Announcement

Collapse

The Rules of Pacers Digest

Hello everyone,

Whether your are a long standing forum member or whether you have just registered today, it's a good idea to read and review the rules below so that you have a very good idea of what to expect when you come to Pacers Digest.

A quick note to new members: Your posts will not immediately show up when you make them. An administrator has to approve at least your first post before the forum software will later upgrade your account to the status of a fully-registered member. This usually happens within a couple of hours or so after your post(s) is/are approved, so you may need to be a little patient at first.

Why do we do this? So that it's more difficult for spammers (be they human or robot) to post, and so users who are banned cannot immediately re-register and start dousing people with verbal flames.

Below are the rules of Pacers Digest. After you have read them, you will have a very good sense of where we are coming from, what we expect, what we don't want to see, and how we react to things.

Rule #1

Pacers Digest is intended to be a place to discuss basketball without having to deal with the kinds of behaviors or attitudes that distract people from sticking with the discussion of the topics at hand. These unwanted distractions can come in many forms, and admittedly it can sometimes be tricky to pin down each and every kind that can rear its ugly head, but we feel that the following examples and explanations cover at least a good portion of that ground and should at least give people a pretty good idea of the kinds of things we actively discourage:

"Anyone who __________ is a liar / a fool / an idiot / a blind homer / has their head buried in the sand / a blind hater / doesn't know basketball / doesn't watch the games"

"People with intelligence will agree with me when I say that __________"

"Only stupid people think / believe / do ___________"

"I can't wait to hear something from PosterX when he/she sees that **insert a given incident or current event that will have probably upset or disappointed PosterX here**"

"He/she is just delusional"

"This thread is stupid / worthless / embarrassing"

"I'm going to take a moment to point and / laugh at PosterX / GroupOfPeopleY who thought / believed *insert though/belief here*"

"Remember when PosterX said OldCommentY that no longer looks good? "

In general, if a comment goes from purely on topic to something 'ad hominem' (personal jabs, personal shots, attacks, flames, however you want to call it, towards a person, or a group of people, or a given city/state/country of people), those are most likely going to be found intolerable.

We also dissuade passive aggressive behavior. This can be various things, but common examples include statements that are basically meant to imply someone is either stupid or otherwise incapable of holding a rational conversation. This can include (but is not limited to) laughing at someone's conclusions rather than offering an honest rebuttal, asking people what game they were watching, or another common problem is Poster X will say "that player isn't that bad" and then Poster Y will say something akin to "LOL you think that player is good". We're not going to tolerate those kinds of comments out of respect for the community at large and for the sake of trying to just have an honest conversation.

Now, does the above cover absolutely every single kind of distraction that is unwanted? Probably not, but you should by now have a good idea of the general types of things we will be discouraging. The above examples are meant to give you a good feel for / idea of what we're looking for. If something new or different than the above happens to come along and results in the same problem (that being, any other attitude or behavior that ultimately distracts from actually just discussing the topic at hand, or that is otherwise disrespectful to other posters), we can and we will take action to curb this as well, so please don't take this to mean that if you managed to technically avoid saying something exactly like one of the above examples that you are then somehow off the hook.

That all having been said, our goal is to do so in a generally kind and respectful way, and that doesn't mean the moment we see something we don't like that somebody is going to be suspended or banned, either. It just means that at the very least we will probably say something about it, quite possibly snipping out the distracting parts of the post in question while leaving alone the parts that are actually just discussing the topics, and in the event of a repeating or excessive problem, then we will start issuing infractions to try to further discourage further repeat problems, and if it just never seems to improve, then finally suspensions or bans will come into play. We would prefer it never went that far, and most of the time for most of our posters, it won't ever have to.

A slip up every once and a while is pretty normal, but, again, when it becomes repetitive or excessive, something will be done. Something occasional is probably going to be let go (within reason), but when it starts to become habitual or otherwise a pattern, odds are very good that we will step in.

There's always a small minority that like to push people's buttons and/or test their own boundaries with regards to the administrators, and in the case of someone acting like that, please be aware that this is not a court of law, but a private website run by people who are simply trying to do the right thing as they see it. If we feel that you are a special case that needs to be dealt with in an exceptional way because your behavior isn't explicitly mirroring one of our above examples of what we generally discourage, we can and we will take atypical action to prevent this from continuing if you are not cooperative with us.

Also please be aware that you will not be given a pass simply by claiming that you were 'only joking,' because quite honestly, when someone really is just joking, for one thing most people tend to pick up on the joke, including the person or group that is the target of the joke, and for another thing, in the event where an honest joke gets taken seriously and it upsets or angers someone, the person who is truly 'only joking' will quite commonly go out of his / her way to apologize and will try to mend fences. People who are dishonest about their statements being 'jokes' do not do so, and in turn that becomes a clear sign of what is really going on. It's nothing new.

In any case, quite frankly, the overall quality and health of the entire forum's community is more important than any one troublesome user will ever be, regardless of exactly how a problem is exhibiting itself, and if it comes down to us having to make a choice between you versus the greater health and happiness of the entire community, the community of this forum will win every time.

Lastly, there are also some posters, who are generally great contributors and do not otherwise cause any problems, who sometimes feel it's their place to provoke or to otherwise 'mess with' that small minority of people described in the last paragraph, and while we possibly might understand why you might feel you WANT to do something like that, the truth is we can't actually tolerate that kind of behavior from you any more than we can tolerate the behavior from them. So if we feel that you are trying to provoke those other posters into doing or saying something that will get themselves into trouble, then we will start to view you as a problem as well, because of the same reason as before: The overall health of the forum comes first, and trying to stir the pot with someone like that doesn't help, it just makes it worse. Some will simply disagree with this philosophy, but if so, then so be it because ultimately we have to do what we think is best so long as it's up to us.

If you see a problem that we haven't addressed, the best and most appropriate course for a forum member to take here is to look over to the left of the post in question. See underneath that poster's name, avatar, and other info, down where there's a little triangle with an exclamation point (!) in it? Click that. That allows you to report the post to the admins so we can definitely notice it and give it a look to see what we feel we should do about it. Beyond that, obviously it's human nature sometimes to want to speak up to the poster in question who has bothered you, but we would ask that you try to refrain from doing so because quite often what happens is two or more posters all start going back and forth about the original offending post, and suddenly the entire thread is off topic or otherwise derailed. So while the urge to police it yourself is understandable, it's best to just report it to us and let us handle it. Thank you!

All of the above is going to be subject to a case by case basis, but generally and broadly speaking, this should give everyone a pretty good idea of how things will typically / most often be handled.

Rule #2

If the actions of an administrator inspire you to make a comment, criticism, or express a concern about it, there is a wrong place and a couple of right places to do so.

The wrong place is to do so in the original thread in which the administrator took action. For example, if a post gets an infraction, or a post gets deleted, or a comment within a larger post gets clipped out, in a thread discussing Paul George, the wrong thing to do is to distract from the discussion of Paul George by adding your off topic thoughts on what the administrator did.

The right places to do so are:

A) Start a thread about the specific incident you want to talk about on the Feedback board. This way you are able to express yourself in an area that doesn't throw another thread off topic, and this way others can add their two cents as well if they wish, and additionally if there's something that needs to be said by the administrators, that is where they will respond to it.

B) Send a private message to the administrators, and they can respond to you that way.

If this is done the wrong way, those comments will be deleted, and if it's a repeating problem then it may also receive an infraction as well.

Rule #3

If a poster is bothering you, and an administrator has not or will not deal with that poster to the extent that you would prefer, you have a powerful tool at your disposal, one that has recently been upgraded and is now better than ever: The ability to ignore a user.

When you ignore a user, you will unfortunately still see some hints of their existence (nothing we can do about that), however, it does the following key things:

A) Any post they make will be completely invisible as you scroll through a thread.

B) The new addition to this feature: If someone QUOTES a user you are ignoring, you do not have to read who it was, or what that poster said, unless you go out of your way to click on a link to find out who it is and what they said.

To utilize this feature, from any page on Pacers Digest, scroll to the top of the page, look to the top right where it says 'Settings' and click that. From the settings page, look to the left side of the page where it says 'My Settings', and look down from there until you see 'Edit Ignore List' and click that. From here, it will say 'Add a Member to Your List...' Beneath that, click in the text box to the right of 'User Name', type in or copy & paste the username of the poster you are ignoring, and once their name is in the box, look over to the far right and click the 'Okay' button. All done!

Rule #4

Regarding infractions, currently they carry a value of one point each, and that point will expire in 31 days. If at any point a poster is carrying three points at the same time, that poster will be suspended until the oldest of the three points expires.

Rule #5

When you share or paste content or articles from another website, you must include the URL/link back to where you found it, who wrote it, and what website it's from. Said content will be removed if this doesn't happen.

An example:

If I copy and paste an article from the Indianapolis Star website, I would post something like this:

http://www.linktothearticlegoeshere.com/article
Title of the Article
Author's Name
Indianapolis Star

Rule #6

We cannot tolerate illegal videos on Pacers Digest. This means do not share any links to them, do not mention any websites that host them or link to them, do not describe how to find them in any way, and do not ask about them. Posts doing anything of the sort will be removed, the offenders will be contacted privately, and if the problem becomes habitual, you will be suspended, and if it still persists, you will probably be banned.

The legal means of watching or listening to NBA games are NBA League Pass Broadband (for US, or for International; both cost money) and NBA Audio League Pass (which is free). Look for them on NBA.com.

Rule #7

Provocative statements in a signature, or as an avatar, or as the 'tagline' beneath a poster's username (where it says 'Member' or 'Administrator' by default, if it is not altered) are an unwanted distraction that will more than likely be removed on sight. There can be shades of gray to this, but in general this could be something political or religious that is likely going to provoke or upset people, or otherwise something that is mean-spirited at the expense of a poster, a group of people, or a population.

It may or may not go without saying, but this goes for threads and posts as well, particularly when it's not made on the off-topic board (Market Square).

We do make exceptions if we feel the content is both innocuous and unlikely to cause social problems on the forum (such as wishing someone a Merry Christmas or a Happy Easter), and we also also make exceptions if such topics come up with regards to a sports figure (such as the Lance Stephenson situation bringing up discussions of domestic abuse and the law, or when Jason Collins came out as gay and how that lead to some discussion about gay rights).

However, once the discussion seems to be more/mostly about the political issues instead of the sports figure or his specific situation, the thread is usually closed.

Rule #8

We prefer self-restraint and/or modesty when making jokes or off topic comments in a sports discussion thread. They can be fun, but sometimes they derail or distract from a topic, and we don't want to see that happen. If we feel it is a problem, we will either delete or move those posts from the thread.

Rule #9

Generally speaking, we try to be a "PG-13" rated board, and we don't want to see sexual content or similarly suggestive content. Vulgarity is a more muddled issue, though again we prefer things to lean more towards "PG-13" than "R". If we feel things have gone too far, we will step in.

Rule #10

We like small signatures, not big signatures. The bigger the signature, the more likely it is an annoying or distracting signature.

Rule #11

Do not advertise anything without talking about it with the administrators first. This includes advertising with your signature, with your avatar, through private messaging, and/or by making a thread or post.
See more
See less

"Jonathan Bender is better than all these kids combined," - Bird

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • "Jonathan Bender is better than all these kids combined," - Bird

    Jump ball
    More high schoolers are taking the leap of faith toward NBA
    By Peter May, Globe Staff, 3/28/2004

    CHICAGO -- The talent spotters are everywhere at Moody Bible Institute's gym. They're standing against the wall, sitting on chairs, leaning over balcony railings, or simply ensconced in bleacher seats.

    They are all here for the same reason: to look at 22 high school basketball players in the Roundball Classic. The spotters have another thing in common: They represent the 29 teams of the National Basketball Association.

    They don't necessarily want to be here. Some, such as Indiana Pacers president of basketball operations Larry Bird, grudgingly acknowledge that high school hoopsters are now part of the necessary draft preparation, along with foreign players and, oh yes, college players. So you've got to look at the best of the best. Bird wishes it weren't so.

    "It'd be better if we didn't have to," Bird said. "We could concentrate on the colleges and the international guys. It puts a new wrinkle in this; you've got to cover it. I guess it's going to be that way until they find out it takes these guys four to five years to mature as a player. I think it will revert back to college.

    "You can't tell me these kids are better than some of the college players we have."


    That's one view. Another view, more in keeping with the times, comes from Sonny Vaccaro, who has been a fixture on the high school and college basketball scene for decades. Vaccaro runs the Roundball Classic, the high school all-star game that he started in 1965 as the Dapper Dan Roundball Classic in Pittsburgh. This year's event began with practices last Monday and Tuesday, leading up to the game between East and West teams Wednesday.

    The game has gone through a few name and venue changes, and has featured a lot of big-time NBA players, with three notable exceptions: Bird, Magic Johnson, and Michael Jordan.

    While Bird looks suspiciously on the high schoolers trying to impress the NBA decision-makers -- "Jonathan Bender is better than all these kids combined," he sniffs -- Vaccaro looks at 6-foot-11-inch Dwight Howard, 6-9 Josh Smith, and 6-7 Shaun Livingston and sees nothing but greatness.

    Vaccaro said he thinks 10 high school players will go in the first round of the 2004 NBA Draft. That would be a record; the previous high was four in 2001, and only 13 have been selected in the last five years. Howard, a Kevin Garnett wannabe from Atlanta, is widely rumored to be no worse than the second overall pick. Smith, a smooth lefty from Oak Hill Academy's semi-pro feeder program, is not going to be far behind. Howard hasn't even bothered making a college commitment. Smith picked Indiana, but Mike Davis, head coach of the Hoosiers, need not worry about finding dorm space for Smith in Bloomington.

    "I feel very, very safe in the kids I know are going," Vaccaro said. "Dwight Howard and Josh Smith are going to make an impact. They are going to be all-stars."

    As for Livingston, a reed-thin point guard from Peoria, Ill., hypothetically bound for Duke, Vaccaro said, "I think Shaun Livingston will be a 10-year all-star and potential top 50 player when the game is over. I think he is brilliant."

    And the others?

    "I think this total class is the best since 1979, no doubt in my mind," Vaccaro said. "That was the greatest high school class I ever saw -- that was [Ralph] Sampson, [Dominique] Wilkins, [James] Worthy, Isiah [Thomas]. I think there were 14 of the 22 kids from that game that played for more than two years in the league."

    Back then, it wasn't like it is now. Sampson, Wilkins, Worthy, and Thomas all went on to college, with Sampson staying four years at Virginia (much to the chagrin of Red Auerbach, who tried to entice him to leave early). Instead of NBA coaches packing the gym, you'd have college coaches lining the sidelines. Back then, that was where the players were going -- to college.

    "In the old days, every school in America would come," Vaccaro said. "Jim Calhoun found two or three of his biggest players ever at Northeastern at the preliminary game in Pittsburgh. I had 250 colleges there every year, guaranteed. Now, it's evolved into this mega-thing. Now we get the pro people. But we also get owners." Indeed, the Celtics' Steve Pagliuca was there one day.

    The general manager of the Chicago Bulls is one of those pro people. John Paxson was an accomplished high school player at Archbishop Alter in Kettering, Ohio, and had already decided to attend Notre Dame when he got the invitation from Vaccaro to participate in that vaunted 1979 Roundball Classic. Byron Scott, the former Lakers star and recently deposed Nets coach, was a teammate of Paxson's that year.

    "For any high school kid, just getting the recognition to play in those kind of games was obviously very special," Paxson recalled. "I think it is for these guys, too, even if the climate has changed. Back then, we were all going to college and we didn't see each other as much as these guys do. It was a reward for something you'd done in high school. But, boy, we had some bad-looking uniforms. I forgot to mention that to Sonny. They were pinstriped -- red, white, and blue. Not very good-looking."

    Now, of course, the players are dressed to the proverbial hoop nines by Reebok, the latest sponsor of Vaccaro's game. Vaccaro has been with Nike, Asics, Adidas, Converse ("an equal opportunity exploiter," cracked Celtics personnel guru Leo Papile) and now has gotten the Stoughton, Mass., apparel/footwear collosus to back his game. In Vaccaro's mind, it's an odd partnership, only because Nike and Adidas have generally been at the forefront.

    "When I started with Nike, there was no competition," Vaccaro said "In 1977, when I left to go to Adidas, I only had to fight against Nike. Now I'm here, I'm with Reebok fighting against Nike and Adidas. When I worked for Nike and Adidas, I never saw Reebok as a competitor on this level."

    He went on, "Reebok is the most interesting one because they are the most divorced company I've ever worked with as far as being ignorant of this society. The grass roots. The high school. They made a business decision to go into properties when they took the NBA and the NFL. They went a whole different direction." Nike still has its own all-star game. Adidas has one as well. This week, the stars will be in Oklahoma City for the McDonald's All-Star Game, including New York City pro-to-be Sebastian Telfair, who couldn't make the Roundball Classic because his high school team was still playing. Then comes the Nike Hoop Summit in San Antonio over Final Four weekend, which is scheduled to highlight Howard, Telfair, and Smith against some equally talented teens from overseas. Eventually, it all comes to an end and the kids will announce in May whether they will apply for the NBA draft.

    Bird might think it will eventually go back to college, but the trend certainly seems to be going the other way. The kids don't see the ones still struggling -- the Leon Smiths and DeSagana Diops. They see last year's Rookie of the Year, Amare Stoudemire, who went from high school to the NBA. They see this year's de facto Rookie of the Year, LeBron James, be the No. 1 overall pick from high school.

    That's what they see. And they see no reason not to do the same thing.

    As Vaccaro said, who can blame them? The money is there. The contract is guaranteed.

    "If you're guaranteed," he said, "it's really pretty simple. You've got to go. And if you're as good as some of these kids, it's really a no-brainer."

    http://www.boston.com/sports/schools.../28/jump_ball/
    Mickael Pietrus Le site officiel

  • #2
    Re: "Jonathan Bender is better than all these kids combined," - Bird

    I agree with Larry.

    I'm so tired of high schoolers jumping to the NBA, even if the Pacers do have 3 of them, who turned out to be really good.

    And I agree that JB is better than all those kids combined...The Difference can do anything--dunk, shoot 3's, mid-range shot, block, rebound, pass, post up, hit free throws, etc...

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: "Jonathan Bender is better than all these kids combined," - Bird

      Bender is the most talented player in the NBA, IMO. There is nobody else who can play 4 different positions and create mismatches like he does. There's also nobody else with the ability to create from anywhere on the floor like he does. If he stays inury-free and develops his mind to go with his abilities, we'll be a friggin' powerhouse. JO + JB = new Twin Towers

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: "Jonathan Bender is better than all these kids combined," - Bird

        He's also the most talented played in the league who gets injured the most ed:
        Don't ask Marvin Harrison what he did during the bye week. "Batman never told where the Bat Cave is," he explained.

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: "Jonathan Bender is better than all these kids combined," - Bird

          He's also the most talented played in the league who gets injured the most ed:
          It happens.

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: "Jonathan Bender is better than all these kids combined," - Bird

            He's also the most talented played in the league who gets injured the most ed:
            It happens.
            It happens quite a bit
            Don't ask Marvin Harrison what he did during the bye week. "Batman never told where the Bat Cave is," he explained.

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: "Jonathan Bender is better than all these kids combined," - Bird

              Grant Hill is close but he's not as good an athlete. He was a better basketball player though. JB just hasn't had his chance yet.
              Play Mafia!
              Twitter

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: "Jonathan Bender is better than all these kids combined," - Bird

                Somebody get me a vomit sock. I think I'm going to be sick.

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: "Jonathan Bender is better than all these kids combined," - Bird

                  Is it me, or does this Vaccaro guy seem like he's got his hands in some of these High Schoolers pockets. He seems to hype them up WAY too much. Like he is their agent or something.

                  But Larry's point is valid. It still takes these guys about 4 years to mature (unless your name is Lebron), then you have to give them their second contract. If your lucky enough that they don't bolt for another team. In the mean time, you are paying for them to mature and develop when they should be in college doing it.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: "Jonathan Bender is better than all these kids combined," - Bird

                    well... I gotta agree with JO on this, if you can go fight a friggin war at 18, you can play professional basketball. To try to take that right away would borderline on illegal discriminatory business practices. How the NFL has gotten away with it is mindboggling to me. Well see how long it lasts.

                    Your body is your income in sports, and 4 years of college is that much more wear and tear and not getting paid for these kids. If JO went to college he might not even be in the NBA today. 4 years of potential injuries.


                    so there is that side of the argument for ya.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: "Jonathan Bender is better than all these kids combined," - Bird

                      well... I gotta agree with JO on this, if you can go fight a friggin war at 18, you can play professional basketball. To try to take that right away would borderline on illegal discriminatory business practices. How the NFL has gotten away with it is mindboggling to me. Well see how long it lasts.

                      Your body is your income in sports, and 4 years of college is that much more wear and tear and not getting paid for these kids. If JO went to college he might not even be in the NBA today. 4 years of potential injuries.


                      so there is that side of the argument for ya.
                      +++++++

                      But in the real world business pays for experience and education. Most won't even look at inexperienced people for anything but entry level (and pay) jobs. So why should sports be different? I have long been a proponent for a graduated pay-scale based upon years of college and/or experience. That is for the rookies first contract, after that...it's open to whatever the team wants to pay within the cap rules.
                      Ever notice how friendly folks are at a shootin' range??.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Re: "Jonathan Bender is better than all these kids combined," - Bird

                        well... I gotta agree with JO on this, if you can go fight a friggin war at 18, you can play professional basketball. To try to take that right away would borderline on illegal discriminatory business practices. How the NFL has gotten away with it is mindboggling to me. Well see how long it lasts.

                        Your body is your income in sports, and 4 years of college is that much more wear and tear and not getting paid for these kids. If JO went to college he might not even be in the NBA today. 4 years of potential injuries.


                        so there is that side of the argument for ya.
                        +++++++

                        But in the real world business pays for experience and education. Most won't even look at inexperienced people for anything but entry level (and pay) jobs. So why should sports be different? I have long been a proponent for a graduated pay-scale based upon years of college and/or experience. That is for the rookies first contract, after that...it's open to whatever the team wants to pay within the cap rules.
                        geezer, I think your argument doesn't carry very much weight for the simple fact that teams ARE taking the talent out of high school. Furthermore, in the real world, business experience doesnt equate to your body wearing down, which is essential in the nba.

                        While a good businessman can be a good businessman forever as long as his mind is healthy, atheletes have a short window of 10 years or so to maximize their effectiveness (except freaks like reggie or karl malone) 4 years of college takes a big chunk of that away.

                        fact is, this is the USA and people have a right to make as much money as they can. I just dont see how making a minimum age requirement, (over 18) or penalizing high school draftees with lower salaries for the nba could possibly be legal, or a good thing for society at large... Let the MEN get paid to play some ball. Like JO says if you can aim a gun and kill someone for your country and get drafted... then you can play in the nba.

                        Another solution would be to start paying college players... doubt that would ever go down... too much greed.

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Re: "Jonathan Bender is better than all these kids combined," - Bird

                          Somebody get me a vomit sock. I think I'm going to be sick.
                          Sorry. I only have one... and it is currently in use.

                          Next time I see Bender up close though, I'm going to check for nail holes in his hands, and see if the scars are visible in his scalp from the thorns.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Re: "Jonathan Bender is better than all these kids combined," - Bird

                            While a good businessman can be a good businessman forever as long as his mind is healthy, atheletes have a short window of 10 years or so to maximize their effectiveness (except freaks like reggie or karl malone) 4 years of college takes a big chunk of that away.
                            Well, I would have to disagree with them being freaks. All it takes is the right conditioning and taking great care of your body throughout the years. As you may be seeing, guys are still playing at older and older ages nowadays--possibly because they know how their bodies work and have a good workout/conditioning program. Maybe if high school kids went to college, they'd be able to learn some of those techniques for longer careers. I highly doubt they teach that in most high schools. Maybe high schoolers will feel the long-term effects of playing at such a high level later on in their lives...Look at Earl Campbell (different sport I know) and Bill Walton. I wonder what all these European players will be feeling like when they're 50, after playing pro basketball from age 15-35.
                            [hr]
                            I have altered my stance on high schoolers jumping into the NBA because of this thread. I still discriminate against them coming, but there should be, in no way, a rule preventing it. I agree with the whole "If you can handle it, go for it" thing, but I believe 99% of the time, they aren't ready for it. Hopefully, in the near future, like Larry said, guys will start to go to college more often.

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Re: "Jonathan Bender is better than all these kids combined," - Bird

                              Well I for one dont like the high schoolers jumping, but dont feel they should not be allowed. I also think to many people dont like it because they want them to go to college. News flash, not every high school kid wants to or can go to college. If a kid has skills and the NBA will pay hiim, why should he be looked poorly upon because he chose not to go to college. If my son ever grew up to be a great Bball player and the NBA came calling after high school and he was going to be a lottery pick and get millions right away, i ouwld tell him do do what he wants to do. I would encourage college for the education, but lets get real he is going to make more his first year in NBA than he will ever make working a normal job like we do. What if he goes to college and blows out a knee, or is in a car crash that doesnt allow to ever play again...i know it is far fetched, but we are talking about the difference between millions and our salaries.

                              I would much rather see a stronger minor league than the NBDL, something more like the minors in baseball. Where every team has a farm system to develop players where they still get paid and can develop their skills. But if someone is good enough to skip minors and go to the bigs, so be it. I think you would see an overall improvement in NBA play cause then players would truly e tested before they got to pro level.

                              Comment

                              Working...
                              X