NBA's College Attendance Rules Should Be Similar to MLB's

by Teach
(Ohio)

I think the NBA should adopt something close to baseball's rule. You can either get drafted out of high school or choose to go to college. If you choose college, you're bound to the school for 2 or 3 years (anything longer than 1 year would work).

If the kid chooses to go the pro route there ought to be risk for both the player & team that drafts him. If the minimum rookie contract is for 4 years, any team that drafts a high school kid should be bound to the kid for 4 years, plus add 2 or 3 years to the initial contract. Why should a pro team invest in a kid for 4 years w/ on the job training then see the player bolt for greener pastures once he's a finished product after 4 years?

Pro teams should be able to have the extra 2 or 3 years added to the initial rookie contract so they can see their investment bear fruit. There is risk for the team because if you draft a raw high school kid you are bound to him for 6 or 7 years, and if he's a bust then you're screwed. There's risk for the high school kid because there are a limited number of job openings.

Therefore, if a pro team drafts a kid that goes to college for two or three years they would be bound to them for only four years and there's a greater chance they get a closer to finished product. And if the kid chooses college he gets a jump start on an education if they are so inclined to attend class for two or three years.

It's not a perfect solution, but it has to be better than the current system.