[NYFLAVA2K9Participant]

So me and some friends are talking hoops and the topic comes up… Are prep prospects able to go straight into the D-League immidiately after their HS Class graduates instead of going to college? If so, are they still eligible to be drafted once they are one year removed from HS? Lastly, if able to enter the D-League do they obtain professional status versus amateur status and become eligible for endorsement deals?

I do remember Latavious Williams was able to do something similar a few years back but wasnt sure if it was because he was a certain age (He was like 19 going on 20 still in HS if I recall). I find this topic to be very intriguing as the D-League could prove to be a more lucrative route for heavily hyped prospects (ie. Andrew Wiggins, Lebron James level) versus spending a year in college.

Top prospects posess a hunger to face the best competion available in their quest to be the best. The D-League success rate and level of competion is rising daily, and is proving to offer the best ‘NBA styled play’ outside of the NBA itself. I remember a few days back reading a post where someone said ‘everybody kills it in the D-League’ in reference to former Lotto pick Terrence Williams averaging a triple-double during his tenure there. Well the statement is actually somewhat true. Guys like Morris Almond and Travis Leslie put up video game stats there, so imagine how a talent of Wiggins caliber would fare. He’d put up legendary numbers against a league full of grown Men who were mostly all at one time or another considered college stars and the top dogs of their respective college teams and conferences.

Also, with the NCAA ever increasingly scrutinizing top prospects, why take the chance of missing games, serving suspensions, and having potentially stock-hurting, character questioning allegations levied against you ala the Shabazz Muhammad situation. Lastly, if you were hyped as a can’t miss prospect and had an endorsement deal even half of what LeBron got waiting in the wings, you could be a millionaire a year sooner, before even signing your first NBA contract.

I personally would like to see these players in college, but I’m sure these are all factors that will sooner rather than later become a part of these prospects decision making process. Just because a player doesn’t play in college, doesn’t mean he can’t still get a degree at some point right? I truly beleive David Stern is somewhere secretly lusting at this idea in the hopes of expanding his baby the D-League. Just a thought. Please clarify if any of this is even possible under the current rules. Thanks.

[SiggyParticipant]

Yes they can. The only requirement is that they’re 18.

I also don’t see the scenario of a kid like Wiggins coming up and dominating full grown men with pro experience right off the bat, even in the D-League. Not happening.

[NYFLAVA2K9Participant]

Fair point. Let me rephrase that, not legendary numbers in the sense of Wilt Chamberlain’s 100 points in a game, but averaging 25-30 points a game wouldn’t be out of the question and could be considered legendary in correlation to his age versus the rest of the competetion . For example averaging 20 points a game in a year in the NBA isn’t considered legendary, but when you do it as teenage rookie like LBJ did its considered legendary because how young he was. If LBJ was able to average that as a rookie versus NBA competition, wouldnt it be fair to conceive him or a similar level prospect could average 25-30 a game against D-League level competition at that age? Especially when considering players like Morris Almond can average close to 30 a game in the D-League and average less than 5 a game in the NBA.

[NYFLAVA2K9Participant]

And to clarify, I mean averaging 25-30 against D-League competetion straight out of HS, not NBA competetion. I think LeBron couldve easily done that and Andrew Wiggins could too, if not atleast come very close too it. I think Wiggins could give you 10-15 a game in the NBA right now, which should equal at least 20 a game in the D-League right now. I think 25-30 a game next year in the D-League would be do-able.

[SiggyParticipant]

No, I don’t see Wiggins averaging 20 ppg in the DLeague coming straight out of HS. You’re overlooking the physical maturity of these grown men. Wiggins is able to “out-athleticize” everyone at the HS level because he can just run and jump all over them. Grown men would muscle him and bump him as well as contest his shots better. LBJ was the exception because he had the body of a grown man by the time he was a HS junior. Wiggins is still a thin jumping jack and his skill level is not that of a pro either.

[NYFLAVA2K9Participant]

I agree with your point on LeBron being a physical specimen in a class of his own, but Wiggins quickness and athleticism are equally as impressive. You can also argue that Wiggins is the more pure scorer of the two, especially at the same stage of their respective careers.

[SiggyParticipant]

No, I would say LeBron was the better scorer because even as a kid straight out of HS he still had the strength to barrel through defenders and carry them to the cup. IMO, he was the better scorer AND playmaker. When you can’t overwhelm defenders physically you have to rely on your skill.
I don’t think Wiggins is as skilled as you do…and likely the majority of this site.

[Memphis MadnessParticipant]

I think guys should have to stay 2 years, BUT you can enter the draft after high school or even after your freshman year. If you get drafted out of high school then you play college for two years with the NBA team having your rights. Once you leave school the guaranteed contract kicks in. This gives guys a chance to enter the draft, NBA teams a chance to take a flyer on a guy with upside, and also gives college teams some great talent for at least two years.

Larry Bird did something similar. He got drafted by the Celtics then went back to school at Indiana State and took them to the title game. Once he left school his NBA contract kicked it, and I think it worked out pretty well for both sides.

As a college basketball fan I would like to see these guys in college for two years, but let them get drafted anyway like they do in baseball.

You could make it where you can’t sign an agent until you leave school or something like that.

The one and done rule doesn’t make too much sense to me. I think it only helps John Calipari (sometimes).

I think it would be cool to see guys in college for a couple of years, but you let them declare for the draft whenever they want to. Then they can use college ball as sort of a minor leagues.

[Sewok15Participant]

If Wiggins is as good as most of us think he is he could dominate the D league tonight.

[phila9012Participant]

I think that guys should be able to go right to the NBA right out of high school. With the nbdl becoming more and more popular and used by NBA teams, guys could develop for a year or two if they werent ready for the NBA and the NBA teams would have mire control over them while they develop.

[phila9012Participant]

I think that guys should be able to go right to the NBA right out of high school. With the nbdl becoming more and more popular and used by NBA teams, guys could develop for a year or two if they werent ready for the NBA and the NBA teams would have mire control over them while they develop.

[Meditated StatesParticipant]

They are adults who deserve that right. Its not football.

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