Reaching back a little, but about a week ago the thread was full of debate over the One and Done Rule.
NYT's Website today has an article on the subject.
I think there's a misconception about how terrible it was when kids could go pro right out of high school. Everyone is quick to point out how many kids who went pro were unprepared, and ended up failing flat on their face.
Stats paint a different picture.
Between 95 and 2005 (when the 1 and done rule started) 39 players went straight from the HS to the NBA.
Including 9 All-Stars LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Dwight Howard, Kevin Garnett, Amar'e Stoudemire, Jermaine O’Neal, Tracy McGrady, Rashard Lewis, and Andrew Bynum. (Which includes arguably 3 of the 4 best players in the league)
Plus another 6 who have been All-Star level players: Tyson Chandler, Monta Ellis, Josh Smith, Kendrick Perkins, Al Jefferson, and Al Harrington.
That's almost 40%. If you throw in another group of players who we're over-hyped but had average nba careers like Darius Miles, Travis Outlaw, Lou Williams, JR Smith etc.. you get a percentage close to 60%.
Makes you realize that NBA GMs werent insane. Most of the HS kids they drafted worked out. And the perception that kids we're throwing away their lives isn't accurate either. Most of the kids who declared made it in the NBA. And even when they didn't, it was a reasonable risk to take.
http://offthedribble.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/04/04/the-closer-sterns-argument-lacking/?ref=sportsIt's hard for me to see why "adults"
need to prevent kids from going pro, when their chances of making it in the NBA are pretty good.
Is it a risk? yea. But clearly not as big a one as many people think.