Let the Kids Play!
David Stern is at it again. The Boston Globe is saying that he wants to raise the age limit to 20 years old when the collective bargaining agreement comes due in 2011. As a basketball fan, I'd love to see Kevin Durant and the kids in college another year but the bottom line is this is wholly unfair. Forcing these kids to play for free while risking injury is ridiculous and it's not like most of them are incapable of handling the high level of play in the NBA. Maybe he thinks this is a way to get more people interested in the D-League but that whole venture needs to improve before it can truly become a legit minor league. Playing in that league is about as helpful as playing for the Globetrotters.
Enough. Figure out the issue with retired players being traded (or even better, retired players still counting on the salary cap). Deal with the fact that one of the best teams in the league (New Orleans) can't even fill 75% of its arena. Realize that the mess in Seattle is partially his fault because he let people who he knew wanted a team in Oklahoma City buy the Sonics. Maybe fine the next team that thinks hiring Chris Wallace is a good idea. And please don't give me the "People will be better off staying in college" b.s. Kevin Durant would have just hoisted up as many shots as he did last year and would still have issues with defense and passing ability. Greg Oden would have Ohio State trainers dealing with his injury instead of the top flight guys the Trailblazers get. Darrell Arthur, Ty Lawson, and Chase Budinger haven't exactly improved. Hell, Hibbert's didn't improve any staying for his senior year. And it's not like the two years will make anything easier on scouts. They'll still get duped by guys like Patrick O'Bryant, Luke Jackson, and Adam Morrison. Sure, watching LeBron and 'Melo battle it out in March Madness for a couple of years would have been fun but it's more fair to let them start earning the paycheck that each deserved.
Enough. Figure out the issue with retired players being traded (or even better, retired players still counting on the salary cap). Deal with the fact that one of the best teams in the league (New Orleans) can't even fill 75% of its arena. Realize that the mess in Seattle is partially his fault because he let people who he knew wanted a team in Oklahoma City buy the Sonics. Maybe fine the next team that thinks hiring Chris Wallace is a good idea. And please don't give me the "People will be better off staying in college" b.s. Kevin Durant would have just hoisted up as many shots as he did last year and would still have issues with defense and passing ability. Greg Oden would have Ohio State trainers dealing with his injury instead of the top flight guys the Trailblazers get. Darrell Arthur, Ty Lawson, and Chase Budinger haven't exactly improved. Hell, Hibbert's didn't improve any staying for his senior year. And it's not like the two years will make anything easier on scouts. They'll still get duped by guys like Patrick O'Bryant, Luke Jackson, and Adam Morrison. Sure, watching LeBron and 'Melo battle it out in March Madness for a couple of years would have been fun but it's more fair to let them start earning the paycheck that each deserved.
