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tecumseh
12-03-2010, 02:07 PM
Billy Hunter the head of the players union says he is 99% sure there will be a lockout next summer. Some of this is posturing but by all accounts the NBA owners and players are a long way apart from signing a deal.

The interesting question is if you college basketball star undergrad like say a certain point guard at Duke do you stay an extra year or go pro into what could be a very bad situation.....no preseason or training camp to speak of, shortened season, unhappy fans and players. The NBA will try to use the Olympics to restore its damaged image and wrap its arms around the Olympic flag the next summer (2012) and maybe include a big name college star like they did Laetner on the dream team to get some of the NCAA magic to rub off. Who is the coach for the team in London anyway would he want a college player?

tylervinyard
12-03-2010, 02:59 PM
You stay and play with your buddy Austin Rivers. You stay and get closer to your degree. You stay and go for the first three-peat since UCLA cementing your status as one of the all-time greats ever to play college basketball.

Would be sad for Nolan and Kyle though, but you have to think, had they left this past year, they would be in a similar position - not playing into their second season instead of their first.

ThePublisher
12-03-2010, 03:21 PM
I think that statement that the lockout is 99% likely is just a bargaining tool. Trying to scare the other side into thinking they aren't going to get paid. The players are the ones who are going to loose. The league isn't making money right now, so many of the owners actually come out better not having next season, therefore not paying the players the absorbent amount of money they make.

Kyrie would be smart to stay and develop another year under the best coach in all of basketball.

Coack K is the coach for the London Olympics. You weren't aware of this?

Bluedog
12-03-2010, 03:27 PM
I think that statement that the lockout is 99% likely is just a bargaining tool. Trying to scare the other side into thinking they aren't going to get paid. The players are the ones who are going to loose. The league isn't making money right now, so many of the owners actually come out better not having next season, therefore not paying the players the absorbent amount of money they make.

Kyrie would be smart to stay and develop another year under the best coach in all of basketball.

Coack K is the coach for the London Olympics. You weren't aware of this?

1.) It's the head of the player's association saying a lockout is 99% likely; not the owners. But I agree that it's a bargaining tool.

2.) Players can't develop in the NBA? I never understood why getting a guaranteed 3-year contract and dedicating 100% of your time and energy to basketball is always worse for a player's development than staying in college. Having said that, nobody better to learn from than Coach K. :)

3.) The poster above was being sarcastic about who's coaching the Olympic games for the US.

In the end, there'll be an NBA Draft even if there's a lockout. I expect the season to start late, but the playoffs, etc. to still occur. That's where all the money is made anyways. It's not as if the owners have NO expenses if they don't have to pay the players, so it's not a net profit of $0 if no season occurs. They'd still lose money as they have other expenses, but it's worth it to them if they can make it up later in the form of lower player salaries. And I expect KI, Singler, and Nolan to all be drafted in next year's draft.

Orange&BlackSheep
12-03-2010, 03:27 PM
I think that statement that the lockout is 99% likely is just a bargaining tool. Trying to scare the other side into thinking they aren't going to get paid. The players are the ones who are going to loose. The league isn't making money right now, so many of the owners actually come out better not having next season, therefore not paying the players the absorbent amount of money they make.

Kyrie would be smart to stay and develop another year under the best coach in all of basketball.

Coack K is the coach for the London Olympics. You weren't aware of this?

Please ... the owners most certainly are on the hook in a variety of ways that will cost them money if they don't play. I can't imagine that they just sit there idly and not have maintenance costs on buildings and equipment etc. + staff that they would not want to lay off and risk losing that they would be on the hook to pay. If they lock out the players, they then don't have to pay coaches? I don't think so.

dcdevil2009
12-03-2010, 04:03 PM
Assuming a lockout takes most of the monetary incentives of leaving early off the table (which is a big assumption given signing bonuses and shoe deals), Kyrie and other potential early-entrants should weigh the pros and cons of either choice to see what's best for themselves and their families. If we can win the tournament this year, would he rather go out on top or come back for a potential repeat? While (as a fan) I'd like him to stay, I'd understand if he left feeling like he'd accomplished everything he wanted to do in college. Would he rather play with his buddy Austin Rivers and be treated like a king on campus or would he want to move on to a higher level of competition, whether in the NBA for a shortened season or in Europe in the event of a year-long work stoppage? Kyrie faces a tough choice because he'd have another year under one of the greatest coaches of all time (mental development), which could balance out the benefit he'd get as a professional, practicing against the best basketball players in the world (physical development). I don't think Blake Griffin would have been as good this year if had spent last year rehabbing his knee while still at Oklahoma. Some other examples that come to mind are Jason Williams, who didn't have the threat of a lockout and was only one year shy of a degree; Matt Leinart, who was probably hurt his career by staying; and the Florida players who stayed after their first title, who are more analogous to Kyle and Nolan, but nevertheless are probably happy with their decisions to stay.

As to continuing his education, would Duke allow him to continue his degree as a part-time student, maybe taking classes in the off season and an independent study or two during the academic year? I know Kevin Durant has been working toward his Texas degree after leaving, so it isn't impossible everywhere. If the NBA is locked out in the fall and Kyrie's not playing elsewhere, I don't see why he couldn't train in Durham, while also taking classes. I know it isn't the popular viewpoint, but a degree for Kyrie is more of an insurance policy for his real job. As Jason Williams has shown, it can be a great insurance policy to have. But at the same time, I don't think Kyrie (or any other NBA-caliber underclassman player) disrespects the concept of the student athlete by forgoing a degree to play in the league as long as they take school seriously before leaving campus.

Another aspect of his decision, which I haven't really heard talked about is the value of getting into the league under the current CBA. This is actually something that should benefit Kyle and Nolan as well. By entering the league this year, Kyle, Nolan, and Kyrie would all become members of the players association, meaning their interests are going to be represented at the bargaining table. Just like the NBPA didn't fight that hard against the one year rule because it protected current players, I can't see them fighting hard for any increased benefits for rookies under the next CBA. I'm not sure how much different the rookie scale will be, but the uncertainty is something to consider.

Bluedog
12-03-2010, 04:14 PM
As to continuing his education, would Duke allow him to continue his degree as a part-time student, maybe taking classes in the off season and an independent study or two during the academic year? I know Kevin Durant has been working toward his Texas degree after leaving, so it isn't impossible everywhere.

No. Duke doesn't have part-time students. (Except for second semester seniors who need fewer than 3 course credits to graduate and petition for part-time status so that they can pay less in tuition.) When was the last-time a one-and-done player was granted a degree from a non-profit four-year institution while still playing in the NBA? Not gonna happen. Yeah, Shaq got his degree from LSU several years later, but he had already had 3 years at LSU and Duke's requirements are quite a bit more stringent than LSU's, UT-Austin, etc.

Kedsy
12-03-2010, 04:27 PM
No. Duke doesn't have part-time students. (Except for second semester seniors who need fewer than 3 course credits to graduate and petition for part-time status so that they can pay less in tuition.) When was the last-time a one-and-done player was granted a degree from a non-profit four-year institution while still playing in the NBA? Not gonna happen. Yeah, Shaq got his degree from LSU several years later, but he had already had 3 years at LSU and Duke's requirements are quite a bit more stringent than LSU's, UT-Austin, etc.

Jamison and Stackhouse got their degrees from down the road while playing in the League (although they weren't one-and-done). I'm sure there are many others.

dcdevil2009
12-15-2010, 08:57 PM
Since I was wrong about players not wanting to change the status quo when it comes to the age restriction, I'm curious to hear what people think about how the college basketball landscape will change in the short term if they get rid of the one and done rule. Presumably the rule will still be in effect for this year's draft, but the year it changes will have an extra year's worth of players eligible for the same number of slots. It probably wouldn't matter much for high lottery picks, but a guy like mason, who could be a borderline lottery pick this year, but might fall out of the lottery next year if high school players can enter, would be affected. Personally, I think the NBA should adjust the rookie salary scale the year they drop the rule to account for the extra year's worth of players, but if not, it could factor in on kids' decisions about whether to go or stay.