Let's Make A Deal
Heard on ESPN radio this morning that the NBA could announce a new CBA as soon as today. Among the (reported) highlights:
Shorter contract terms. I'm not sure what the current maximum deal is, but apparently it will be shortened.
Raising the salary cap. No biggie.
Raise minimum age to 19. This will be the controversial one. To me, it seems like another way to protect owners from themselves. If Players right out of high school aren't good enough for the league, you can A. Not draft them or B. Create a new rule in your CBA to prevent you from drafting him. It reminds me of a constitutional amendment to force a balanced budget. Why not just do it because it makes sense, and not because you have to. I digress.
I like this rule, not because I'm unamerican and don't want people to be able to earn a living. I like it because it helps (a little) college basketball. Since I'd watch a Northeastern Idaho Tech vs. Des Moines College of Art and Design game at midnight on a Monday night, before I'd stay up until midnight to watch the end of tonight's game 6, anything good for college is good for BAR. Just like a third person reference.
posted by Brian @ 9:34 AM
3 Comments:
Not sure how I feel about the age limit. . . it seems silly to say 19 at draft night, being that a guy who was born one day after the draft is less of a man than a guy who was born the day of the draft.
And we don't have a balanced budget. . .
I'm on vacation for 2 weeks starting tomorrow. Hope you guys keep this up. If not, we'll do it right to begin with.
I really dislike this rule. First of all, 19 becomes really arbitrary because some people are 19 when they graduate high school (like Niv) and some people don't turn 19 until after their freshmen year of college (like Geoff). So you are telling me that If Niv and Geoff were potential NBA superstars, Niv could have been drafted out of high school in 2000, while Geoff would have had to wait until after his SOPHOMORE year of college, in 2002? That's crazy.
And this is on top of the fact that if someone is willing to pay you to play, you should be able to play.
Oh, and I also don't think this helps college basketball at all. If I am one of these prep-to-pro stars, no way I go to college for a year for free. I play in Europe for a year or find another league that is willing to pay me, even if it isn't a lot.
I'm on the fence about whether or not it helps college. I still say yes, because it puts those guys in school for at least a year. Really, we aren't talking about more than, say 3-8 guys per year. Maybe more. You guys would know better than I would how many HS kids came out last year. I'm not sure that one of those handful would play in Europe for a year. I think they'd be more likely to go to a school that gave them a shot at a title for one year. Who knows, maybe one or two would even have fun and decide to stay.
I really think that it helps the NBA not just in protecting the owners from being stupid. People follow college ball, particularly the Tournament. In the past 8 years or so, players entering the NBA have become virtually unknown to the casual fan, which decreases interest. Casual fans who follow the NCAA like to watch guys they know in the NBA. Casual fans make up a majority of the fans in sports, I think.
Sorry about that somewhat incoherent rambling. I also acknowledge that what I post should never be taken as fact (unless I attribute), just off the top of my head vitriol and musings.
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