The 2007 NBA draft class was the most hyped and highly covered of any draft
class in the last five years and maybe even this decade - and 9 of the 10 first
picks were still teenagers. Something very profound has occurred in the NBA in
the past two years due in large part to the new rule that disallows any high
school student from entering the NBA draft until they are 19 years old,
requiring that they spend a year in the NCAA at a college of their choice before
they make the big jump. The 2008 draft class is looking to be infinitely deeper
than last year's as a result with freshman like Derrick Rose, Eric Gordon, and
O.J. Mayo shaping up to be some of the most exciting college freshman in years.
New Rules, Unexpected Results
David Stern's assertion that the NBA will no longer draft players fresh out
of high school came as a bit of shock and upset many basketball owners, players,
and fans two years ago. Essentially, his goal was to reduce the number of
players who were drafted at 18 only to sit on a bench for four years making
seven figures while they "developed" into the player everyone thought they could
become.
The results have been multi-fold. Beyond creating some of the most exciting
draft classes in recent memory, the new rule has revitalized college basketball
and turned it into a high flying, epic sport of showmanship and superstars that
might not have ever played a day of college basketball if they were give a
chance to enter the NBA draft.
What this Means for Basketball
Now, when a superstar like O.J. Mayo or Derrick Rose graduates from High
School, they don't actually have a choice in what they do next. They have to go
to college. The NBA won't have them for another year, so they allow the slew of
college recruiters to invade their living rooms and talk up their parents with
scholarships and perks and eventually they commit and suit up for a college they
only intend on staying at for one year.
But something very interesting happens in that one year - some sink and some
don't. And this is why the new age limit is so genius. Take Chase Budinger fore
example, a sophomore at Arizona. Two years ago, he would have entered the draft
out of High School if he could of. He had the raw talent that scouts used to
look for, hoping to find the next big high school superstar.
Unfortunately, only some players are actually as good as High School makes
them look. Sure, LeBron James looked incredible and at 18 years of age was
incredible in the NBA - he adjusted fast. But Budinger made the NCAA and
discovered he was not NBA ready - he was hardly NCAA ready. He had had it too
easy in High School, making him look much better than he was.
So, he stuck with college and will likely finish out his four year career
there, becoming better and readying himself for a possible shot at the draft.
Long Term Results
While the players may not enjoy the prospect that they must wait on that
seven figure contract for four more years or maybe even not at all, but the
results are incredible for basketball.
As a result, no longer do we see the draft littered with bust picks of
players who had all the potential in the world but who had never been tested.
The college ranks are better than ever at showing what a player might be able to
pull off in the NBA and thus the freshmen who average 25 points a game and get
drafted at 19 actually deserve to be drafted. Throw in a few international stars
from a growing worldwide pool of talent, and the draft is getting stronger every
year, making basketball better and more enjoyable for every city to watch and
what more can you honestly ask for than that?
