Age-itated
Whether you’re on the coast of the Pacific or Atlantic, a republican or democrat, a Yankee fan or a fan of the defending World Series champions, some things just don’t seem to make a whole lotta sense. In the latest NBA hot stove topic of what will now be chronicled as a long line of really giving it to professional basketball, an age limit has people abuzz.
Are you kiddin’ me?
Originally it is hard to tell who had this on their agenda, be it the NBA coaches or the general managers or the commish, but this has got to be one of the most preposterous, laughable, absurdly ridiculous concepts that I can remember. Of course this “problem” just so happens to be regarding the NBA and no other pro sport in America, right? Of course not.
A short while ago back in 1996 a school just outside Philadelphia, Lower Merion High, had this kid named Kobe. Much like a funky outfit by fashion diva J. Lo or pioneering software company Microsoft, Kobe’s prom-to-the-pros decision set a lasting and significant trend.
Since Kobe Bryant made the jump (Kevin Garnett was selected in the 1995 draft before Bryant but at the time was not thought to have Kobe potential), the NBA has seen an influx of players trying to make the same leap of faith. However some have failed miserably thus now apparently it is necessary to make the age limit 20 years old.
Absolutely ridiculous.
If a kid chooses to declare by all means let the kid declare. And it is hypocritical to say the quality of basketball is down because of the high school kid when in fact the one thing keeping the league afloat right now is indeed the high school kid.
From the 1995 draft to the turn of the century only 11 kids made the jump. With emerging prep schools such as Oak Hill, South Kent and Mount Zion (and by the way, is it physically possible to place these schools any further away from reality?), high schoolers are becoming better prepared to handle the situation of being a professional basketball player.
Dick Vitale of ESPN wrote, “I have been on the record as saying these kids would benefit so much from time in college. I think it would help their maturity for later in life.” Fine. The insanely large budgets each NBA team flaunts should allow a franchise to start a mentorship for the youth. Maybe that is asking for too much.
Times have changed and the right decisions need to be made in order to secure the future of the league. This summer when the NBA sits down with the NBAPA to write up a new collective bargaining agreement the age limit should get voted down. That is the sensible thing to do.
Just realize we could be saying goodbye and closing the door on the next generation of Kobe and Garnett and Dwight Howard and T-Mac and even Kwame Brown. Sorry kids. Not yet.
Jermaine O’Neal (selected four spots behind Bryant in the ’96 draft) voiced his personal discernment last week on an age limit and he did bring up a good point. How come a kid can go fight a war and kill people but that same kid can’t go make some money playing hoops?
Some things just don’t seem to make a whole lotta sense.
