Originally Posted by
Bill Dozer
It's a good question. My vote is for the NBA being at fault. The NBA is really the only sport I can think of where you have all these "busts" sitting the bench getting no experience. You can take the top 5 prospects and toss em in with the big boys and that's as far as they'll go. Remember Kwame Brown, Eddie Curry and Tyson Chandler? All 3 looked like they'd be overseas in yr 4 after rookie contract. Even after a year in college playing against 95% of kids that will always be amateurs you still don't know if they can play in NBA. Ennis? Wiggins? Embiid's back in 82 games?
Baseball, all soccer leagues, Euro hoops, they all have a club systems to develop guys. Kwame Brown might have been an all NBAer if he wasnt thrown into a sink or swim situation. Maybe the AAU youth clubs could sync up and be sponsored by NBA clubs like they do with soccer.
But the NBA would have to make it work with rules like if you play in college you can't join the NBA for 2 or 3 years. The college game protects their potential earn because they get to be men among boys and still keep the hype going. Having to prove yourself in a more competitive system has be their best option. Brandon Jennings is the only one to go play with men and it probably cost him 5+ draft spots in a crappy draft. He would have torn up college PGs and # 1 or 2 pick in that draft.