Hunter has a right to be. There is no deal. What's more, there is no reason
for such a deal or a rule. Plenty of other teenagers sign pro contracts. You
don't hear people screaming when it comes to tennis prodigies or baseball
prospects or hockey players going for the money. But for some reason, the NBA
has this problem, as if James is going to be impressed into some sort of
cruel factory work out of a Charles Dickens story.
Ya know, this was an interesting read with credibility until he got to this
bit of idiocy. I hate it when people say something's OK by comparing it to
not comparable things (but Mommy, everyone else is doing it). Baseball and
hockey have true minor leagues where high school draftees are almost 100%
guaranteed to spend time until they are ready for the pros (if they don't
go to college despite being drafted), which rather negates the comparison.
While you most certainly do hear people screaming about juvenile tennis
prodigies being pushed too hard these days, even if you think the sort of
requirements are comparable, which I don't. It's also noticeable that he
doesn't mention football, which is the other major sport and a classic case
of one that institutionally recognizes talent alone isn't enough to make a
high schooler really ready for the pros.