[ChicagoCaseyParticipant]

 I’ve been meaning to post a post about my thoughts on Ben Simmons documentary and the misconception college athletes get for complaining about the NCAA rule book. I can see why people will have a negetive vibe on Ben Simmons "character", but I would assume that you are soaking in the hypocricy of what the misconception that an NCAA athlete complaning about the NCAA. I didn’t have one problem with his documentary, not one bit. I believe that was one of the best docs. that I have recently saw and it showed the ugly truths about being the superstar NCAA "Student-Athlete", specifically a One-And-Done basketball superstar.

I don’t really get the side that you must wait a year to furfil your dreams. You can go to the military straight out of high school, but we say "You must go to college at least one year to be qualified for the NBA draft". Ben Simmons said in the doc. that he didn’t dream of being an NCAA player, he dreamed of only the NBA. He is from Austrailia, which probably most don’t watch college basketball. You can say "He don’t have to go play for the NCAA" because he’s not "forced". But, that’s some bullcrap. The best way to be a high pick in the draft is to be seen, not "hide from comp.

Ben Simmons made a great point about Superstar One and Done athletes. I’m going to paraphrase a quote he said "The market me like I’m some kind of superstar, but then knock me down and say ‘I’m a regular student-athlete’". That was an amazing quote because that’s exactly how it is and he’s being blunt about it. They sell tons of his jersey’s everywhere, have his poster everywhere around campus, parade him around ESPN and other TV outlets, and have him sell sign tons of autographs. But, then tell him he’s just a regular student. He’s clearly not a regular student if they making millions off his name and he can’t sniff a penny of that money. You can say "he’s on scholarship", but he only have to go to class for one simister, which wouldn’t even compare for how much money he made for LSU. It’s crazy.

But, if you ever complain about anything about the NCAA, you are protrayed as the bad guy and have "character issues". LOL. People soak up the NCAA propaganda, but fail to see the bigger issue and the athlete side of things. The NCAA would like to sell that the "student-athlete" is like a regular student, but they have to do more than the average student on the regular basis, have bogus classes, and only have to attend class for the first simister. They are regular employers. If you didn’t see that in the doc. then that’s on you.

I didn’t come across Ben Simmons as some type of "bad guy", "dumb kid" that he have been protrayed for months because he skipped classes that wasn’t going to mean anything in a few months. I believe he came across as more likeable that would like a few changes in the NCAA. You may see a jerk, but I see a guy that was pratically forced in a situation that he didn’t want to be in in the first place. The one and done rule is stupid, if you really want to make them student-athletes make them stay 3 years and let the guys go straight out of high school. Also, let athletes get money off of their name, that’s not hurting anyone.

 

 

 

 

 

[Andv1 WaitingParticipant]

He is entitled to his opinion as he went through it not us and I have no hate for the guy.  

So  what is his scholarship worth and does it have an unlimited time to complete it like Kentucky does apparently. If I have calculated correctly it could be between 39,000 per year or up to 60,000 per year so bare minimum he was getting a paid ride for 156,000 to 236,000. Now times this figure by how many players on the team lets say 10(full rides) that soon ads up for the college then you would have to do a similar equation to what all the colleges fees are and if the students are allowed to complete their degree..Soon ads up for the NCAA/Teams. Don’t get me wrong though they would be making money somewhere though.

If the players aren’t allowed unlimited time for his degree worst case he/his team mates individually got between 39,000 and 60,000 in the form of 1 year at College so…Best cast he/his team mates get 156,000-236,000 degree paid for even he doesn’t make it or is out of the league in 4 years(Injurys/other reasons). In other words revenue sharing to all teams rather than one player like the NBA teams…The him just wanting to get paid kind of makes him sound a little selfish(just my opinion)..

However my only complaint/issue with the documentry is this: if it was all about the money(Which it does seem like haven’t watched it yet so going off your comment) he should have just pulled a Brandon Jennings-10th pick or even Emanual Mudiay-7th pick and played overseas and did one year and got paid or stayed at home and then gone for the Draft ala Dante Exum 5th….Even staying at home he probably would have gone first in this years draft due to how weak it was..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[ChicagoCaseyParticipant]

 Why comment if you didn’t watch the doc.?

So, it’s a bit selfish if you believe that you are worth than you are currently making, even if you aren’t making a dime? So, you are selfish because you ask for a raise at your job? That’s ridiculous if you say that’s being selfish because you don’t believe that you are paid as much as you are worth? LOL

It’s not about how much the student athlete are paid, it’s WHY LIMIT WHAT AN ATHLETE CAN MAKE and WHY LIMIT WHAT THEY CAN DO? I never seen any other profession, it is a profession, that people say "Hey, lets limit how much you can make". Ben Simmons made millions for LSU, but he didn’t see a dime of that money. You can say "HE MADE IT OFF OF BEING ABLE TO GO TO SCHOOL, BOARD, AND TRAVEL", but he didn’t have to go to class and you are limiting his market value. No one can give a single point on why a student athlete should get paid or be allowed to accept gifts from other people. You’ll be going off of the stereotype and propaganda that the NCAA feeds you.

I said in the post of it’s bullcrap if you believe that not going to college was a realistic option. Brandon Jennings was the number one player out of high school, went number 10. Going overseas hurt your cap and if you want to maximize your chances to being a top pick, you must go to the NCAA.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[CameronCrazy11Participant]

I think that the NCAA has its problems and admittedly have not seen the documentary about Ben Simmons, but based on what you are saying, Ben Simmons blames the NCAA for why he was unable to achieve his dream of being a NBA player sooner than he did. I don’t know if Simmons realizes this or not, but the NBA is the one who controls the "One-and-Done" rule not the NCAA. If the NBA wanted to, I’m sure they could easily do what the NFL does for their players (although this might lead to top players going overseas more often to get paid immediately). Again I think the system could be much better, but I think that people who use the argument of being able to join the military at 18 years old as a reason for why these young men should be able to play professional sports immediately are using a flawed argument. Nearly every job in the world has specific qualifications that a candidate must have before the employer of that job would even consider hiring a potential employee. The NBA is doing the same thing as every other workplace.

[ChicagoCaseyParticipant]

 Didn’t "blame" the NCAA, blamed the rule of "one and done". That’s why it was the title "one and done", not "NCAA". I don’t really get if you didn’t see the doc., comment about the doc.. The doc. was about the dumb rule, not the NCAA being trash, which it is. It may shown how dumb some NCAA rules are and how they can exploit players, definitely Ben Simmons caliber in which they sell millions of his jersey’s, promote him around everywhere, sign autograph gear then sell said gear, and put him on every TV that’s around. That’s why his quote about the NCAA is the perfect was to sum up what the NCAA is about. 

The point of  "One and done vs. Military" is that you are believed to be old enough to put your life on the line at 18, but you are not old enough to do so if you want to live your dream. That’s the point. It’s just point out how stupid it is for someone from overseas can enter the draft w/o the "SPECIFIC QUALIFICATIONS", but the domestic POTENTIAL EMPLOYEE cannot do the same.

 

 

[CameronCrazy11Participant]

You mentioned the NCAA 10 times in your original post and only mentioned "one-and-done" twice. If it is more about the rule itself and not the NCAA, it would have helped those of us are haven’t seen the documentary if you had made that abunduntly clear.

I still don’t feel bad for Ben Simmons in all of this though. He had to have known what was expected of him by being a NCAA student-athlete. Why not take some business and/or finance classes when you are attending college for free instead of just not going to class? There are dozens of players who have gone through the same situation as him ever since the new NBA’s age rule went into effect. I can think of far worse things than taking freshman college classes and essentially being worshipped everywhere that you go on campus for one year before moving on to make millions of dollars doing your dream job. This is what causes Simmons to come off as a whiner who wants it to be all about him in the public’s eyes.

I still defend what the NBA is doing as far as protecting their own interest too. If you owned a business like the NBA or a team in the league, you would want as thorough research done as possible as to what type of person/player you are bringing into your organization. A year or two of college ball has exposed quite a few guys who were seen as future stars when they were in high school. For every Kobe and LeBron that comes along out of high school, there are 10 more guys who have no idea how to handle the luxuries and pressures that come with being in the NBA. The owners want to protect their product at all costs.

 

[DunksNJordans23Participant]

 Just a thought. If he didn’t want to "go to college to be a professional basketball player" he could have just…you know been a professional basketball player in China, Greece, somewhere else in Europe or even….Australia then declared for the draft.

[Hype Machine]

 So now 18yo kids have to leave America to do their job.

[DunksNJordans23Participant]

 He doesn’t need to leave America to go pro, he could’ve gone to the NBADL. Overseas you make more money, that’s why I suggested the overseas options. Plus as YOU know, he is Australian! 🙂

 

[ChicagoCaseyParticipant]

 UGH. I came across people that didn’t even watch the doc. LMAO. You must be one of those guys that say "IF YOU ARE SO CRITICAL OF THIS COUNRTY, WHY STAY". That’s basically what you are saying. lol. If you want to maximize your draft potential, you have to play in the states. LMAO. Way to misquote people words, the NBA does not mean being a "professional player". Being an NBA players does not mean playing in other countries. LOL

[binetParticipant]

 Every year some prospect indeed choose to go pro, like Terrance Ferguson this year, Mudiay and Jennings previously. Not sure about the others but assurely Mudiay did hurt his stock a lot playing overseas, and some might argue his player development (but that’s more questionning China, the team he was in and debatable…). 

Simmons is very well advised by his family, and I am sure he thought about it yet still chose the NCAA. 

I think in his particular case, most of what he said, thought or felt about this one & done year is true, but not a generality in the NCAA. Only players that would be drafted directly from high school in the lottery can have the same concerns, and arguably not the ones going on super teams in top tier programs, where the team is the star more than the player himself, and one could argue that the coaching and bball training there is your payment. By making his choice of playing for an underdog, he put himself in that weird spot, though he is not respnsible for it to have been that way, honestly I personally think that LSU and their staff did manage very poorly the Ben Simmons case. And technically after watching the documentary I feel they are the ones who handled the things poorly, more than the NCAA and the NBA, though his case can occur almost anywhere.

 

 

 

 

 

[HitsterParticipant]

 The rule is the NBA’s not the NCAA’s – it’s just that loads of guys will take the college route for the year. Also as regards the Millitary you have to be 21 to become an NFL player but could have been in several millitary campaigns by then.

[ChicagoCaseyParticipant]

 LOL. Never said it wasn’t.

[BeastMode716Participant]

 spoke out. The NCAA is a bunch of middle aged suburban white guys exploiting poor kids of All races & ethnic backgrounds Including poor white kids.

Simmons would have been the #1 pick in the 2013 NBA Draft as a 16 y/o & he would have been #1 or #2 in 2015 & 2016 w/ Only Joel Embiid & KAT possibly being a slightly better prospect.

It was Insane that he was forced to go to LSU, just like it was Insane that Emmanuel Mudiay was forced to go to China.

It’s an unconstitutional system propped up by Wealthy people who make sure All the Laws fit their needs. I luv’d Simmons as a Talent before that video but afterwards I realize now he is a True Leader & these young NBA guys coming behind him will follow his Alpha personality.

I luv Simmons quiet demeanor on the court. He’s like a serial killa out there. Still waters run deep. People that believe a Leader needs to mouth off are the same people that believe the loud mouth at the bar is the tough guy. He’s mouthing off b/c he does Not want a confrontation. The quiet ones Want you to test them. He’s got the perfect nickname Ben "Salt Water Croc" Simmons – cold blooded killa

 

 

 

 

[Mr. 19134Participant]

 Y’all really gotta watch the doc.  Its a story about a conventional family tryna do things in the most traditional way possible getting thrust into the most unconventional and unpredicatble situations based off of Bens talents.

 

It was done exceptionally well and really captures a teenager going from high school senior to international superstar in one year.

 

 

[nath09Participant]

 The one and done rule benefits both levels of competition.

For Every Ben Simmons there are 5 Eddy Curry’s. 

If there were no one and done rule there would be far too many kids making rash devissions based on dollar signs. There are plenty of misguided parents, friends and family out there who would push people in the wrong direction just to ride on the coat tails of an NBA player.

If the top players aren’t going to college there is less interest. If there is less interest there is less money. This inturn (long term) ends up hurting the development of young people on an athletic level and on educational and maturity levels of kids who do want to go to collegeprior to going pro.

This would then end up affecting the NBA product both on a talent level but also having a league with a lot more brats in it.

Put it this way; try and climb a ladder that has only a top rung and a bottom rung with no rungs inbetween. It can be done but it makes it a struggle for all but a select few.

 

 

 

 

 

[Mr. 19134Participant]

 Actually players who came out of highs chool had longer nba career averages then those out of college.

 

And scouting and development has advanced way further since Eddy Curry. Curry was actually a very productive NBA player who simply couldnt stay in shape.  These blue chip prospects nowadays spend all day in the gym and separate themselves by work ethic as much as talent.

 

A guy like Kwame Brown would be better today just because he would of worked on his shooting with now proven and refined training methods in refined training sites like Impact or P3 and he would of workes on his 3 ball just for a predraft mixtape

 

 

 

 

[BiggysmallsParticipant]

 Don’t really like Ben Simmons and I’m not all for or against the NCAA from a moral standpoint but I really wish people would stop comparing real-life jobs to what these guys are doing. 

The ole "well if you ask for a raise in your job because you are underpaid…" it a bunch of bogus. 

Stop trying to compare playing professional basketball to a typical job because professional athletics aren’t typical jobs. Thousands upon thousands of people don’t care what I’m doing in my job. 

On Simmons and the NCAA – the NCAA wasn’t paying athletes long before Ben Simmons came along so why is this issue getting worse and worse? I don’t understand that part of it. Players have been happy to get a scholarship and play for a long long time…why does that have to change? 

If Simmons were getting paid, I feel like he’d be complaining about not getting paid enough. He strikes me as a guy who is going to complain no matter what. 

Going to class isn’t hard. It’s just not. You spend 15 hours a week in class and you have tutors do your homework for you. Suck it up for a year and do it. It’s not that hard and anybody who argues against that is so all in on this that they aren’t thinking straight. 

The whole 1-n-done thing isn’t the NCAA’s fault. That’s the NBA. 

Simmons acts like playing college basketball was this punishment for him and that’s a bad look for the NCAA. It should be a privelege and for most guys it is. Simmons didn’t need college basketball and frankly college basketball didnt need him. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[binetParticipant]

 Your points are valid if you are talking the regular American prospect. Simmons is Australian (technically he has both nationalities, but he clearly is more of overseas culture). When you are from overseas, College and the NCAA  does not really make that much sense to you, and contrary to what many people seem to think, scouting and everything when you play professionnally overseas is not yet at a point where this choice give you as much draft stock to go to the NBA. Simmons also was a major prospect, like LeBron, Kobe, KG, who all did have the right to skip College.

Simmons and his family did what they had to do to maximize his draft stock, what resulted in him getting selected number 1. 

Simmons felt like his year in NCAA was a lost year, because somehow LSU did not manage to give him relevant support for his career and just took advantage of his hype.

In the documentary, Simmons talks about the money problem yes, but i-t’s not his only point against the system and it seemed more to me that he felt he should have been paid because NCAA/LSU did not help him in any way to be a better NBAer.

Simmons has no problem with the NCAA but more with the ‘one&done’ rule, which Silver wants to turn into a "2&done" that would eventually kill the NCAA (The difference between 1 and 2 years should make a difference and lead more players to play overseas in my opinion). Simmons grew up with stars of the game skipping College like Garnett, Kobe, LeBron, etc… That’s the guy he looks up to. Yet, he was forced not to follow their path. He is not criticizing the NCAA system, just the fact that he could not skip NCAA in order to maximize his NBA status, yet his college and the NCAA did nothing in return to support him while making money on his back.

 

 

 

 

[Author]

Posts