NBA Needs to ‘Pass’ on the High Schoolers

It shouldn’t be a tough choice between Marvin Williams who played at UNC for one season and Gerald Green who’s never played college ball.

I’ve blogged lately on the myriad of benefits for the NBA to increase the minimum age limit for entry. The other side claims I’m being unfair to the player. And that may be true. But for the greater good, it should happen. The game of basketball on both the pro and college level will benefit and most importantly, so will the fans.

Although the collective bargaining talks stalled, Stern says they will resume “soon.” He’s been consistent in his desire for increasing the age limit but it’s tough to nail down just where the player’s union stands on the issue. It could be a bargaining chip.

ESPN’s Doug Gottlieb has come up with a number of reasons why it’s not a good gamble for the NBA team that spends a high draft pick on an unproven High School player.

The facts show you should almost never draft a high schooler. First, the failure rate is significantly higher than that of bona fide college stars. Second, and probably as important, many of the high schoolers who ultimately become stars, do so after a significant adjustment period.