Durant Durant Rant

A lot of the names being thrown out - high school senior-wise - don't make sense. Most of those kids weren't academically eligible to go to college. Garnett didn't find out he was eligible until after he had already declared.
Let them come out early. It doesn't ruin the product. The product gets ruined at the high school and AAU levels, when all these kids care about is beating their man one on one and dunking on someone.

 

Uh......I actually Leon Smith is in jail somewhere.

 

Would Durant be way too good for college basketball if LeBron were a senior this year, as he would have been in the old days? Or if Dwigh Howard, Adam Morrison, Rudy Gay, Brandon Roy, Tyus Thomas and tons of other guys who left early were still in college? These guys have every right to go pro as early as possible, and I don't begrudge them the money, but anybody who says this doesn't hurt the college game is nuts. Hurts the NBA, too. Durant and Oden would clearly be more polished players entering the NBA two or three years from now than they would be next year. Leaving early may be good for the individuals (at least some of them) but it's clearly bad for the sport overall.

 

Again, what old days? Guys left early ALL THE TIME!

 

Sports Predictor, how old are you? Are you not aware that there was a time when most college stars completed all four years of eligibility? Read a book, for chrissake.

 

Exactly right BDWY Joe. The individual has every right to go but it does not mean that it's better for the sport.

In the old days we would have watched Lebron for 4 years in college and then would have even watched the lottery to see who won the derby to draft him.

Look at the excitement the Patick Ewing lottery created. By that time we all had been watching him for 4 years at Georgetown.

 

He obviously never heard of Spencer Haywood . I remember when that ruling came down the baskeball would never be the same.

I followed Kareem from Power Memorial to UCLA. I loved the speculation and anticpation of what he would be like when he could finally play as a sophmore in college.

I won't assume but want to point out that there used to be a rule that did not allow freshman to play at varsity level.

 

How old are you talking about? Chris Webber? Michael Jordan? Wilt Chamberlain?

They all left early.

 

The NBA would not take Chamberlain so he had to play for the Globetrotters for a year.

 

Actually, there are still some places where college stars complete all four years. Paul Pierce and Drew Gooden were the only Jayhawks to leave early under Roy Williams, and no one's done so under Bill Self yet. And the Gators brought back everyone this season.

And Boom, rather than use Patrick Ewing as an example, you could use Kenyon Martin (2000), Michael Olowokandi (1998) or Tim Duncan (1997) as seniors who went No. 1 in the draft. But that would be to admit that there are good players who do stay all four years. Sheldon Williams, Brandon Roy, Randy Foye, J.J. Redick and Hilton Armstrong were picked in the top 12 of last June's draft as college seniors, so there's also that.

Oden and Durant have been great for the college game this season. I'm not sure it would be great for them to stay four years when it's obvious that they're ready for something more. If the NCAA is about looking out for the kids, then there's no way it should force players like that to stay four seasons if they don't want to.

Besides, when guys like Oden and Durant leave early, it gives mid-majors like George Mason, Gonzaga and Wichita State -- places where kids do stay all four years -- that have a chemistry a greater chance to surprise in the NCAA Tournament. I'm not so sure the mid-majors would be the factor they are now if those blue-chip prospects stayed at power-conference schools for all four seasons, which would take away one of the more compelling storylines we've had this decade.

 

Once again you are looking at it from the players perspective. That's fine but it does not make the game better.

Sure there are players who stay 4 years but in past that used to be all players in D-1.

Florida now recurits by design to find kids with big upside that will likely stay around for at least 3 years. Coach K tries to do the same. It takes time to build a team.

 

Not in the last two graphs, where I specifically addressed the college game as a whole. And since when did all D-I players stay all four years? Michael Jordan -- from the Ewing-Mullin era you love to reference -- left early. So when exactly did every D-I player have to stay all four seasons?