======= ======= ====== ====== ====== ===== ==== ====== ====== ===== ==== ======= ======= ====== ====== ====== ===== ==== ====== ====== ===== ====
As a disclaimer, I want to say that I’m a huge college basketball fan. I make no bones about it, this is my favorite sport, and the Syracuse Orange is my all-time favorite team. I live by their wins, die by their losses, and, most of the time, almost die by their wins. (See: The “Cardiac Cuse” T-Shirts–they sell for $18 a pop.)
More than that, I love the 2003 National Championship team; I’d have Syracuse 81-Kansas 78 tattooed on my forehead if I wasn’t afraid of my mother physically ripping my skin off with her bare hands upon seeing it. Jewish mothers, man, what can you do?
But our hero, Carmelo Anthony, won his championship, got his MOP award, and set sail for the NBA after a year. Sure, he planned on staying at Syracuse for two to three seasons, but he ended up as a one-and-done. He’s not alone: Anthony Davis, John Wall, Kevin Durant, Derrick Rose, Kevin Love, the list goes on and on. Not all players can be like Joakim Noah, who played at Florida for two seasons, won back-to-back NCAA championships, and is still healthy and playing in the NBA. And, to be fair, how can you blame them? If someone gives you the choice of offering you a ton of money to go do exactly what you want to do for the next 20 years or so, or to keep playing in college for no money, where you might get hurt and lose it all, the choice is pretty obvious, isn’t it?
But one-and-done players are still a big issue in the NBA. Our shiny new NBA Commissioner, Adam Silver, has expressed his desire to increase the NBA age eligibility to a minimum of 20, and he is possibly trying to add this to the 2016-2017 Collective Bargaining Agreement. The idea seems to make sense across the board, as it is almost universally seen as a good idea.
However, Dallas Mavericks owner and all-around badass Mark Cuban has a better idea. He thinks that instead of increasing the age minimum for the NBA, the minimum for the NBA Development League should be lowered to 18, making it a more attractive option for pro basketball hopefuls than the NCAA.
According to ESPN Dallas, Cuban said:
“I think what will end up happening — and this is my opinion, not that of the league — is if the colleges don’t change from the one-and-done, we’ll go after the one,” Cuban said. “The NCAA rules are so hypocritical, there’s absolutely no reason for a kid to go [to college], because he’s not going to class [and] he’s actually not even able to take advantage of all the fun because the first semester he starts playing basketball. So if the goal is just to graduate to the NBA or be an NBA player, go to the D-League.”
Obviously, such a proposal would take a ton of work, and it needs to be fleshed out significantly more, but the core idea is still there. Instead of adding to the crumbling infrastructure that is the NCAA–like the addition of the tournament system to the BCS–start over and build something better and more attractive. We might see a talent level drop in college basketball if this system stays in place, but I doubt it would change college basketball drastically. Rather, it might even change things for the better, spurring long-needed changes to the NCAA’s policies.
Here’s an example of what needs to go. When Syracuse’s freshman sensation, point guard Tyler Ennis, sunk that three point buzzer beater against Pittsburgh, which restored all my faith in humanity, the Syracuse Athletics Twitter tweeted, “Get your Tyler Ennis Jerseys while you still can,” and linked to his jersey at the athletics store. The tweet was quickly deleted after a minor uproar, because the NCAA. To be honest, they should be promoting his jersey, and Ennis should be making a profit off of the sales. Why? Because the university and the NCAA are, so why shouldn’t the person ACTUALLY CAUSING PEOPLE TO BUY HIS JERSEY get a piece of the action as well?
Exactly. You can’t come up with a reason. I’m not advocating the death of college basketball–I love college basketball more than I love the rare person working at Chipotle who doesn’t bat an eye when I ask them for a Quesarito. I just want to see it change, just like I’d like to see the Quesarito added to every Chipotle menu across the country. We need to stop pretending the college athletics system isn’t flawed and broken, and the NCAA is doing a disservice to all of us by allowing the system to stay on this course. Why shouldn’t players be allowed to join the D-League straight out of high school, make a salary, and get real world, hands-on education on exactly what they want to do: play basketball?
Because really, life’s just like one big Quesarito–who wouldn’t want a warm, gooey mouthful of cheese with all the varied, tasty experiences that come in the burrito of life?
I’ve really got to stop writing before lunch. I’m sorry.
[via Ridiculous Upside]
Respond
@JayTasShow
@FireJayTas
Baseball has the best system. Have the option of going pro out of high school, or go to college for a minimum of three years.
The NBA gets their superstars at 18-19, and colleges don’t have to worry about one-and-dones.
I’m a hundred percent behind this, but I’m okay with making them go D-League before the NBA. I’d also be on board with Silver’s proposal.
I’d like to see the age restriction go back to 18. The recruiting strategy would be much different for teams like Kentucky, who bank on churning out one-and-dones every year. I’m kind of surprised more people don’t take the Brandon Jennings route and go pro overseas for a year then enter the draft.
As far as your other point about players getting a piece of the revenue pie, I agree, but it’s going to be much more complex than saying Tyler Ennis gets x% of jersey sales.
As a Kentucky fan, I can tell you we don’t bank on getting one and dones, but who in their right mind doesn’t want to recruit the best players possible? I’m all for the two and through rule. I’d love some consistency on the roster from year to year. One and done kills the college sports spirit. Then, if you stay two years and aren’t a compete ruhtard, you’re only a year from a degree because of the year round classes these guys take. Just look at Patrick Patterson and Kemba Walker.
Kentucky doesn’t bank on one and dones? That’s preposterous. Dating back to 2010 when Calipari took over, they’ve had the following one and dones: John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins, Eric Bledsoe, Daniel Orton, Brandon Knight, Anthony Davis, Kidd-Gilchrist, Marquis Teague, Nerlens Noel, and Archie Goodwin.
That’s how Calipari rolls, he’s one of, if not the best, recruiter in the country. He knows these kids are out the door as soon as March Madness is over, and the next batch of 1st rounders are coming in.
I, too, like quesaritos.
How does one go about ordering a quesarito?
You ask for a damn quesarito. Damn, this question is dumber than some of the computer related questions coworkers ask me.
But what exactly are the contents of a Quesarito? Do you make a quesadilla than rewrap it in a burrito? Or does one just order the contents of a regular quesadilla, except its in a burrito… But wouldn’t that just be a burrito?? So confused…
Maybe the ques means queso and not quesadilla??? I have no idea.
One and done for me, plenty of cheerleaders and bootleg signings to keep things interesting.
Quesaritos are where it’s at. But the person behind the counter will always look at you like you’re crazy.
Quesaritos aren’t kosher, bub. I actually wanted to try one so bad I ordered one with freaking sofritas. Never. Again.
The D-League minimum is already 18
No matter how good the premise, you’ll be hard pressed to find anything I will admit agreeing to Mark Cuban with.