Commentary on the young age of this year's NBA Draft class
continued this morning, as the league set a record for the number
of early entries chosen in the first round. NBA Deputy
Commissioner Russ Granik: "How they do will determine if this is
a trend or a short-term aberration. If they do well, this will
be the way it is" (Roscoe Nance, USA TODAY, 6/27). In Atlanta,
Mark Bradley writes, "The casualty Wednesday night wasn't the
league the youngsters are joining but the level they just left"
(ATLANTA CONSTITUTION, 6/27). Headline over Ed Fowler column in
this morning's HOUSTON CHRONICLE: "Cracking NBA now child's
play" (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 6/27). In Washington, Tony Kornheiser
writes, "If the NCAA (with the vocal encouragement of the NBA)
doesn't find a way to keep its best players in the college
greenhouse, in the next century we'll have to start the draft at
a much earlier hour -- or else it will be past the bedtime of
most of the players picked in the first round" (WASHINGTON POST,
6/27). In Chicago, Mark Potash writes, "The NBA's Stay in School
campaign took another beating" (CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, 6/27).
WHAT TO DO? Agent Len Elmore: "The young players, aside
from the stars, need to have credible, reliable information as to
their draft status -- not from those who try to gain control but
from people who really know. And that would call for an alliance
between the NCAA, the NBA, union and others" ("Business
Insiders," CNBC, 6/26).
