The NBA's current rule requires high school prospects to play at least one year in college before they can become draft eligible.
It goes without saying this move was made to protect franchises from blowing millions on 17-year-old 7-footers.
That's all well and good for the NBA, but college basketball is not a day-care for serious ballers.
Sure, universities rake in some serious dough when big-time NBA prospects come to play, even if it's just for a year, but it hurts the game.
Teams are sporadic and there are rarely seen dynasties outside of Butler the past two seasons.
The NBA suffers as well, given the unpolished talent that sometimes slips through the cracks.
"People keep asking about draft age rule: Still needs to be negotiated, but several team executives believe it will remain the one-and-done. You won't have front office executives and basketball personnel pushing their owners to fight for change on rule. Most are fine with it." - Yahoo! Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski via tweetThe one-and-done rule almost forces top-notch players onto a team, where they are trying to win, but trying to promote themselves and chase the dream just as much, maybe even more.
Did the NBA ever think to educate its GMs about properly scouting high school kids?
Kwame Brown is an example of a player straight out of high school who should not have been drafted. That was a bad pick, not the reason for a new rule.
Raising the age limit would produce much more well-rounded talent at draft time, and produce a better March Madness where bona-fide stars are going at it with the potential to produce player rivalries.
Unless the NBA is going to eliminate the age limit entirely, they must raise it for the sake of better basketball.
