Could the D-League Help if NBA's Age Limit Must Stay in Place?

by Scott Schroeder on Jun 5, 2025 6:00 AM EDT in D-League Comment 9 comments

More photos » by Gerry Broome - AP

John Wall- looking good. (Or constipated?)

Sorry about my lack of posting this week - Went to Home Depot to pick out some wallpaper, then hit Bed Bath and Beyond... I don't know! I just didn't have enough time to do the whole "blogging" thing! Sorry, I just like to smile. Smiling is my favorite.

Earlier this week, Steve Cohen, Tennessee Democrat, issued a news release assailing the age limit. Interesting, I thought, but nothing groundbreaking - the debate of whether the NBA age limit is right or wrong has been going on ever since it's inception - my senior paper in high school was on the topic, and that was four-ish years ago - before Hurricane Katrina, Zac Efron, and even before Ike Diogu was taken ninth overall. It's been awhile. This is why I'm wondering why so many people have once again jumped on the bandwagon, mostly in support of dropping the age limit. It isn't as if all of a sudden David Stern is going to Google his name and say "Wait! Austin316 says I'm an idiot for having this age limit!? I better change it!"

My biggest gripe comes from Slam Online's Ryne Nelson look at Cohen's thoughts. Nelson is usually well thought out and articulate with his arguments, but his needless bashing of the D-League is, well, unneeded and unfounded and un-a-lot-of-things. Particularly this excerpt:

[David] Stern is wrong in many respects. The D-League's competition and salaries are nothing compared to even those in Europe, making it a terrible option for the prodigiously talented 18 year olds. In Europe players can get paid (if they're lucky) and possibly sign small endorsement deals.

As I've said here before, I'll point this out right away - I'm not anti-overseas, I'm pro-D-League (another reason coming Monday *tease*). There is a difference. Personally, I'm against the age limit, but think that the D-League is a plausible way around it for players ready for the NBA. Jon L has already pointed out in the cases for John Wall, Jeremy Tyler and Brandon Jennings.

I don't have all of the answers, but here's my Wild and Crazy Kids suggestion:

Let's make the NBA's age limit even more complex, similar to MLB's complexities regarding the topic. Expand the NBA's draft to four rounds and allow everyone to be drafted - regardless of age. If you'd like to draft the rights to the Candace Parker-Shelden Williams lovechild, ahead of BJ Mullens in a few weeks, it's your call. However, if a player wants to/is good enough to play in the NBA the season after high school, he has to start in the D-League, at least until the D-League Showcase, held in early January. This would benefit the D-League (don't tell me you wouldn't watch a Brandon Jennings-Mateen Cleaves matchup), the player (getting him acclimated to the pro-game) and the NBA. If nothing else, it'll at least build the D-League up to the point of it being able to be profitable, helping it become a more "true" minor league.

Anyway, after the jump, I'll dig into Ryne Nelson's diatribe a bit more thoroughly.

In the 47 words I chose from Nelson's diatribe, I find three major topics I disagree with. Among them?

D-League competition is nothing compared to Europe. We've been through this before, and I hope cordobes and crew come around to argue debate the other side, but basically, I respectfully disagree. If the D-League's talent is absolutely NOTHING compared to Europe, why were there 24 call-ups from the D-League this season? Why wouldn't teams have bought European players out of their contracts if they're so much better? I'm going to go out on a limb and say that next season there will be more D-League players from this season than players who played overseas this season in the NBA. Call me crazy, but it seems to me the D-League would be a good place to develop among other NBA hopefuls, playing the same game with the same rules.
In Europe, players can get paid (if they're lucky). Wow! That's awesome! I want to play in Europe so I can be 'lucky' to be paid. That'd be much better than a guaranteed paycheck with actual laws enforcing myself getting a paycheck without dealing with the culture shock and language barrier, among other things!
In Europe, players can sign small endorsement deals. This is true. But I wasn't aware that players aren't able to do the same in the D-League. I'm pretty familiar with the D-League and its rules and regulations, but Nelson's obviously better versed. It makes sense though. I mean, imagine people watching the D-League! I know that nobody witnessed James White's dunk from behind the free-throw line. Probably good though - why would I buy something he's wearing when I could buy Brandon Jennings-endorsed $60 long johns from Under Armour?

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I agree completely Scott...

way to throw the gauntlet. Senior year of High School 4ish years ago though? Who are we kidding Scott?

On another note, do you think it’s even possible the NBA would do anything even substantially close to what you propose. In the end, I think it would be a good thing, but clearly the NBA is fairly comfortable resting on its laurels.

Also, my only issue with every rookie starting out their first season in the D-League is that it would substantially hurt NBA teams for the first part of the year. I mean think about it, if you draft some 1st overall stud, don’t you want him starting the year in your unis on your bench so more fans put butts in seats? Now for just about every player selected after the lottery the D would be a good thing as they are prone to sit the bench, but for some of those “franchise saving” guys I’m not sure time in the D would benefit their NBA counterparts. D-League time would certainly help the players (really all you care about here, understandably), but would not be of much help to NBA teams early in the season.

by IcemanCometh on Jun 5, 2025 10:44 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

It would hurt, but probably not that much.

Baseball teams have been doing this more and more as they’ve figured out a loophole in the free agency rules. The Orioles drafted Matt Wieters a year or two ago, but waited until the other day to call him up even though he’s probably already in the top half of league catchers (if not higher). The team was able to get by until now, and now he’s going to be a huge boost to the team.

It’s tough to gauge how this would’ve affected NBA teams last year, as players like Rose and Mayo would’ve been drafted a year earlier by different teams, but let’s assume they had come right out of high school. I guess you could say that Memphis and Chicago wouldn’t have done as well as they did, though Memphis didn’t do all that well anyway. Chicago may not have made the playoffs without having Rose early on, but having one guy miss some NBA time at the expense of having, two or three other players a team might draft get more development time would seem to me to have longer-term benefits.

I watched a lot of Wild and Crazy Kids when I was younger. Where have you gone, Omar Gooding?

Now writing for Ridiculous Upside, now with more draft coverage.

by Jon L on Jun 5, 2025 11:31 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I like Wild and Crazy Kids

And thanks for summing up my points.

Blogging at RidiculousUpside, where we converse with recently fired mascots.

by Scott Schroeder on Jun 5, 2025 4:03 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Thanks for breaking it down

Scott, you’re right that I might have been a bit too hasty with some of the D-League generalizations. I see where you’re coming from with your rebukes as well. I wouldn’t agree that NBA call-ups can measure the strength of the D-League relative to the best European leagues. The D-league offers NBA teams a quick and cheap way to fill-out the final spots on its roster (in most cases). Europe does not work that way. If million dollar buyouts were the case in the D-League, then I’m sure those 24 call-ups would severely be cut down.

Also, it’s tough to argue against the salary difference and the competition. Both are much higher in European leagues.

by Ryne Nelson on Jun 5, 2025 2:55 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I agree - Both are higher in Europe, but are they relative?

The point I’d come back to is looking at next season, will there be more D-League players from this season or European players from this season? I can’t imagine that everyone has multi-year European contracts that’d require million dollar buyouts, though I’m not as familiar with the model.

I also wouldn’t agree will all of the points I made exclusively, but do think that the picture is a lot more hazy if looking at it the way I pointed it out rather than the Europe is better because players are able to get paid (maybe) and that’s that.

Either way, you do great work and I appreciate you stopping by. It’s a slippery slope arguing this, and impossible to prove either way, but I don’t think it’s as plain to see as most would make believe.

Blogging at RidiculousUpside, where we converse with recently fired mascots.

by Scott Schroeder on Jun 5, 2025 3:56 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Not every rookie

Just every rookie coming straight out of high school. For the most part, I assume that jumping from a high school program to the NBA is a difficult transition. Two months in Bakersfield will be a bit of a buffer, acclimating players to a different game while still giving them the opportunity to make some money. How many players straight out of high school have contributed to the NBA in January in a way that makes their team much better? I’m assuming not many, if any at all.
Think about the players Iceman. They are the future. Don’t hate the player, hate the game.

Blogging at RidiculousUpside, where we converse with recently fired mascots.

by Scott Schroeder on Jun 5, 2025 4:02 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Just playing devil's advocate....

I love the players….

by IcemanCometh on Jun 5, 2025 11:43 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Draft the players, but if they are not ready they play in the D-League

That has to be a CBA change though, so hopefully 2011 brings that change.

by hkf on Jun 6, 2025 2:03 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I think teams would love Scott's idea

if there were a way to structure it like baseball’s rules, where keeping a player in the D-League until a certain date affected the player’s free agent status down the road in a way that could benefit the team, but I’m not sure the players’ association would go for that.

Now writing for Ridiculous Upside, now with more draft coverage.

by Jon L on Jun 7, 2025 11:49 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs