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Teens ruining the NBA
By Bobby Hart
Published:
Thursday, February 6, 2003
Bobby Hart -- Staff Column
The memories are still thick enough to taste.
Memories of when the NBA had a certain delicate ring to it. The Boston Celtics, L.A. Lakers and Chicago Bulls hung their pride as high as their championship banners, that annoying but undenyably catchy "NBA on NBC" theme song was played at every commercial break on Sunday afternoons and the Seattle SuperSonics introduced the first glimpse of run and gun, high-flying basketball with a 20- year-old named Shawn Kemp.
Kemp left fans in awe with his high-flying acrobatics and the fact that he was the first to successfully make the jump from high school to the NBA since Moses Malone in 1976. At the time it seemed harmless and exciting, but nobody knew of the dark days that were to come.
After Larry Bird and Magic Johnson retired in 1992, everything seemed in place for the next generation. Then in 1995, a 6-foot-10 19-year-old named Kevin Garnett decided to skip college and go directly to the NBA. Eight years later, he is considered by many NBA analysts to be the best all-around player in the league.
One year later, another 19-year-old named Kobe Bryant came straight out of high school and made an almost immediate name for himself in the NBA. Two championship rings later, he's considered one of the best to ever touch a basketball.
So why even go to college? That's a question that could very well determine the fate of a historically-rich league. The two-part answer to this question is not rocket science, but it obviously takes a college education.
1. These two players will never be replicated. Kevin Garnett is a freak of nature. He has the prototypical NBA body, along with skill enabling him to play any position. And as of this year, he has proven that his talent can soar as high as his potential. Maybe even half as high as his $28 million paycheck.
Kobe Bryant is a genius on-and-off the basketball court. While he has an unbelievable knack for the game, and an MJ mindset to win, he also fluently speaks four languages.
2. There is a long list of other high schoolers that have made this ignorant decision that may as well be on a milk carton. It goes something like this: Korleone Young, Ronnie Fields, DeSaganna Diop, Leon Smith and DeShawn Stevenson (it's much longer, but those are the coolest names).
Sure you can make an argument for the NBA's current leading scorer, and former prep player Tracy McGrady (30 ppg), but he only proves another point favoring college ball: basketball is a team sport. T-Mac will probably be ringless for the rest of his long career because he never properly learned how to use the asset known as teammates.
Today the problem of potential- based recruiting has been pushed to the limit. So much so that people are calling a high schooler named LeBron James the best thing ever to happen to basketball since Dr. James Naismith thought of 13 rules governing how to put a ball through a hoop. Don't get me wrong, this kid is really good, but keep in mind he is playing against 'Joe Shmo' high school defender. He is not worth the televised coverage on ESPN, pay-per-view broadcasts from his high school or the $50,000 Hummer given to him as a gift from his mother (wink, wink).
There is still hope for this fatally-ill league with a small list of players like Tim Duncan, Kenyon Martin, Bobby Jackson, Allan Houston, Andre Miller and Jamaal Tinsley who all rode out their college careers to the fullest. Though the truth is inevitable, the league that used to produce heroes among men is gone, and now children with $50,000 Hummers and bling-bling diamonds are here to stay.
The NBA's fate was summed up pretty well on Tuesday night when the Orlando Magic fell to the Portland Trail Blazers 96-89. Tracy McGrady fell short of his ninth consecutive 30- point performance with 24 points, shooting just 10 of 27 from the field. Orlando lost its fifth game in their last six, bringing them two games under .500.
At one point during McGrady's selfish barrage of shots, focus was directed toward the end of the Orlando's bench where an older, overweight Shawn Kemp could be seen looking on tiredly with a towel draped over his head. It was as if he were thinking, "What have I done?"
