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NCAA Partners With NBA, NABC To Propose Reforms To Early Draft Entry Process

The NCAA, NBA and National Association of Basketball Coaches have "joined forces to offer a proposed solution to prevent underclassmen from leaving early for the draft if they aren't assured of being a high pick," according to Andy Katz of ESPN.com. The proposal, resulting from a series of meetings first held at the '14 Final Four, would "move the withdrawal date for American college players to late May, nearly five weeks later than the current late-April date." If the proposal is accepted, underclassmen would be able to "participate in a new invitation-only combine in mid-May that would enable NBA teams to evaluate players and then offer feedback on their draft prospects." The pool would "include all draft-eligible players: seniors, underclassmen" and int'l players. But NCAA VP/Men’s Basketball Dan Gavitt said that the "finite number wouldn't change if a player withdrew." NBA Senior VP/Basketball Operations Kiki VanDeweghe said that an invitation-only combine would "be similar to the Chicago draft camp," but unlike the current model, it would "include underclassmen who have remaining college eligibility." UCLA AD and NCAA D-I Council Chair Dan Guerrero said that the proposal "could take effect in time" for the '16 draft. Gavitt said that while there is "no guarantee, there is a strong chance the proposal can be voted on in January if the legislation is proposed in September." Kentucky's John Calipari, Georgetown's John Thompson III, Duke's Mike Krzyzewski and Michigan State's Tom Izzo were "some of the high-profile coaches who were in on the proposal," with NABC Exec Dir Jim Haney "coordinating the effort." Gavitt "credits Haney for putting all parties on the same page" (ESPN.com, 3/11).

CHANGE IS GONNA DO YOU GOOD: USA TODAY's Nicole Auerbach notes prospects under the proposal would "get direct feedback" from NBA GMs. Haney said of the collaboration with the NBA, "There was a lot of common ground. We've got young men making pretty significant decisions putting their names in the draft not being drafted or not being drafted where they thought they were going to be drafted. Is there a better way? I think we all feel we have come up with a better way" (USA TODAY, 3/12). In Atlanta, Michael Cunningham wrote it is "heartening that NBA players who have the power to fight the system are doing so for athletes who aren't yet members of their union." Cunningham: "It's possible that the NBA union is making noise about the age limit so as to gain concessions in other areas but I doubt it." NBAers have been "agitating for this change for a while." If they continue to do so it "makes them the most principled parties in this age limit charade" (ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION, 3/7).

MINOR LEAGUE, MAJOR FIX? Wasserman Media Group Vice Chair Arn Tellem penned a special to GRANTLAND under the header, "The Necessary Plan to Fix the NBA’s Farm System." Tellem: "The NBA has entered an era of incredible financial prosperity. ... With the business booming by all accounts, why would the NBA continue to ignore its own development league?" Player development "remains the NBA's biggest weakness." Rather than "nurture so-called homegrown talent, the NBA outsources nearly all of its minor leagues to college basketball and Europe." Tellem: "I am proposing the NBA roll back its minimum age requirement (from 19 to 18) and allow high school standouts to become eligible for the draft again." Tellem: "Could the influx of talent make the D-League as competitive as the top European leagues? Could it open the door for competition between the D-League and Europe, as well as a more attractive product to sell to TV?" (GRANTLAND.com, 3/11). But CBSSPORTS.com's Matt Moore wrote Tellem's proposal is "completely, and totally ridiculous, in the way that any piece of propaganda is." Tellem is "writing from the perspective of an agent," and is giving a "super-agent version of an idealistic trade you make up for your team to acquire LeBron James for a few roleplayers and a pick." It is not "grounded in reality," but rather it is "fan-fiction" (CBSSPORTS.com, 3/11).

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