Too early to draft? Ready or Not...

(Kevin Garnett and David Stern, 1995)

The debate over whether or not there should be certain age restrictions or college requirements met before a player is eligible for the NBA draft, is an ongoing one.  I have had my opinion pretty much set in stone for years and have had little reason to change my point of view on the matter.  There are those that believe high school students are not only physically unprepared for the NBA, but also far from being mentally prepared for what comes with a professional athlete's lifestyle.  Then there are others who believe that high school players can perform at an equal or superior level to that of college drafted players.  I would personally disagree with the latter.

Before putting this in the context of sports, we must look at the root of the debate.  A 17 or 18 year old male fresh out of high school could be handed up to 5 million dollars, not including endorsement deals should the opportunity arise.  All decisions involving money would not be entrusted to the parents, but to the player and any number of hired staff, bankers and agents.  With this new found fortune you would also have to add responsibilities that include budgeting, investment, insurance, purchase of a home among many other things.  Slowly adding sports to the equation, you have a sudden and important need for media skills, press quote's, contract negotiations and vulnerability to those that would try to take advantage of a youth with a great deal funds at their disposal.  Financial scenarios are not the end of the mental drain provided by the NBA.  Often high school players are treated as royalty among their peers, where as in the NBA, that may not be the case.  It may seem insignificant, but being mature and having the ability to be coached as well as criticized is very important.  Their performance is now worth more than school reputation and is costing owners millions.  The pressure to perform will be higher and the criticism more severe.  Players may have become accustomed to winning easily in high school, but later realize that competition is much more physically demanding at the pro level.  Longer games, extended road trips for away games has new players seperated from family and friends moving to different cities days at a time.

With all that I have mentioned, I have yet to touch on the physical demands of pro basketball and how this would affect a high school drafted player.  Those that do attend college as basketball players learn how to cope with a lot of the above mentioned mentally draining scenarios.  Their bodies also have a chance to mature and pick up good and structured habits that will increase their chances of success at the pro level.  Fact of the matter is, the talent pool in college is drastically different from that in the high school system.  Along with fundamentals, players bodies can grow, mature and help prevent injuries later on in the future.  I would not attempt to say that playing in college prevents injuries in the NBA, but conditioning does play a major role in all sports, and that should not be ignored in the face of current ability. If and when an injury does occur, due to conditioning or lack there of, a player's career can end in an instant.  Money management and education will be all that a young player will be able to rely on to survive financially.

Kevin Garnett, Kobe Bryant, Jermain O'neal, Tracy McGrady, Rashad Lewis, Amar'e Stoudamire, LeBron James and Dwight Howard all skipped out on college to jump from high school to the NBA.  All have had stellar careers, but between 1962 and 1995, only 8 out of the 25 high school drafted players are house hold names.  Some might say I have no right to say that high school players should not be able to enter the draft if they have a chance, after all it is a once in a life time opportunity.  

Even though there is an estimated 5 million people around the world that participate in some form of basketball, there are only 450 players in the NBA.  With those numbers it's no wonder parents and student athletes alike are jumping at the chance to sign an NBA contract.  Even if an unfortunate injury did occur, a player with good money management skills could retire and still be financially set for life.  

The problem starts to rear its ugly head when teams under perform, players are clearly undeveloped, and lack maturity, that the league begins to suffer.  I am not willing to pay $200 to go watch NBA players play at a high school level, and I'm sure owners don't want to invest millions in that either.  This is not a knock against high school talent, and my own selfishness  aside, the league must take into consideration what they are exposing these young men to when accepting them into the NBA.  I don't think I need to go too far back in history to bring up public media nightmares, disgraceful statements and even fatal decisions that this young generation of millionaires have been a part of.  If the age cannot be set at 21 or have the player be a Junior in college before becoming eligible for a draft, better use of the NBA Development League is needed to develop future NBA players, both physically and mentally.  

For every Kobe Bryant and Kevin Garnett, there is an Antoine Walker and Len Bias.  Antoine Walker, a Sophomore for the University of Kentucky, earned $100 million during his 10 year NBA career and has since filed for bankruptcy.  Len Bias, a Senior for the University of Maryland, died of a drug overdose less than 2 days after being drafted to the Boston Celtics.  Your initial reaction might be to say Antoine Walker and Len Bias debunk my theory, but if two college players could fall from grace in such a drastic way, what chance does a high school student have.

In closing, I want to be clear that I have nothing against high school player's abilities.  There are great players at every level of basketball, that if warranted, will make it to any one of the many pro leagues around the world, no matter what.  Even though sports are a major form of entertainment, it is still a job.  Job seekers want experienced, maturity and reliable staff, which can only be acquired through age and years of involvement in any given position.  Few Fortune 500 companies would hand over their decision making powers to a high school student, genius or not.  I have a feeling you wouldn't either.

Raptors make franchise history

(Jerryd Bayless, career high 31 points)

Toronto Raptors 120  Detroit Pistons 116

I won't regurgitate what has been written on so many blogs and sports sites about how the game played out last night.  I will however focus on how this game played out for me, as a fan, on a historic night.

After a loss on Friday night against the Denver Nuggets, most were expecting the Raptors to make easy work of the Detroit Pistons.  Detroit had also lost the night before, against Minnesota, and were out for a win on their home court.  The game started out in regular NBA fashion, back and forth scoring, with the 1st quarter ending 29-28 in favor of the Pistons.  By the end of the 2nd quarter, the Raptors had 13 turnovers, Detroit was ahead 72-53, Raptors point guard Jerryd Bayless could not keep Rodney Stuckey from scoring and other than a Leandro Barbosa buzzer beater to end the half, there were no Raptors highlights.

As someone who watches nearly every Raptors game, I have become accustomed to watching the Raptors lose in one of two ways.  Either being completely blown out, which I was sure was about to happen, or lose a massive lead in the third quarter allowing their opponent to win in the fourth.  I am not one to change the channel during a blow out as I know anything can happen in the NBA, but I did pull a book off my shelf that I had been putting off reading, cracked it open but kept my ears glued to the game.  When I heard the Raptors broadcast team mention a 25 point lead for Detroit, I turned all my attention over to my book and prepared for yet another Raptors disappointment.  Then I heard "21 point lead", then "Raptors down 16", then "Raptors down 11" and I had no choice but to look up, take notice and put down my book.

Two things caused this turnaround. Toronto played with determination and meaning while Detroit treated the final 6 minutes of the fourth quarter like a pre season game.  Poor execution and sloppy play by Detroit provided me with the worst performance I have ever witnessed by a team to close out a game.  A combination of 3 point plays by Andrea Bargnani, Amir Johnson and Jerryd Bayless sealed the 25 point comeback victory.  Making the win even sweeter was Jerryd Bayless' career high 31 point scoring performance, in a game that was shaping up to be his worst in a Raptors uniform, from a defensive stand point.

Not the prettiest game I have ever seen by two struggling teams, and definitely not a game to brag about to your friends, but a 37-17 fourth quarter by the Raptors is one Toronto fans can and should be excited about.  My only hope is that they won't need those type of comebacks too often throughout the rest of the season.

NBA takes over New Orleans Hornets franchise

 

(New Orleans Hornets)

The New Orleans Hornets management have announced that they are no longer able afford the team and have handed over ownership to the NBA.  The Hornets can now be purchased by just about any investor interested in the team and could also be relocated anywhere within North America.  NBA commissioner David Stern has said all the right things in terms of keeping faith alive in New Orleans, saying that he would like to see the team remain in Louisiana.  However, the truth is that the team is up for sale to the highest bidder.  How soon a sale or when a possible relocation would take place is unknown, also taking into consideration the possibility of an NBA lockout next season, the whole process could take a minimum of 2 years to take shape.

This, however, is nothing new in the world of sports.  We all know sports teams are moved in and out of cities every few years for pretty much the same reasons the Hornets might be.  For example, MLB's Montreal Expos became the Washington Nationals and the NHL's Quebec Nordiques became the Colorado Avalanche.  Their situations may not have been identical to the Hornets, but similarites in the scenarios resulted in both Canadian franchises being relocated to the U.S.  

"What does all this mean" and "Why should I care" you ask?

It means that the economy as we know it is far from recovered.  It also means the newly rejuvenated and winning Hornets team, even with All-Star Chris Paul at the wheel, is still not enough to fill seats in the New Orleans Arena.  This could lead to the team being moved out of New Orleans to a market that may be more likely to support them.  For example, the Montreal Canadiens are without a doubt one of the most supported NHL franchises in history.  Even during seasons when the Canadiens don't do particularly well, every home game is sold out in the 22,000 plus seated arena.  It is also well know that hockey is a major part of Canadian culture, but I have no doubt that even if the Canadiens fail to make the playoffs for the next 4 years, it would not affect ticket sales.

"Why should you care"?  Well if you are a basketball fan, especially a fan with a team already in your city, this takeover lets you know that no team is safe.  Support for your home team, if you can afford it, is a must.  Many teams have a history of not winning yet remain in the same market for years due to fan support and great ownership.  You should also care because this means a new city could get themselves an NBA franchise for the first time.  This could also be a great boost to the NBA and hopefully have a new team follow in the Oklahoma City Thunder's footsteps, with possibly the most enthusiastic fan base in the league with less than 10 years under its belt.  Friends of mine have already chimed in on cities they would like to see have a team, which included Seattle, Vancouver, Las Vegas and my obvious choice, Montreal, my home town.  With a sell out pre season game featuring the Toronto Raptors vs the New York Knicks hopefully not being a one off, Montreal could be a great market for NBA basketball.  It is clear fans from surrounding provinces would trek to Montreal to catch a few NBA games much like they do to watch the Toronto Raptors play.

As I mentioned earlier, we are months if not years away from seeing the team moved, if at all.  

But I would still love to know what you think.

What city do you think should have an NBA team?