Steve Kerr is all for changing the basketball landscape for NBA hopefuls.
The Golden State Warriors coach told reporters Monday he supports rumored changes to the NBA’s so-called one-and-done rule, under which players must wait until they’re at least age 19 or one year out of high school to enter the league. NBA commissioner Adam Silver reportedly is considering creating an alternate path to the NBA for elite high-school players that might allow them to bypass college basketball. Kerr backs a mooted idea of using an expended NBA G League to serve as a stepping stone for high-school players, who otherwise only would play one year in college.
“I think it’s great,” Kerr said of the G League option, per ESPN. “I think there’s lots of things that I think the league and the NCAA can collaborate on. … The fact that the (G) League is getting stronger and stronger, we should provide that as an option for high school kids who maybe don’t want to go to college.”
Kerr also called for changes to the NCAA’s eligibility rules for players who leave college early for the NBA Draft but go unpicked. Currently players who declare for the draft and hire an agent lose their eligibility if they don’t withdraw by a specific date, but Kerr believes giving them the option of returning to campus best serves their long-term interests.
“Don’t keep this ruse going,” Kerr said. “We all know what’s going on. Let’s do what’s best for the kid and give them some options, and work together between the NBA and NCAA to find the right system. I think it’s entirely doable if you people just open their eyes.
“One of the things the NCAA needs to look at is, if a kid signs with an agent and he doesn’t get drafted, welcome him back. Why not? What’s the harm? We talk about amateurism and all this stuff, but if you’re truly trying to do what’s right for the kid, and the kid declares for the draft and doesn’t get drafted, you know what? Welcome him back. Do something good for the kids.”
While Kerr’s proposals appear sensible, NCAA and NBA power brokers previously have demonstrated a knack for rejecting common sense for what furthers their own interests.
