In November, the National Basketball Developmental League (NBDL) kicks off its initial season. Hopefully it will live up to its name. The NBA has never needed a true minor league more. 

The former system of player development has been irreparably broken, as any look at the upcoming draft will clearly show. The problem goes far deeper then the unprecedented number of high-schoolers (6) who have applied for the NBA draft. Most of the 52 underclassmen who are leaving college and have declared for the draft are woefully unprepared as well. They are seeking pie in the sky, and most will get pie in their face.

There are freshmen like Eddie Griffin, Gerald Wallace and Zach Randolph who seriously contemplated jumping straight from high school, often struggled in their only year in college, yet are still taking the leap.

We see sophomores like Stephen Hunter, Damien Wilkens and Jason Gardner blinded by occasional success at the college level. There are a small handful like Joseph Forte and Michael Bradley who could use more grooming but should manage nicely in the NBA. Many more have little to offer, nor a prayer of being drafted. I'm sure in this group of 58 there will be one or two future superstars to make like Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett, Tracy McGrady or Stephon Marbury and develop nicely despite little or no college training. Many, whether drafted or ignored, will ruin their careers by trying for the NBA prematurely.

Let's examine a case in point. Samuel Dalembert is a 6'11" center who just completed two seasons at Seton Hall. He's declared for the draft and is projected as a late first rounder but is probably a second round selection. Dalembert came to the States as a teenager from Haiti and learned his basketball in high school in New Jersey. As a ball-player, he is basically a very rough unpolished diamond. He has oodles of physical ability and potential. He possesses tremendous quickness and athleticism. He has a long wing-span and great shot-blocking and defensive skills. His offensive game is almost completely undeveloped. Anyone who saw Seton Hall this season saw brief periods when Dalembert would totally dominate, and vast spans of ineffectiveness due to lack of experience. In his two seasons of college ball, he never averaged more than 8 points or 6 rebounds a game.

If you look back at the career of Dikembe Mutombo, you could say that Dalembert is Mutombo 15 years later. Mutombo arrived on the Georgetown campus in 1987 from Zaire knowing 5 languages, but the language of basketball certainly wasn't one of them. He sat out his freshman season, ineligible cause he couldn't take his SATs in French. By his sophomore year, there already were glimpses of his awesome potential as a shot-blocker and defender. He played sparingly and averaged 4 points a game. In his junior and senior years, he continued developing and finished his career as a third-team All-American selection.

In Mutombo's day, there was no urge or incentive to rush to the NBA. He stayed in school, developed his game, and become the premier defensive player and one of the best centers in the NBA. Dalembert, for all his natural ability and potential, could easily get lost in the shuffle. In another 3 years, he could find himself out of the league, playing in Portugal, and not knowing what hit him.

Neither the NBA nor the European league were ever intended to be a place for developing fundamental skills. As players increasingly forego college and with the CBA now defunct, the time has come for a true basketball minor league.

For several years, David Stern has been proposing a minimum age requirement for the NBA, which the league's Players Association has continually rejected. Stern hasn't given up the idea, but there's no indication that the union will be relenting in the near future. Given the present reality, the new developmental league shouldn't deal in half measures.

To be of real benefit to the industry, the NBDL needs to be a developing ground for both undrafted and drafted players, including first round draft picks.

At this point, winning the draft lottery has become a burden rather then a blessing. It's projected that Griffin and four high school players will be among the top six selections in this year's draft, and Michael Jordan may well trade for proven talent rather then use the first pick.

The developmental league will be open to players 20 years or older. It should lower the age restriction to 18. There should be a working agreement between the league and any NBA team with players under contract who need further seasoning, much like in baseball. The teams should make liberal use of such a system. For every Kevin Garnett, there is a Jonathan Bender. I assure you that Bender has learned more playing for the Pacers' summer league team then he has riding the pines in Indiana, and would learn even more in a developmental league.

If a high school player or college underclassman has enough natural talent and potential to warrant first round selection and the guaranteed big money that goes with it, there should be an option to send him to the minors, if needed. This might deter some players from leaving school early. If not, it will at least give them a better chance when they leave school, and it will leave the NBA to NBA-ready players only.
 

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