Owners Pushing for Age 20 Draft Rule

[AHF]

I hadn't seen this before:

The question on every NBA scout's mind right now is whether these 12 freshmen will be eligible for the 2012 NBA draft thanks to ongoing negotiations between the NBA and National Basketball Players Association about increasing the current age restrictions. Under current proposals sitting before the labor committees, players would have to be 20 years old and two years removed from high school to be eligible for the NBA draft.

If the new age restriction passes -- a big "if" at the moment given the current standoff between the two sides -- our Big Board will change dramatically. But for now, NBA scouts are scouting these players as though they will be eligible.

Of course, this is Chad Ford so take it with a grain of salt.

[lethalweapon3]

Is this intended to start giving the D-League some legitimacy?

~lw3

[AHF]

Is this intended to start giving the D-League some legitimacy?

~lw3

The article suggests that GMs who weren't happy about the year 19 rule have changed their tune and believe that they get better scouting and development from their draft picks with the age limit and they want more of the same. They thing they will get better players and have better scouting on who to take if people come out at age 20 rather than age 19.

[Randy]

Looks like UK will now get to keep guys for 2 years.

[AHF]

Looks like UK will now get to keep guys for 2 years.

We'll see. As a fan both college and pro basketball, I have been in favor of raising the age limit for a while for many of the same reasons Ford alludes to in his article (bigger impact rookies, better scouting, fewer NBA roster spots taken up with dead developmental spots) and for its positive impact on the college game.

[MaceCase]

Sucks for the Hawks in the 2012 draft specifically. We go from perhaps having a guaranteed top 10 talent dropping to the late teens/early twenties due to the depth of talent to having yet another crap shoot pick. Ay yi yi, was truly hoping for a super value game changing savior dropping to us.

[capstone21]

I completely agree that the age limit should be raised. I think most kids are not ready...every now and then there is a special player like Lebron but having players wait until the end of their Sophmore year will only help them get better. It will also help teams get a real guage on what kind of players are out there. Do you think Marvin would still be a number 2 if he got the spotlight on him?

[EazyRoc]

What about the players who are tired of the NCAA screwing them out of revenue ? Then telling them they can't receive money.

[coachx]

What about the players who are tired of the NCAA screwing them out of revenue ? Then telling them they can't receive money.

That is an NCAA issue rather then a NBA issue.

The problem is Title 9 would force the womens volleyball team, mens crew team, the water polo teams, etc. to get equal benefits as the football and basketball players. Conferences have begun discussing the logistics of this. I've heard $2,500 - $5,000 per semester to help with living expenses for college athletes........Of course the schools in smaller conferences have no way of affording this.

[AHF]

What about the players who are tired of the NCAA screwing them out of revenue ? Then telling them they can't receive money.

They can play in the NBDL or they can play in Europe or any other professional basketball league. That is exactly what Brandon Jennings chose to do.

[EazyRoc]

That is an NCAA issue rather then a NBA issue.

The problem is Title 9 would force the womens volleyball team, mens crew team, the water polo teams, etc. to get equal benefits as the football and basketball players. Conferences have begun discussing the logistics of this. I've heard $2,500 - $5,000 per semester to help with living expenses for college athletes........Of course the schools in smaller conferences have no way of affording this.

I don't want to derail the topic because you're right, it is a NCAA issue. Why not allow them to accept money and gifts ? That way the players win and the school doesn't have to pay anything.

[TheNorthCydeRises]

How about telling these dumb owners to STOP DRAFTING young kids who don't have "superstar" written all over them?

Raising the age limit is just another thing that keeps owners from making mistakes, because the scouting department can't properly evaluate talent. Punish the kids that think they're ready at age 18 or 19, simply because owners and GMs are too dumb to pass a few of these kids up who DEFINITELY aren't ready.

That's why I can't side with the owners in this whole charade. They want an "idiot proof" system that guarantees them profits and erases each and every mistake they make, at the expense of the players.

People talk about how these owners have a right to make a profit, well how about a kid having the right to enter the NBA draft? These GM's see a young guy with "potential", and just can't help themselves. Honestly, there's no way I'm drafting an 18 or 19 year old kid, unless I believe that he can be a star within 2 years.

We were all duped in 2005, because scouts were selling Marvin as "James Worthy with a jumpshot", even though Marvin never got a chance to be "the man" in college. We made that same mistake with Demarr Johnson.

Guys like Derrick Rose, Tyreke Evans, and Kevin Durant should NOT be punished, just because these idiot basketball minds draft a kid who had no chance into developing into a NBA star.

Edited November 19, 2011 by northcyde

[Wretch]

I think they should get rid of the age limit - because that's discriminatory and honestly just sounds dumb.

I do however, think there should be an experience requirement...just like every other job that all of us grown up, non-criminal, Americans are entitled to apply for. Minimum 2-3 years Pro, Semi-Pro, or Collegiate experience required... Oh and for good measure, let's slap "high school graduate" as a minimum education requirement too.

Bam.

Edited November 23, 2011 by Wretch

[coachx]

I think they should get rid of the age limit - because that's discriminatory and honestly just sounds dumb.

I do however, think there should be an experience requirement...just like every other job that all of us grown up, non-criminal, Americans are entitled to apply for. Minimum 2-3 years Pro, Semi-Pro, or Collegiate experience required... Oh and for good measure, let's slap "high school graduate" as a minimum education requirement too.

Bam.

Same results using different words.

The 20 year age requirement basically is the same thing as an expierence requirement.

Edited November 23, 2011 by coachx

[HawkItus]

I think they should get rid of the age limit - because that's discriminatory and honestly just sounds dumb.

I do however, think there should be an experience requirement...just like every other job that all of us grown up, non-criminal, Americans are entitled to apply for. Minimum 2-3 years Pro, Semi-Pro, or Collegiate experience required... Oh and for good measure, let's slap "high school graduate" as a minimum education requirement too.

Bam.

No offense, but this makes no sense. In the private sector those are not "requirements" they are requested credentials for a candidate to be successful. People get hired everyday for jobs they don't have the credentials for at the whim of the company. In the nba you'd be eliminating the option of a team ignoring this and hiring the best candidate.

[Wretch]

No offense, but this makes no sense. In the private sector those are not "requirements" they are requested credentials for a candidate to be successful. People get hired everyday for jobs they don't have the credentials for at the whim of the company. In the nba you'd be eliminating the option of a team ignoring this and hiring the best candidate.

I think it makes perfect sense. The NBA is a professional league - not a development league. Just as I am a networking professional, I work in a capacity that requires a certain amount of knowledge and skill. As a manager, yes, I can hire a guy with absolutely no experience managing VLANs, ACL's, and subnets...fresh out of high school. But that'd be dumb and irresponsible...and the yearly salary on that job is the equivalent of only a couple of games for some of these kids.

By the same token, I've known some sharp kids who started studying for entry level certifications at 16 and 17 years of age. These same kids had obtained impressive certifications by 18 and 19. If they had the experience, and were the right fit, I might hire them.

The question is "fairness." Is it fair to say a guy can't work for me because he's 18 years old? I don't think so. Is it fair to say a guy can't work for me because he's spent no time working on medium to large enterprise, LAN/WAN? Absolutely. GTFO.... Is it fair that the NBA can tell a kid they can't play in the league because they're not old enough? To me, that's debatable. I don't think it's fair. However, it is more than fair to address the issue with an experience requirement.

Whether or not companies adhere to hiring guidelines is a matter of semantics. If these cats can tip-toe around the unfairness of age discrimination, they can certainly word the CBA to acknowledge the matter of experience - especially considering that's essentially what it boils down to. In this way, they are questioning a would-be professional's credentials as opposed to an adult's right to work.

Same results using different words.

The 20 year age requirement basically is the same thing as an expierence requirement.

Really?

[Buzzard]

I get both sides of the argument. I have always been a big believer in a player being able to enter the draft without college including the NFL. But I also get the other side of the argument. In the NFL it is the injury risk, at least that is what they say. In the NBA it is the fact that the draft pool is so small.

You can miss a pick or two in the early rounds of the NFL and make up for it by finding a few gems. In the NBA you only have two chances, the first and second round, under normal conditions. The NFL looks like they have the smartest draft day GMs, but looks are deceiving when you have 12 chances to find some good to great players. NBA GMs do not have that luxury on draft day. Like I said, I get both sides of this one. Not being able to go to work in the NFL, yet being fully qualified to give up your life in the military has always rubbed me the wrong way.

[EazyRoc]

Same results using different words.

The 20 year age requirement basically is the same thing as an expierence requirement.

Pretty much. It would encourage young guys to play overseas before they are even adults.