Let a Young Man Get Paid
As we all know already know, the NBA lottery was won by the Minnesota Timberwolves. Once again the top tier players in the draft are mainly freshman. Every year it seems there are a bunch of 18-19 year old kids who go to college for one or two semesters just to leave right afterwards.
Since 2007, seven out of the last eight first picks have been freshman. For the most part it seems like these players should've at least had the opportunity to enter the NBA draft coming out of high school. But ever since 2007, the NBA has banned high schoolers the ability to go to the NBA. The problem with that though is why can't a young man have the opportunity to use his skills to create income? Now there are some reasons I somewhat agree with onto why it was banned. It does give the young men the opportunity to do a little bit of growing up before they go into a "Man's" league. It also prevents apparel companies, agents, and other business folks from pressuring these young men to making decisions that could seriously alter their lives. But at the same time college isn't for everyone so why force someone to do something that may not be in their favor? I believe there should be another way for them to continue their journey why also learning the skills, basketball wise and life skill wise.
NBADL
The NBADL is a minor league organization for young players to develop and players looking for an opportunity to make it to the NBA. Many players have made the transition such as Danny Green, Avery Bradley, and even All NBA Defense Team member Draymond Green. Now high school players are allowed to enter the NBADL. However, is it worth going when the average D League salary is $25,500 and the exposure? I would think not. In this case I would say college is the better idea. But what if the NBA invested more in the D League? Rumor has it that the NBA has decided to increase the amount of teams in the D League so that every team has their own individual team. The only issue with that is that it would liquidate the D League talent wise. But let's say that they raised the average income of the players.
Let's say somewhere between $75,000-$100,000 and give more television time to this league. Many top notch high school athletes would find this option more of a higher value than to go overseas or go to college for a year. It gives these young men the opportunity to develop their talents, learn to be a professional, and also earn an income in which they can support themselves. This will bring more revenue to the NBA as well. The money put into the NCAA by these young men would also be going to them as well. The young men are not officially in the NBA, but they are in a position to be there within the next year. Who are we to say that a "kid" is not ready to be in that position? Many criticizers of the jump from high school say that these "kids" aren't ready for the jump. However, in sports like baseball, track & field and hockey, athletes are allowed to come out of high school, success or fail. A problem with our society is we try to protect the youth so much, we don't allow them to be successful young. Now I'm nowhere near saying that any of these young men are going to be Lebron James or Kevin Garnett, but what I am saying is that they should have the opportunity to be in the position to work towards that and focus on their craft.
College is a place where minds are given the opportunity to grow intellectually, emotionally, and creatively. For a lot of people it is where they find themselves. For some people it is a hassle in which they had no interest anyway. College basketball is a beautiful thing in which I too enjoy. I do however think that the college game is detrimental to some of these men. We are told to stay in school, but for some of them it takes away from their NBA draft stock. Harrison Barnes and Jared Sullinger stayed in college for an extra year and lost money on behalf of this. Could they have made more money going pro straight out of high school? Possibly. The point is that these young men should have an opportunity to Live their dream when they feel they're ready. Not when someone else feels they are. But since they aren't allowed to fully live it for a year, let them get a piece of what it is like to be a professional basketball player.
Let's say somewhere between $75,000-$100,000 and give more television time to this league. Many top notch high school athletes would find this option more of a higher value than to go overseas or go to college for a year. It gives these young men the opportunity to develop their talents, learn to be a professional, and also earn an income in which they can support themselves. This will bring more revenue to the NBA as well. The money put into the NCAA by these young men would also be going to them as well. The young men are not officially in the NBA, but they are in a position to be there within the next year. Who are we to say that a "kid" is not ready to be in that position? Many criticizers of the jump from high school say that these "kids" aren't ready for the jump. However, in sports like baseball, track & field and hockey, athletes are allowed to come out of high school, success or fail. A problem with our society is we try to protect the youth so much, we don't allow them to be successful young. Now I'm nowhere near saying that any of these young men are going to be Lebron James or Kevin Garnett, but what I am saying is that they should have the opportunity to be in the position to work towards that and focus on their craft.
College is a place where minds are given the opportunity to grow intellectually, emotionally, and creatively. For a lot of people it is where they find themselves. For some people it is a hassle in which they had no interest anyway. College basketball is a beautiful thing in which I too enjoy. I do however think that the college game is detrimental to some of these men. We are told to stay in school, but for some of them it takes away from their NBA draft stock. Harrison Barnes and Jared Sullinger stayed in college for an extra year and lost money on behalf of this. Could they have made more money going pro straight out of high school? Possibly. The point is that these young men should have an opportunity to Live their dream when they feel they're ready. Not when someone else feels they are. But since they aren't allowed to fully live it for a year, let them get a piece of what it is like to be a professional basketball player.
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