No surprise Tatum is going to Duke

[UNC71-00]

Is that you Dave??

Too many paragraphs, although the word count was about right.

 

[HeelFan58]

K is not retiring anytime soon. Try something else guys. Jeff Capel is the big difference there and he most likely will replace K when he hangs it up. The Heels will have good, competitive teams for the next two seasons.

"K" will be like Connie Mack...he'll be coaching at 90.

 

[Ozheelfan]

I think the 1-and-done rule for prospective NBA players is the biggest joke in all of sports right now. Someone correct me if I'm wrong on this... but I think one of the main intentions of this rule was to prevent as many young "busts" from coming into the league from high school, like Kwame Brown, etc. One thing I also hear is that the NBA likes this rule because it gives them an "extra year" to scout players. I think it's completely unfair to the kids, and it's not even the best route for the NBA to scout its prospective players.

They should be allowed to go pro out of HS if they want to try it, or stay at least 2 years in college if they go that route. Slight caveat to the baseball rule. Certain players have no business playing college ball, period. Some are actually that good. I realize they have the Jennings and Mudiay option, but it's just ridiculous that they're forced to a different country in order to make money out of HS if that's what they want to try.

It also should make it easier, not harder, for NBA scouts in many cases. There's never going to be a perfect system where there's no busts and/or dumb choices. Players are in different situations financially, so some will shoot for the moon out of HS and some GMs will be smart and/or dumb enough to take them. But in most cases if a guy is special, you can tell. That term is subjective, but there's a tipping point in every class where you go from a guy who's potentially special to a guy who's "really good."

Those really good prospects are ones that could end up being fine if they go into the right situation in the NBA, but they could also almost just as easily get lost in the shuffle and drop out of the league. I think this rule has facilitated too many just "really good" players being OAD, when many of them would be better off long-term staying multiple years. I think this is one of the main reasons why college hoops has gotten worse. Some may disagree, but I think it'd be a net gain for college hoops if they miss out on about 3-5 special guys on average, while keeping another 10 or so "very good" players for multiple years. I really don't think there would be as many HS jumps and Mudiays as most people think.

It's become a self-fulfilling thing. It's true that many of these freshmen actually are some of the best "prospects," but that's only because it's been nearly a decade now (since '07) that an average of close to 10 freshmen have left every year. The guys who should actually be the best prospects in college to come into the league... have already left! From '07-'14, there were 67 OAD. From '99-'06, there were 46 HS jumps or college OADs. From '91-'98, there were only 14 HS jumps or college 1-and-dones. In '91 and '92, there wasn't a single HS player or college freshman drafted. I looked up those numbers before this year's draft, but there were 13 OADs this year. There was definitely a spike in players jumping from '99-'06 vs. the previous 8 years, but this trend hasn't slowed down.

I think that's astounding, because players haven't gotten like inherently better at basketball since the early-mid 90s. It ain't like it's the '50s vs. now. I feel like those numbers suggest that there's somehow a new breed of player and more pro-ready guys, when there's really not. I think it's likely that a good handful-to-several of the freshmen taken this year will end up being fools gold relative to what some may be expecting. NBA teams could get the special players one year earlier (better for them, little worse for college hoops), and they'd get an extra year to scout the "very good" players that could be legit or could be fools gold (better for them, much better for college hoops). The very good players getting processed out of the league doesn't hurt the NBA nearly as much as it hurts college IMO

Nick, I agree about 50%.

The OAD rule isn't great, but no rule works when the NBA has operated as a parasite on Basketball development.

I've often argued that HS players should be allowed to declare for the draft. But I've also said the NBA should be working collectively to give these kids fair, balanced and forthright guidance.

Unfortunately the NBA can't get the teams to collaborate to give kids some hard truths: Unless they are a Dwight Howard/KG/Kobe/Lebron can't miss type player, they'd struggle straight out of HS

I say let everyone who wants to declare do it. Then, and at a specified time, well before the draft, the NBA teams get together and do a "pre-draft". They'd rank the players available and only the highest ranked 10-15 underclass (HS, Frosh, Soph) players would be allowed to stay in the draft, everyone else would have to go back to school or to wherever they want to develop their skills.

Sure, the draft would be weak for a year or two, but after that it'd be choc full of developed, established, battle tested players.

 

[timo0402]

Nick, I agree about 50%.

The OAD rule isn't great, but no rule works when the NBA has operated as a parasite on Basketball development.

I've often argued that HS players should be allowed to declare for the draft. But I've also said the NBA should be working collectively to give these kids fair, balanced and forthright guidance.

Unfortunately the NBA can't get the teams to collaborate to give kids some hard truths: Unless they are a Dwight Howard/KG/Kobe/Lebron can't miss type player, they'd struggle straight out of HS

I say let everyone who wants to declare do it. Then, and at a specified time, well before the draft, the NBA teams get together and do a "pre-draft". They'd rank the players available and only the highest ranked 10-15 underclass (HS, Frosh, Soph) players would be allowed to stay in the draft, everyone else would have to go back to school or to wherever they want to develop their skills.

Sure, the draft would be weak for a year or two, but after that it'd be choc full of developed, established, battle tested players.

That's actually a pretty decent plan.

 

[DSouthr]

Is that you Dave??

Not me but I do absolutely agree that if a kid is good enough he should be able to be drafted out of high school. In lite of the fact that players like Garnett, Kobe, and Lebron never played a single college game, the one & done rule really makes no sense. I personally don't like a baseball rule or any rule that forces a kid to stay some place he does not want to be. I believe if a kid is good enough to secure his financial future no matter if after a senior year in high school or a soph year in college he should be afforded that opportunity.

 

[gunslingerdick]

Nick, I agree about 50%.

The OAD rule isn't great, but no rule works when the NBA has operated as a parasite on Basketball development.

I've often argued that HS players should be allowed to declare for the draft. But I've also said the NBA should be working collectively to give these kids fair, balanced and forthright guidance.

Unfortunately the NBA can't get the teams to collaborate to give kids some hard truths: Unless they are a Dwight Howard/KG/Kobe/Lebron can't miss type player, they'd struggle straight out of HS

I say let everyone who wants to declare do it. Then, and at a specified time, well before the draft, the NBA teams get together and do a "pre-draft". They'd rank the players available and only the highest ranked 10-15 underclass (HS, Frosh, Soph) players would be allowed to stay in the draft, everyone else would have to go back to school or to wherever they want to develop their skills.

Sure, the draft would be weak for a year or two, but after that it'd be choc full of developed, established, battle tested players.

The NBA is in it for the money. Why should they be burdened with the responsibility of getting the kids the most accurate information? I agree that kids should be able to go straight out of high school. If they fail, that's on them and those that encouraged them to enter the draft. And on the flipside, if an NBA GM rolls the dice on a kid because of "potential" and he doesn't pan out, oh well, should have had better talent evaluation.

Let kids go straight out of high school. I love the baseball rule but I know that will never be. So just let them go.

 

[Archer2]

I think kids should be able to declare for the draft right out of high school but it's prohibited by the NBA's rules and they have no incentive to change them. My solution to the OAD situation is very simple, reinstate Freshman ineligibility. High school graduates can go overseas, go to the NBDL, or attend college and play JV their first year. Guys who have no desire whatsoever to attend college should not be on campus. Period. The OAD rule is making a mockery of the college game and the NBA is reaping all the benefits.

 

[lobstersgopinchpinch]

Most here would be happy to pull in the Okafors, Parkers and Tatums. Me?,...meh. Look, I love top drawer talent as much as the next guy. But as I get older and winning championships becomes less important to me than the fun and entertainment that college sports provides to me and my family, I'm not automatically sold on players that are sure fire OADs. There's just something really neat about watching a player and a team build and grow.

Get what you're saying, but it's exciting to see a brand new team every year; not only new players but potentially entirely different ways of playing. Watching OADs develop over a season can be just as / more exciting than watching an upperclassman develop.

 

[Archer2]

Get what you're saying, but it's exciting to see a brand new team every year; not only new players but potentially entirely different ways of playing. Watching OADs develop over a season can be just as / more exciting than watching an upperclassman develop.

I don't believe that for a second and I doubt you do either. None of my top ten favorite UNC players was at UNC for less than three years. Time makes the heart grow fonder.

 

[Ozheelfan]

I don't believe that for a second and I doubt you do either. None of my top ten favorite UNC players was at UNC for less than three years. Time makes the heart grow fonder.

Yup, while id still pull for Marvin and Brandon, the growth and story of Psycho T, Danny and Frasor was way more interesting

 

[gunslingerdick]

I don't believe that for a second and I doubt you do either. None of my top ten favorite UNC players was at UNC for less than three years. Time makes the heart grow fonder.

Right? That's an absurd notion.

 

[scoutsupreme]

Regardless of the Tatum miss we b end a huge 2016.....we need at least 3 top 15 players in the perimeter. ...the swing....and the post. Do that and all this talk is gobble da dook....won't matter.