You're In Charge Of Cleaning Up College Basketball. Tell Us How?

[StartOrien]

I actually wish the NBA would make them go to college for two years. I completely agree w/ them wanting to set an age limit; picking some of these kids out of HS is too much of a crap shoot. 

Two years would provide a much better sample size, and help allow these lottery teams make smarter decisions.

[JSD]

Want to clean up college ball?

Completely eliminate the NBA age limit, expand the draft to 5 rounds, and further fund/legitimize the NBDL farm system to compete directly with NCAA D1 basketball.

[Marcus13]

Want to clean up college ball?

Completely eliminate the NBA age limit, expand the draft to 5 rounds, and further fund/legitimize the NBDL farm system to compete directly with NCAA D1 basketball.

This would work...it would absolutely kill the NCAA as a company, but it would accomplish what the OP asked for

[Smutzy#9]

Im all for paying the players while they are in College. But in saying that have a salary cap that is the same for each team and no 1 maximum player can make more than X amount each year.

Yes they are getting a free ride through college with a scholarship, but people get that anyway for working their buts off academically, these kids do it by working their butts of through basketball.

I agree with anyone on this board who has said anything about paying players and how much a University/College makes off its sporting teams. Imagine the revenue from the Alabama LSU game last year, it would have been enourmous!!!

To be at that level, these kids training everyday, sometimes twice a day and then putting in individual practices and then game days + travel? How are they supposed to make any money at all? Its not like they could go out and hold down a part time job with a schedual like that.

I know here in Australia people are getting paid to play LOCAL footy, sure its no where near the amount of money these guys could be making, but it sure helps.

And if you want to rid the one and done players, even set up contracts for stutdents. Play here for X years and recieve X amount of money. Sure you can make more money going pro, but if you stay here 3 years, you can make a bit of money to keep you going and also finish your degree.

Only viable solution for this type of thing to stop.

[rasta1]

Basically I'd much rather have these players get through college and earn their diploma

One of these systems

1) Player can forgo NCAA eligibility by entering the NBA Draft, if they get drafted they can play in the NBA, but they must finish their college education within 6 years from the school they initially attended...maybe this should go into the rookie contract extention if they finish they get paid blah if not a much reduced salary

2) Players can be drafted right out of high school. But, they get the choice to either enter the NBADL or College. Whichever one they choose out of high school they need to work through 4 years before entering the NBA.

3) Or if you get drafted before the age of 22, you must play with the team's D-League first

[Mike-Dub]

I think it should be either you can go straight from high school or if you decide to go to college (or play overseas) you have to stay for two years. 

[guava_wrench]

If you are good enough to contribute in the NBA, then you should be able to play in the NBA regardless of age.

If a team has the rights to Lebron, Amare or Howard, they should be able to play them right away.

There is nothing wrong with one and done. It is NOT the problem of the NBA to worry about colleges being able to fully exploit players who are already NBA ready. And that is what it comes down to. Even worse, if Lebron gets seriously injured in his junior year, he never gets the payday that he was clearly good enough to deserve.

Why is a diploma relevant? These guys can go back to school after their athletic primes are over.

[KGs Knee]

If you are good enough to contribute in the NBA, then you should be able to play in the NBA regardless of age.

If a team has the rights to Lebron, Amare or Howard, they should be able to play them right away.

There is nothing wrong with one and done. It is NOT the problem of the NBA to worry about colleges being able to fully exploit players who are already NBA ready. And that is what it comes down to. Even worse, if Lebron gets seriously injured in his junior year, he never gets the payday that he was clearly good enough to deserve.

Why is a diploma relevant? These guys can go back to school after their athletic primes are over.

TP, and well said.

I was very disappointed the players union ever allowed this rule.  I was never of the opinion allowing kids straight out of HS to enter the draft was bad.  It was the stupid GM's that had no clue what they were doing that was the problem.

[pearljammer10]

Make students go to college for a full four years... If so many jobs in todays world requires a college education and make probably an average of 50k a year if that, then these guys making 10 mil a year should have a college degree in order to play basketball.

[KGs Knee]

Make students go to college for a full four years... If so many jobs in todays world requires a college education and make probably an average of 50k a year if that, then these guys making 10 mil a year should have a college degree in order to play basketball.

I'm sorry, but this makes no sense at all.  How does having a college degree make you more likely to be a better basketball player?  The intelectual knowledge learned in college has no correlation to basketball ability.

Regular, everyday employers require college degrees because you either need the specific knowledge learned in college, or the employer just wants to see that a person was capable of completing a 4 year college program.  The ability to do so, in the employers' eyes, is evidence you're more likely to be a capable employee.  This is not the case with atheletics.

[Norcalceltic]

Want to clean up college ball?

Completely eliminate the NBA age limit, expand the draft to 5 rounds, and further fund/legitimize the NBDL farm system to compete directly with NCAA D1 basketball.

Totally agree. Look at baseball. A kid has the option of going pro out of High School and playing in the Minors. Or, He could go to College. GM's complain about High School kids not being ready for the NBA. Well, don't draft them.

I'll even take it a step further. I wish the NBA was set up like soccer clubs in other countries. They see a young kid, sign him, then send him to their academy to learn how to be a professional soccer player. Look at Messi. Barcelona signed him when he was like 12 years old, he goes to live at La Masia, receives world class training, and at the age of 24 is already one of the greatest ever.

Each NBA team should have a NBDL team and an Academy to train young players. There could be 3 drafts. One draft for kids leaving Middle School, one for kids leaving High School, and one for College kids. It would be up to the players if they would want to go pro or stay in school.

[mctyson]

People are fed up with the status quo. They know that the majority of top programs in college sports are paying students under the table, and they are sick of never knowing whether a NCAA title will be vacated or not even after its won.

So they tasked you with cleaning it up. Do it however you like, just make it so that competition will be as fair as you can make it, and make it so all D-1 schools have objectively the same shot. Also make it as realistic as possible.

As some have already mentioned, I think there are a few very simple things that can be done, but the NBA has to go along with it...

1) Allow high school players (or players of any age) to enter the draft

2) Expand the draft to 4 rounds, and expand the rosters by 2 or 3 slots

3) Much like college baseball, implement a rule that allows for the drafting of the following players:  high school, juniors or seniors from 4-year colleges, or JUCO players of any age.

4) Allow teams to maintain the draft rights of players for 3 years.

5) Allow players to re-enter the draft at a later time if they  opt out of their initial draft position and choose to go to college or play overseas for 3 years.

6) Allow NBA franchises to front-load rookie salaries via signing bonuses, like the NFL and MLB, without impacting the salary cap space

7) I would like to see players allowed to sign with an agent for a "test period" to allow each player time to explore his options.  Let's say...up to 6 months prior to draft day.

8.) Players should be allowed to withdraw their names from the draft pool up to one day before the draft, without losing their amateur status.  I really don't care if this makes Chad Ford's job harder.  Either this, or all players who go undrafted should be allowed to retain amateur status and to go to school.

9) Increase the living stipend for 4-year scholarship athletes, and make it adjusted by financial need.  Cap it at 20,000 per year, index it to inflation.  

10) All D-1 scholarships should be 4 years, not 1-year renewable.

11) All D-1 players should be allowed to transfer schools without the requirement of sitting out a semester.

12) Abolish the Letter of Intent.

13) ...and I am not a huge fan of this, but...cap D-1 coaches salaries at the salary of the school president.

I would not expect all of these issues to be implemented.  I don't think they would all necessarily rid college sports of booster payments and shady recruitment deals.  

But I think allowing more players to be drafted, and allowing them to make substantial money RIGHT AWAY via signing bonuses, will draw most of the players who want money RIGHT NOW to the NBA draft.  That really is the problem with money in college sports - it is not that the kids necessarily need the money, though a lot of them do.  It's that the money is there, and any of us would take it if it was offered to us.  By getting the NBA to offer this money instead, you'll get most of the kids who don't want to go to school to the pros and into the D-league or Europe.

[thirstyboots18]

I would say... No More Sports Scholarships.  If you want to play College sports, it is a privilege, not a right.  You have to earn it scholastically. If you don't maintain  grade averages and acceptable class attendance, no sports for you.

If you want a free ride and to simply showcase your basketball talent, try the CBL.  College should not be an internship for professional sports.

[clover]

I would say... No More Sports Scholarships.  If you want to play College sports, it is a privilege, not a right.  You have to earn it scholastically. If you don't maintain  grade averages and acceptable class attendance, no sports for you.

If you want a free ride and to simply showcase your basketball talent, try the CBL.  College should not be an internship for professional sports.

I'd imagine the majority of players would qualify for needs-based scholarships anyway.

[thirstyboots18]

I would say... No More Sports Scholarships.  If you want to play College sports, it is a privilege, not a right.  You have to earn it scholastically. If you don't maintain  grade averages and acceptable class attendance, no sports for you.

If you want a free ride and to simply showcase your basketball talent, try the CBL.  College should not be an internship for professional sports.

I'd imagine the majority of players would qualify for needs-based scholarships anyway.

They might...but see requirements #2 and  #3. Monitor those two things and make sure of compliance.