MCIGuy
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Post by MCIGuy on Apr 29, 2004 12:05:03 GMT -5
MCI, I'm usually on board with you but I have to disagree on this subject. I don't care if he went to Harvard, there is no way that anyone should criticize you for pursuing your dream especially when you've received confirmation that you will be a top 5 pick. That is selfish and I'm not condemning all Duke fans, but the ones who posted what they did should be ashamed of themselves. I'm not arguing against that. I'm pointing out I can understand why Duke fans would be disappointed and I would be too in their place. The people who posted negative responses make up a small portion of Duke fans. Also I can't compare what's going on in the NBA and college ball to MLB. When high schoolers jump to pro baseball they have to go to the minors and often spend years in that system. They learn how to play the game as well as learn life skills as they spend time away from home as a professional before they move on to the truly Big Lights. And if they don't turn out to be any good they never make it to MLB. In the NBA on the other hand teams are picking players on potential and thrusting them into the regular rotation whether they are ready for it or night. And because these players are given guaranteed contracts and picked high DESPITE the fact that they never proved themselves at the college level, many of them don't feel as if they have to prove themselves at the pro level either and simply demand to be treated as stars before displaying their worth. That leads to a disastrous situation for franchises, coaches, teammates and the fans. Its HURTING the game. Period. Not enough of the players, the potentially great ones, learn enough about the game before they actually start getting paid millions to play. As much as I hate to admit it football fans just get it better than us basketball fans. Football fans realize its better for the sport at all levels if there is some sort of structure which allows the players to grow slowly while learning with college teams and later NFL teams benefitting from the talents of the individuals. That's why I was happy that Clarett didn't get his way of making it into the draft. Too many basketball fans on the other hand seem more than okay with the notion of players skipping levels and precious years developing their craft. I don't care about the players wanting fiancial security, I care about the sport itself. If the play and the ratings for both college and the NBA keep going down in a decade that golden egg may not be there (or a lot less golden) for the players who follow and the state of both levels of hoops will be worse off for those of us who actually watch. So lets put aside the Duke hatred and look at the bigger picture. As much as I joke about Maryland I still would rather have its players stay in school as a result of NBA restictions than see them leave after one or two seasons.
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HOYAPLAYA
Golden Hoya (over 1000 posts)
IT'S TIME FOR A RUNNNNNNN!!!!!!
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Post by HOYAPLAYA on Apr 29, 2004 12:30:57 GMT -5
The difference in those sports also is that it is extremely rare that someone could step out of HS or 1 year of college and compete on the major league level. I just would hate to see a rule put in place that prevents the Carmelo Anthony/Lebron James/Kobe Bryant/Kevin Garnett/Jermaine Oneal's of the world from entering the NBA and making it better. I also hate to see kids leave early when they have no shot of getting drafted in the first round and securing that guaranteed contract. I guess there are just different levels of maturity for different individuals and the only answer may be a minor league system that is successful in the NBA because one could argue that playing an additional year in college basketball doesn't prepare you any better for the NBA then practicing with an NBA team and working on your game year round. The difference is one requires more self-discipline than the other. For every early entry and HS bust, there is a player whose stock dropped by staying in an additional year. Why not get the money, while the money is there then work your tail off to be the best player you can be and go back in get your education over the course of several offseasons. These are decisions that can affect generations to come and for a top-5 pick is the only logical decision to make.
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MCIGuy
Platinum Hoya (over 5000 posts)
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Post by MCIGuy on Apr 29, 2004 12:50:45 GMT -5
One could argue that Wilt, Lew Alcindor, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan (after he blew up during his senior high school season), Chris Webber, Shaq, Alonzo, Patrick Ewing and Allen Iverson could have all gone straight from high school to the pros too. They certainly had the talent and most if not all had the drive to succeed at the pro level. But did it hurt their game to actually spend at least two years in school? We may never know but I doubt it. I'm actually willing to argue that the Kobes, the Garnetts, the Amarie Stoudamires, the LeBron James, and the Jermaine O'Neals of the world would have been even better making their NBA debut AFTER putting in a couple of years at least in college. That may be the difference between a Jermaine O'Neal taking 7 years before he become a TRUE franchise player and a Tim Duncan who became a franchise player IMMEDIATELY after joining the league. Kobe could have had a Jordan rookie season impact if he had spent time in college. Instead he went chasing after the money. And even had the arrogance to let the NBA know there were only a handful of teams he was willing to play for. Sorry. I don't see how that helps. And it just turns college bball fans against the NBA and pits the pro leagues against the colleges. How does that type of conflict help? Again I care about the game more than I do the individual players. That may sound cold but I take the needs of the many over the needs of the few. If individual high school players desperately need cash for families then let them play at the NBDL or over in Europe until they are the old enough to be allowed into the NBA. That way they can still earn a bunch of cash while still working on their games. If that is not good enough for them then that tells me they are more concerned about the glamour and the bling-blingness of the NBA lifestyle than they are about supporting their families. Screw that.
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HOYAPLAYA
Golden Hoya (over 1000 posts)
IT'S TIME FOR A RUNNNNNNN!!!!!!
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Post by HOYAPLAYA on Apr 29, 2004 13:43:26 GMT -5
Also I can't compare what's going on in the NBA and college ball to MLB. When high schoolers jump to pro baseball they have to go to the minors and often spend years in that system. They learn how to play the game as well as learn life skills as they spend time away from home as a professional before they move on to the truly Big Lights. And if they don't turn out to be any good they never make it to MLB. In the NBA on the other hand teams are picking players on potential and thrusting them into the regular rotation whether they are ready for it or night. And because these players are given guaranteed contracts and picked high DESPITE the fact that they never proved themselves at the college level, many of them don't feel as if they have to prove themselves at the pro level either and simply demand to be treated as stars before displaying their worth. That leads to a disastrous situation for franchises, coaches, teammates and the fans. Its HURTING the game. Period. Not enough of the players, the potentially great ones, learn enough about the game before they actually start getting paid millions to play. It seems as most recently that potential problem has turned into a lovefest for foreign players with potential. In my opinion, one of the biggest problems with the NBA isn't the fact that players are being picked based on potential. In fact, most of them seem to ride the pine for the first few years anyway and start to come into their own during their 3rd seasons. In my opinion the NBA sucks, because you have mid-level veterans who stick around and continue to get playing time on bad teams who don't give half an effort. For the life of me, I still can't understand why Vin Baker was signed by the Knicks after Sweets started showing his skills. Vin Baker will never be what he was again and it's players like that who have caused many fans to become disinterested.
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SFHoya99
Blue & Gray (over 10,000 posts)
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Post by SFHoya99 on Apr 29, 2004 14:48:20 GMT -5
It seems as most recently that potential problem has turned into a lovefest for foreign players with potential. In my opinion, one of the biggest problems with the NBA isn't the fact that players are being picked based on potential. In fact, most of them seem to ride the pine for the first few years anyway and start to come into their own during their 3rd seasons. In my opinion the NBA sucks, because you have mid-level veterans who stick around and continue to get playing time on bad teams who don't give half an effort. For the life of me, I still can't understand why Vin Baker was signed by the Knicks after Sweets started showing his skills. Vin Baker will never be what he was again and it's players like that who have caused many fans to become disinterested. Why I hate the NBA: 1. Too freaking expensive to go to a game, and get good seats. Sports are hard to enjoy from a distance. A good baseball ticket costs me $30 (and some seats are available cheaper). A good basketball ticket is at least $75 and up to $1000. 2. The players never seem like they are working that hard in the regular season, at least until the end of the game. No movement without the ball, lackadaisical D. They seem to be going through the motions, for the most part. 3. As a result, going to the arena sucks in most cases. The crowd rarely gets into like college ball or even pro baseball. 4. Whether its because skills have eroded, or teams don't stay together long enough, bad coaching or simply because it is more effective, isolation rules. Isolation can be fun if you're watching Kobe or Iverson or McGrady. But not every play, and not when it is Jason Terry running isolation. Uggh. A few teams are thuis watchable, but who can watch that Hawks-Warriors tilt? 5. Most importantly, I hate the NBA because it is called like the ACC. Star players get every call, marginal players get none. The game is called very tight, and we spend a good half of the actual time spent watching the game watching free throws.
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the_way
Platinum Hoya (over 5000 posts)
The Illest
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Post by the_way on Apr 29, 2004 15:30:50 GMT -5
Actually, I could care less about what Duke and their players are doing. I mean, I am a G'Town fan, you know. I'm, eh, more "concerned" with whats going on with OUR program then anybody elses, especially Duke. Whats next, a "how bad UCONN feels because Ben Gordon is gone" posting. I say good riddens to both of those guys.
We ARE Georgetown.
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