In light of the NBA lockout being lifted, I see all current problems persisting. The super teams stay super, the mediocre teams enjoy their 5 games-over .500 to get smoked in the first round, and the bad teams stay bad unless they hit that next superstar out of the draft. Something the Sixers missed in Evan Turner with the #2 pick, and it's starting to look like even the Wizards missed in John Wall. Some other teams that missed out with the #1 pick, Trail Blazers (Oden), Raptors (Bargani) and the Bucks (Bogut). None of those teams have even had a chance at success, with those picks turning out horrible.
So is this fixable? Maybe. Do I have a crazy hypothetical way to change this? Absolutely.
Now hear me out, and don't quit reading this after my next words.
The NBA should draft ALL players out of high school.
Yes, I know I am talking about eliminating college basketball as you know it. Yes, I am an avid college hoops fan, but please, stick with me on this one.
I see this as beneficial in a few ways, and am taking away from other sports as a prime example.
The main issue I drew to this conclusion is overall basketball attendance in our country, especially at the professional level. NBA has attendance issues, and there are ZERO other meaningful professional league that draw fans. The NFL also has similar issues, but is such a monster, it's not worth considering changing anything.
Think of how many people in this nation attend a professional baseball game. MLB's 30 teams sold a combined 73,425,667 tickets in 2011. AAA baseball draws in the 15 million range, AA baseball draws in the 10 million range as well. You can throw in all the small leagues, and you just see how many people attend a baseball game.... over 100 million.
NHL drew 20,928,036 ticket sales in 2010-2011. On top of that, the AHL drew 1.5 million, ECHL draws 1,000-3,000 a game, and all the leagues in the great lakes area have small filled arenas. You also can look at the OHL, QJMHL, WHL, FHL and the attendance numbers they draw in Canada and northern America. People go to hockey games.
But what does basketball offer? It offers the NBA, which draws 20 million a year. After that, nothing else that draws meaningful attendance is out there.
Of course college basketball is huge, but that's money that goes to a campus, and not the sport. Also, attendance of non students (who hardly pay to go) is struggling for most teams.
This is where my theory comes in. And that theory is to drastically change the sport and draft players out of high school in an expanded draft.
This would develop NBA players for teams, and give a future to players in America.
Lets face it, I absolutely hate the NBA draft and how it works. Every year, the first round pick is almost secured a spot in the top 9 of any NBA roster. The second round pick fights for the last spot on a team, or ends up being released. Regardless, nearly 10-15% of your team changes based on who you draft alone (2 players, 13-ish man team). While I absolutely agree that most first round picks deserve to be on the court and are at the NBA-level, it's the other players that call me into question.
How great would a minor league basketball team be. This would give those great college players who aren't quite NBA material a place to play in America. What happens currently, is that they go overseas, and basically play their life away outside of America. Only the top 60 players in ALL of college basketball make it to the NBA. And considering there's 450 players in the NBA (on average), the rosters add 13% more players every year. Players get squeezed out of a NBA roster spot, and that leads to retirement, or playing overseas.
If each team had a minor league affiliate, you could send your youth. You would also have a spot for the last player on your bench to improve his game. So many times, that 12th-14th man on a roster ends up being released, and playing their life away in Europe. It would be very interesting and beneficial in my eyes to let these players play in such “minor” league. You could also keep your “back up” players active and in the game, something that the end of the bench doesn’t currently get.
The MLS is my example of this. Most great soccer players are signed by 18 to a team for a fairly inexpensive contract. These players play within development leagues against other teams and their development teams. These players mature, grow, and excel in their game until they are ready for the top level. They get their chance at the top level, and if they excel...they are set. This keeps the young kids playing with their future teammates.
Again, this is very hypothetical, and I could write a lot more about it. I just wanted to get my ideas out and see initial reaction. The number of American players playing overseas troubles me, and I am just as troubled that only 450 basketball players make it in America (30 teams, 15 players). Everyone beyond that goes overseas, and plays great there, get zero attention in America. A minor league system would do so.
Putting a team in Hershey, Baltimore, Trenton, Allentown, etc.. would be very successful in my eyes, in many ways like the AHL is for hockey and minor league baseball nation wide. If the Hershey affiliate for the Sixers had their “Second/Development/AHL/AAA” team playing, would people go? If you answer no...then there is no hope for basketball, because people attend Hockey and Baseball at that level. I think that people would go.
So is this fixable? Maybe. Do I have a crazy hypothetical way to change this? Absolutely.
Now hear me out, and don't quit reading this after my next words.
The NBA should draft ALL players out of high school.
Yes, I know I am talking about eliminating college basketball as you know it. Yes, I am an avid college hoops fan, but please, stick with me on this one.
I see this as beneficial in a few ways, and am taking away from other sports as a prime example.
The main issue I drew to this conclusion is overall basketball attendance in our country, especially at the professional level. NBA has attendance issues, and there are ZERO other meaningful professional league that draw fans. The NFL also has similar issues, but is such a monster, it's not worth considering changing anything.
Think of how many people in this nation attend a professional baseball game. MLB's 30 teams sold a combined 73,425,667 tickets in 2011. AAA baseball draws in the 15 million range, AA baseball draws in the 10 million range as well. You can throw in all the small leagues, and you just see how many people attend a baseball game.... over 100 million.
NHL drew 20,928,036 ticket sales in 2010-2011. On top of that, the AHL drew 1.5 million, ECHL draws 1,000-3,000 a game, and all the leagues in the great lakes area have small filled arenas. You also can look at the OHL, QJMHL, WHL, FHL and the attendance numbers they draw in Canada and northern America. People go to hockey games.
But what does basketball offer? It offers the NBA, which draws 20 million a year. After that, nothing else that draws meaningful attendance is out there.
Of course college basketball is huge, but that's money that goes to a campus, and not the sport. Also, attendance of non students (who hardly pay to go) is struggling for most teams.
This is where my theory comes in. And that theory is to drastically change the sport and draft players out of high school in an expanded draft.
This would develop NBA players for teams, and give a future to players in America.
Lets face it, I absolutely hate the NBA draft and how it works. Every year, the first round pick is almost secured a spot in the top 9 of any NBA roster. The second round pick fights for the last spot on a team, or ends up being released. Regardless, nearly 10-15% of your team changes based on who you draft alone (2 players, 13-ish man team). While I absolutely agree that most first round picks deserve to be on the court and are at the NBA-level, it's the other players that call me into question.
How great would a minor league basketball team be. This would give those great college players who aren't quite NBA material a place to play in America. What happens currently, is that they go overseas, and basically play their life away outside of America. Only the top 60 players in ALL of college basketball make it to the NBA. And considering there's 450 players in the NBA (on average), the rosters add 13% more players every year. Players get squeezed out of a NBA roster spot, and that leads to retirement, or playing overseas.
If each team had a minor league affiliate, you could send your youth. You would also have a spot for the last player on your bench to improve his game. So many times, that 12th-14th man on a roster ends up being released, and playing their life away in Europe. It would be very interesting and beneficial in my eyes to let these players play in such “minor” league. You could also keep your “back up” players active and in the game, something that the end of the bench doesn’t currently get.
The MLS is my example of this. Most great soccer players are signed by 18 to a team for a fairly inexpensive contract. These players play within development leagues against other teams and their development teams. These players mature, grow, and excel in their game until they are ready for the top level. They get their chance at the top level, and if they excel...they are set. This keeps the young kids playing with their future teammates.
Again, this is very hypothetical, and I could write a lot more about it. I just wanted to get my ideas out and see initial reaction. The number of American players playing overseas troubles me, and I am just as troubled that only 450 basketball players make it in America (30 teams, 15 players). Everyone beyond that goes overseas, and plays great there, get zero attention in America. A minor league system would do so.
Putting a team in Hershey, Baltimore, Trenton, Allentown, etc.. would be very successful in my eyes, in many ways like the AHL is for hockey and minor league baseball nation wide. If the Hershey affiliate for the Sixers had their “Second/Development/AHL/AAA” team playing, would people go? If you answer no...then there is no hope for basketball, because people attend Hockey and Baseball at that level. I think that people would go.
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