A Stern Word
by Rob
If you've been paying attention, then you know that I am not a fan of the rapid influx of teenagers into the NBA. Listen, like Bill Simmons, I am still an NBA fan and I want to see this get back on track. But let's face it, the landscape of the game has changed dramatically in the last ten years. We no longer watch our favorite players develop during four years in college and then step onto the hardwood with the pros and immediately produce. We all know that GMs have decided the only way to really make your team better is draft high school player after high school player until one of them finally develops into an MVP type player. They are all just afraid to draft a safe pick that will help immediately and miss out on the next KG or Kobe.
Well I'm sick of it. Who needs two high school kids on a 12 man roster if they aren't good enough to play? What does this do for anyone? Jermaine O'Neal has turned into the Eastern Conference MVP but does anyone remember when he first got into the league? He was a waste for his first four years. The man languished on the Portland bench and didn't get a chance to develop. This is the same thing that could happen to Darko Milicic. We did not see O'Neal progress until he started getting some playing time and once he had developed physically. This will keep happening as NBA GM's try to get the next great player. They keep reaching younger and younger to make sure that they don't miss out.
What we're seeing is a concerted effort on the part of the league to develop an alternative to drafting 14 year olds Chad Ford had a chance to sit down with David Stern and talk about the state of the game and more specifically on this issue. This interview made me remember just how great a commissioner Stern really is. While not saying that something needs to be changed; Stern does explain that he is trying to be proactive and make sure that the league continues to improve. The real point of the whole interview is to have Stern talk about how he wants to improve the game. There is talk of an age limit and Stern is convinced that they are legal if collectively bargained (and he did go to law school). But the real treat is when he started explaining his vision of the NBDL, or D League as he likes to call it. Essentially he sees the league expanding to 15 teams so each NBDL team will be filled with players from two NBA franchises. This league is also going to serve as a training ground for coaches, staff, and officials too. There are still plenty of details to work out, but what we're seeing is a concerted effort on the part of the league to develop an alternative to drafting 14 year olds or forcing kids to wait until they're 20. The whole point behind the NBDL is that it will allow people to refine their skills so that they can be ready for the NBA. It's written right into the name: National Basketball DEVELOPMENT League. Right now we are looking at a bunch of guys that weren't good enough to get drafted or only get into the league on 10 day contracts (aka CBA Jr). Of course the league isn't going to work if that's the case because no one wants to see these people play and no NBA team is going to expend its resources on talent that they didn't like in the first place. If we let kids like Shaun Livingston and Darko Milicic play against each other in this league, they would be better prepared to contribute in the NBA. What we would then see is more talent in the NBA initially because bench spots won't be wasted on people the coaches don't intend to play and improved play down the road because these kids will get to play against the second best talent in the world. Will this stop the tide of youngsters being drafted? No, but that's okay because we will be looking at improved play in the NBA and a secondary league that should at least generate some revenue to off set the cost of a "minor league system." Once again, this may not be the best answer, but it is a step in the right direction.
The link above is to the actual interview but you have to be an ESPN Insider
to read it. If you just want to see some of the highlights, try
his chat wrap from this afternoon. Oh and for an added kick, notice that
Rob from Sioux Falls, SD has more free time on his hands in the middle of
the day than even Mike D [Ed. Note: It's all about productivity].
Stern keepin' it real.
Darko playing during his glory days.