Is racism the reason for a possible NBA age limit

[TheDOCTORdre]

Indiana Pacers player Jermaine O'neal thinks so, what do you think

http://msn.foxsports.com/nba/story/3533684

[pirate44]

Originally posted by TheDOCTORdre
Indiana Pacers player Jermaine O'neal thinks so, what do you think

http://msn.foxsports.com/nba/story/3533684
i just read that. how careless of a statement that is. im sick of people throwing the racism word around wrecklessly. what a jerk.

[mwynn05]

No, it has nothing to do with race!!!!!!

[Gobbler Fan]

My take is why cant they go pro? Why should a 18yo kid not be able to make the best living he can and in most cases thats is going to be basketball. The colleges they WOULD attend make money off of the Athletes that attend their University so this IMO is a double edged sword .........who deserves the money the Athlete or a University.JMO

[rockdale80]

Originally posted by Gobbler Fan
My take is why cant they go pro? Why should a 18yo kid not be able to make the best living he can and in most cases thats is going to be basketball. The colleges they WOULD attend make money off of the Athletes that attend their University so this IMO is a double edged sword .........who deserves the money the Athlete or a University.JMO

But the college they would attend would GIVE them an education and a chance to have the tools for life if something should ever happen to them playing basketball.

[mwynn05]

Originally posted by Gobbler Fan
My take is why cant they go pro? Why should a 18yo kid not be able to make the best living he can and in most cases thats is going to be basketball. The colleges they WOULD attend make money off of the Athletes that attend their University so this IMO is a double edged sword .........who deserves the money the Athlete or a University.JMO The question was racism a factor, I might not agree with them being able to go pro but i deffinatly understand why they would want to and why you would agree they should, but i do not see how racism plays a part in this. That, just seems ridiculous to me.

[Gobbler Fan]

Were talking multimillion dollar industry*college athletics* so that Education is just what maybe .1 % of the net income of what they make in a year off of Athletics.. But this is off the subject

[mwynn05]

Well, I'm not saying your wrong I just have a different opinion. I also thought you might have just skimmed the question and misread it.

[AggieJohn]

o'neal is so dumb

[District303aPastPlayer]

i can honestly see both ends of this story. take jermaine oneal himself for an example. he went straight from HS to a pro team and helped his family out. Sebastian Telfair did the same thing. I dont know if he is playing right now, but Bassy's main reason for going pro was to get his mother out of Brooklyn or the Bronx, whichever it was.

On the other hand... look at it from the Shane Battier perspective. If he gives 10 years... and has more tools to offer, and some young kid who doesnt have the refined tools to make it for 11+ seasons comes in, it takes away from his money and playing time. It would hurt the team.

The main reason given for this is that they are trying to improve the product. Tell me, if Lebron, Melo, JR Smith, Josh Smith, Dwight Howard and that dude from UConn were still in college... would the NBA be as exciting as it is right now...

I see where the race thing is comin into effect... and i see that it could be somewhat of a factor... but i dont think its as big a factor as Jermaine Oneal makes it out to be.

[injuredinmelee]

The racism card is on that is thrown way too often. This new rule isnt racism. This league can do whatever they want. If they want to make an age or years out of high school rule then so be it. It affects everyone not just the black kids.
Basketball however is the single sport where a kid can make that jump successfully. The NBA is nothing but a Dunkfest and the lack of defensive skills is acceptable. Physically some of the guys making the jump are ready some arent they just see the dollar signs. Lebron was ready both physically and mentally to make that jump. His skills are unparrelled for his age.

[mustang04]

im tired of hearing "man they racist" or anything of that sort, i mean, just the way jermain spoke u can tell he coulda used a couple of college , or hec even middle school level English courses :D , that rule has NOTHING to do w/ racism, pretty ignorant

[AggieJohn]

Dear Jermaine,

There are a couple of schools in Texas alone that could teach you to speak proper english, thus making your case a little less laughable.

Love,
The modern free world

[Z motion 10 out on 2]

Has to do with Money.

[big daddy russ]

Of course it's about racism. Everybody's racist nowadays.

[mustang04]

Originally posted by AggieJohn
Dear Jermaine,

There are a couple of schools in Texas alone that could teach you to speak proper english, thus making your case a little less laughable.

Love,
The modern free world

That is how you use proper grammar and punctuation. AggieJohn I salute you!

Regards,

Reggie

[JasperDog94]

Racism? HA! Now if the new rule said "No black people" or "No white people" or "No hispanics" in the rule, Then and only then would it be racism.

Hey Jermaine, why don't you concentrate on not hitting fans instead of making stuff up. Oh wait. The fans were probably racist.:rolleyes: :D :D :D

[TheDOCTORdre]

Originally posted by big daddy russ
Of course it's about racism. Everybody's racist nowadays.
I'm not racist, I just like some races more that others:D

[pirate44]

Originally posted by TheDOCTORdre
I'm not racist, I just like some races more that others:D
LOL

[District303aPastPlayer]

im not racist either... i hate everybody equally :)

[rockdale80]

Originally posted by District303aPastPlayer
i can honestly see both ends of this story. take jermaine oneal himself for an example. he went straight from HS to a pro team and helped his family out. Sebastian Telfair did the same thing. I dont know if he is playing right now, but Bassy's main reason for going pro was to get his mother out of Brooklyn or the Bronx, whichever it was.

On the other hand... look at it from the Shane Battier perspective. If he gives 10 years... and has more tools to offer, and some young kid who doesnt have the refined tools to make it for 11+ seasons comes in, it takes away from his money and playing time. It would hurt the team.

The main reason given for this is that they are trying to improve the product. Tell me, if Lebron, Melo, JR Smith, Josh Smith, Dwight Howard and that dude from UConn were still in college... would the NBA be as exciting as it is right now...

I see where the race thing is comin into effect... and i see that it could be somewhat of a factor... but i dont think its as big a factor as Jermaine Oneal makes it out to be.

Race is not a factor. Where would race come into play? Bottom line is if anything happens and you have a degree, then there is something to fall back on. Since when does promoting education equate to racism? Who will it keep out? Black or white kids that are not 20 yet. Thats right. Everyone that is not atleast 20. NOT a particular race.

[District303aPastPlayer]

Originally posted by rockdale80
Race is not a factor. Where would race come into play? Bottom line is if anything happens and you have a degree, then there is something to fall back on. Since when does promoting education equate to racism? Who will it keep out? Black or white kids that are not 20 yet. Thats right. Everyone that is not atleast 20. NOT a particular race.

other than that one kid last year and possibly josh mcroberts this year... what other white kids have gone pro?

[pirate44]

Originally posted by rockdale80
Race is not a factor. Where would race come into play? Bottom line is if anything happens and you have a degree, then there is something to fall back on. Since when does promoting education equate to racism? Who will it keep out? Black or white kids that are not 20 yet. Thats right. Everyone that is not atleast 20. NOT a particular race.
i agree. if anything, those athletes are getting a free education that can be used i nthe future if pro-sports doesnt work out.

[rockdale80]

Originally posted by District303aPastPlayer
other than that one kid last year and possibly josh mcroberts this year... what other white kids have gone pro?

If it affects white kids as well then how it is racism? It's about money. And how would having a college degree keep any race down. If anything it will help them with their life after basketball. What is so bad about this law? You can't get a few million dollars in one year?

[big daddy russ]

Originally posted by District303aPastPlayer
other than that one kid last year and possibly josh mcroberts this year... what other white kids have gone pro?
How many white kids can ball? I know I can't.

[JasperDog94]

Originally posted by big daddy russ
How many white kids can ball? I know I can't. I don't know. How many people were on the Mavericks last year or the Sonics this year? Lot's of white boys on those squads.

[kepdawg]

Just a couple of questions...

Would it be too difficult for teams to simply NOT draft a person if they thought he was not prepared, i.e. too young, too immature, etc...?

If the concern is for the person's education, where is the concern for other sports, i.e. hockey, baseball, tennis, etc...?

What kind of education will a person have after leaving college at the age of 20?

If the concern is the product, how does allowing Lebron, Amare, Carmello, etc... in hurt the product?

I just don't see the need for a limit.

[rockdale80]

Originally posted by kepdawg
Just a couple of questions...

Would it be too difficult for teams to simply NOT draft a person if they thought he was not prepared, i.e. too young, too immature, etc...?

If the concern is for the person's education, where is the concern for other sports, i.e. hockey, baseball, tennis, etc...?

What kind of education will a person have after leaving college at the age of 20?

If the concern is the product, how does allowing Lebron, Amare, Carmello, etc... in hurt the product?

I just don't see the need for a limit.

Those are great points. My only point was it is not racially based. Regardless of the reason, it in no way has anything to do with someone's race.

[Bull's-eye]

The owners don't like the huge risk of paying million of dollars to these younger unproven players. Roughly 80% end up below average players or out of basketball within several years. With two years of college or International ball, the owners would have a better feel about drafting a certain player. Players would be given a chance to improve their skills and also mature as a person. As we all know, drafting a player is not an exact science. There have been many 4 year college players that end up flopping.

Now is this racism? No....the percentages say that it affects more black players, but it does affect all races. What about the players that lose their job because an owner gave a 3 year guaranteed contract to high school player that most likely won't be productive? The percentages are high that he will be a black player. Does he have a college education to fall back on?

Now, I'm actually against the age limit rule. If I was a high school player projected to go in the first round of the draft, the millions of dollars would make me go pro in a heartbeat. I could always put money away for a college education. With some of these huge contracts, a person would be set for life. This is America, I like the freedom to make choices. Now, the owners should have the choice to regulate their basketball leauge. If I couldn't go straight to the NBA, I would go to college, improve my basketball skills, and get a free education. Not too bad either.

[mwynn05]

Originally posted by Bull's-eye
The owners don't like the huge risk of paying million of dollars to these younger unproven players. Roughly 80% end up below average players or out of basketball within several years. With two years of college or International ball, the owners would have a better feel about drafting a certain player. Players would be given a chance to improve their skills and also mature as a person. As we all know, drafting a player is not an exact science. There have been many 4 year college players that end up flopping.

Now is this racism? No....the percentages say that it affects more black players, but it does affect all races. What about the players that lose their job because an owner gave a 3 year guaranteed contract to high school player that most likely won't be productive? The percentages are high that he will be a black player. Does he have a college education to fall back on?

Now, I'm actually against the age limit rule. If I was a high school player projected to go in the first round of the draft, the millions of dollars would make me go pro in a heartbeat. I could always put money away for a college education. With some of these huge contracts, a person would be set for life. This is America, I like the freedom to make choices. Now, the owners should have the choice to regulate their basketball leauge. If I couldn't go straight to the NBA, I would go to college, improve my basketball skills, and get a free education. Not too bad either. The NBA is a private organization, so basicky they can make their own rules.

[pirate44]

Originally posted by mwynn05
The NBA is a private organization, so basicky they can make their own rules.
right you are. and the NBA will take a hit financially. so they are having to sacrifice to so what they think is the right decision

[Matthew328]

I see both sides of the issue...from O'Neal's prospective he sees a predominantly black sport (basketball) having a limit put on it...when 2 predomniantly non-black sports (baseball and hockey) have kids getting drafted out of high school all the time and in some cases getting signed at age 16 (players from the islands in baseball) however another predominatly black sport (football) DOES have an age limit....so the race argument holds no water....the age limit is a good thing for the NBA from a product standpoint...the only good way for the NBA to get rid of the age limit is to have a farm system minor league set up like baseball and hockey...