When I grow up to be a man
A virtual conversation between myself and my closest friend from work, Shannon Kekhaev, regarding the ages of NBA players.
-------------------------------------------
From: Kekhaev, Shannon
Sent: Tuesday, March 20, 2007 11:36 AM
To: Diamond, Brendan
Subject: Dumb NCAA/NBA rules
I think stuff like this is so stupid. If you were a freshman in college, studying English and went to a poetry reading and sat next to Maya Angelou, would Maya Angelou get fined $15,000 because she said she liked your work? Give me a break!
_____________________________________________
From: Diamond, Brendan
Sent: Tuesday, March 20, 2007 11:45 AM
To: Kekhaev, Shannon
Subject: RE: Dumb NCAA/NBA rules
Okay, John Stossel!
Just kidding. Actually, I think it makes good business sense to not let them talk about underclassmen. I mean, think about it: if Jordan and Ainge are allowed to say, “I think the kid presents a good opportunity,” that makes the kid think, “Well damn, I’m good enough for the NBA.” Next thing, he doesn’t pan out, doesn’t turn out to be so great, and he’s out of the league in three years. Five years down the road, he’s broke, ‘cause he was a millionaire by age 19 and didn’t know how to handle it – never mind going back to school or anything.
Obviously, that doesn’t happen to everybody (look at Kevin Garnett; he came out of high school, and now he’s a multimillionaire with a college degree). But for every Garnett, there’re two or three who got bounced at an early age. And for every one of those who managed to become a success outside of the NBA, there’re two or three who failed miserably, especially because they’ve got no education. That’s bad PR for the league, which could ultimately threaten their bottom-line profits.
My best friend’s a devout fiscal conservative; thus, I’ve learned how to argue the moral high ground from a purely fiscal standpoint :-)
_____________________________________________
From: Kekhaev, Shannon
Sent: Tuesday, March 20, 2007 12:26 PM
To: Diamond, Brendan
Subject: Dumb NCAA/NBA rules
I am ALL for kids going to college to get an education before entering the NBA, I just don't think the NBA should regulate or fine people for what they say about it. Nor should they be the authority on whether or not 19-year-olds are capable of handling the money they earn. Are we all of a sudden stereotyping good basketball players as poor students who can't make a living outside of the game? And even if 90% of them are C students, do you really think they're up all night studying just in case they never do well in the NBA after they graduate? I realize the league is out for themselves. I just think they're policing way too many decisions that aren't theirs to make. Ultimately, they're just taking their own people's money because they can.
_____________________________________________
From: Diamond, Brendan
Sent: Tuesday, March 20, 2007 1:12 PM
To: Kekhaev, Shannon
Subject: RE: Dumb NCAA/NBA rules
Fair point on profits, but keep in mind, I’m not talking about the Garnetts, Kobes, and LeBrons of the league. Some kids really are ready. Most aren’t. Know who DeShawn Stevenson is? Kedrick Brown? And Ron Artest may be a good player, but how many people want to deal with him?
As far as organization itself is concerned, sure, they're doing fine, but I just don’t think it’s a good thing for anyone that young to get that rich with that much pressure and that much hype that quickly. Think of it this way: what did you spend money on when you were 18, 19, 20? Okay, bad example. Let’s talk about what I spent my money on at that age :-) I’m just sayin’, even if a kid has the physical capacity to do well in the professional world, it’s a crapshoot as to whether or not he’s mentally ready. I mean, sure, it’s great that LeBron’s doing so well; he’s one of the best players in the league. But how is it good business to turn over your major profit sector to a 19-year-old kid?
The argument I often hear against that line of thought is that these kids are good enough to play professional ball, so why not let them bypass college altogether? ‘Cause, I mean, it’s not like everybody has to go to college. But I remember when my cousins opted not to go; instead, they went into trade school. My cousin Steve showed an aptitude for carpentry higher than just about anybody they’d ever seen, but he still had to apprentice, work his way up, etc. No master carpenter in his right mind would’ve thought for a second of giving the keys to the kingdom to a 19-year-old kid fresh out of high school. But that’s what the NBA does. To me, that seems like a bad idea. And all it’s going to take, honestly, is that first $100 million contract to a 19- or 20-year-old, guaranteed for a long period of time, and the kid has a career-ending injury in the tip-off of his first preseason game.
You ask some good questions, but I think there's one you didn't have to: "Are we all of a sudden stereotyping good basketball players as poor students who can't make a living outside of the game?" I don't know if "we" are, but am I? Yes. Hey, I’m not gonna mince words – not with you, anyways, mostly because I don’t have to. But let’s face it: most student-athletes are not the brightest Sharpies in the supply cabinet. Yes, there are some notable exceptions – Mike Singletary and Peyton Manning, to name a couple. But let’s take the example of Manning. The guy’s so smart, he stayed at Tennessee an extra year, even though he could’ve been drafted #1 in the ’97 draft, because he had another year of eligibility. But wait, there’s more: he had already finished his undergrad degree with a 3.6 GPA. He got his Master’s degree before finishing his college ball career. That’s pretty damned impressive. But let’s not pretend that every player who comes out is Peyton Manning. Most are more like Wesley Green, a guy who currently plays basketball for DePaul. Green started college with me; I had a religion class with him my sophomore year. He’s as dumb as a box of rocks and about half as pleasant.
I also don't agree that the NBA is just taking money because it can, at least, not entirely. Honestly, I’m more offended that they fined Phil Jackson for saying the refs are out to get Kobe. They probably are! Hell, if I were a ref, I would be, too. And no, I don’t think they’re up studying at night. That’s the problem. These kids, like Wes Green, think they’re special, and they’re probably not. How many of them are actually going to go on to a professional career, and how many think they are? And when guys like Jordan and Ainge say stuff like that, it gives more fodder to younger dudes thinking, “Hey, if this young guy can make it, I can, too.”
I don’t entirely disagree with your point, by the way. I just think there is a method, however flawed, to the league’s madness.
But don’t get me started on the NFL. Those guys are just butt-holes.
_____________________________________________
From: Kekhaev, Shannon
Sent: Tuesday, March 20, 2007 1:50 PM
To: Diamond, Brendan
Subject: RE: Dumb NCAA/NBA rules
You should ask Dakota Fanning to give all of her money back for not being mentally capable of handling it. :) And Michelle Wie.
_____________________________________________
From: Diamond, Brendan
Sent: Tuesday, March 20, 2007 2:08 PM
To: Kekhaev, Shannon
Subject: RE: Dumb NCAA/NBA rules
Aha! Gotcha! There’s a difference there. Dakota Fanning and Michelle Wie are still taking classes. They’re making money (albeit way, way more) as I did as a kid – working. I’m not saying kids aren’t capable of handling money; I’m saying they’re not capable of handling money when that’s all they have. There has to be something else for them, y’know? Hey, I’ve been working since I was fourteen, and only recently has my checking account grown over $2 grand.
Where do we draw the line? I’m not entirely sure I’m qualified to say, since I’m not a father. But Maculay Culkin said that being a big, rich star so young messed him up; so did Christina Ricci (and I think they might’ve dated, which is even scarier). But here’s my qualification: Success at the eschewal of education is the cornerstone of an anemic and insipid society.
_____________________________________________
From: Kekhaev, Shannon
Sent: Tuesday, March 20, 2007 2:26 PM
To: Diamond, Brendan
Subject: RE: Dumb NCAA/NBA rules
Of course there is more to life than money, and education helps. But even your friend who took the keys to the kingdom was just an unschooled, ordinary man, right? We're all messed up, and it's not just because of money. And it's not just because of the age at which we earn money. How is Tank Johnson doing these days? Or Wesley Snipes?
I just think asking a kid to go to college before joining the NBA is like asking an aerospace engineer to shoot a left-handed layup before he can work at NASA. They're about as unrelated and perhaps difficult. Also, and this is my absolute, final argument: if you can join the military at the age of 18, you can join the NBA!
_____________________________________________
From: Diamond, Brendan
Sent: Tuesday, March 20, 2007 2:29 PM
To: Kekhaev, Shannon
Subject: RE: Dumb NCAA/NBA rules
How DARE you remind me that Wesley Snipes still exists!
Okay, I’ll grant you the military thing. I’ll say this, then: the NBA Developmental League needs to actually be that, what high schoolers usually use college for, something like the minors in baseball. Incidentally, I’m not against high schoolers going directly to professional baseball; it just doesn’t make sense for almost anyone to be a huge professional athlete at age 18. Give ‘em a year or two to develop; they’ll be better for it. I cringe thinking about how much better Tyson Chandler and Eddy Curry would’ve been if they had taken a couple more years to develop; at the very least, I doubt we’d be talking about them both as former Bulls right now.
posted by Brendan D at 2:40 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home