LASH Roundtable: 5 Burning NBA Offseason Questions

Mar 18, 2014; Dallas, TX, USA; Emmanuel Mudiay of Prime Prep Academy poses for a portrait. He is a finalist for the USA Today Player of the Year Award. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

Gold: I am a firm believer that the one-and-done rule doesn’t help the game of college basketball or the NBA. Look at the history of players who came directly from high school and you’ll find a ridiculously high percentage of successful careers. Same for one-and-dones. When a player is ready for the NBA out of high school, teams know it. I firmly believe that the NBA should adopt a style more similar to Major League Baseball, where prospects are allowed to leave out of high school, go to a Junior College (won’t happen in Basketball, more likely overseas), or stay in college for three years. I’m in favor of the NBA letting kids jump from high school and, should they choose to go to college, finish two full years of school before entering the draft.

Khoury: As frustrating as it was to see Kevin Love leave UCLA after just one year, I can’t say that I’ve ever felt very strongly one way or the other about the NBA’s “one-and-done” rule. On one side, I believe that any adult (at the point of turning 18 years old) should be allowed to pursue the career of his choosing. On the other hand, being forced to spend at least one year in college isn’t exactly the worst thing that could happen to a person. I certainly can’t remember the last player to leave college for the NBA and say that he absolutely hated the college experience! Perhaps the solution is to offer at least a stipend for players–essentially, an allowance–so they don’t feel as pressured to jump to the NBA just to make money.

Shaked: I love what Emmanuel Mudiay did, and I hope it sets a precedent. The one-and-done rule, though well-intentioned, doesn’t do everybody good. While it’s hard to deny that college is the best place for a guy like Mudiay to mature and grow as a person to handle the coming fame, he’d only be on campus for nine months. Continuing education just isn’t the most prudent decision for a young adult in that position. The notion that college comes after high school has become far too ingrained in our society. It’s in his best interest–and every kid like him to come after–to start cashing in on what he was clearly meant to do: play basketball. To me, being a college student for one year increases the likelihood of academic scandals and other shenanigans customary of co-eds. Think about it, you rule the social scene knowing your grades are next to inconsequential. Players should be able to declare out of high school, with the requirement that they spend a minimum amount of time in the D-League while under contract to the team that drafted them. On the other hand, if you commit to a school you should have to stay for at least two years, giving the college game a bit more consistency like the NFL.