Currently, players are eligible to declare for the NBA draft after their high school senior class graduates, if they are from the United States. If they are international players, they must be 18 years old by the night of the draft. For several years, Stern has been vocal in support of a 20-year-old age limit for players to be eligible for the draft. Hunter has been just as vocal opposing the limit.
However, there have been significant developments over the course of the past week. According to all four sources, the players have warmed to the age-limit idea to the point that several sources believe an age limit will be part of the new CBA. This comes as a major surprise, after both sides claimed for months it was unlikely an age limit would be implemented.
Why the sudden change? Many veteran players, say sources, see the age limit as a way to protect veteran jobs in the league. And conceding on an issue that primarily affects a constituency that isn't even technically part of the union is certainly less painful.
According to sources, high school players would have to wait two years after their high school class graduated before becoming eligible for the NBA draft. International players could not declare for the draft until the age of 20.
The rule likely would go into effect for the 2006 NBA draft.
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I must say that despite getting KG, LeBron, Jermaine O'Neal and Kobe among others - there does seem to be too many little children in the league - so this may not be that bad of an idea.
I wonder what effect this will have on the college game. Figuring that you're best players are gonna leave anyway, a short term boost of talent looks good.
That minor league idea is scary, though. Guys are leaving early enough as it is. Now if they get the chance to be paid (well, more than they are now) to develop, College Basketball would turn into College Baseball.
Damn, now I just made myself all depressed.
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I get the impression they wouldn't let you in the minor league unless you were 20. The whole point of a minor league is to bring a guy up if he can contribute. Why would you sign a guy and have him play in the "D" league if you couldn't bring him up right away?
Plus, a guy could go to a JC for two years and be eligible to play in the "D" league. It's not going to be any different than college football is now, except that a guy could leave after two years instead of three, and there isn't another place to really play football excent in college, as opposed to basketball, wher a guy could go to Europe.
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So...under this rule, the league's biggest drawing card would still be about eight months away from making his debut. That makes a lot of sense.
This isn't football, where an 18-year-old kid's body just hasn't developed to the point where he can safely play with grown men. I get the NFL's rule on those grounds. To say that LeBron James should have stayed out of the league for two years to protect veteran jobs, however, would be ridiculous. If the kid can play, let him play.
Does the NBA even try this if the NFL doesn't win its case against Maurice Clarett?
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Bad idea. I'd make it a rule that the kid has to, at the very least, graduate from high school before joining the NBA. But this whole thing seems to be an idea to protect only the bad veteran players in the league. When you acquire a promising high-schooler, you don't release your best veteran player to make room for him-- you get rid of the 13th guy off the bench.
If they can play, let 'em play. But I'd suggest that someone who wishes to enter the NBA Draft out of high school should not hire an agent-- because by doing so, they'd become ineligible to play college basketball.
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I like it. The NBA has too many guys who are lacking in basketball fundamentals. If they go through 2 years of college ball, they should be be better players, and therefore make the game better.
NOTE: The above post makes no sense. We apologize for the inconvenience.
I think this is a great thing for college basketball. No longer would coaches have to be concerned with recruiting a guy only to have him go to the NBA before he steps on campus - leaving recruiting in a lurch. It would also help spread talent out a little (but just a little) as the scholarship limitations would fan a few guys out to teams that were already at their limit of 13.
For full disclosure, the fact that 2 HS juniors who are highly touted that are leaning towards UK if they go to college has absolutely everything to do with my opinion on this subject. I still think that anyone who signs an LOI with dook should be able to go straight to the NBA.
Originally posted by BigVitoMarkSo...under this rule, the league's biggest drawing card would still be about eight months away from making his debut. That makes a lot of sense.
This isn't football, where an 18-year-old kid's body just hasn't developed to the point where he can safely play with grown men. I get the NFL's rule on those grounds. To say that LeBron James should have stayed out of the league for two years to protect veteran jobs, however, would be ridiculous. If the kid can play, let him play.
But that's Lebron James you're talking about here. He isn't representative of the average player his age. There are a lot of people that come into the NBA before they turn twenty. The percentage that never develops to the point that they should and gets cut before maybe they got a fair shake is pretty high. The percentage that eventually contributes is pretty low, all things considered, and the percentage of those who have a major impact in their first year is minute.
OF course, I love College Basketball and rarely watch the NBA. So the prospect of having Lebron, in college right now is something that I find VERY interesting.
I think this would help most kids, too, since how many 18-year olds are equipped to not only deal with all of the college recruiting and everything that goes on there, but also the vultures that look at you as a meal-ticket when you're thinking about going straight to the league. Two more years isn't going to help everyone, but it'll help most of them to lose the "will he or won't he"-pressure of deciding at 18.
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Originally posted by BigSteveBut that's Lebron James you're talking about here. He isn't representative of the average player his age.
That's the main argument against an age based veto then. Its all well and good to say the vast majority of prep school players or early college leavers suck at the NBA level, but there are guys good enough to play, even if not be superstars. Just because the veterans want more job security and the scouts pick some duds is no reason to exclude an age bracket.
No, James is not representative of all the players his age. If there were an age limit, however, he would be unfairly out of the NBA. If kids don't have fundamental skills, don't draft them. If they can't play on the NBA level, don't draft them. To me, this almost seems like a "we don't know what we're doing so change the rule" copout.
I'm much more an NCAA fan than an NBA fan, and I agree this would help the college game. More than that I'm a Duke fan, and if this rule were in place we would have two more guys on the team this year who instead were lottery picks in the NBA (Deng, Livingston). Above all else, though, I think a person of any age has the right to make a living. If the kids can play, let them in. And if they take away jobs from vets who can't cut it anymore, tough luck, sports are supposed to be competitive.
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