Basketball in America

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-14^th 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.

Why Does Everyone Think That's It for the Heat??

The Heat's nearly magical decent from their self-proclaimed greatness couldn't of been written better by Shakespeare himself.  Losing a game at home on a 20-2 run, losing two games the Heat were dominating for over 40 minuets of the game?  Losing the title at home after your team gave up half-way through the 4th quarter?  Self-Proclaimed King being outscored by dime-a-dozen players in the fourth quarter? Another team hoisting the trophy in your own place (it hurts Flyers fans)?  Storybooks couldn't of written it better. 

Everyone's quick to jump on the "Heat are Trash" bandwagon.  Guess our nation has such a short attention span.  Long forgotten is the fact that in the Playoffs, the Heat were 12-3 against the young, fast, and intense Philadelphia 76ers, the defending East Champion and just as talented as ever Boston Celtics, and my consideration (among many others) for the best team in the NBA during the regular season, Chicago Bulls. Facts are, Star players were shut down by Miami's defense, and Miami flat out took care of business, and couldn't be stopped all playoffs long.

What did stop Miami was one of the old school Boston Celtics teams that was arguably the deepest NBA team I've seen in my lifetime.  You will hardly ever lose if you can get 27 points by one player off your bench, regardless of who your playing.  Dallas assembled a team of seasoned veterans who were accustomed to playoff basketball, and that showed.  Miami's 3 stars and random assortment of players didn't pay off. Yet.

I asked everyone if they thought the Heat would win the Championship this year after Lebron took his talents to South Beach.  Most people (including myself) took that stance of "I don't think they can do it this year, but in a couple years, they will have a couple titles."  This team has only played together for about 100 games, and they aren't going to get any worse.  And remember, they decimated the Eastern Conference.  By my pre-season predictions (Bulls-Celtics for the finals), they overachieved.  We were all quick to forget that when they started putting up win after win in the 2nd half of the season.


Another fact is, Chris Bosh will most likely not return to this team, due to the NBA negotiations and the pending lockout.  It looks like there will not be any NBA next year, and the owners as a collective whole will not let another game of basketball be played until guaranteed contracts are abolished, and the NBA reconstructs rookie salaries.  In this case (and not the case with the NFL), I totally agree with the NBA Owners.  While I am not fully informed on the NBA labor situation, this lockout is very similar to the NHL's just a couple years ago, which led to a season of no Hockey.  Of course we will see every player disagree with money being taken away from them (abolishing guaranteed contracts and paying rookies a little less before they touch a basketball court), but ultimately, that's what's going to happen.  Here's some outright robbery some players stole from NBA organizations last year.

Peja Stojakovic = 15.3 Million Salary, 8.5PPG, 2.3 Boards, 0.9 Assists
Samuel Dalembert = 13.5 Million Salary, 12PPG, 12.2 Boards, 1.2 Assists
Rashard Lewis = 20.5 Million Salary, 11.7PPG, 5.1 Boards, 1.6 Assists
Elton Brand = 15.9 Million Salary, 15 PPG, 8.3 Boards, 1.5 Assists

If you guys want some comparison; in the 2010-2011 season, Dwyane Wade made 14.2 Million, Lebron James made 14.5 Million, Kevin Durant made 6.5 Million, Derrick Rose made 5.5 Million, Kobe made around 24 Million, Tim Duncan made 18 Million.  And yes, when the Sixers had Brand and Dalembert, that cost them as much as Wade and Lebron cost Miami this year.

Regardless of that, When the lockout is over, there (more than likley) will be a hard salary cap in place, which teams can not go over (which the Heat went over the current "soft" cap).  And the blame has to be placed somewhere, which will likley be Bosh.  He's being paid just as much as Wade and Lebron, but doesn't have half the affect on most games.  I see him leaving and two solid big men coming to Miami, who can rebound in the 4th quarter, and play adequate offense.

On paper, Miami and Chicago will dominate the East.  Boston is passing it's prime, and in my opinion not going to win another title anytime soon.  Atlanta and Philly will have promising teams, and other teams will take shots and beat the Heat and Bulls in the future (that's why you play the game.)

If your quick to call the Miami Heat a bunch of bums and a bunch of losers, tell me what derogatory words you have for the Sixers who went 1-4 in the playoffs against this Miami Heat team, and that one win came on the shoulders of Lou Willams.  The Heat are still a great team deeper than the big 3, but they were beat by a deep time who rode on amazing perimeter shooting.  Give the Mavs some credit finally for how great they played beyond Dirk's great performances night in and out.