I made a suggestion over at BlazerTalk that the players ought to wear some nice religious and patriotic "bling-bling" and watch David Stern try to come down on them.
 

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I think it is as much a generation issue as anything. Corporate sponsor folks don't like how today's young kids have been raised on ESPN highlights, and they're entering the league under 21.

I think the NBA is trying to make sure that the Association does not turn into a full fledged NIKE camp. Make them act like professionals? They're paying them guaranteed contracts, the money should buy something.
 

That's the main thing though. They enter the league under 21 in hockey and baseball too. Michelle Wie is 16. Freddy Adu is 15. Basketball is just different. Skipping college for a basketball player has a taboo that other sports don't have.
 

There was a broo-ha-ha over Freddy Adu, but it wasn't a big one because the US population doesn't watch soccer. Football, you can't be a HS graduate and go pro because, 9 times out of 10, you're simply not built for the grind yet. Baseball - argue what you like about the wisdom of drafting HS players, but Moneyball demonstrated that some owners shy away from HS players (pitchers, especially) because the gamble's too high. And hockey... nobody cares about hockey yet.

Basketball has a taboo about skipping college because all the average joes (that's you and me) need college to have any shot. In all the other sports, you can't leave until you're a junior in college and by that point, you've received at least a significant education.

I have issues with HS players going pro because I think 95% don't have a true grasp of what the real world is like, and a year of college can give you a lifetime of perspective. Look at Kobe.
 

Kobe is an interesting example because he did not grow up in the hood. The kids in his high school referred to the kids in my high school as the 'poor kids'.

But yeah, the maturity thing is a big hurdle. It comes as much from these superstar HS players being coddled as much as anything. But it happens in other sports too (see: Lindros, Eric), but it doesn't get talked about much.
 

This must be relate to the new age-requirements as well as the new developmental league. As an avid NBA fan, there is little doubt that while the athleticism of players entering the league has increased a tremendous amount over the last decade, fundamentals and the quality of play have actually declined. Which is why the Spurs, with their fundamentals and team chemistry seem to be the anomaly instead of the norm.

I agree with thehim too - no one watches hockey enough to notice or care. But more importantly, no one ever sees kids playing rookie or 'A' ball in the minor leagues, nor does anyone generally see kids in hockey's minor leagues. Without a minor league system (until recently), the NBA puts its kids in front of the spot-light, ready or not.

The Association is obviously not happy with the results of their previous efforts
 

Nothing would be better than having a world-wide developmental league that paid minor-league salaries to replace college basketball. Having a world-wide equivalent to the NCAA tournament that basically involved homegrown talent in the 18-20 year old range would challenge the World Cup for being the coolest sporting event on the planet.