polemical exit he was led from Denver to New York from the end of last year to the post All Star Break moments in the NBA, he could not have had a better season in the league. Unless of course you figure in how many times he has not been to the playoffs or how many rings he does not have.

Pushing all of those tidbits to the side, you must agree with the fact that he is a pretty good achiever as far as pure scorers go. Defensive guidelines may not be hardwired into his brain, but he seemingly led the Nuggets on a road from obscurity to relevance. 

Now, there are some disquieted players who take an early shift into the spiraling world of road trip gambling and post loss interviews a little too early to say the least.

Greg Oden’s career-turned-liability never sparked enough to light a firecracker, let alone present a hefty case as a future hall of famer. His injuries caused him to sizzle at best and give most analysts a chance to defer from the pro side of the one-and-done rule.

Spencer Hawes has been a member of the Sacramento Kings and currently the Philadelphia 76ers in his four seasons as a dismissed contestant in the league.

He has not exceeded the potential of athleticism or maxed out Sportscenter highlights, but he has managed to create a decent portfolio of attributes he has given teams with his size and ability to give you a few points as a prominent starter on those rosters.

John Wall, the rookie of the year if it had not been for the freakish interpretation of basketball from LA Clipper’s Blake Griffin, has exhibited respectable requirements from the a starting aspect of the toughest position to compete in the league.

The point guard has become reminiscent of Bobby Joe Hill’s value to the 1965-66 Texas Western College Team and will only to grow in its colossal magnitude. Wall stemmed from a group of one-and-done assassins under John Calipari’s wing and has lived up to the quality put on his head since he played in the Jordan Brand Classic.

Naysayers should have a little sigh of relief when they see how freshmen Jared Sullinger and Harrison Barnes have chosen to take in the remainder, no matter how short, of their college careers and the experience of being a student athlete.

You must believe in the thought process of some of these young athletes to a certain extent. When the decision needs to be made, most will take into account the negation spouted by their loved ones or the praise received by scouts or their coaches and make a decision that will most benefit their lives, not the audience waiting for them in arenas across the country. 

With every positive notion that the one-and-done rule presented, there is a negative notion to couple it and this is an argument that will go on well past when the league is reduced to dunk contests and double-double records to choose postseason contenders.

There are many players who take advantage of the option, but the option should be there for them to take advantage of whether it is a smart decision or not. There is only so long you can try to save someone from themselves before they break down the walls, or your rules.