Re: The Boston Celtics Mailing List Digest V5 #314

["Jim Meninno" <jim_meninno@hotmail.com>]

I'm curious about that league too, although I have to say I would rather 
there was a professional developmental league akin to minor league 
baseball.  If you ask me, major college athletic programs are 
professional already.  Considering that the scholarships athletes are 
given are worth, what 20, 30 grand a year or more at some schools.  
Consider that the athletes often couldn't come close to fulfilling the 
entrance requirements at these schools, it seems that they are simply 
being paid to play sports.

I don't know much about the CBA, but you don't seem to get players with 
NBA potential heading there straight from high school as an alternative 
to college.  That's too bad, in my opinion.  I think minor league 
baseball helps ensure that the players are much better grounded in the 
fundamentals than in basketball.  Just think how much better prepared 
players would be if they were playing professionally for a few years 
before entering the NBA.  Of course, if a player had the aptitude and 
desire to attend college, that road would still be open to him.

As far as it being surprising that many of the draftees didn't know the 
lockout was coming, I agree.  They would only have had to watch 
Sporstcenter to find out, and I'm sure most of them did that.  I expect 
they did know and this is some kind of a bargaining ploy by the union.  
Get people to feel sorry for the rookies who had other options for this 
year.  Of course they knew there would be a lockout.  They chose to come 
out anyway.

Jim

>Date: 16 Sep 98 09:45:31 -0800
>From: Peter Delevett <pdelevett@sjbj.com>
>Subject: Re: The Boston Celtics Mailing List Digest V5 #314
>To: Jim Meninno <jim_meninno@hotmail.com>
>CC: Celtics <Celtics@igtc.com>
>Reply-To: Peter Delevett <pdelevett@sjbj.com>
>
>         Reply to:   Re: The Boston Celtics Mailing List Digest V5 #314
>That's a good point, Jim. That's why it will be interesting to see what 
happens with this new "Collegiate Professional Basketball League" or 
whatever it's called. I'm not (in this instance, at least) questioning 
anybody's decision to skip out on college for the NBA, but I AM saying 
that any player who didnt expect there to be a lockout must be 
spectacularly unaware.


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