The NBA has been going through a lot of changes, the league is going through a flux that hasn’t been felt since the NBA/ABA merger. Some of the changes have been individual like team logo and uniform changes. Some have been league wide and the largest one is still ongoing. The luxury tax and cap space increase.
Ever since the 2011 lockout, the NBA and the NBPA have been having regular talks to prepare and prevent for what might happen, another potential lockout. Now obviously nobody wants that but it is still a possibility and it is only a possibility because at the end of the day, the National Basketball Association is a business. Money runs said business and when the NBPA says that ‘we want more money because you are’, the NBA have to be coy about it.
The figures go like this. Because of the new NBA TV deal, the new salary cap will be approximately $67.1 Million. The luxury tax line will be at $81.6 Million. By 2017-18 the numbers will be at $108 and $127 Million. The NBA are going to have more money than decent players. Which begs the question. How will this heavy injection of money affect the College Basketball game?
If you know me, you know that I’m not a fan of the ‘One & Done’. I personally think that 5 NBA-ready Freshmen a year does not warrant for every other Freshman to go to the NBA. Why not just stay in College, get your education and then go to the NBA? I mean, if you think you’re good enough to dominate the NBA as a Freshman, then that talent won’t dissipate if you stay in school right?
The ‘One & Done’ has been a topic of conversation for years. But with the NBA cap increase and the amount of money a 18-19 year old can stack in their Rookie season, there is no way that the ‘One & Done’ will go away. It has never become more enticing to go pro no matter how average you are.
God has still found ways to bless me through the struggle. I am officially apart of the NBA & Trailblazer family? pic.twitter.com/O69Jj5frhM
— Cliff Alexander (@CAlexander) July 24, 2015
Look at Cliff Alexander. He was an absolute savage in high school, got injured in Kansas but for some reason he went to the Draft. Obviously he got undrafted, luckily the Trail Blazers gave him a contract. Now I said ‘for some reason’ but we all know why he opted for the Draft.
Now playing “For The Love Of Money” by the O’Jays.
The cap reform isn’t even in effect yet but players are still going for it because there is more money than good, quality basketball players. We have a complex to get our money’s worth, an NBA team would rather go into the luxury tax line than having money in the cap left. Heaven forbid saving money!
The NCAA will have to deal with the money that the NBA will light their cigars with. The only thing they’ll be able to do is to make their game better, when it comes to the players. The NBA will have control of them as soon as they commit to a College. This also means that the D-League will look even more enticing. Because it has the job of giving a chance for young players to shine and get noticed, some players might see it as a safety net. Even if undrafted players had the opportunity to go back to College, what would be the point in that?
I don’t want to say that the quality of the NBA will go down. International players are becoming more and more comfortable with coming to the NBA, there will always be decent players. But there’s a possibility that all this money will bring players that have no right to be on the hardwood.
