The age limit now being used in the NBA is something that I totally do not agree with. To be as truthful as possible, college doesn't guarantee any player an advantage into going to the NBA. Yes I know that there are many stories of high school hopefuls that didn't make it. I also know that for every one of those, there are maybe 20 or 30 stories about college seniors that didn't cut it either. What it comes down to is do you have the talent to make it or not.

People tend to lean on the difference of age, but honestly there isn't much of a change that can be made in one year. Maturity wise, well they may have picked up a few more facial hairs, there isn't too much of a difference. You would like to think that players will get more discipline in college, but in most cases they are given a "free pass" because they are helping the schools get more attention and win more championships. In some cases players have gotten away with so much, that they become used to this treatment only to find out that once they enter the NBA it isn't tolerated. A perfect example of this would be Ron Artest, who I believe went to college.

There are several different factors that should go into account when you start evaluating players. Playing ability and upside should definitely come first. I know that JJ Redick was coached by the great Coach K, but I myself would take Kevin Durant, or even Telfair over him. The way a player chooses to act on and off the court should also become a huge factor. I'll give you a choice, Dennis Rodman and Ron Artest or Kevin Garnett and Dwight Howard. In both of these cases, if you wanted your team to be successful, you probably went with the players coming straight out of high school.

My examples just go to show you that age doesn't have any bearing on a player's ability, or the way they decide to act once they are in the spotlight. You can only hope that the player is as talented as his numbers, and that he has enough self control to stay away from the negative temptations that NBA players have to deal with on a daily basis. It is surely a risk, yes, but so is the senior who is trying to get drafted also.

Learn more about this author, Deandre Thrash.
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