This is a classic example of a story conceived by a writer who conveniently ignores one key fact because it wouldn't support his story. In this case, he ignores the fact that Eddie Griffin is playing very well despite being a teenager. Ugh! Nice going. <i>READY OR NOT Youngest rookies entering NBA are struggling Washington Post One week before June's NBA draft, Eddy Curry sought closure to his life as a high school player. So he strolled into a Chicago area tattoo parlor and ignored the choices on the wall and in the book of samples. The 6-foot-11, 285-pound center once known as "Baby Shaq" already knew the statement he wanted to make as he took a seat in the artist's chair. First, the 19-year-old forward selected by his hometown Bulls with the draft's fourth pick had a four-inch replica of the NBA logo inked on the underside of his right forearm. Then, above Jerry West's dribbling silhouette Curry placed the word "READY" and at the bottom added "OR NOT." "I thought it would pretty much speak for itself," said Curry. It has -- but not in the way Curry had hoped. Like the Washington Wizards' Kwame Brown and most of those who entered the draft with college eligibility remaining, Curry has proved to be not ready for the NBA. Meantime, the first-round picks who played four years in college or in Europe are flourishing. Memphis forward Shane Battier (chosen sixth out of Duke) and Indiana point guard Jamaal Tinsley (27th out of Iowa State) have been more productive than their teen-age counterparts. Battier (14.2 points per game) and Tinsley (9.3) played four seasons of college basketball and finished 1-2 in the Associated Press voting for NCAA Division I Player of the Year. And the early favorite for NBA Rookie of the Year is Memphis' Pau Gasol, a 7-foot, 227-pound forward who was the No. 3 overall pick, the highest for a foreign player. Coming off a Spanish League pro title with FC Barcelona, he started 41 of the Grizzlies' first 44 games, averaging 17.3 points and 8.8 rebounds and ranking in the league's top 20 in nine other categories. "I could have left college early, but I wasn't ready because there is more to the NBA than just playing basketball," said Tinsley, 23, who is fourth in the league with 8.8 assists per game. "There are a whole lot of mind games in the NBA. There is the traveling and being away from home and (readily available) women. I just wasn't ready to play in the NBA when I was a teen-ager. College gave me a chance to mature and develop my game, which is something I could not have done if I went right after high school." Of the 58 players selected in the two-round draft, 33 relinquished at least a portion of their college eligibility, including 24 of the 28 first-round picks and 18 of the first 19 players selected. "College will always be there, but for me this was a chance I had to take -- an opportunity of a lifetime," said Chicago's 19-year-old center, Tyson Chandler, who was selected second overall by the Los Angeles Clippers before being traded to the Bulls on draft night. But in NBA reality, the youngest rookies are struggling as the season reaches its midway point. Chandler and Curry are averaging 3.8 points apiece while combining to play less than 25 minutes a game. If not for the headline-grabbing presence of Michael Jordan, Brown's struggles with the Wizards would be one of the more chronicled stories in the NBA this season. But thanks to Jordan, few have noticed that the first high school player to go No. 1 overall is averaging three points and two rebounds and playing only 11 minutes a game. None of the NBA's teen-agers made the nine-player roster for the 2002 Rookie Challenge on NBA All-Star Saturday, and only two players picked for the game were early entries. Four international players will play for the rookie team, however, as will Battier and Tinsley. The NBA's teen-age rookies might not match the prowess of Battier and Tinsley, but there are two rookies without college experience who are showing early promise: Gasol and the Spurs' Tony Parker, who played in European pro leagues. Gasol does share one trait with Curry, Chandler and Brown, however. He's away from home for the first time. "I always lived with my parents and had posters of Magic Johnson, Larry Bird and Michael Jordan on the wall in my bedroom," said Gasol, 21, who recently purchased his first car and is looking to buy his first house. "I didn't even have a car before. But now I'm over here and it's so much different." The Spurs' Parker, a 19-year-old guard who was one of the top players in the French "A" League, said the foreign players coming into the NBA in the past couple of years have succeeded because European play has improved drastically. "European basketball has gotten better and better," Parker said. "I saw players like Dirk Nowitzki make it, so I knew it was possible for a (foreign) player to come in here and make it."</i>
One exception (Griffin) doesn't change the point of the story. The younger guys, as a group, have struggled this year. The older guys have performed phenomenally well, and I don't think its pure coincidence. That's one reason I hate the idea of drafting high schoolers. Yeah, they might turn into Kobe, but that will be 3-5 years down the road, and as a fan, that just sucks.
Yeah, but if you are willing to take on a project and groom him well, while others dont want to take a risk on him, than you could end up with the next all star for less.
Maybe the reason EG was left off the rookie team was because the NBA wants to discourage players coming straight out of highschool.
I think that high schoolers are just being overvalued right now. I mean, look how they do in college... some of the phenoms work out, some don't. Too much of a gamble, imo. I think all of them should be going more in the Kobe range. Late lottery, slightly after seems about right to me.
I think one of the reasons high schoolers come into the draft is because they might not do that well in college. Why go to college and take the risk of being an average player who doesn't get drafted when you can go straight to the draft then into the league and make millions?
<B>Do you think LA fans think it sucks to have Kobe on there team?</B> LA didn't draft Kobe, and LA didn't need an impact player right away to help their franchise. The teams that go 15-67 need a player to help them NOW, and high-schoolers aren't it. Beyond that, Kobe's are very few and far between. I'd rather my team get a very likely top player than a 1-in-10 shot at a superstar.
It was a prearrange deal with Charlotte and LA, kinda like Richard Jefferson being drafted be Houston. Kobe turn down workouts with teams like New Jersey because he wanted to play for a large market team like NY, Chicago, and LA. At the time High Schooler could declare for the draft and then don't sign and go play college ball. Kobe had the grades, KG didn't. They knew KG wasn't going to college but won't sure about Kobe. This is the reason he was selected so low. However, now if a high schooler declares for the draft there's no turning back.
Not even a mention. Griffin's name didn't even turn up. How the hell can this guy get away with mentioning Battier and Gasol, but not mention EG? Jesus, you can't help but notice his blocking, defense, rebounding, etc - even if he is still inconsistent with his scoring (but certainly has proven that he has range)? And it can't just be because the team sucks this season. Memphis ain't exactly tearin' it up. What is the friggen' deal?
Am I being stupid, but wasn't Gasol a teenager when entering the league? Gasol, Griffin, Curry, Wagner (if he came out last year) and Parker would school Battier, Tinsley, Morris, Haywood, and another top senior from 2001.
Really, it all comes down to the simple fact that the money is guaranteed for these kids coming out of high school or even just one year of college. If I had an opportunity to take in millions of dollars and then go back to college if I wanted, I'd definately make that deal. The problem ultimately lies in the NBA allowing underclassmen to be drafted. The players will always take the money, and the teams can't afford to not take a chance on them - afterall, the draft is about taking chances on the potential of a player. If the NBA really wanted to discourage high schoolers from going into the draft early, it would institute a rule much like in the WNBA where you must be a certain age, or have played overseas, or have used up your eligibility. The simple fact is they won't do that because many of the high schoolers have done well (Kobe, KG, Miles, Harrington, Lewis - just to name a few). Personally, I don't see much of a problem with it. If a player wants to develop via practices and trash minutes in the NBA, rather than go to college, mature and actually play against kids their own age, then fine. They are adults and they have a right to make the decisions they want. If the high schoolers do well, more will come. If they don't, then they will go to school and play there instead. It's all about the precedent that is set now.
bwarren, Age discrimination. The NBA has a bar now preventing people from entering the draft before their class has graduated, but would probably be overturned in court if challenged. Teams need to be allowed to assign players to the NBDL to develop.
I don't know, but last season a lot of the time Kobe would ignore the rest of the team while backing down by himself and end up throwing off an off balance shot. He was very frustrating to watch then. Then the same could be said for Shaq for the last month or so, he's so slow and the team was playing worse with him on court since he was a defensive liability and slowed the entire team down. But no, I like the fact Kobe is on the Lakers, Shaq too.
