The NBA is "proposing a developmental league that would
cater to college-age basketball players," according to
Athelia Knight of the WASHINGTON POST. Though "plans for
the new league have not been finalized," NBA Deputy
Commissioner Russ Granik said that he expects the league to
begin in fall 2001 with eight to 12 teams playing in non-NBA
cities and in arenas with around 10,000 seats. Granik added
that it "would be premature to name possible cities."
Knight writes that NBA officials proposed the league because
they "are concerned that players who enter the league's
draft without finishing college are not prepared for the
demands of the professional game, on and off the court."
Granik: "We would always prefer that [a player] goes to
college. Legally, we can't require it. So, if he has made
the decision not to [go to college], but he's not quite
ready to play in the NBA, we think having some other league
where we could closely monitor him would be better for the
player and ultimately better for the sport." But NCAA
President Cedric Dempsey said college basketball is still
"the best development system" for the NBA. Dempsey: "I
think [NBA officials] have to be concerned not just about
the action and activities of their athletes on the court.
They need to be concerned about whether those athletes are
ready to be contributors in society. And I think education
is the best way to develop that maturity." The NBA will
"own and operate" the league, which will play from November-
April, "to allow NBA teams to call up players." Granik
notes that players would receive "modest salaries, much
lower" than the NBA minimum of $300,000, and he expects the
league "to consist of young players who have not signed NBA
contracts and perhaps one or two NBA veterans." NBPA Exec
Dir Billy Hunter said that the union "has concerns about the
new league, including what the players will receive in
salaries and other benefits" (WASHINGTON POST, 3/23).
IS CBA NOT THE ANSWER? NEWSDAY's Shaun Powell writes
that the CBA "will never become a farm system for the NBA,"
because while the concept is "a noble one," it "suffers from
too much competition from the NCAA." Powell: "Guess how
many high school graduates have voluntarily decided to try
the CBA? That's right. Zero" (NEWSDAY, 3/23).
