Should the NCAA allow collegiate players to test the pro waters in the D-League?

Jan 18, 2014; San Diego, CA, USA; UNLV Runnin

Theoretical scenarios are constantly thrown out in the blogging world.

Yesterday the Associated Press Sports Editors had commissioners meetings in New York City and issues of NCAA eligibility came into play. A comment made by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver inspired this question: Should the NCAA allow collegiate players to test the professional waters in the NBA Development League?

The D-League is becoming more relevant in the professional basketball world and with 18 total teams (17 directly affiliated with NBA clubs) it’s easy to see why. The stigma of the D-League being a place for has beens and over-the-hill players is long gone, and while there are still older players trying to get another NBA deal via the NBADL, the majority of the league is comprised of young prospects looking to make a name for themselves.

As the league becomes more and more of a viable minor league system for the NBA, it makes sense that ideas like this one will be tossed around and mulled over. However, as Silver mentioned shortly after the comment above, this is really an NCAA matter. Even so, it’s clear the NBA would take it into consideration.

Proposed Idea: A collegiate player could leave school early (before graduating) and play in the D-League for a season and not lose his NCAA eligibility.

Clearly, there could be some issues with this idea but all in all I think it’s a good start. The vast majority of kids who leave college early for the draft are doing so because the probability of them being drafted is relatively high. However, there are always underclassmen who go undrafted and this could serve as a means of protection for those players.

Pros

The NCAA constantly raises the issue of student-athletes earning their degrees before moving on to the next level in any sport, so this would ensure that a player could return and have the chance to contribute on the court.

We always hear stories about the kid who declared for the draft at the direction of his inner circle and unfortunately went undrafted, subsequently giving them no promise for their professional future. In this instance, that player could sign with the NBA D-League and play for a season and, if not given an NBA contract, could have the option of returning to his college team for another shot.

NBA clubs would likely be in favor of this idea, because it means they get to see players in a professional setting and running pro offenses/defenses against a higher level of competition. The D-League has given countless players a platform to display their talent to NBA brass and while they may have missed the boat on a player initially, this gives NBA executives another chance at seeing a prospect at the next level without any monetary investment.

Collegiate programs and coaches would likely be hesitant at first, however, what college coach is going to turn down a returning elite player for their program? Not many. For example, this season Khem Birch and Roscoe Smith both went undrafted and ultimately signed with the D-League. Neither player earned an NBA call-up, so in this theoretical example they could return to UNLV next season to finish out their senior seasons. I’m pretty sure Dave Rice would be overjoyed at the chance to add both Birch and Smith for one last hurrah.

Cons

Even though NCAA teams would most likely welcome these players with open arms, there is always the issue of limited scholarships. What if a player wanted to return to their previous college team but there weren’t any scholarships available? An alternate option would have to be set in place for instances like this and it could entail letting that player choose any college to attend for their remaining years of eligibility.

A safety net of sorts could encourage players who know that they aren’t ready for the pro game to leave college and join the D-League simply because they know if it does not work out, then they can always come back to college.

Caveats

Any idea like this needs caveats or rules in place to ensure that everything goes smoothly, so here are some I would propose.

• Players who want the chance to retain their NCAA eligibility cannot be drafted. For example, if a sophomore leaves school early and is drafted in the second round of the draft and then is ultimately waived by that NBA team, they are not eligible to return to school.
• If a player earns an NBA contract at any point during the D-League season (IE: NBA Call-Up), then they lose their NCAA eligibility.
• If a player’s previous school does not take them back — for any reason — they can ultimately be recruited and choose another NCAA program without penalty.
• Any player who returns to college after a season in the D-League is eligible for any NBA Draft after that point. For example, if a freshman leaves early and ultimately returns to school after a year in the D-League, he could again declare for the next NBA Draft if he is deemed fit.
• A player can only leave early and return with eligibility one time.

If this practice were employed, it’s not going to be for the Stanley Johnsons of the world, who are among the best players in their class. However, there are always players who leave early with the promise and dream of being drafted, only to see it fail to come to fruition.

This practice would be in place to assist those players and provide them the chance to go back to school, earn their degree and still potentially fulfil their dream of being drafted in by an NBA club.

It’s not perfect, but it’s the NCAA we’re talking about here, so viable is enough.