ESPN.com – NBA – Pacers’ O’Neal: Racism behind age-limit proposal
okay, not going to discuss whether i think this argument has any merit (institutional racism, etc etc etc). i don’t think kids should jump straight to the nba from HS. i don’t think 99% of them are ready (menatlly, physically, skill-set). yes there are always exceptions (e.g. lebron). what’s crazy is how much of a chance these kids get. if someone who is a HS prep star, with nba teams considering drafting him (maybe not high, maybe not in the lottery), goes to college, leaves after a year, and then stinks it up his first year in the league, he’s done. he might not get another chance. that same kids leaves straight from HS to the nba, GMs will keep him around forever just in case he ever develops. of course this is an argument for allowing the HS players make the jump, but there has to be a better way (let teams draft them, make them play in a mandatory “minor” league for 3 months, i don’t have a solution, but it’s crazy as it is now).
anyway, i’m moving off target. the whole point of this post is to comment on ESPN’s headline for this story on the main page. it says: ” Pacers’ O’Neal: Age limit is racism.” i read that, and the very first thought in my head (not having read the article yet) was, “hmm, straight from HS player says ‘man, age limit? that’s racist!’ what a perfect example/reason to make them go to college! haha”
of course the article is not about o’neal thinking age limits are an example of racism in a simpleton sort of way that i comedically imagined, but still, at least a little amusing.
btw, while i’m on basketball, is anyone else wondering what exactly happened to shooting? why is it getting to be more and more acceptable for all players (but particularly guards) to shoot worse and worse from the line? and who cares if some tiny 5’11”-6’1″ kid is a slasher who can drive to the basket at will? in the nba, that kid won’t finish a good amount of the time, will get fouled, and is what? an upper 60 to 70% FT shooter? what the hell is that?