I decided to base my argument essay on the new developing issue with the NBA draft and the minimum two year college rule they are trying to enforce. there were players who got the chance to avoid the rule when it was new and only one year was of college basketball was required before entering the draft. i selected a few pictures of players who had the chance to avoid the rule and succeeded and of those who failed to meet expectations. hopefully within this essay it will be revealed how this rule affects players, affects the league and impacts the game itself. also give a better understanding of the pressure players are under.

i decided to base my argumentative topic on the new issue unfolding with the drafting of basketball players and their required 2 years of college basketball. in 2006, the eligibility rule changed for basketball players who wanted to start their careers in the NBA after graduating high school, requiring players to play minimum one year of college basketball before entering the draft. Six years later the rule is being reviewed and in debate for demanding a second year. this is a topic i find very controversial, due to the fact that its a sport and also a business. the fact that your chance of getting drafted and salary is based on your performance, i feel causes players to rush their careers. Looking at some who got the chance to avoid the eligibility rule back in history, i see where the decision of demanding years in college mandatory would make sense. Big time names flopped and lost the chance of fulfilling the expectations of NBA franchise owners and their dollar value as players or even lost their jobs.

Kevin Garnett: Bio (Phil Velasquez)

25.2 points, 17.9 rebounds, 6.7 assists and 6.5 blocks

The High School McDonald All American, Kevin Garnett (aka The Big Ticket) Was a High School Standout. While Attending Mauldin high school from ’91-94, by his junior year he was named Mr. Basketball in the state of South Carolina. After being caught up in a controversy at Mauldin High School in South Carolina and was arrested, he transferred to Farragut Academy HS in Illinois for his senior year, where he once again would be named Mr Basketball but for the State of Illinois this time around in ’95. With recognitions such as National High School Player of the Year by USA Today and was selected to the Parade magazine All-America First Team after leading Farragut to a 28-2 and to the class AA state quarter finals he decided to skip college and enter the NBA draft.

NBA.Com: Kevin Garnett Bio

Prior to NBA / Country:

Farragut Academy HS (IL) / USA Years Pro:16

                                                                      Kobe Bryant Bio: (Pete Bannan)

30.8 points, 12.0 rebounds, 6.5 assists, 4.0 steals  3.8 blocks

With dad (Joe “Jelly Bean” Bryant) whom played eight seasons in the NBA as a trainer, Kobe Bryant went on to win awards such as High School all-time leading scorer in Southeastern Pennsylvania history (2,883 points), USA Today’s National High School Player of the Year honors as a senior (1995-96),  Named Naismith High School Player of the Year, Gatorade Circle of Champions High School Player of the Year and to the McDonald’s All-American Team …Most Outstanding Player at the Beach Ball Classic in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina his senior year… Named the Most Valuable Player of the 1995 adidas ABCD Summer Camp…yea, he too went on to skip college and join the NBA draft in ’96

NBA.com: Kobe Bryant Bio

Prior to NBA / Country:

Lower Merion HS (PA) / USA Years Pro:15

31.6 points, 9.6 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 3.4 steals

Apart from being Named Mr Basketball in the state of Ohio from his sophomore to Senior year, The 6’8 high school phenom was praised all through high school for his “complete player” game skill. Pulling in THREE state championships with Saint Vincent Saint Mary starting his Sophomore year it was no mystery that he was  an early entry candidate for the 2003 NBA Draft. He was National High School Player of the Year, PARADE High School Boys Basketball Player, USA Today boys’ high school basketball Player of the Year following junior and senior seasons. Named Gatorade Player of the Year as a junior and senior. Lebron was in the foot steps of becoming legendary long before stepping on an NBA court.

NBA.com: Prospect profile: Lebron James

Prior to NBA / Country:

St. Vincent-St. Mary HS (OH) / USA Years Pro:8

Kwame Brown Bio: (Joel Richardson)

20.1 points, 13.3 rebounds, 5.8 blocks, 3.0 assists and 2.0

Unstoppable seemed nothing to what it was like for the defenders playing against kwame. The 7 foot McDonald’s All-America Team, First Team selection All-USA by USA Today and First Team All-America by Parade Magazine as a senior, was a force in the paint. Making it impossible when on defense to score was fairly easy, as he would block a whopping 6 shots per game! Almost a University of Florida Gator with the letter of intent signed, Kwame decided to go against that decision and joined the NBA draft in 2001.

NBA.com: Kwame Brown bio

 Prior to NBA / Country:

Glynn Academy HS (GA) / USA Years Pro:10

Eddie Curry Bio: (Jonathan Daniel)

24.6 points 11.2 rebounds 4.8 blocks

Mr. Basketball in the State of Illinois  while attending Thornwood High School, Eddie Curry was considered low Post Scoring machine who’s offensive game was considered unfar against the high school competition. Even earned the MVP award in the McDonald’s All American Game in 2001. So naturally gifted he was offered an athletic scholarship to University of Depaul, he still chose to go on and join the NBA draft in 2001. Being awarded the selection to the State Farm Holiday Classic all-tournament team from ’98 – 2000, i could see where he felt he had the chance others did to skip college and play in the pros.

NBA.com: HEAT player 2011: Eddie Curry

Prior to NBA / Country:
Thornwood HS (IL) / USA Years Pro:9

Travis Outlaw Bio: (Bruce Ely)

PPG-22.0RPG-12.00 APG-6.0 

With outstanding Jumping Ability it was easy for Travis to block shots average 12 rebounds and most off jumping into the stat sheets the earned him awards like PARADE All-America High School Boys Basketball Second Team, USA Today High School Boys Basketball All-USA Third Team. Played in the McDonald’s High School All-American Game and the EA Sports Roundball Classic and was also Named All-State his final three high school seasons in Mississippi. His raw talent got him coaches to chase him enough to persuade him and Originally committed to Mississippi State. All for nothing because he joined the 2003 NBA draft.

NBA.com: Prospect Profile: Travis Outlaw bio

 Prior to NBA / Country:

Starkville HS (MS) / USA Years Pro:8

OnceRichNowInDebt

An article plenty of the “from poor to rich” people can relate to. this article briefly explains the story of a nba superstar who even made the cover of a video game and how he went broke. this article i feel is important because its an eye opener. a lot of guys going to the league …professional athletes period, usually are young and come across this kind of money and what society fails to realize is that we praise them from their abilities but do we help them after ? antoine walker was part of a celtic team with plenty history and fans who loved him, and at the age of 33 he broke and in debt? Great article, hope a lot of young men and women got to witness and learn from his experience.

TheLossOfBrandonRoy

a touching article, the writer explains the high and also explains the sat truth. Roy, who has been battled degenerative knees and had multiple surgeries, has been in the league since 2006 and averages 19 points, 4.7 assists and 4.3 rebounds. has been forced to retire due to his illness. this article made me feel out of the loop, i wasnt aware of the life changing decision of having to change everything you dreamed of and fought your whole life in order to achieve it because of an injury. this article honestly made me think more of myself and making wiser decision as far as how i treat my body. we dont realize the harm we do to our bodies just from jumping up and down with the wrong support or playing any sports wothout stretching.

JeremyLin

This is an article that stood out to me, the writer showed compassion for what consequences athletes FACE EVERYDAY. jeremy lin a diamond discovered in the rough all of a sudden is facing the ugly truth of the nba. where as long you are healthy and producing for a team you are loved by management, other teams and fans. once hurt you are now looked at as a liability, not knowing wethere you will be back better or worse than before the business side of things kick in and you realize all the love in the nba is just for the moment ratings and ticket sales.

Walking out of the basketball court surrounded by a wall that looked more like a window, I slowly walked off the court with my teammates after an intense basketball Game at the TeamWorks multi-sports facility. I couldnt help but look over to the soccer field surrounded by the same window like wall, where the bleechers were full of people varying in age from kids to some who looked like grandparents. As my teammates and I headed for the exit, i coudn’t help but step to the side and observe what the cheering was about. Glued to the whole scene and trying to catch a glimpse of what the yelling, cheering and heckling was about, My teammates grew impatient and since they had come in their own cars, they began to take off one by one. After saying our goodbyes, i ran back to the same spot i had been obvserving from in the beginning.

I felt like a kid looking for the fun, and amazed by everything around me. I looked at individual face reactions and saw how there emotions seesawed during the game. Some of the kids were too young to focus on what was going on, so some made new friends with the other little ones some of the other parents had brought to support a loved one. i also noticed that some parents who were there with their kids, were there just to watch the game. As i focused more into the audience, i noticed some wore really high shorts with really high socks and a matching colored jersey shirt. others wore regular attire, but the only thing that related with them all were the seesaw emotions. It made me laugh, because it wasnt like a basketball game where the fans are mixed in and everyone does their heckling from their seat. At this soccer field you knew that the fans were segregated by choice, and what segregated them was the field and their choice of team to cheer for. from where i was standing i was able to figure out that even though they didnt know each other, just because they rooted for the same team they made friends with one another and did their heckling together against the opposing side and team.

Although it looked fun to be within one of those crowds yelling, cheering and heckling, i stood in my little spot and focused my attention on the game which i knew absolutely nothing about. As i focused my attention on to what was going on within the window looking wall, i saw a cluster of 2 colors running back and forth on an artificial setting. they all wore cleats, high shorts, high socks, shin guards and some had arm sleeves. one guy from each team stood infront of a box-like square which he proctected from the opposing team who tried kicking the black and white ball into. Both teams made continuous attemps at kicking the ball through the square, but the guys protecting it were like incredible athletes. It seemed like they didnt care about their bodies. The guys showed outstanding athleticism stretching from one side to the other on a dive to attempt and stop the ball. Falling and bouncing right back up to continue defending. On a couple occasions they caught it and kicked it over to a fellow teammate. the guys on the field ran all over the place, hitting the ball with any and every body part except their hands. All while the crowd was having this roller coaster of emotions throughout the game back and forth.

As interesting as the scene was, the game was something that just kept calling me eyes back. This soccer game reminded me of a football game, because there were 11 players on the field. unlike a football game where the 11 players are assigned to specific position, the soccer players looked like they were all over the field. even though the scatter was extreme, they all seemed to have a role to play. All but the 2 players protecting the box-like square, ran all over the field. i couldnt help but keep relating the game to football because of how hard they crashed into each other for that ball. also like football these men clashed, kicked, bled and went back for more because of their will to win. one thing that did stand out to me was the fact that there were no constant substitutions, and that once guys were substituted they didnt come back into the game. im not sure wether thats a rule or what, but i do know that the stamina required is beyond anything ive seen before in any sport.

        I flinch to the sudden sound of the buzzer, looking up to realize the game that had me glued was now over, i wasnt even aware of which team won. the whole time i was observing i didnt see any goals made. i looked up to the scoreboard and notice that i  only caught the second half of the game the final score was 1-0. Which left me in complete shock, in shock because for the ”war to win” that i was witnessing, anyone would have thought the score would have been alittle more appealing. maybe thats just me though, because all the fans were shouting “great game, that was amazing!” wether on the winning end or the losing end.

          Overall my first time witnessing a soccer game i felt was a great one. it blew my mind that behind a score of 1-0 there was so much action so much drama and so much emotion. it was great. a new experience that i would want every kid to experience, theres so much out there that because we dont know of it we dont take advantage or show interest in it. i would enjoy watching another game, from beginning to end this time and with a sense of what the rules to the game are.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/01/magazine/lets-start-paying-college-athletes.html?ref=magazine&pagewanted=all

i feel this is an interesting matter, i feel college athletes have tough lives to keep up with financially and very little help. a great percentage of division 1 players and and pro’s come from a difficult childhood financially and environmentally. this article exposed how 15 college football coaches make a combined 53.4 million dollars while 13,877 players get scholarships as financial benefits. a scholarship is great is but what about what you need to eat, shower or even need a notebook? whos there to help you when you come from a background where nobody was average financially? this topic caught my attention. because it also conflicts with me. i dont know how paying collgiate athletes will change the game of basketball in school seeing that money is the root of all evil. but some kind of voucher or tab should be allowed.

 i like this article, because its about an underdog accomplishing what plenty doubted. maybe because Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni has few options with a roster struck with injuries, and maybe because his job is on the line. D’Antoni decides to play the team’s 3rd-string point guard from Harvard, Jeremy Lin. the writer explains how The undrafted, unsigned Lin proceeds to score 25 points, including 12 in the 4th quarter, all whilst outplaying the Nets’ star guard, Deron Williams. The Knicks win, 99-92. That evening, the New York Daily News reports on the game with a headline that starts, “It’s Lin – sanity!”… i enjoy reading articles like this. as a basketball player i know what its like to deal with the hateful things the fans say. i like that the write went into detail about his performance and him being on the cover of magazines was the outcome.

http://byliner.com/lee-jenkins/stories/kyrie-irving-s-burden

 i like this article, it had to do with a kid taking over and putting a state on his shoulders and bringing winning back into the scene. a state overwhelmed by the betrayal of a young superstar they all had their hearts in hand for was coming back to life. the writer expressed vividly how fans were affected by this, telling us how lebron james jerseys were burned in a parking lot. “The jersey went up in flames, followed by Herron’s PLEASE STAY LBJ T-shirt, and dozens like it. One patron tossed his LeBron sneakers into the bonfire.” i also liked how the writer spoke in detail about the 19 yr old’s first game in which he captivated the cavalier fans and expressed how they felt about him.  ”Irving froze him with a slithery crossover between the legs before splitting Bass and point guard Avery Bradley with a cyclone of a spin move at the right elbow. The Celtics crashed the paint, but Irving was too fast, and with a flick of his left wrist he laid in the game-winner.” this is an article a lot of ball players can read and relate to. every school team has fans and every team at some point has a black sheep.