As a NBA lockout looks more and more like it is going to happen, The Players Association has some demands. Like most negotiations there are some sticking points that can't be compromised. This year since we are in the midst of a recession, the next labor deal is very crucial.
One of the items that is up for debate is are ole' pal "age limit". Chris Broussard from ESPN.com is reporting that the Players Assoc. is asking for how things used to be when there was no age limit. In the 2005-2006 season there was an agreement that no player under the age of 19 was permitted into the NBA or a year removed from high school. You were allowed to sign with the NBDL.."Minor Leagues".
The Players Union would like to do away with the age limit stating that it is racially, economically and just down right unamerican to have this rule in place.
Before 2005-2006 age limit was set in motion you had a flood of stars that have made the grade in the NBA and have pissed on the age limit law....Kobe, Lebron, Dwight Howard(sorry Dwight, not on a first name basis just yet.)and more and more that I will name later. Notice two of the names were #1 Overall Picks..just food for thought.
My feelings are really simple, if you have the game...then you should be able to play. In tennis you are considered a prodigy if you can play professional by age 14(Jenniffer Capratti), if you can swing a bat or throw 90 plus you are drafted right out of high school straight to the MLB(Alex Rodriguez),even in NASCAR you have Joey Logano who drives for Joe Gibbs Racing and was only 19 years young. In the NFL you have to be 3 years removed from high school, which makes sense since you are dealing with such a violent sport.
With the NBA you are dealing with a lot of issues but the biggest one is money, it always comes down to money. The NCAA loses its stars to he NBA and the university's marketing departments takes a crap thinking about the millions that they will not be making so they can go on there expensive business trips or for whatever lie they want to tell us. All I know it is not about education. If you think about how sweet was it when we saw Melo knocking down jumper after jumper to help the Cuse' win a National Championship, I know Gerry McNamara and Hakeem Warrick are. It is rare that people will put off millions to help generate millions for someone else.
Bottom line is, if you could change your whole life by signing your name on the dotted line, would you? But you are not just changing your life, you are changing your Moms life, your Dads life and even your girlfriends life. How many would take financial security for the next 15 years over struggling for the rest of your life, yeah....that's what I thought.
I'm going to leave you with a list of high school greats that did pretty OK when it was said and done.
Reggie Harding, Detroit Eastern High School, Detroit, Michigan (1962, drafted a second time in 1963)
Moses Malone, Petersburg High School, Petersburg, Virginia (1974, made his NBA debut in 1976)
Darryl Dawkins, Maynard Evans High School, Orlando, Florida (1975)
Bill Willoughby, Dwight Morrow High School, Englewood, New Jersey (1976)
Shawn Kemp, Concord High School, Elkhart, Indiana (1989, attended University of Kentucky and Trinity Valley Community College but did not play college basketball. Was kicked off the University of Kentucky basketball team after pawning a teammate's necklace.)
Kevin Garnett, Farragut Career Academy, Chicago, Illinois (1995)
Kobe Bryant, Lower Merion High School, Lower Merion Township, Pennsylvania (1996)
Jermaine O'Neal, Eau Claire High School, Columbia, South Carolina (1996)
Tracy McGrady, Mt. Zion Christian Academy, Durham, North Carolina (1997)
Stephen Jackson, Oak Hill Academy, Mouth of Wilson, Virginia (2000, attended Butler Community College but did not play college basketball)
Al Harrington, St. Patrick High School, Elizabeth, New Jersey (1998)
Rashard Lewis, Alief Elsik High School, Houston, Texas (1998)
Jonathan Bender, Picayune Memorial High School, Picayune, Mississippi (1999)
Darius Miles, East St. Louis High School, East St. Louis, Illinois (2000)
DeShawn Stevenson, Washington Union High School, Fresno, California (2000)
Kwame Brown, Glynn Academy, Brunswick, Georgia (2001)
Tyson Chandler, Dominguez High School, Compton, California (2001)
Eddy Curry, Thornwood High School, South Holland, Illinois (2001)
DeSagana Diop, Oak Hill Academy, Mouth of Wilson, Virginia (2001)
Amare Stoudemire, Cypress Creek High School, Orlando, Florida (2002)
LeBron James, St. Vincent - St. Mary High School, Akron, Ohio (2003)
Travis Outlaw, Starkville High School, Starkville, Mississippi (2003)
Kendrick Perkins, Clifton J. Ozen High School, Beaumont, Texas (2003)
Dwight Howard, Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy, Atlanta, Georgia (2004)
Shaun Livingston, Peoria Central High School, Peoria, Illinois (2004)
Sebastian Telfair, Abraham Lincoln High School (New York), Brooklyn, New York (2004)
Al Jefferson, Prentiss High School, Prentiss, Mississippi (2004)
Josh Smith, Oak Hill Academy, Mouth of Wilson, Virginia (2004)
J.R. Smith, Saint Benedict's Preparatory School, Newark, New Jersey (2004)
Dorell Wright, Leuzinger High School, Lawndale, California (2004)
Martell Webster, Seattle Preparatory School, Seattle, Washington (2005)
Andrew Bynum, St. Joseph High School, Metuchen, New Jersey (2005)
Gerald Green, Gulf Shores Academy, Houston, Texas (2006)
C.J. Miles, Skyline High School, Dallas, Texas (2005)
Monta Ellis, Lanier High School, Jackson, Mississippi (2005)
Louis Williams, South Gwinnett High School, Snellville, Georgia (2005)
Andray Blatche, South Kent Preparatory School, South Kent, Connecticut (2005)
Amir Johnson, Westchester High School, Los Angeles, California (2006)
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