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Jermaine O'Neal disagrees with possible age limit in NBA

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4/12/05

O'Neal disagrees on higher age limit
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By Mike Wells
<SCRIPT language=JavaScript><!--document.write(''+'mike.wells'+'@'+'indystar.com'+'');//--></SCRIPT>[email protected]
April 12, 2005

TORONTO -- Indiana Pacers forward Jermaine O'Neal is not happy there could be a higher age limit for NBA players in the next collective bargaining agreement.
"In the last two or three years, the Rookie of the Year has been a high school player," O'Neal said before Monday's game against Toronto. "There were seven high school players in the All-Star game, so why we even talking (about) an age limit?"

Cleveland's LeBron James and Phoenix's Amare Stoudemire, both players who made the jump straight from high school, have won the past two Rookie of the Year awards.

O'Neal, who is trying to return from a shoulder injury, made the jump from high school to the NBA in 1996. He didn't flourish until being traded to the Pacers in 2000.

NBA commissioner David Stern wants to raise the minimum age for the NBA draft from 18 to 20. O'Neal said he would be willing to listen to arguments for raising the age limit.

O'Neal hinted that race is a factor. "As a black guy, you kind of think (race is) the reason why it's coming up," O'Neal said. "You don't hear about it in baseball or hockey. To say you have to be 20, 21 to get in the league, it's unconstitutional. If I can go to the U.S. Army and fight the war at 18, why can't you play basketball for 48 minutes and then go home?"
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O'Neal doesnt mention the countless high school players who don't even make it to the NBA after declaring and never go to college or the simple fact that the NBA is lacking in fundamentals and the ability to shoot the ball due to these kids not getting time to develop their skills in college. Just take a look at what happened during the Olympics.....pathetic.

Its definetly NOT a race issue for crying out loud....thats so way off base.

WHATS EVERYONE ELSE THINK.?
 
"To say you have to be 20, 21 to get in the league, it's unconstitutional."

:slappy:

Maybe if he had gone to college, this dumbfuck who would prefer to be in the stands beating up fans would understand the Constitution.

Didn't tennis install an age limit after the Capriati fiasco? Oh wait, that was because the Williams sisters were coming up. :roll1:
 
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O'Neal hinted that race is a factor. "As a black guy, you kind of think (race is) the reason why it's coming up," O'Neal said. "You don't hear about it in baseball or hockey.

There aren't any black baseball players? hockey players? You're right Jermaine, "whitie" wants to keep 18 year old black athletes off the football field and the basketball court. If all athletes were white, "the man" would let them drop out of high school to go to the NBA and NFL. What a dolt.
 
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This guy's a fucking idiot, but it shows the pantamount desparation of the NBA, who is still trying to turn him into one of their "good guys" (read: endorsement opportunities) despite bitching about absolutely everything for the last umpteen years (remember Portland?) and pummeling fans in the stands. Of course, SI and ESPiN have run several stories recently trying to help by distancing him from Artest and saying what a great guy he is. Uh, yeah, whatever....but I'm sure Steven A. Smith thinks he upstanding and wonderful, so we should all mindlessly bow in reverance. :shake:
 
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The race issue isn't even worth addressing.

Despite the success of Amare and LeBron the last couple of years, the NBA has to institute an age limit if it cares at all about the long-term welfare of its product. It used to be that the draft was like the NFL, in that teams that were atrocious could seek immediate help for their prospects within one year. That is no longer necessarily the case, as there are few players taken at the top of the draft who are able to immediately come into the league and excel. Contribute? Sure, but that wasn't what the draft used to be about. Now a team has to use a top draft pick on a Kwame Brown, DeSagana Diop, Dwight Howard (solid player, but not a star), Robert Swift, Sebastian Telfair, Maciej Lampe, Darko Milicic, Leon Smith, Tyson Chandler, Eddie Curry, and whoever else based on "potential." This is killing the league. As a matter of fact, Jermaine is a poster child for someone who should not have been in the league until he was 21. He was nothing in Portland, but trade bait. They basically drafted him in the first round so they could get zero production for three years followed by the aquisition of Dale Davis, who was a role-playing bench player.

Obviously, there will always be examples of college draft picks who are busts, but the difference is glaring. And the problem does not only affect these people once they are eligible to be picked. It starts for so many who put forth little effort in the class room or anywhere other than the individual abilities on the court from the age of 15 or so in pursuit of the NBA's millions. There are probably one hundred or so players a year in high school who have not developed import concepts of basketball such as defense, ball movement, attacking weaknesses, etc. in favor of displaying their individual talents for the scouts out there.

There can be no doubt that many of these 18-year-olds are physically ready to play ball in the NBA. The question is whether they should. If the union cares anything at all about its members (the older guys who will lose spots to the continual influx of 18 and 19 year olds who populate so many benches), then it will agree with the owners and institute the age limit. Word on the net that it is going to happen. Good.
 
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The worst argument came from some former douche bag player on espin. He basically said the inner city athletes can't handle playing college basketball and attending classes due to lackluster pre-college education.

How is then, that the football teams do so well having 80 some kids who do far more training and time spent on their sport than bball players? Also, college FB has a 3 year after high school clause, as we all know. These bball players would only have to play 1-2 years tops in college. Based on the amount of kids who have gone earlier, this 1-2 years would be very beneficial.

Whoever it was also brought up a point about the LeBron's and A. Stoudemiers of high school. I would love to see some info. about all the early entries and how they are doing now. I'm sure it's not even close.

O'Neal is the perfect example. He sucked the entire time he was in Portland. It took about 5 or so years for him to become a NBA player.
 
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Jermaine should looks at this way

It's a simple case of an employer requesting that a perspective employee have certain qualifications before they are eligible to work. This no different then people needing a college degree before they will be seriously considered employment with a company. However I think this will be lost on Jermaine.
 
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I don't think there should be an age limit in he NBA. First, the NBA is no where near as physical as the NFL, so an 18 or 19 year old kid can handle it far easier (see LeBron James, Kevin Garnett, etc.). Second, if the NBA doesn't want to take an 18 or 19 year old kid, then simply don't draft the fucker...simple as that. There's no need to carte blanche exclude every kid under 20...if the kid is good enough regardless of age then pick him, otherwise don't.
 
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I can't figure out how this has anything to do with race either. If the kids are let in, then the other guys are released. If the kids are denied than the spots on the end of the bench will probably be taken by other veterans. Either way, young or old, they'll be mostly black guys. I think the days are long gone when many of the teams use to have a couple of white guys on the bench just to keep up the illusion that the pro game was still white. Except for maybe Utah.:biggrin:

I can see why the NBA would be in favor of it. Let the kids develop and also build up a fan base that would carry over to the pros. Beats spending big money for them to sit on the bench for a couple years. The advantage for the pros would be more spots open on the bench.

Limited advantage for the kids. Sure, they get a chance to develop but if it was me, I'd rather be making millions while developing. The main thing I learned in college was how to seriously party. But then again, money was the biggest factor in controlling my partying

As to the kids that try to jump too early, they'll probably make the wrong decisions at school too. For many of these kids, there's no possibility of saving them, no matter what system is in place.
 
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MililaniBuckeye said:
I don't think there should be an age limit in he NBA. First, the NBA is no where near as physical as the NFL, so an 18 or 19 year old kid can handle it far easier (see LeBron James, Kevin Garnett, etc.). Second, if the NBA doesn't want to take an 18 or 19 year old kid, then simply don't draft the fucker...simple as that. There's no need to carte blanche exclude every kid under 20...if the kid is good enough regardless of age then pick him, otherwise don't.
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I agree to a point. Is the NBA the same as the NFL as far as if you declare yourself eligible for the draft you lose the right to play in college? The examples you give, James and Garnett are more exceptions to the rule. There are many kids you never hear about that try to go straight in and fail. I think that a couple years under a college coach would set these guys up much better for success.

Sorry for getting off topic.... Jermaine O'Neal, you are an ass!
 
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