NBA needs to catch up to the NCAA and ditch its ag from seestyle's blog

When the NCAA starts to look player-friendly Brent Burns Jersey by comparison, you need to reconsider your position.The ma sively important rule changes approved Wednesday by college basketballs governing bodies rolled the ball back into the NBAs court. The draft eligibility rules no longer help players. That argument is out the window, where the age limit belongs.MORE: | NBA commi sioner Adam Silver wants to move the limit up, to effectively block teenagers from the NBA. The age limit protects players and teams, and hes right about half of that. Front offices have more opportunity to scout players now, and moving the age limit up to 20 would allow for another very important year.But the NCAA rule changes are an important moment in the push for player rights, and the NBA should not lag behind. College athletes now can go through the scouting combine and workouts before deciding whether they want to return to school. They can do that as many times as they want. They can get feedback from scouts and from the NBA itself.They can make the right decision for them and thats the key point. Finances are only the most obvious reason to declare for the NBA Draft. Some players simply dislike college the atmosphere, the schoolwork, the location while others struggle with academics. The system allbutforces elite high school stars to spend a year in school, even when it does little good. The ma sive majority of preps-to-pros first-rounders were succe sful in the NBA, and those who dropped out of the first round were not afforded the opportunity to reconsider after entering.This new system ends that. What we will see is players with greater understanding of what they need David Schlemko Jersey to work on and when the NBA wants them. For the top tier, that means right away.MORE: LeBron James was significantly better in his second NBA season. That doesnt mean he wasnt ready right away. Same for Kevin Garnett, Kobe Bryant and Dwight Howard, all of whom were solid contributors as rookies out of high school before turning into superstars. Even players such as Jermaine ONeal, Tracy McGrady and Andrew Bynum, who took several years to develop into All-Stars, were allowed to make millions of dollars and learn from NBA coaches and teammates in positive environments.Take away the NBAs age limit, and those clear-cut first-round talents would be learning in San Jose Sharks Jersey the NBA again. Out would be players such as Rashard Lewis, C.J. Miles and Amir Johnson, who slipped to the second round on draft day and toiled before becoming good NBA players. Those players would be warned of their stock and have the chance to reconsider, and its easy to imagine a year or three in college helping their stock and their NBA readine s.These NCAA rules come as the NBA continues to take steps toward a 30-team Development League. That will prove to be e sential in the long term, regardle s of eligibility. But what the D-League expansion and single-team affiliations will help most with is teaching young players. ONeal, who was drafted 17th overall in 1996, spent four years barely playing for the Trail Blazers. In todays system, he could be sent to the D-League to gain on-court reps while still spending time with the top team to learn the ins and outs of NBA life.NBA DRAFT: | | Thirty players have been drafted in the first round directly out of high school. Five became future Hall of Famers and four others became All-Stars. Twelve never made All-Star teams but became valuable rotation players, ranging from near-All-Stars such as Al Jefferson and Josh Smith to solid bench contributors such as Travis Outlaw and Shaun Livingston. Even among busts, only Robert Swift and Ndudi Ebi failed to get second NBA contracts.Whats more, even Swift and Ebi got paid millions. Thats likely more than they would have earned had they pa sed up the chance to be first-round picks. College basketball and Tomas Hertl Jersey the NBA can coexist, even though many argue (probably correctly) that the NBA is a better environment for players to learn the game. The key, though, isnt keeping the next Darius Miles out of the NBA for a year. Its ensuring players understand when they should and shouldnt be making the leap.Players such as Korleone Young, who entered the draft as a 19-year-old high-schooler, deserve the opportunity to hear out that they arent first-round material and should head to college. Players such as Kevin Durant shouldnt have to waste their time on campus if they dont want to.The NBA has become a better place for young players over the years. Teams are more patient. Executives and scouts are smarter. They dont need the protective quilt of the age limit. Neither do the top prospects. They need honest a se sments, the kind they readily can get after the scouting combine and workouts and interviews. They Martin Jones Jersey also need the opportunity to make their own decisions, to be adults and use their immense talents.The NCAA recognized that. The NBA should follow.