Re: Jaron Rush

[Jim Hill <jahill@leasingservice.com>]

> Eleven of the remaining 28 were not drafted and lost their college
> eligibility, including UCLA's JaRon Rush. Rush played briefly with the L.A.
Stars of the minor-league ABA but dropped out to battle alcoholism.
> <snip>
> 
> 
> What a waste of human resource, isn't it? I agree with Stern, there should be
> a age-limit on entering the draft. Billy Hunter don't seem to get it. (who is
>he protecting anyway?)

The president of one of the national teachers unions publicly stated that
his job was to benefit his current union members.  His job wasn't to benefit
the schools, students, parents,taxpayers or people attempting to become
teachers or who were no longer part of the union.

Anyone who thinks any other union is different is fooling themselves.  They
are all about sucking the life blood out of what ever industry they work in.

Billy Hunter gets it.  Financial benefits for all at the expense of the
individual.  Sort of like the team/business owners were accused, in many
cases rightfully so, of.  Today many unions are corrupt at the management
level and riddled with self interest at the expense of all others.

Haven't you ever wondered how players/people ended up destitute and drug
addicts/alcoholics once they couldn't perform and stopped contributing to
the union coffers?  It's not just basketball...

The pendulum will swing the other away at some point and unions will be
crushed and then restarted.

Teams can't afford the expense of development teams until a better revenue
sharing collective bargaining agreement is signed.  With the charge back of
players salaries coming soon, expect the players to scream about wanting
theirs and the hell with their teammates.  Your starting to see it now with
the veterans getting paid with the leftover money in the budget after paying
for the "potential" of the young guys.  And they are not liking it.  This is
why they agreed to screw the new guys with the "Rookie contract".  The "I
get to vote myself security, your not a union member yet" scenario.

Next step for basketball is NFL style contracts.  Then the Tony Battie's and
Colemans and Andersons of the world won't keep a contributing player from
getting paid.  

Imagine if these guys had to play to their abilities in non-contract years?
<Jim