Washington Post Disses Griffin?

One exception (Griffin) doesn't change the point of the story. The younger guys, as a group, have struggled this year. The older guys have performed phenomenally well, and I don't think its pure coincidence.

That's one reason I hate the idea of drafting high schoolers. Yeah, they might turn into Kobe, but that will be 3-5 years down the road, and as a fan, that just sucks.

 

Yeah, but if you are willing to take on a project and groom him well, while others dont want to take a risk on him, than you could end up with the next all star for less.

 

Maybe the reason EG was left off the rookie team was because the NBA wants to discourage players coming straight out of highschool.

 

griffin had one year of college ball at seton hall

 

Do you think LA fans think it sucks to have Kobe on there team?

 

I think that high schoolers are just being overvalued right now. I mean, look how they do in college... some of the phenoms work out, some don't. Too much of a gamble, imo. I think all of them should be going more in the Kobe range. Late lottery, slightly after seems about right to me.

 

I think one of the reasons high schoolers come into the draft is because they might not do that well in college. Why go to college and take the risk of being an average player who doesn't get drafted when you can go straight to the draft then into the league and make millions?

 

<B>Do you think LA fans think it sucks to have Kobe on there team?</B>

LA didn't draft Kobe, and LA didn't need an impact player right away to help their franchise. The teams that go 15-67 need a player to help them NOW, and high-schoolers aren't it.

Beyond that, Kobe's are very few and far between. I'd rather my team get a very likely top player than a 1-in-10 shot at a superstar.

 

It was a prearrange deal with Charlotte and LA, kinda like Richard Jefferson being drafted be Houston. Kobe turn down workouts with teams like New Jersey because he wanted to play for a large market team like NY, Chicago, and LA. At the time High Schooler could declare for the draft and then don't sign and go play college ball. Kobe had the grades, KG didn't. They knew KG wasn't going to college but won't sure about Kobe. This is the reason he was selected so low. However, now if a high schooler declares for the draft there's no turning back.

 

Not even a mention. Griffin's name didn't even turn up. How the hell can this guy get away with mentioning Battier and Gasol, but not mention EG? Jesus, you can't help but notice his blocking, defense, rebounding, etc - even if he is still inconsistent with his scoring (but certainly has proven that he has range)?



And it can't just be because the team sucks this season. Memphis ain't exactly tearin' it up. What is the friggen' deal?

 

Am I being stupid, but wasn't Gasol a teenager when entering the league?

Gasol, Griffin, Curry, Wagner (if he came out last year) and Parker would school Battier, Tinsley, Morris, Haywood, and another top senior from 2001.

 

Really, it all comes down to the simple fact that the money is guaranteed for these kids coming out of high school or even just one year of college. If I had an opportunity to take in millions of dollars and then go back to college if I wanted, I'd definately make that deal.

The problem ultimately lies in the NBA allowing underclassmen to be drafted. The players will always take the money, and the teams can't afford to not take a chance on them - afterall, the draft is about taking chances on the potential of a player.

If the NBA really wanted to discourage high schoolers from going into the draft early, it would institute a rule much like in the WNBA where you must be a certain age, or have played overseas, or have used up your eligibility. The simple fact is they won't do that because many of the high schoolers have done well (Kobe, KG, Miles, Harrington, Lewis - just to name a few).

Personally, I don't see much of a problem with it. If a player wants to develop via practices and trash minutes in the NBA, rather than go to college, mature and actually play against kids their own age, then fine. They are adults and they have a right to make the decisions they want. If the high schoolers do well, more will come. If they don't, then they will go to school and play there instead. It's all about the precedent that is set now.

 

bwarren,

Age discrimination. The NBA has a bar now preventing people from entering the draft before their class has graduated, but would probably be overturned in court if challenged.

Teams need to be allowed to assign players to the NBDL to develop.

 

I don't know, but last season a lot of the time Kobe would ignore the rest of the team while backing down by himself and end up throwing off an off balance shot. He was very frustrating to watch then. Then the same could be said for Shaq for the last month or so, he's so slow and the team was playing worse with him on court since he was a defensive liability and slowed the entire team down.

But no, I like the fact Kobe is on the Lakers, Shaq too.