Oso planning to go pro
I posted this in the Recruiting Thread, but I just don't see how the NBA/G-League paying these kids all this money makes sense for them. Great for the kids, but I don't understand how this is sustainable for the NBA/G-League. Colleges are already willing to do the development work and give the kids exposure for free. I could understand paying them $125,000 to play in the G-League. But $500,000 and putting together this entire Academy Team? How does that make sense?
Maybe NBA believes that with more control over development/evaluation of these elite recruits will give them better understanding/ability to draft with more success?
$500k is nothing compared to what they pay a rookie and relative to what they pay each year for talent, it is next to nothing
This is just a temporary situation.NBA wants to be able to draft HS players by 2022.
If I had a top prospect, I’d prefer they went to the G-League. The college game is short on development and long on overpaid coaches
Parrish and Norlander did a good podcast on this. Basically their point was that Green is viewed as a consensus top 2 draft pick at this point. If he drops even to 3 overall because of this decision, even with the $500K he is getting now, he will end up losing a lot of money as the drop from the 2nd overall pick to the 3rd overall pick over the course of a rookie contract is much more than $500K. And it'll be much easier for him to drop with this deal than it would've been had he gone to college (older, more physically developed players might expose some holes in his game that college kids might not, or some college kid blows up like an Obi Toppin did and simply passes by him).They also made the point that you just aren't going to get the hype and publicity that a Zion Williamson did by going to Duke and being on ESPN every night, even if your highlights from the 20 exhibition games you play end up on ESPN's top 10. This will hurt endorsement opportunities at the start of their careers.
But why pay it at all? It's basically an NBA minimum contract yeah, but what exactly are they trying to accomplish since they are going to be a lottery pick the next year anyway?The only way these types of deals make sense is if the NBA would allow teams to draft high school players and stash them on the G-League team for a year before they became eligible to play in the NBA.
I'll be honest, this sort of decision baffles me. I guess if you really hate school and just don't want to go to class, I understand that logic, but the ability to build a brand, develop a fanbase, gain exposure to mainstream fans, and be treated like a star is much higher at the collegiate level.No one watches these games. They don't draw fans. It's more likely you will hurt than help your draft stock. And instead of flying private to top notch venues, you'll be taking a bus to backwater towns. I don't see any way this is sustainable long term.
It may not be sustainable, but you're way overvaluing college, in terms of development, exposure to scouts and building a brand. College isn't a requisite for any of those things.I mean, look at some of the likely lottery picks in the 2020 draft:Anthony Edwards barely played in college, and when he did it was at a largely unsuccessful program that got little exposure.Obi Toppen played at a mid-major that rarely appeared on national television (a combined 5 appearances on ESPN/ESPN2 ... a few more on CBS Sports and NBSN)James Wiseman played three games in college.LaMelo Ball played overseasDeni Avdija played overseasTheo Maledon played overseasKillian Hayes played overseasRJ Hampton played overseasKids are wising up to the NCAA.
It may not be sustainable, but you're way overvaluing college, in terms of development, exposure to scouts and building a brand. College isn't a requisite for any of those things.