The Diaper Dandy Dilemma

In a column this weekend, The Times' Bill Plaschke argued that college basketball is suffering under the current system in which insta-stars spend only one year in school before bouncing to the NBA.

Would college basketball be better if all those one-and-done freshmen were once again allowed to go from high school to the pros? Thus leaving the college game for the kids who will at least spend a couple of years in college and allow for the building of a system and the continuation of a tradition? I vote yes and yes.

Right now, guys like Kevin Love don't really have a choice. In fact, Love had said that if he wasn't forced to sit out a year, he would have gone straight into the NBA draft from high school. Heralded incoming freshman Jrue Holiday could also be a one-and-done. Coach Ben Howland has suggested that a middle ground might exist in which a high school player can enter the draft, but opt to go to school if not picked in the top 20 or so.

The NBA probably won't change anything, but college coaches do have the choice to say "no" to a player who may threaten the team concept and even APR (academic progress rate). On the other hand, these guys are really, really good.

Posted by: Adam Rose

Comments

[Shane]

I have to disagree with Plaschke. The college system isn't suffering. The NBA is and has been suffering. The level of play has dropped off because kids who are not fully developed are chasing the money and quite frankly, the NBA encourages it. The NBA is a business first and foremost. They don't care about these kids, they care about dollars.

[Dylan]

I agree with Shane's comment. The level of play has dropped off considerably over the past 10 years due to these early entrants. With the exception of Kobe and LeBron, most players would benefit from more practice at the college level or in some developmental league.