At this moment, the NBA is having conversations about whether or not to implement an age restriction on incoming rookies. If the rule is indeed put in place, players younger than 20 years of age cannot play in the NBA.

With a few exceptions, the NBA has never had much of a problem with high school basketball players making the jump from graduation to the draft, at least until the Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant, did it in 1996. But since then, a stampede of 18-year-old athletes have propelled from young-adult to grown-man stature.

Yes, these kids are extremely talented and their upside is almost infinite. But they are watering down what once was a great league and their potential to grow as players and men.

The almighty dollar is ruining a great pastime. Sports agents and media alike fill these young minds with thoughts that they are ready to participate in what was once a man’s game. These kids are lacking the knowledge of the game and how it is supposed to played. Yeah, they can dunk a ball over seven-footers, but there is so much more than that.

Many people have made comparisons between Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan. Sorry, but I don’t see the resemblance. People fail to remember what made Jordan the greatest. Yeah, he had talent that was out of this world. But the way he played and understood the game is what made him excel. Jordan knew when to push himself, when to take series off, when to try and get a struggling player involved. He even had an understanding of his own shot selection.

Would Jordan have been as good without having played college ball? I sincerely doubt it!

He, along with all the other outstanding athletes of his era, had a mentor. He received the proper guidance and was taught the fundamentals of the game by former UNC head coach Dean Smith.

The college game helps you develop at a pace that is comparable to the development of the human body. These kids are rushed into situations where their paycheck is on the line, and they must perform at such a high level at only 18 or 19 years-of-age. Let’s face it, there is only one Lebron James. He is the only kid to make the jump that I can honestly say, “he was ready.”

Besides the development of skills, maybe more importantly is their development as men. Coaches teach kids more than just about basketball. Life-long morals are instilled in these kids. They learn from playing the ‘game’. Once they hit the NBA, it’s no longer a game, it’s a job.

How many people can honestly say that at 18, you were ready to handle millions of dollars responsibly?

It is preposterous to assume that even one of these young, wealthy athletes could handle these large sums of money efficiently and maturely. This is why you hear about the problems of so many of these guys in the news. They hit coaches and referees. They get involved in drugs and so on. The status that is thrown on these athletes at such a young age puts pressure on these kids that the average American can’t even fathom let alone relate to.

Simply put, these kids get handed all this money, and then they lose their respect. Respect for where they came from, respect for their coaches (Heck, they get paid more than their coach), respect for the game, and worst of all, they lose respect for themselves.

What is wrong with a player earning his spot in the league? Why is it that potential is deciding the future of these young athletes? These players have only previously competed against a shorter, less talented opposition in which 90 percent won’t even play college ball. And now all of a sudden it is just easy to say, “Son, I think you’re ready for the NBA.”

Whatever!

Besides the fact that most just aren’t ready, what is wrong with an education? Heck, even if they don’t graduate, they are learning valuable lessons for life and for something to fall back on when their knee is blown out.

The NBA was once a thing of beauty to watch. It wasn’t even that long ago, prior to the ‘Bull Rush of 96’, that the game was pure. Guys such as Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Hakeem Olajuwon, Patrick Ewing, Charles Barkley were busy making their mark on the game. Not one of these Hall of Fame players made the gigantic leap from high school to the pros, and look at how great the game was. Remember the rivalries, remember the performances. That was basketball. They were almost all members of Dream Team I, the team that never won by less than 30 points. I reflect on this now, just months removed from the embarrassing moment from a fraudulent Dream Team last summer that took home the bronze medal at the Summer Olympics. The NBA is the pinnacle for all basketball players, foreign or American, and we couldn’t even win at our own sport.

These reasons are why I am in huge favor of an age restriction. Everyone says that the foreigners are catching up in talent. No, they are just playing the game as it is supposed to be played, while we are playing some lame generic version.

American basketball players need to be developed, for the sake of the NBA, and for the sake of their own bright futures. Let’s send them to college, let’s clean up the game and make it pure again.