Former NBA star Charles Barkley was in attendance for the Kentucky-Auburn basketball game on Saturday.
While the Tigers got hammered by their superior SEC foe, Barkley went on the telecast for a few and explained why he doesn't like the "one-and-done" rule and that none of Kentucky players are ready for the NBA. Barkley also slammed the agents and family members that steer kids to go pro.
"John Calipari's a friend of mine. I love him as a friend. There ain't one player on this Kentucky team who should go pro early. I hate the one-and-done rule in college basketball," Barkley told CBS Sports. "Just 'cause there's a rule does not mean you have to do it. Listen, Anthony Davis played well enough for him to go pro. ... I wish some of these parents would talk to their kids.
"I would love for guys to stay three years. I think the best we can really get is two years. ... The family members are greedy, the agents are pigs, also. So they tell these kids, 'Go to college for one year.' ... It's driven by the agents, to be honest with you, and listen, it's a corrupt system. ... These agents are such scumbags, and you know that, they just want their percentage of the money. Matt (Doherty), you know that. They don't care about these kids, how well they do in the NBA."
Are you listening Nerlens Noel, Alex Poythress and Archie Goodwin? Former NBA center Shaquille O'Neal also recently came out and said that a player should be removed three years from his high school class to enter the NBA Draft, similar to the rule that applies in the NFL.
Personally, I think that there should be a two-year rule. That way, you can see if a kid is all potential or possibly the real deal. Currently, this draft class is looking pretty weak, so Noel, Poythress, and Goodwin are looked at as possible top 10 picks this year.
I just don't see a surefire star coming out. There are good players out there, but none of them are difference-makers to help an NBA team. Maybe when the NCAA tournament starts, we'll see who rises to the top.
