ESPN way too early Top 25

[ShockerPrez]

Why doesn't under Armour or one of these big companies just create a one and done league for these players and pay them while they fulfill their one year out of high school requirement before getting drafted?

[Fuente 858]

Not to be a smart ass, but Under Armour is in the business of selling clothes and shoes, not creating a new sports league.

[Cdizzle]

Why doesn't under Armour or one of these big companies just create a one and done league for these players and pay them while they fulfill their one year out of high school requirement before getting drafted?

Pretty sure they basically already have.

[shoxtop]

I'm still surprised these players don't go to the D-league for a year. Is there a rule somewhere that I've missed that keeps this from happening? From nba.com

How old are D-League players?
The minimum age to play in the D-League is 18, unlike the NBA, which requires players to be 19 years old and one year out of high school in order to sign an NBA contract or be eligible for the draft. There is no maximum age and a recent trend has seen NBA veterans attempt to return to the NBA via the D-League.

Why doesn't the NBA try to build the D-league to be more similar to how minor league baseball works? Throw some money at the young stars, let them make a US tour before they go play with the rest of the big boys...

[ShockerPrez]

Not to be a smart ass, but Under Armour is in the business of selling clothes and shoes, not creating a new sports league.

I get that but they are already paying a lot of money in endorsements and this league would basically be an extended AAU league without the under the table bullshit with the coaches and handlers that we have now prior to their one year in college.

[wu_shizzle]

I'm still surprised these players don't go to the D-league for a year. Is there a rule somewhere that I've missed that keeps this from happening? From nba.com



Why doesn't the NBA try to build the D-league to be more similar to how minor league baseball works? Throw some money at the young stars, let them make a US tour before they go play with the rest of the big boys...

Because the D-League isn't on ESPN.

Andrew Wiggins added more $ to his brand by playing at KU than he would have in the D-League or overseas.

[WSUwatcher]

In terms of development, going to the D-League would certainly be better, because they'd play tougher competition and get a taste of the pro game. But for the handful of guys who really are NBA-ready, guys who can make an impact their first season as pros, minor league money vs. being on scholarship and getting the college experience for at least a year probably isn't all that appealing.

D-League and baseball minor league play aren't that closely analogous. Basketball is much more a game of athleticism; baseball is more about skill and technique and is much harder to master enough to play it well at the highest level. That's why so many more guys have a significant NBA impact in their first year as pros than do so in the major leagues.

[AZ Shocker]

Wasn't the Dallas owner pumping up some sort of league or new idea that was comparable to what we're talking about here??? Can't remember the details...but it sounded like a good idea to me at the time.

[CBB_Fan]

In terms of development, going to the D-League would certainly be better, because they'd play tougher competition and get a taste of the pro game. But for the handful of guys who really are NBA-ready, guys who can make an impact their first season as pros, minor league money vs. being on scholarship and getting the college experience for at least a year probably isn't all that appealing.

D-League and baseball minor league play aren't that closely analogous. Basketball is much more a game of athleticism; baseball is more about skill and technique and is much harder to master enough to play it well at the highest level. That's why so many more guys have a significant NBA impact in their first year as pros than do so in the major leagues.

That assumes that players learn more from their competition than their coaches. The coaches at the college level are far better than those in the D-League, even if the players are usually more experienced and better in general (though I'd guess that college has a wider spectrum of talent). For some players, all they need to improve is competition and time on the court, but I think college coaching can help with a lot more than that: teamplay, defensive fundamentals, anything that doesn't come naturally. Guys like Marshall get paid big bucks for a reason.

[Fuente 858]

The NBA and NFL get millions upon millions of dollars of free marketing - essentially "pre-marketing" - of their product/players prior to their arrival in the leagues. They realize the tremendous value of college football and basketball which is why the NFL will keep the 3 yrs past high school rule forever and why the NBA is pushing to make players wait 2 years after high school instead of just one.

This is also why baseball continues to fall behind in the marketing of its stars and product. I don't have to explain because all of us have seen this for decades with MLB and college baseball.

The D League is the developmental league, and it serves that purpose. It allows NBA teams to get playing time for prospects to stay in shape and work on their game.

I don't personally get all worked up about the one-and-done guys. I would like to see it move to two years and away from one, that would be better for the NBA and better for college basketball. If a player doesn't like that he has options aside from going to college. The comments by Mark Cuban were just more noise from a guy that rarely thinks before he opens his mouth and is a really bad dresser. Kind of like Bill Gates, you would think with all that money the guy could get a decent haircut.