congress getting involved in sports again, pathetic

gtc08 · Jun 6, 2009

Congressman to NBA: Leave age limit out of next CBA

<TABLE class=storyHeader style="BACKGROUND: url(http://images.cbssports.com/images/authors-318x86/10310.jpg) no-repeat left top; HEIGHT: 91px" cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=storyInfo style="PADDING-LEFT: 95px" vAlign=top>June 3, 2009
By Gary Parrish
CBSSports.com Senior Writer
Tell Gary your opinion! </TD><TD class=storySponsor><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=0><TBODY><TR><TD></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR vAlign=top><TD width=10> </TD><TD>[FONT=Arial, Helvetica]

<SCRIPT type=text/javascript> function shareLinks(){}; shareLinks.prototype.allowClose = false; shareLinks.prototype.showButtons = function() {this.allowClose=false;document.getElementById('shareBoxi').style.visibility="visible";} shareLinks.prototype.shareOff = function() {if (this.allowClose==true) {document.getElementById('shareBoxi').style.visibility="hidden";}} shareLinks.prototype.hideButtons = function() {this.allowClose=true;setTimeout("shareLinks.prototype.shareOff()",1000);} </SCRIPT><TABLE class=buttonCnt id=button-bar cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 border=0><TBODY><TR vAlign=top><TD>http://www.cbssports.com/print/nba/story/11816994</TD><TD>http://www.cbssports.com/emailafrie...to NBA: Leave age limit out of next CBA - NBA</TD><TD>http://www.cbssports.com/xml/rss</TD><TD>http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u... of next CBA - NBA - CBSSports.com Basketball
http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u... of next CBA - NBA - CBSSports.com Basketball http://digg.com/submit?phase=2&url=... of next CBA - NBA - CBSSports.com Basketball http://del.icio.us/post?v=4&noui&ju... of next CBA - NBA - CBSSports.com Basketball http://myweb.yahoo.com/myresults/bo...u=http://www.cbssports.com/nba/story/11816994

</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.) wrote a letter Wednesday to NBA commissioner David Stern and NBA Players Association executive director Billy Hunter that asks them to eliminate the league’s 19-year-old age minimum for U.S. players to enter the draft.
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=310 align=left border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=adlabel colSpan=3>Advertisement
</TD><TD width=10 rowSpan=3> </TD></TR><TR><TD align=middle width=300 height=250><SCRIPT type=text/javascript></SCRIPT><SCRIPT src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/adj/cbssports/nba/media/stories;arena=nba;site=media;feat=stories;type=psa;user=Named;ct=USA;st=MN;ac=952;gend=M;age=A;occ=13;mktg=FFBC09_FFBP;ctype=lan;lang=en-us;lang=en-us;adv=c;cust=yes;fteam=NFL-JAC;fteam=NBA-MIN;fteam=MLB-MIN;fteam=NHL-MIN;sz=300x250;tile=15;ord=07102258848062015?"></SCRIPT><SCRIPT language=Javascript id=ew1079167_wrapper src="http://cdn1.eyewonder.com/200125/757440/1079167/wrapper.js" type=text/javascript></SCRIPT><NOSCRIPT>

</NOSCRIPT><SCRIPT language=Javascript id=ew1079167_script src="http://cdn1.eyewonder.com/200125/757440/1079167/exp_Proxy.js" type=text/javascript></SCRIPT><OBJECT id=ewad1079167 style="LEFT: 0px; POSITION: relative; TOP: 0px; HEIGHT: 250px" codeBase=http://fpdownload.adobe.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=7,0,0,0 height=250 width=500 align=middle classid=clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000 meta="ewad;1;300x250;http://www.nba.com">

<embed id="ewembed1079167" src="http://cdn1.eyewonder.com/200125/757440/1079167/nba_finals_300x250_v01.swf" base="http://cdn1.eyewonder.com/200125/757440/1079167/" wmode="transparent" quality="high" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" width="500" height="250" name="ewad1079167" FlashVars="ewbase=http://cdn1.eyewonder.com/200125/757440/1079167/&bwfile=bwtest.swf&creative=nba_finals_300x250_v01.swf&vLength=15,30,15.2,14.7,14.7,14.7&bw=56,90,135,300,450,600&buf=5,4,3,2,2,2&flv=fl8_NBA Digital Playoff_Elevator 320x185,fl8_NBA Digital Playoff_Overall 320x185,fl8_NBA Digital Playoff_Wastebasket 320x185,fl8_NBA Digital Playoff - low chairs - 320x185,fl8_NBA Digital Playoff - changing tapes - 320x185,fl8_NBA Digital Playoff - prompter - 320x185&flvId=0&formatId=110&aInit=user&vInit=host&videoID=23605,23603,23608,22387,22384,22390&videoPath=fms2.eyewonder/video/&executionId=1079167&adId=66896&adMode=stream&trkUrl=http://cdn1.eyewonder.com/200125/&siteID=75&swfVersion=8&browserEngine=ie&browserEngineVersion=6.0&opSys=windows&qaReportUUID=common&localConnectionUUID=1244308773304&guid=bcc469a8-803f-4aba-9f95-49b5742e0bb2&clickTagPrepend=http%3A//ad.doubleclick.net/click%253Bh%3Dv8/3844/3/0/%252a/f%253B214565097%253B0-0%253B1%253B24346246%253B4307-300/250%253B31475696/31493572/1%253B%253B%257Eaopt%253D2/0/ff/0%253B%257Esscs%253D%253f%5Bewclickthru%5D&streamServer=eyewond.fcod.llnwd.net&streamAppName=a119/o1&streamMode=0&clickTag1=http%3A%2F%2Fad.doubleclick.net%2Fclick%253Bh%3Dv8%2F3844%2F3%2F0%2F%252a%2Ff%253B214565097%253B0-0%253B1%253B24346246%253B4307-300%2F250%253B31475696%2F31493572%2F1%253B%253B%257Eaopt%253D2%2F0%2Fff%2F0%253B%257Esscs%253D%253fhttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.nba.com&clickTag2=http%3A%2F%2Fad.doubleclick.net%2Fclick%253Bh%3Dv8%2F3844%2F3%2F0%2F%252a%2Ff%253B214565097%253B0-0%253B1%253B24346246%253B4307-300%2F250%253B31475696%2F31493572%2F1%253B%253B%257Eaopt%253D2%2F0%2Fff%2F0%253B%257Esscs%253D%253fhttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.nba.com%3Fcid%3Dplayoffs48&clickTag3=http%3A%2F%2Fad.doubleclick.net%2Fclick%253Bh%3Dv8%2F3844%2F3%2F0%2F%252a%2Ff%253B214565097%253B0-0%253B1%253B24346246%253B4307-300%2F250%253B31475696%2F31493572%2F1%253B%253B%257Eaopt%253D2%2F0%2Fff%2F0%253B%257Esscs%253D%253fhttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.nba.com%2Fvideo%2Findex.html" align="middle" allowScriptAccess="always" allowFullScreen="true" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://adobe.com/go/getflashplayer" /></OBJECT>

<NOSCRIPT>

</NOSCRIPT></TD></TR><TR><TD colSpan=3 height=10><SPACER width="1" height="10" type="block"></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>CBSSports.com obtained a copy of the letter from Cohen's office.
"I am writing to express my deep concern over the policy of the National Basketball Association [NBA] to bar athletes from playing in the league on the basis of their age," Cohen's letter to Stern begins. "The '19 plus 1' policy, which requires American players to be at least 19 years of age and one year removed from their high school graduating class, is unfair restriction on the rights of these young men to pursue their intended career. I also believe that it has played an important role in several recent scandals involving college students who were prevented from entering the NBA upon high school graduation. I ask that this policy be repealed when the NBA completes its new collective bargaining agreement with the NBA Players Association."
[SIZE=+1]• Parrish: I'm OK with HS graduates making bad choices Cohen expanded on his thoughts in an afternoon interview with CBSSports.com. He said though he represents a district that includes Memphis, the timing of his letter is unrelated to recent news that the University of Memphis men's basketball program has been charged with major violations by the NCAA. Rather, the timing is connected to Thursday's start of the NBA Finals, and Cohen said he has long planned to send his letter this week because he expected two stars who never attended college to be participating on the sports' biggest stage.
"We've been looking at the issue since April, to be honest," Cohen said by phone. "We were expecting a Kobe-LeBron Finals, but we got a Kobe-Dwight Finals, which is just as fine because we've got two players who went straight from high school to the NBA [in the Finals], and it didn't seem to hurt them at all in their development as players."
Cohen said he talked with Al Harrington about the issue at the Kentucky Derby.
Harrington entered the 1998 NBA Draft after graduating high school and has made more than $40 million as a professional.
"He brought it up," Cohen said. "He said it ought to be changed."
The age-limit rule first affected high school players who would've otherwise been eligible for the 2006 NBA Draft, specifically Greg Oden, Kevin Durant and Thaddeus Young. It is also considered the primary reason why O.J. Mayo and Derrick Rose spent one year each in college -- a year that subsequently caused Southern California and Memphis to deal with allegations of NCAA violations.
Cohen reiterated that he believes the age-limit rule is responsible for these scandals. He added that he's "looking into proposing legislation on the issue" and that he wants Stern and Hunter to appear before Congress and "explain what their position is."
"It's a restrain of trade on these kids, and you see it in the NFL and NBA," Cohen said. "You don't see it in Major League Baseball. I was watching the [Memphis] Redbirds play ... and I was looking at the field and there wasn't an African-American player on the field when the Iowa Cubs played the Redbirds [in a Triple-A baseball game]. I didn't see one on either team, and I thought, 'This is a white sport. And tennis is a white sport. And golf is a white sport. And swimming is a white sport. And hockey is a white sport. And they don't have these restrictions. But basketball and football are predominantly African-American sports, and that's where they have the rule that forces players into college [instead of] going straight to the pros. Something here doesn't compute."

[/SIZE][/FONT]</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></P>

you think lebron would have gone to the NBA d-league making 500 bucks a week? please cohen.

ProPokerPlayer · Jun 6, 2009

No he wouldn't but if you had some of these idiots who don't know their ABC's going straight into the CBA they could find out they cant cut it without some college ending up on probation trying to shoehorn the guy thru PE101.

Not to mention what right does a buisness have to discriminate on the basis of age? If your old enough to work at Mc D's your old enough to play ball for money.....

FairWarning · Jun 6, 2009

I'm all for eliminating the age minimum age. Keeps dumb-asses like Derrick Rose out of college. It is their right to make whatever money possible. When they fail, and 90% of them will, it is their right to flip burgers too.

kingbill · Jun 6, 2009

ProPokerPlayer said:
No he wouldn't but if you had some of these idiots who don't know their ABC's going straight into the CBA they could find out they cant cut it without some college ending up on probation trying to shoehorn the guy thru PE101.

Not to mention what right does a buisness have to discriminate on the basis of age? If your old enough to work at Mc D's your old enough to play ball for money.....

I agree with you...weird...

If a kid can ball let him play. The Europeans can play NBA at 18 why can't American kids? Brandon Jennings had it right this year. Go to Europe play against men and make some dough.

FairWarning · Jun 6, 2009

Stern and the owners want no part of a real minor league system. They have one already, the NCAA's - and it's free to the League. That is one reason there is a minimum age.

College hoops were ruined 20 years ago.

Mr_Mark · Jun 6, 2009

you think our tax money would go to better work than congressman working on sports regulations

kingbill · Jun 6, 2009

mr_mark said:
you think our tax money would go to better work than congressman working on sports regulations

Exactly or Steroid probes but if it's a labor rights issue then so be it. What other company has age restrictions?

SunDodger · Jun 6, 2009

If anything, the age limit will increase to 20 or 21 in the next agreement.

This article is a little old, but still points to the reason why an age limit is not going away.

Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Top Ten High School To NBA Busts

There are many people to thank for last year's exciting NCAA basketball season. Billy Donovan and the Florida Gators. Anthony Grant and the VCU Rams. And most certainly last year's two biggest stars, Greg Oden and Kevin Durant, deserve a great deal of the credit for providing basketball fans with compelling performances all season long. There is another group of people that might not come to mind right away however, that are most responsible for last year's great college basketball season: the high school to NBA busts.

The reinvigoration of college basketball last season can be directly credited to the new NBA rule barring players from entering the NBA Draft until they are at least one year out of high school. Without this rule players such as Oden, Durant, Brandan Wright, Thaddeus Young, and Spencer Hawes might never have stepped foot on a college campus. The rule was enacted not only to protect players from making rash choices, but also to protect NBA teams from the catastrophic draft busts that occurred in the years between the 1995 and 2005 NBA Drafts. So here are the top ten men you can thank for allowing you to see one glorious season of Greg Oden and Kevin Durant in college:

10. C.J. Miles: 2005, 34th pick by the Utah Jazz
Analysis: Miles is a bit of an interesting case in that before the draft he declared that he was not hiring an agent and would go to college at Texas if he was not picked in the first round. So why did the Jazz pick him at #34 in the second round? To borrow from the Corleones, they made him an offer he couldn't refuse. The Jazz gave Miles a two year guaranteed contract, which is not required for a second round pick. The Jazz didn't get much for their investment however, as Miles has only averaged 3 PPG in limited action.

9. Ricky Sanchez: 2005, 35th pick by the Portland Trail Blazers
Analysis: Ricky who? Drafted the pick after Miles in the 2005 draft, Sanchez was traded on draft day to the Nuggets for Jarrett Jack. (Bet the Nuggets would take that one back if they could) The biggest distinction Sanchez has had in his career may well be that at the time he was only the fourth Puerto Rican player to be taken in the NBA draft. Since the draft the closest Sanchez has come to the NBA was a mediocre stint in the NBDL and has actually spent a nearly equal amount of time in the CBA. Ouch.

8. James Lang: 2003, 48th pick by the New Orleans Hornets
Analysis: The biggest indicator of Lang's bust status? He was drafted in 2003 yet he did not see his first NBA game action until 2006...for a different team than the one that drafted him. When he was originally drafted by the Hornets GM Bob Bass cut him along with the parting words that Lang lacked "the potential to be put on the active roster". Since that time Lang has signed with the Wizards and ballooned up to 305 pounds.

7. Korleone Young: 1998, 40th pick by the Detroit Pistons
Analysis: When your high school coach describes your decision to declare for the NBA draft as "a total surprise", more often than not that is a bad sign. Nonetheless the Pistons used the 40th pick on Young, and their payback has been nonexistent. Young appeared in only three games for the Pistons and has since played in Canada, Australia, China, Russia, Israel, and Italy.

6. Ndudi Ebi: 2003, 26th pick by the Minnesota Timberwolves
Analysis: Ebi was an intriguing shot blocking prospect when he came out in 2003 and to this day he is still just that, a shot blocking prospect. The sting of the Ebi pick is amplified by the fact that it was the Wolves first selection in the first round after the Joe Smith debacle that cost them five picks. Ebi appeared in only 19 games for the Wolves and has since signed with the Mavs, who may be hoping to pull off a reclamation project similar to the one they were able to pull off with former high school to NBA flop DeSagana Diop.

5. Kwame Brown: 2001, 1st pick by the Washington Wizards
Analysis: Brown holds the distinction as the first high schooler to be picked first overall and to this day that is arguably still the biggest milestone in his career. Brown was never able to fulfill his promise with the Wizards as he feuded with teammates more than he made an impact on the court. The crowds in Washington also turned against Brown, to the point where the Wizards even produced a video telling fans not to boo Brown when he entered the game. Brown's tenure in Wasington reached its crescendo when he threatened to punch Gilbert Arenas and then skipped a practice, resulting in Brown being suspended for the rest of the playoffs. Brown was then traded to the Lakers for eventual All-Star Caron Butler and has since proceeded to lose the starting center position to fellow prep to pro Andrew Bynum.

4. Darius Miles: 2000, 3rd pick by the Los Angeles Clippers
Analysis: Miles was set to go to St. Johns out of high school before he failed to score high enough on the SAT to become eligible. His appeal was very high at the time, mainly because teams were trying to find the "Next Kevin Garnett" and Miles combination of size, length, and passing skills reminded GMs of the Wolves star. Since entering the league Miles has been bounced around, being traded from the Clippers to the Cavs and then from the Cavs to the Blazers. At each stop Miles has flashed the potential that earned him the #3 pick, but has never been able to produce consistently for an entire season. Miles missed the entirety of this past season after having microfracture surgery, and in six seasons has only averaged 10.6 PPG.

3. Sebastian Telfair: 2004, 13th pick by the Portland Trail Blazers
Analysis: Telfair came into the league with a great deal of hype, and many observers expected Telfair to become the Blazers starting point guard right away. Telfair struggled however, and found himself falling behind the likes of Juan Dixon, Steve Blake, and Nick Van Exel on the depth chart. Telfair's on court struggles were compounded by an incident during the 2006 season where a handgun was found in his pillowcase on the Blazers' team plane. After his second season in Portland Telfair was traded to the Celtics and did not perform any better on the court as he fell behind Delonte West and Rajon Rando on the Celtics depth chart. Near the end of the season Telfair again found himself in trouble with guns when he was found with a loaded pistol in his car at a traffic stop. After the two gun incidents and three years of poor performance on the court Telfair's career in the NBA may well be over.

2. Jonathan Bender: 1999, 5th pick by the Toronto Raptors
Analysis: Bender, like Darius Miles, was drafted mainly because of his similarities to Kevin Garnett. He was traded on draft day to the Pacers for Antonio Davis and never performed anywhere near expectations in his seven seasons with the team. Bender was plagued by a right knee injury throughout his career, to the point where he was only able to play a total of nine games in his final two seasons. Bender announced his retirement in 2006, ending a career in which he never scored more than 7.4 PPG in any season.

1. Leon Smith:1999, 29th pick by the San Antonio Spurs
Analysis: Smith may have single-handedly done more to convince the league that it needed an age limit than any other player. After being drafted by the Spurs he was traded to Dallas, and then the trouble began. Smith clashed with coaches over his development, refusing to go overseas or the NBDL. Then on November 14th he attempted suicide by swallowing 250 aspirin. He was then arrested twice during his rookie year, with one incident involving threatening a woman with a gun. By February the Mavericks had bought out his contract and in the years since Smith has attempted to get back into the NBA, seeing limited action with the Hawks and Sonics.

http://winningtheturnoverbattle.blogspot.com/2007/06/top-ten-high-school-to-nba-busts.html

FairWarning · Jun 6, 2009

The age minimum will not go away until someone sues to eliminate it. Look at the benefits:
-Free labor for the schools, bringing in money to the university
-Free minor league system to the NBA
-College coaches make tons of money off of them
-Costs the universities nothing to add another chair to a lecture hall as "payment". Just don't dare schedule a lab during practice time.

One-and-done kids like Rose, Mayo, etc serve no purpose to anyone in college. They are being exploited.

Bobby Knight had it right. NCAA = JOKE.

TomGshotput · Jun 6, 2009

You really don't see why it is important for the government to make sure businesses do not have discriminating hiring policies?

gtc08 · Jun 6, 2009

i can understand both sides.

stern wants more polished players coming in with bigger names and more honed skills. d-league is not used properly, ncaa's main feeder league which is free.

on the other hand, you do have these extremely talented guys who could go pro right away. look at some of the top players in the nba. lebron high school, kg high school, howard high school, kobe high school, etc. and then the favorite argument you can go to war etc when your 18, why cant you pursue a career.

ill say this though. stern can save college basketball if he raises the age requirement, andi think people would go with it.

my friend is an independent contract driver, picks up packages and delivers them across the city, etc. he said he had to be 23 to get the job? why is that?

gtc08 · Jun 6, 2009

and me being a nba fan. i want a higher age limit. if you dont want to go to school and play ball, you can go overseas like jennings. he's making 6 figures over there and is a top prospect.
id like something similar to the nfl, which i think is 3 years.

TomGshotput · Jun 6, 2009

gtc08 said:
stern wants more polished players coming in with bigger names and more honed skills

Stop paying them so much more than they are worth and the problem would solve itself

gtc08 · Jun 6, 2009

they dont. nba has a slotted draft pay grade. nfl is the one who is giving out 60 million to guys who havent done anything yet.

TomGshotput · Jun 6, 2009

gtc08 said:
they dont. nba has a slotted draft pay grade

You really think Kwame Brown was worth whatever the number one pick is entitled to?

Wizards fans would strongly disagree

gtc08 · Jun 6, 2009

no, but i sure as hell dont think any nfl number 1 pick is worth 50-60 million either. the nfl really needs a slotted pay grade draft system like the nba. those signing bonuses are pathetic imo.

4.1 million, which is what the number 1 overall player gets is nothing compared to those ridiculous numbers for the 1st pick in the nfl draft.

i think theyll get a slotted scale in the next agree.ment. i know the vets hate it.

TomGshotput · Jun 6, 2009

gtc08 said:
no

So you say they are not overpaid, yet you think they are also not worth as much what they are paid

I give up

FairWarning · Jun 6, 2009

gtc08 said:
no, but i sure as hell dont think any nfl number 1 pick is worth 50-60 million either. the nfl really needs a slotted pay grade draft system like the nba. those signing bonuses are pathetic imo.

4.1 million, which is what the number 1 overall player gets is nothing compared to those ridiculous numbers for the 1st pick in the nfl draft.

i think theyll get a slotted scale in the next agree.ment. i know the vets hate it.

No, the vets want it. Why give an unproven rookie $50 Mil, but a 2nd rounder who developed into a star make far less. The money will go to the vets, as it should.

FairWarning · Jun 6, 2009

gtc08 said:
my friend is an independent contract driver, picks up packages and delivers them across the city, etc. he said he had to be 23 to get the job? why is that?

He needs a Commercial Drivers Licence (CDL) to drive the vehicle. Most states, you must be 21 minimum. His state may be 23. The risk of him getting in an accident in a 10,000 pound truck have far greater impact. It's a Federal law that he has to pass safety courses, equiptment checks, background checks, and a physical every two years.

gtc08 · Jun 6, 2009

FairWarning said:
He needs a Commercial Drivers Licence (CDL) to drive the vehicle. Most states, you must be 21 minimum. His state may be 23. The risk of him getting in an accident in a 10,000 pound truck have far greater impact. It's a Federal law that he has to pass safety courses, equiptment checks, background checks, and a physical every two years.

hes a courier. he drives around town in his own car.......