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READERS: LET THE KIDS PLAY (WELL, SORT OF)

In last week’s column, I asked for your thoughts on youngsters entering the NBA draft straight out of high school.

The results are in -- and a whopping 87 percent of the e-mails indicated that the league SHOULD let the kids play.

Why is this surprising, you ask?

Because I conducted the same survey at the same time last year -- and 67 percent of those who responded said NO, the league should NOT allow teenagers to enter the draft.

My, how time (and LeBron James) changes everything.

And, yes, you can credit James for at least some of the changing hearts, as the Cleveland Cavaliers’ rookie has looked a lot like Michael Jordan did during his rookie year. Only James is three years younger than Jordan was when he entered the league. And remember, Jordan played three seasons at North Carolina for coaching legend Dean Smith.

James, on the other hand, came straight to the NBA after spending a couple of seasons under the guidance of someone named Dru Joyce at Akron (Ohio) St. Vincent-St. Mary High.

You figure it out.

Anyway, while most fans share the opinion that high schoolers should be allowed to enter the draft, most would also like to see a real minor league system put in place.

Landon Powell (Brooklyn, N.Y.) wrote: “A real minor league would give young players time to develop, and a healthier approach to the NBA once they got there. And the quality of NBA ball would slowly climb because of it.”

OK, I’LL GO FIRST

Before I run your e-mails, I wanted to give my OWN thoughts on high schoolers and the NBA:

For the most part, I don’t like seeing teenagers in the NBA for one reason: It has diluted the product to the point of making me almost feel like not watching. Granted, I’m spoiled from having grown up in the Golden Era of basketball’s holy trinity (Michael, Magic and Larry) -- so my expectations just might be unreasonably high.

But telling a kid he MUST go to college, or even play in the minor leagues, is flat-out WRONG. If a player is ready for the NBA, then he should play in the NBA -- right away. James, Phoenix’s Amare Stoudemire, and Minnesota’s Kevin Garnett are the three best examples of this theory.

Now, here’s a list of players who skipped college and WERE NOT ready for the pros when they entered the league: Tracy McGrady, Jermaine O’Neal, Kobe Bryant, Eddy Curry, Tyson Chandler, Kwame Brown, Al Harrington, Jonathon Bender, Kendrick Perkins, DeSagana Diop, Ndudi Ebi, Travis Outlaw, DeShawn Stevenson.

Some of the players listed above have become All-Stars, and Bryant and McGrady are on their way to the Hall of Fame. A few others won’t ever amount to much. They just didn’t get the proper training, and as no less than Kareem Abdul-Jabbar recently said, the NBA isn’t in the business of teaching kids how to play basketball. They should already know how when they get there. At least, that’s how it used to be.

This is where the idea of a true minor league comes in. I’m not sure what the NBDL is supposed to be, but it’s time for commissioner David Stern to admit it’s been a disaster -- and bring the Continental Basketball Association back as the NBA’s official developmental league. The CBA no longer has the NBA’s financial support, yet it is STILL much better run and well-known than the floundering NBDL. With the NBA’s help, the CBA could finally become the farm system most fans are longing for.

Anyway, I asked you to keep your e-mails on this subject brief, and here I am rambling on out about it. Some nerve, huh?

Allow me to conclude with this:

Last week, I read Chris Ballard’s wonderful story on high school phenom Sebastian Telfair in Sports Illustrated.

Telfair is a New York City pound guard who stands a shade under 6-foot-0. Most NBA scouts are saying he should spend at least one season playing college ball -- but if he comes out, he’ll most likely be a lottery pick.

This, folks, is what’s wrong with the NBA. Here are scouts and general managers telling us that a kid is NOT ready to play in the pros … but if he makes himself eligible for the draft … well, he‘ll get drafted anyway!

Here’s something else to consider:

According to the SI piece, Telfair lives in an area called Surfside Gardens -- one of the most dangerous in New York City, and probably any city anywhere. Just last month, three men were gunned down in the elevator of the apartment building where Telfair lives. This kind of thing is a regular occurrence.

So you will NEVER convince me that Telfair would be making a wise decision by choosing to play for the University of Louisville next season, instead of immediately jumping to the NBA. Why would anyone want his family to spend another minute living in a place like that -- especially when he could sign a contract for millions of dollars as early as October?

I hate using the R-word in this newsletter, and I often refuse to print it. But saying Telfair should be forced to play college ball before entering the pros is almost racist. That doesn’t apply to scouts and general managers whose lone concern is Telfair’s basketball ability -- but it DOES apply to all the yahoos who talk about “the college experience,” or the importance of getting an education, blah, blah, blah.

My solution: Create a real farm system and allow kids to be drafted at ANY age -- I don’t care if they’re 12. They could still sign fat rookie contracts, but they would be relegated to the minors for at least two seasons.

The result would be an NBA filled with NBA-ready players, as the majority of the flops would get weeded out before ever making it to the big leagues.

And I think as die-hard fans, that’s all we really want.

YOUR TURN

Spencer Wallis (Santa Cruz, Calif) says:

While teenagers have diluted the overall talent by jumping straight to the NBA, I think it is the responsibility of the owners -- the ones who are selling the product -- to choose how best to structure their teams. My only requirement would be that players should be at least 18 before entering the league.

Brian Spaeth (Cleveland) says:

Legally, the league probably can't keep 18-year olds from working, and when guys like James and Stoudamire come along you have to wonder why the NBA would even try. So I guess my opinion is ‘I don't know!’ just like everyone else. Maybe a system could be put in place that would financially encourage these guys to go to college. It probably wouldn't be legal, but it's worth a mention in concept.

Ryan Jones, Senior Editor, Slam Magazine says:

Kevin Garnett. Jermaine O'Neal. Tracy McGrady. Kobe Bryant. Lebron James. Why is this still an issue?

Awan Lee (Taiwan) says:

Not everyone is LeBron James, as most high school kids aren’t mentally ready when they enter the NBA. You need more than a strong body to play in the pros. You need to be smart, too.

Jim Darling (Dunstable, Mass.) says:

High School kids should be allowed to enter the draft, and at any age. It's the GMs of NBA teams that should dictate at what age players are allowed to enter the draft, so if the latest eighth-grade superstar wants to make the jump and make the money, let him. Especially if some stiff is sending the youngster’s name up to David Stern on the podium in June.

Vladimir Fernandez (Chicago) says:

I'd prefer to see a requirement of at least three years of combined college or minor-league experience, as opposed to a specific age limit. Players failing to meet the experience requirement would not be allowed to be "hired." Of course, two years after this rule gets put in place, some high schooler will falsify his NBDL work history to join the Bulls.

Greg Fleming (Parma, Ohio) says:

I’m from the Cleveland area, so it would be silly of me to say anything but to let the kids play. But some sort of minor-league system and lengthening the draft to allow teams to draft and keep players who are not ready would be beneficial to the teams and players. Also, agents would not be as able to manipulate some guys if there were some sort of minor-league pay scale.

John Maynard (Toronto) says:

It wouldn’t be fair for teenagers to be allowed make millions playing tennis and golf but not basketball. The NBA should be based on skill and merit, not age. Besides, most of the NBA-caliber guys don’t go to college to hit the books -- and the ones who do are the ones who will get their education during their spare time while playing in the L.

Brett Wysocki (Glen Dale, W.Va.) says:

It’s not the NBA Over-20 League, or the NBA Must-Have-a-Degree League. It’s basketball, and that is it. There is always college to fall back on. If you play in the NBA and get injured, you can always go back to school. But if you go to school and get injured, there’s no NBA to fall back on.

Balil Halim (Qasba Gujrat, Pakistan) says:

People of any age should be allowed in the NBA if a team wants them. Say Lebron went to college and slipped on the sidewalk on his first day of class, tearing up his knee. His family‘s future is shot. Financial security is a big priority in third world countries like Pakistan. Maybe not in America, but I still think anybody who can get into the league should go for it, regardless of age.

Kohei Tsuji (Osaka, Japan) says:

My question is, why are GMs drafting high schoolers? Why are GMs taking Eddy Curry before Carlos Boozer? Are they really spending enough time evaluating the players whom they draft? They are supposed to be professionals at evaluating talent, right? Why are they worrying about five years from now when they probably won't even have the same job? The excessive gambling of the GMs today is what’s hurting the NBA. Not the age limit.

Mike Tyner (Philadelphia) says:

Parents all over the world want their kids to be successful at whatever they do -- but if the kid fails, it’s not the end of the world. After all, how many adults fail at many "jobs" before settling in on a career? Playing in the NBA is a lot of kids’ dream, and no one should be allowed to deny them of at least trying to fulfill it.

Allen Potter (Denver) says:

For better or worse, the USA is a capitalist country. As far as I'm concerned, that means a product is worth what you can get for it. If NBA teams want to throw the big bucks at teenagers, how can we deny them? And more importantly, how can we deny a kid his payday? Nobody wants to keep the high-tech geeks from their dough if they have a good idea at age 15, 16, or 17, right? It's incredibly hypocritical to pretend that any limits would be for the "good" of the youngster, especially when that youngster comes from a poor family. On the other hand, some of these youngsters are killing the level of play in the NBA. I don't know how to reconcile these two issues. Maybe we should just let it play out, and the good teams will start to think twice before drafting unproven kids.

Chip Snyder (Springfield, Mo.) says:

No matter how you look at it, allowing high schoolers to jump straight to the NBA hurts college basketball -- and that’s really a shame, because college basketball has always had the best postseason of any sport.

RANDOM THOUGHTS/NOTES

-- Ever heard of Al Cervi? He was a 5-11 point guard who played professionally from 1937-49 in the NBA’s forerunner, the National Basketball League, then in the NBA itself from 1949-53 with the Syracuse Nationals. The reason I mention Cervi is because he too skipped college -- then played his way into the Hall of Fame, in which he was inducted in 1983. I just bring this up because apparently, nobody made a big deal when Cervi decided to skip college and play professionally.

-- According to two league sources and a story in the New York Daily News, Lakers coach Phil Jackson won’t sign a contract extension if Kobe Bryant returns to the team next season. The Daily News reports a Lakers source said Jackson is so fed up with Bryant’s “selfish” play, if Jackson does re-sign with L.A., it’s a sure sign the front office has decided to work out a sign-and-trade involving Bryant during the off-season.

-- Rumor also has it the Boston Celtics are already disappointed with recent acquisition Ricky Davis, and will be looking to trade him in a draft day deal this summer. Other reports have the Celtics leaving Davis unprotected in the expansion draft, leaving him eligible to be picked up the Charlotte Bobcats. Davis is a wonderful talent, but simply too selfish for his own good -- and it doesn’t appear he plans to grow up anytime soon. Of course, as J.R. Rider once demanded to know, “What does growing up have to do with playing basketball?” Nothing, J.R. Especially not if your career goals include playing professionally in Guam.

-- This great line comes from Peter May of the Boston Globe: “Bet you never thought you’d see the day when Ron Mercer would be waived and Walter McCarty would still be employed.”

-- Denny Tanner (Tallahasee, Fla.) wrote: “Sam, you haven’t written so much as a word about the Orlando Magic all season.” Dear Denny, and I’m guessing they are thankful for it. Believe me, some teams don’t WANT coverage. Anyway, it won’t be long before Tracy McGrady and the Magic are back. I’m predicting as soon as next season.

-- All-Stars like Ray Allen, Michael Finley, and Vince Carter need to stop whining about the magnificent defense of San Antonio swingman Bruce Bowen.

-- That’s it for this week. I’ll try to find time for a column next week, although I’m not making any promises because I’ll be attending the West Virginia state basketball tournament. Even if I don’t have time for a complete newsletter, I’ll at least e-mail to let you know if I’ve discovered The Next Jerry West. Thanks for reading, and as always, keep those thoughts coming! I thoroughly enjoy them.

CONTACT ME

You can e-mail your thoughts to me at amicoreport@hotmail.com. You must include your full name to be considered for publication. Also, please include your hometown, as I love to see where the e-mails are coming from.

HAVE A GREAT DAY!