12/21/24
June 23, 2009
One Area Where Hockey Has It Right: The NBA Draft should take a page from the NHL, says New York Daily News writer Elliot Olshansky.
posted by TheQatarian to basketball at 10:25 AM - 4 comments
It would be interesting to see the NBA allow for college drafted players to play a few games at the NBA level before losing their amateur status as the NHL does. That way, obviously green players like Kwame Brown could be brought up and sent back to college. That said, it would wreak havoc on the NCAA, whose seasons are shorter and rankings can often change based on one or two losses.
posted by dfleming at 12:44 PM on June 23, 2009
I agree that the NBA system doesn't make any sense, but there are problems with the NHL system too. There was a little controversy about Kyle Okposo leaving the University of Minnesota mid-season to sign with the Islanders. If they were able to modify it so kids couldn't leave a program mid-season, I think it would make a lot more sense.
You can find details on the Okposo "controversy" on his Wikipedia page.
posted by hootch at 02:56 PM on June 23, 2009
In general, college players who are drafted by NHL teams have the opportunity to participate in training camp, before the college pre-season practices start, or may be up for a cup of coffee late in the NHL season, after the college has quit for the year. I don't see why this could not work for the NBA.
posted by Howard_T at 03:37 PM on June 23, 2009
I had thought about writing a column on ths topic, but Olshansky said it so well that I decided to let his article make the case for me. I'm rather surprised that no one in the NBA or NCAA has offered up this idea previously. It may take some of the glamour out of the NBA Draft, but it would be better for the league as a whole.