Should the NBA Change Draft Rules?

The NBA is in the process of determining who should be eligible to enter future NBA Drafts. In the history of the NBA, the rules regarding draft eligibility have changed several times. In the early years of the NBA, you had to go to college for four years before being eligible to be drafted. It wasn’t until 1971 that the the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the NBA had to let high school players enter the draft. If a 17-18 year old wants to work for a living, he should have that opportunity, and that’s why this ruling was made. There have been players who will be in the hall of fame like Kevin Garnett, Kobe Bryant, and LeBron James, who went straight from high school to the pros. Its also led to monumental busts such as Sebastian Telfair, Kwame Brown, and Darius Miles. Its risky business taking a high school player in the NBA Draft, but its an opportunity they should have if an NBA GM is willing to take that chance.

The NBA has formed a committee to study the NBA draft rules, and weather or not the rules should be modified or remain the same. They are expected to decide within the next week as to how they will allow NBA Draft entrants to enter the NBA Draft, and if they will raise the age limit to enter the draft. One of the reported scenarios involves raising the age-limit to enter the draft to 20 years old, and thus forcing players to be out of high school for two years before being eligible for the NBA draft. This has been dubbed the two-and-through rule and will essentially require players who enroll in college to stay in school for two years. Coach John Calipari actually likes this idea and had this to say on the issue:

“But you don’t have to recruit five or six players. You can get the best three or four kids a year and be in good shape. Why wouldn’t they want to come with other good players so they can practice against really good guys and still get their minutes? Then the next season it’s their opportunity and they can go to the NBA.

My Thoughts:

That’s right, the Randolph Morris rule. Randolph Morris declared for the 2005 NBA Draft but never hired an agent. He wasn’t drafted, and the NCAA allowed him to return to UK while only missing all non-conference games that season. As long as players don’t hire agents and compromise their eligibility, they should be able to be drafted. Baseball players get drafted while they’re in college or even while their still in high school, yet are able to play college baseball with no penalty if they don’t sign with the team. Players deserve to have an opportunity to pursue work opportunities in the NBA if someone is willing to give them that chance, but if no one gives them that chance, they can go to college for two years. I call it the through-or-two rule. Simple and fair.