Kind of interesting how so many guys who were recruited aggressively by UK and then fell off the map ended up in G-League. Almost makes you think UK staff knew what was going on. But surely it's a coincidence right? I mean Rod Strickland had to get called up and yelled at according to Matt Jones and Kyle Tucker. Right?
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LSU, Georgia, Oklahoma State, Mississippi State, Western Kentucky, UNLV, all places where top ten kids have gone or are going to play for bad teams and bad coaches and regress because they develop awful habits with no structure while not winning anything.
Add Memphis and USC depending on how you feel about Penny and Enfield.
I'm not concerned about the guys who belong there if thats what they want but you can't convince me someone who takes 4 years to develop into an NBA journeyman would survive the gauntlet of the G-League. It's a business and they will get rid of guys in the blink of an eye, not to mention, marginal guys won't make squat. Far too many kids have stars in their eyes but I imagine after the first few dozen fail to reach their dreams some may start to pay attention.
Yeah, I think one of the biggest misconceptions with the G-League is the "but who is going to watch it??". Don't think the G-League even cares if people tune in. Not important. The smaller cities will sell tickets.. such as Rio Grande and Portland, Maine.. and that's about all that's needed.
Let's just try and keep Boston and Clarke.. this stings teams because they planned for these guys. Let's try and get through this recruiting cycle with the big change without losing many, if any, players. We can adjust recruiting for next year. I personally, would never bank on a top10 kid going to college again, UNLESS this turns into a failed experiment. But for now, I'm going to assume the top10 guys next year will not play in college.
Gonzo’s right about the college piece.
Part of the new program is that the NBA will provide each player a full college scholarship as part of the contract. The NBA is working hard to minimize the downside risks to players as much as possible in order to make this route an attractive one. Providing a scholarship is one part of doing that.
So in Greene’s case, he signed a deal that will pay him close to $700K with bonuses, provides him with a full college scholarship, and allows him to participate in a program that has the sole purpose of trying to set him up for success when making the transition to the pros. He can also focus solely on basketball with no limitations on how much time he can spend with coaches. Any endorsement money would also be on top of that.
If the NBA commits to this long term, I don’t see how college will be able to compete with the NBA for elite prospects. How this first year plays out will be key though.
If Greene and the others don’t pan out as expected come draft time, then I could see future players continue to be a bit skittish about this route and it may take a committed, long term effort by the NBA for this to catch on.
If, however, this is viewed as a positive experience for Greene and the others, then I would imagine that others start looking at this a lot next year.
Hard to say how this year will go. This is a totally new approach which means that to some extent, the NBA will be learning as they go and adjusting as they try to figure out what works.
https://www.cnbc.com/2020/04/17/nba-developmental-program-changing-recruitment-landscape.html
I can't find specific details about this scholarship program they are offering. It's only for "elite" players though. Is if a full ride? I can't imagine that it is so I'd love to hear the details.
Thanks but I've seen it worded several ways now. A full ride scholarship is pretty expensive. That said, it is only offered to players deemed "elite".
Not it is not. It is the end of the one and done. We will get back to the way college basketball was in the 80's / 90's. JR. and SR. lead teams. if was just fine back then as nobody knew of the one and done. It will be just fine now and in the future. Plenty of great / legendary players back then played until at least their JR. year. Stop being to over dramatic.
That is what this all hinges on. There's going to be a general level of recruit that can not only hang in the G-League, but do well and become one of it's team's better players. Is it top5 recruits? Is it top20 recruits? No one knows.
But I've said this before. G-League rosters are no joke. Many of your multi-year stand-out college basketball players are in the G-League.. and they are more experienced, more developed, and very hungry to prove themselves.
IMO, the top 10 recruits, already have a few players who struggle in college. It would only be worse in the G-League. Players will try it, but ultimately, players outside of the top10 just won't be ready for it. And they will learn this after a year or two of failed attempts.
It’s being offered as part of the contract for those players who participate in the new pathway program, so yes you could say it’s only for those the NBA considers to be “elite”.
What’s unknown at this point is to what extent the NBA plans on expanding this program if players are receptive to it. Will the NBA limit it to just a handful each year or would they try to build a broader program that targets maybe 30 or 40 kids each year?
What will happen to these guys if they go for a year and are just really bad? I assume they are all talented enough to at least get another g league contract, although I guess they are no longer on the special team they are talking about. It is risky. Guys that go to college can turn pro after any of four seasons. These guys could only have one shot to make it work.
It should be for the "can't miss" in the eyes of the NBA GM's / scouts that should be able to go that route. Also, they should make a rule that A. If you sign with a college school, you must fulfill that commitment for at least one year and B. There should be a cutoff date that they have to decide if they are going the G League or college route. That way college coaches will know who to recruit and who not to. It would keep college teams from losing a player or two and not have time to replace them.
This could / will end up in time help the college game. It will weed out the kids that do not want to even attend college for the one year and erase that distraction of players using the college game as a "tryout" for the NBA. Also, it will get rid of guys who maybe half *** it or not team oriented as they are just biding their time to leave. It short, more players for the team / college game than playing for the name on the back of their jersey.
This could / will end up in time help the college game. It will weed out the kids that do not want to even attend college for the one year and erase that distraction of players using the college game as a "tryout" for the NBA. Also, it will get rid of guys who maybe half *** it or not team oriented as they are just biding their time to leave. It short, more players for the team / college game than playing for the name on the back of their jersey.
And what happens to the ones that go to college and are just really bad? There are no guarantees either way.
We've had a lot of five star prospects that spent years at UK yet were still considered undraftable when they left (with this year's example being EJ). If they'd gone this route then at least they would've gotten a paycheck during those spent years.
Life isn't the best teacher you'll ever have, but she will be the hardest.
After the one and done became a thing, it was never about education. Hell, even before then! Anyone think UNCheat gives a damned about education? What about Duke? UCLA? Arizona? LSU... etc.
Top 10 players will be fine. It's the rest of them that will be chewed up, and spit out. And no, that education clause will go away if the costs grows too big. It's just smart business.
Doesn’t this mean UCLA never gets another high level recruit (without cheating)? I mean, the main draw of UCLA is living in LA and the campus parties. Why not just do the G league, make money, and do whatever you want without having to go to class?
Yes, it's a full ride.
The opportunity is only being offered to elite players, so the scholarship is part of it for everyone involved. They aren't calling any 3 star kids.
Why would the NBA set a deadline that only helps the colleges? Why would the NBA set an obligation the kids have to meet for the college? How would they even enforce that?
If this is about the kids, let them go through the process, weigh their options, and then decide.
How does this differ from the "main draw" of UK and nearly everyone else?
I think "campus parties" applies to pretty much every school, finding good parties has never been an issue for star athletes. Meanwhile, UCLA is indisputably a higher ranked academic school with a stunning campus located in the coolest trendiest part of LA.
So I'm not really following your reasoning. Why exactly is just UCLA, but not other schools, likely to "never get another high level recruit"?
The education clause is the most cost effective part of the deal, I don't think it's going anywhere.
If these elite kids pan out with their development, most likely won't go get a 4 year degree. Some OaD kids go back, but I can't imagine being a multi millionaire and deciding to start fresh in college at 26-28 years old.
Basically, it's a safety net for the kids who don't work out. It's a way to make the total value of the deal look inflated, but they likely won't ever spend that money.
Because you're already in LA, you're already playing in front of small crowds, except you're not playing for Cronin, you're not forced to go to class, and you're making a few hundred thousand dollars and labeled an NBA player.
There's a few places (Kentucky, Duke, Carolina, Kansas) where you can reasonably argue that the overall experience, development, etc offers something that makes it a sensible choice even to a G League kid. A place like UCLA has none of that.
I'd still like to see the actual and full details of this scholarship offer. I don't mean to nitpick but the devil is in the details as you well know counselor.
The NBA isn’t going to do anything to help college teams. They could care less about colleges. Revenue is first and foremost.
What if these fringe nba-ers aren't drafted after a year? Is the big 6 figure g-league salary only guaranteed for that 1 year? Do they fall back to the standard g-league money after a year?
Man, your google works as well as mine does.
Green does so as part of a new professional pathway program where he’ll earn around $500,000 in wages, incentives and sponsorship opportunities. He’ll obtain other contractual benefits, too, including one-on-one coaching, a full college scholarship and professional skills training.
Select contracts also offer the player with high-quality health care benefits and access to financial literacy instruction, post-care planning and other practical, basic business lessons.
As some others have said in past threads:
1. Let any and all players come back if they don't get drafted. Let's try and recoup those losses. Just gotta figure out the agent thing.
2. We have to find a way to let these elite talents make some money. We just have to turn the page on this. And it might be a bigger discussion on amateurism and college athletics, but we have to evolve.
1. Let any and all players come back if they don't get drafted. Let's try and recoup those losses. Just gotta figure out the agent thing.
2. We have to find a way to let these elite talents make some money. We just have to turn the page on this. And it might be a bigger discussion on amateurism and college athletics, but we have to evolve.
No, he is not. This was talked about on Twitter by some NBA/college analysts. Kuminga will be 18 in September and this developmental aspect of the G League only requires them to have finished high school (which he could do by re-classifying this spring).
Or, better yet, just let them go. I think it's time to stop trying to find ways to force players who have absolutely no interest in college to play college basketball.
The sport can survive just fine without the top 10 ranked recruits.
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Well, they probably have no interest in playing basketball in Maine either. College Ball could be a great spot for talent if they made money. That's their interest at the end of the day. For some of them, it might not even be to a pro, so much as it is to make a few million.
But at the same time, I'm fine if they go. I don't think the college games needs the top25 recruits every year.
Yes, I know, now what does that mean? Are they paying for room and board at Harvard or SENW Louisiana Tech? The program must have set details, somewhere.
https://budgeting.thenest.com/full-scholarship-mean-23932.html
But if he's in Maine we're at least dropping the hypocrisy and finally being honest.
If a player has zero interest in being a college student, and really just wants to be paid to play basketball, then that's what he should be without all the phony "student athlete" pretense.
I don't really see what the big deal is, college basketball was fine in the 90s early 2000s when prospects jumped straight to the pros. How is this any different? Even if they end up consistently getting 5-10 elite guys a year, there are still thousands of players left over.
No, that's for the G League draft. This is completely different and they only have to be done with high school.