Tuesday, December 10, 2002

Get well soon, Baron... Baron's Back... "Back trouble" are two words no athlete ever wants to hear. Once you have a bad back, it's never going to completely go away. You might go weeks or years without it hampering your life, but bad backs can flare up quickly and with seemingly no cause. You take a guy like Baron Davis, who's already a very solidly-built player that plays a physical point guard, and you give that player back troubles, and that can change his career path. I think that would be a shame; I think Davis is a heck of a lot of fun to watch, and is potentially a top-10 player in the league when healthy. He's also an interesting guy, a very good interview. He has a chance to be a part of the face of the NBA for the next 10 years, and he was certainly the best thing going for the Hornets. You have to feel for the fans in New Orleans, who haven't had a chance to see Baron at his best. Here's hoping he beats his back troubles, and gets a chance to erase the memories of the bad World Championship experience. He's a special player, and the league needs as many of those as they can find. The NBA and age limits... There is an interesting battle brewing regarding two young European prospects, and whether they will be eligible for the draft. Chad Ford has a column on ESPN which addresses the issue. It's a great read. The issue is that the NBA says a player must be 18 to enter the draft. There are two players, Darko Milicic from Yugoslavia and Sofaklis Schortsianides from Greece, who are both consensus lottery picks, who will be 18 in June, weeks before the draft. Their agents, and most likely the players' union, are going to argue that should make them eligible for the draft. However, the NBA argues that they must be 18 at the time that they file for the draft, which is in May. Therefore, they both must wait another year. This is important, because these players are huge talents. Milicic would be the consensus 2nd pick in the draft, and Schortsianides (Pronounced "Shorts and Knees"?) is a consensus top-10 pick. The NBA's position is motivated by their long-standing desire to put an age limit on players in the NBA, which they would love to set at 20. The union counters by saying, if a player is ready, and a team will draft them, why hold them back? Why, indeed. The NBA's position is understandable, given the overall lack of development that so many young players experience once they are in the league. But all this noise they make about "giving these kids a chance to go to college" is a joke. A freakin' joke. The NBA doesn't give a damn about college, and it's not like the premier players are staying their four anyway. The NBA just wants a developmental league, and they don't want to have all these 18 year-olds running around riding the bench. But these Europeans are a different animal completely than your average U.S. high schooler that wants to come out. They have pro experience, are stronger, and in most cases much more skilled. I don't think the NBA will be able to set an age limit. A player should be able to pursue his career. Milicic earns about $20,000 a year and plays in terrible conditions. He can't get an insurance contract to protect him in case of an injury. Not only that, but because he has been a pro for two years now, he can't go to college to play ball. That seems to cut off the NBA's argument at the knees. Check out the scouting reports on Milicic.  If he comes out, the top of the lottery next year just got a hell of a lot deeper. 12:37:56 PM    Say what?[]

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