Posted April 13, 200520 yr comment_1677128 http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2035132 He clarified his comments on ESPN2 tonight saying he doesn't think Stern is racist but that there are racial overtones in wanting an age limit since nearly all kids going to the NBA straight from high scool are black. I have to side with O'Neal on this one. Regardless of your age level, if you can't play, they aren't going to put you on the court. This seems like a move from the Commissioner to save the teams from themselves since they are the ones drafting these kids. Thoughts?
April 13, 200520 yr comment_1677354 I think its not so much a talent issue as it is a question of kids in high school being mature enough to play in the NBA. I don't think an age limit would be a terrible thing.
April 13, 200520 yr Author comment_1677457 What does maturity have to do with it? LeBron James... Kevin Garnett... hell, Moses Malone. If you can play... you can play. I know Ron Artest attended college. So did Dennis Rodman. It isn't an issue of maturity. Now, is it a question of racism?
April 13, 200520 yr comment_1677497 I think O'Neal's argument is full of shit on the Ray Cism side... He mentions that neither baseball or hockey have age limits. He doesn't mention that those are the only two pro sports in the US that have an established minor league system to train young draftees. (Hockey's minor leagues include the East Coast Hockey League, which included the Baton Rouge Kingfish until about 2 years ago) Unlike a baseball draftee, who would be LUCKY to ride the bench in the majors before 3-5 years, a basketball draftee is on the team's main roster from day 1 because there's no minor league to send them to and the fact that so much money is tied up in the player. While the CBA still exists, it's more of a no man's land than a developmental league.
April 13, 200520 yr Author comment_1677841 YOu say he is full of shit but is it the fault of the players that basketball does not provide them with a minor league? No, so if a young black kid from the projects has skills but doesn't have the grades, why should he be penalized for not being old enough? Hell, LeBron JUST turned 20 and can play better than all but a small handful of guys. I think the age limit is full of shit. If the teams are willing to draft them, it is on the management.
April 13, 200520 yr comment_1678227 he doesn't think Stern is racist but that there are racial overtones in wanting an age limit since nearly all kids going to the NBA straight from high scool are black. Which makes his comments just as racist, since he's automatically assuming that there will never be a white high schooler who will ever have aspirations for the NBA. Ultimately, the NBA has the right to do whatever they want to, in terms of limiting the population of players in their league, in the name of competitive fairness and quality of play. I'm not sure what an age limit is really going to do for the league, but it's certainly within their bounds to establish that rule, in my opinion.
April 13, 200520 yr comment_1678799 I'm against an age limit. People want an age limit because they perceive college as some institution that grants players maturity. I can assure you college does not make a person more mature. All it does is gives a few years to weed out the especially bad eggs. Like Goodhelmet said, there are some model citizens who came out of high school, and troublemakers who have come out of college. Some state that high school has ruined the quality of play, but I have argued to the contrary numerous times, and you can search TSM to seek that out. Ultimately, I feel if a player is good enough for the NBA, he should play.
April 13, 200520 yr comment_1687019 I thought the comments on this being a race issues were overboard there. I for one would love to see an age cap for the NBA the biggest reason being i'm a fan of college sports. Going into the NBA yeah that's fine but if they're that damn good the money is going to be there a few years after playing college ball. There's so many young kids who enter the NBA and flop and not everyone is going to be a kobe, garnett, o'neal, etc. Sure MLB takes kids out of high school but how many go straight to the majors? Not many as most spend a few seasons in the minors. An age cap is good for the nba imo. A lot of these young kids still don't have all the two and yes while 2 to 3 seasons later they're playing pretty well it's because they finally have the rest of the fundamentals needed to play, hello that's what college is for. I for one would've loved to have seen how cal would've done with jason kidd staying longer, or georiga tech with marbury, or the orangemen with carmello.
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