My Letter to the NBA

To whom it may concern,

As an avid basketball fan and frequent viewer of the game, it has become clear to me that maybe the "points of emphasis" that the officials go over each year are not the only rules that need changing or require a closer look. The rule that is in place now in terms of players entering the draft is that they must be 19 years of age before or during the calender year in which the draft is held. I would like to respectfully disagree with the implementation of this rule due to the effect it has on both the college and professional game, as well as the young men that venture into the draft prematurely.

Carter-Williams is among the few good rookies in the NBA

By now every basketball fan knows of the strength and potential of this year's freshman class. Names like Jabari Parker, Andrew Wiggins, Julius Randle, and Aaron Gordon have filled headlines and news segments on various TV networks and their talent has many people believing that they will enjoy immediate success in the NBA. However, those four young men will only be four of the sixty draft picks in June (should they leave school early) that appear to be NBA ready. Are there other freshman that are capable? Possibly. But the fact of the matter is that the professional level is not easy to stand out in by any means.

Take a look at last year's draft class. The only players we have heard about all year are Victor Oladipo from Indiana and Michael Carter-Williams from Syracuse. Names like Cody Zeller, Ben McLemore, and Anthony Bennett have, by no means, been standouts in the NBA like they were in college. Is it the kid's fault for leaving early? Most likely. But take into consideration the fact that the media does nothing but build these kids up and, in some ways, give them a little false hope. While a kid like Zeller was a good college player, it was clear he still had some toughness to gain and his strength was not at the necessary level to compete with the dominant big men the NBA has to offer. Right now Zeller is averaging a measly five points and four rebounds while shooting 37% from the floor. Not exactly the numbers we're used to seeing him put up. Why? Because he's not NBA-ready.

But ESPN and other members of the media don't care about that. They only care about what they can gossip about and what kind of drama they can build up through their "draft predictions" and allowing these kids (yes, kids) to enter the draft as teenagers does not help their cause. Look at college football. College football has a rule in place that the players may not leave school until after their junior year. Because of that, we have had the privilege to watch players like Johnny Manziel and Tim Tebow come back and play again following Heisman-winning seasons. We will also have the chance to see this year's Heisman winner, Jameis Winston, come back for his sophomore campaign. This rule not only benefits the players in terms of experience, but it makes games and conferences so much more competitive and so much more relevant in terms of a long-term approach.

The newest UK Freshman have not lived up to expectations

Shifting back to basketball, look at how your draft eligibility rule affects the University of Kentucky. Head coach John Calipari has established a false bravado that he can win championships with nothing but freshman. Each year Kentucky brings in a top five recruiting class and each year the freshman are believed to be "the best freshman class ever". It's annoying and inaccurate and to those who are wanting to say that Calipari CAN win with all freshman and are looking at the 2012 national championship team as proof, you're dead wrong. That starting five consisted of only two freshman in Marquis Teague and Anthony Davis.

While we're on the subject of Teague, take a look at what that kid has amounted to in the NBA. Nothing. Teague was basically a victim of being the point guard on the national championship team with an insane amount of hype surrounding them. Teague bolted for the draft and now flirts with being sent to the D-League on a daily basis. Teague's success in college was a direct result of who his teammates were and we now see that he was and is nowhere near NBA-ready. If the rules of the draft were different, Teague would have gained another year or two of experience in college and potentially been a better pick-up for a team down the road.

I am not saying kids should be required to attend four years of college. Would that be ideal? Yes. It benefits the players, fans, and NBA organizations if kids gain more experience at the college level. It also makes for better basketball for both the NCAA and the NBA. Could you imagine if Jabari Parker was required to stay another year or two and teamed up with Jahlil Okafor and Tyus Jones next year? I'm not a Duke fan by any means but I would watch every single game I could if those three were to be on the court at the same time, especially after living near Chicago and watching Parker and Okafor play in high school. You could also make the argument that Kyrie Irving and Austin Rivers would STILL be at Duke. Just let that sink in.

Need more examples? Think of Ben McLemore and Andrew Wiggins manning the wings for Kansas. Think of Cody Zeller being on the same front court as Noah Vonleh. What if Bradley Beal was still in Final Four-contender Florida's back court? The list goes on and it's proof that the college game would be so much better and so much more competitive if players were told they had to stay put for more than one year. For school's like Kentucky that just bring freshman in and then ship them out a year later it's not fair to the kids or the fans. Are those Kentucky kids ever part of the program? Are they ever a part of the tradition that school has? Or are they just an experiment to see if Calipari can win with freshman only to be told "Sorry, you didn't live up to expectations. On to the next one."?

Oden has worn a suit more than he's worn an NBA uniform

Also, think of what kind of message you as a professional league are promoting to these kids. You are telling these kids that they can basically go to one year of schooling and then go to the NBA and get paid. That's not how it works. Take Greg Oden for example: the poor guy left after his freshman year of college only to be absolutely demolished by knee injuries. To this day he has still not played a full season and has been out of college for six years. Now, was he capable of playing in the NBA after his freshman year? Yes. BUT now he is likely to not have much of a future in basketball. What does he have to fall back on? It's not easy to get a job in the real world with only one year of college. It's unfortunate that Oden has had such misfortune, but he would be better equipped for the situation if he had to go to school more than one year. These athletes are called STUDENT-athletes for a reason and that's because school should always come first. This "one and done" rule promotes nothing about educational value rather it allows kids to think that they are guaranteed a future in basketball if they are selected in the draft at 19 years of age.

There are plenty of other reasons that would support why kids should be made to stay in college more than just one year. However, I would hope that you would take all of this into consideration and realize that promoting the "one and done" system is not only hurting these kids, but it is watering down your league as well. Kids are not as prepared or ready to compete at such a high level unless they are one-of-a-kind or once-in-a-generation players like Parker, Wiggins, Randle, and Gordon. The rule must be changed and the age must be raised if both the NCAA and NBA wish to present the world with as high-caliber basketball as possible. Your move, NBA.

Happy Holidays,
Nathan A. Wadley

Decision to Start Cutler is a Questionable One

After having completed all necessary tests, Jay Cutler is said to be back at full health and mobility after being sidelined for the past four games. The starting quarterback for the Chicago Bears suffered a high ankle sprain on November 10th, a game which the Bears fell to the Detroit Lions. Since then the second-string quarterback (34 year old Josh McCown) has, in a way, been as dominant as any quarterback in the league. Yet all of McCown's success seems to just be a favor in the mind of head coach Marc Trestman as opposed to something that is worth investing in, at least for the time being.

McCown has exceeded expectations thus far

I understand that Cutler is "the guy" and he's the one that's got the big contract. It is that exact reason why I feel like Trestman feels obligated to have Cutler start as soon as possible. Sports has become about money and the players who make the most tend to get whatever they want. As a Bears fan, I would rather see Cutler on the sideline until McCown plays his way out or gives the coaching staff a justifiable reason to sit him.

Take a look at what the back-up has done this season: in seven appearances he has managed to throw for 1,271 yards while boasting a league-leading 85.7 quarterback rating. To put this situation in perspective, Jay Cutler's QBR is 63.2. To take it a step further, both quarterbacks have thrown for 13 touchdowns thus far so it's not as if McCown has been any less productive. And while the quarterbacks have both thrown the same amount of touchdowns, the difference in interceptions is absolutely laughable. Cutler has thrown eight picks as opposed to McCown's one. Need I say more?

Now many people would argue that you should never lose your job due to injury. I can understand that and even support that to a certain degree. But in this particular situation, why would you even think of taking out McCown? The guys is putting up numbers that are the best any Chicago quarterback has put up and he's hot right as the fight for a playoff spot is at it's most heated point. What more could you ask for?

McCown's statistics as a starter have surpassed Cutler's

In any other sport, I feel like the opinions on a situation like this might be different. In football, the quarterback is obviously the leader of the offense and the team functions only as well as the quarterback does. I get that, but in baseball you wouldn't take out a guy who's swinging a hot bat nor would you take out a shooter in basketball that's found a great and consistent rhythm. Sports is all about who's hot at the right time. Look at the 2011 Connecticut Huskies in basketball. They came off an astounding Big East tournament championship only to run the table in the NCAA tournament despite not being one of the nation's top teams. When things are going well and your team is in sync and all on the same page, it doesn't matter where you rank in the league. Things just seem to click.

That's exactly how the Bears look right now. Despite McCown's 2-2 record as a starter, the offense has, for the most part, looked much better than it has with Cutler. Not to mention the breakout performances from wide receiver Alshon Jeffery. McCown has the trust of his offense and has earned the spot as a starter and the Bears have a very good chance to grab a win against Cleveland this Saturday. It will be interesting to see how Cutler performs in his first game in over a month. I still disagree with Trestman's choice because I've heard a phrase many times that applies to this situation perfectly: if it ain't broke, don't fix it.  

Chicago Elite Classic Showcases the Nation's Best

This past Saturday my brother and I took couple of our friends up to the UIC Pavilion on the west side of Chicago to watch the Chicago Elite Classic. In the second year of the event, the field of teams consisted of seven Chicago teams and seven out-of-state teams. We were in attendance for the second slot of games and saw Simeon take on Hamilton (Tennessee), Curie take on Bishop Gorman (Nevada), and Whitney Young take on Saint John Bosco (California). After seeing plenty of ESPN Top 100 recruits, it's safe to say that the college game is gaining a plethora of talent in the coming years. Here's a look at the players we had the privilege to watch.

DJ Williams (#29 in 2015 ESPN Top 60) - The junior forward from Simeon has already committed to the University of Illinois and will be the third player from the school to play for John Groce. Williams is a 6'7 wing that already has a little bit of a back-to-the basket game. He showed great poise and ended with 13 points. Williams is also a good finisher and is fearless when driving to the basket. He can handle the ball up top and can only improve as his next two high school seasons most likely result in runs to the State tournament in Peoria. Illinois fans and John Groce have a lot to look forward to with the signing of Williams.

 KJ Lawson (#21 in 2015 ESPN Top 60) - Lawson is a long, athletic small forward from Hamilton High School in Memphis, Tennessee. With great length and quickness, Lawson could be a good player for Josh Pastner at Memphis, where he committed this past October. However, Lawson was very streaky in his game against Simeon and made poor decisions with the ball more often than not. Signs of immaturity were noticeable and abundant. With all that being said, the 6'7 junior does have quite a bit of potential as he was very active on the boards and has good hands for his size and age. He crashes the boards hard and is very hard to keep off the glass. He has potential but he must be smarter with the ball in order to be successful in the long run.

Dedric Lawson (#4 in 2016 ESPN Top 25) - The younger brother of KJ was, quite frankly, very unimpressive. Six seconds into the game the 6'8 power forward from Hamilton pulled up from about 26 feet out without even looking to run the offense. His brother KJ was immature in that he tended to be out of control and not pay attention to the defense. Dedric is immature in that he took shots just to take them. Now in his defense, not many sixteen year old kids would be in their best mindset with Coach K, Rick Pitino, and Kevin Ollie in the gym watching. However, that's no excuse to take three 25+ foot threes by the end of the game. Lawson was virtually unproductive but, for a sophomore, showed he does have room to improve and most likely will. A very similar build to his brother, Dedric Lawson has the length and athleticism to be a great player to put at the top of a zone and on the wing of any offense. There's plenty of time left to mature as Dedric has not committed to a college yet.

Stephen Zimmerman (#2 in 2015 ESPN Top 60) - The 6'11 center from Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas, Nevada can basically pick where he wants to go to college. He has received offers from 14 Division I schools and is as highly-regarded a recruit as anyone in his class. Yet Zimmerman is incredibly weak weighing only 215 pounds. He missed several lay-ups and even a dunk in his game against Curie. More so than that, it also seemed he didn't get many touches. It wasn't until the third or fourth possession of the game that they even looked to get him the ball. He does however possess a little bit of range on his jump shot which is good for a kid of his height. He also has great timing when attempting to block a shot as he was always the second man to leave the floor. Being only a junior, I would say he's a raw talent but it was not hard to tell that he does possess the fundamentals. The night didn't go too well for Zimmerman, but there's no doubt he could live up to the hype once he fills out and is able to be more physical.

Chase Jeter (#37 in 2015 ESPN Top 60) - Jeter is a 6'8 power forward who joins Zimmerman on Bishop Gorman's front court. Though foul trouble kept Jeter out the majority of the second half, the junior big man had a very positive performance. He has established a good short-corner/high post game and has a soft touch from anywhere inside twelve feet. As stated earlier, however, Jeter's interior defense must improve if he wishes to make a difference in the college game. At only 200 pounds, there is plenty of room for improvement in terms of strength. With all that in mind, Jeter has what it takes to play at the Division I level and has already received offers from ten schools.

Cliff Alexander (#3 in 2014 ESPN Top 100) - Cliff Alexander is the real deal. Plain and simple. The 6'9 power forward has a presence on both sides of the ball that makes him NBA-ready right now. He is physical and tough on the boards and has an explosiveness that even some professional big men do not possess. In Curie's game against Bishop Gorman, Alexander ended the night with 22 points and 5 blocks. And these were not blocks, they were BLOCKS. Alexander had two blocks off the backboard that then landed on the free throw line and blocked a dunk attempt by Chase Jeter. Combine that with several one-handed put-back dunks and it's safe to say that Bill Self has yet another dominant big man coming his way.

Paul White (#64 in 2014 ESPN Top 100) - The 6'9 Georgetown commit was relatively silent for Whitney Young on Saturday and it seems we can attribute that to the fact that he plays in the same front court as Jahlil Okafor. White does have a nice base and some serious potential, but shots were not falling for the future Hoya. He does however possess the great length and ability to run the floor that will allow him to fit right in with John Thompson III's system. Though White plays second fiddle to Okafor, you would be stupid to overlook him in a scouting report.

Jahlil Okafor (#1 in 2014 ESPN Top 100) - There is only one word to describe the kind of player that Jahlil Okafor is. Unbelievable. Seriously, the number one overall recruit and future Duke Blue Devil deserves every bit of hype he has received up to this point. Pouring in 24 points and grabbing 10 rebounds, Okafor dominated the game on both sides of the floor and there was nothing Saint John Bosco could do about it. Frequently Okafor was triple teamed and at one point in the game, Saint John Bosco QUADRUPLE teamed the 6'11 center and he split them with ease for an easy lay-up. Okafor is also extremely mobile for his size and build. On one possession he brought the ball up the floor, cleared out the lane and drove to his right, put a quick spin move on his defender and laid it in underhand. As smooth and as athletic a move as I have ever seen from a 6'11 high school kid. Okafor will head to Durham to play for Coach K next year which will give the Hall of Fame coach, once again, the best freshman in the nation. If Jabari Parker should return for his sophomore season, well...I'll let you think about that.

Tyler Dorsey (#7 in 2015 ESPN Top 60) - The 6'4 shooting guard is undecided as far as college goes, but it's no secret why he's a highly-touted recruit. Dorsey was relatively quiet in the first half but came on strong in the second half when his team needed it most. He's quick, he's athletic, and he can handle the ball against any type of defensive pressure. He has great range when it comes to shooting but also has a very high basketball IQ. He controls the offense and reads passing lanes well on the defensive side of the ball. He still has two high school seasons left, but it's clear that he could already be prepared for the college game.

Daniel Hamilton (#26 in 2014 ESPN Top 100) - It will be hard to believe based off of Jahlil Okafor's performance, but in all honesty Hamilton was the most impressive player of the night. With Kevin Ollie in attendance, Hamilton exceeded expectations on his way to helping Saint John Bosco to a victory. Hamilton is as elusive and smooth as anyone I have seen play at the high school level and has a great jump shot to accommodate his ability to finish. Perhaps the most impressive thing about Hamilton is just how fearless he is when driving to the hoop. Several times the 6'6 shooting guard drove into the lane and scored despite drawing contact from Okafor. Not many people would have the guts to take on the nation's top recruit especially when they're five inches taller. Yet Hamilton proved he is a special player and concluded the night in the most fitting way. With the clock winding down and Saint John Bosco trailing, Hamilton drove to his right and hit a step back with two Whitney Young defenders draped all over him. It was as effortless as you could imagine. The buzzer sounded and his teammates rushed the court while Kevin Ollie was all smiles in his seat on the base line. And why shouldn't he be? You scored a good recruit, Coach Ollie.

The night was impressive to say the least. It was only fitting that the best players in the nation play in the best basketball city in the nation. Plenty of highly-regarded recruits were present and the games did not disappoint. The college game is getting a great crop of young talent in the coming years. It will be exciting to see how these players pan out.