RE: LeBron calls for NBA to develop alternative development system to NCAA
The problem is funding. D-I colleges have around 3500 scholarship players (say 10 per school). Even if only 1/3rd are serious prospects, a league would need to take in 1200 players, which to be feasible would require at least 100 teams.
So we are talking about an entire minor league system, which simply isn't in place. Basically the G-League is trying to transform from an A or AA to a AAA level, but has only 27 teams (Washington Wizards team coming on board next year which I count, Mexico City perhaps in another year - but that is for Latin American prospects; the Pelicans has stalled out, they have not found any city willing to host, and ownership not gun ho to invest their own money). But the layers below the G-League are not there. At a minimum you'd probably want "B" teams for each G-League operation, so that the deep bench players and really raw and still developing players could get some court time.
As is, yes the G-League could easily handle the top 25 High School prospects, perhaps the top 50 with some financial expansion and investment. But it's not there now. (IMO that could be done, but it requires convincing owners to shell out $3-5M a year from their own pockets to fund that)
As for all the 50-300 rated high school prospects, forget it.
Ideally the NBA would like to see these guys play a year. Perhaps a level-2 "rookie" G-League, only for college aged players with no G-League or NBA experience(this would allow a player to leave college after Frosh, Soph or Junior years) where the league would run teams, say 10 to 12 of them in neutral cities, especially those with WNBA teams (Connecticut, Seattle, Las Vegas) or otherwise large enough metros or Basketball interest (St. Louis, Kansas City, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Louisville, Baltimore, etc -- need one in Texas, say Austin), each NBA club having full access to scout. A college length schedule of at least 25 but not more than 30 games, and relatively compact time frame (Basically New Years to end of March). Anyway the top 50-70 prospects, plus players who showed well in college can play a year, and get showcased for the NBA draft .You could even have New York and Toronto international prospect teams.
I think a prospects "rookie" league could be the trick needed. Hum, maybe it's not totally crazy, and could still give the G-League it's place as the development league, since even now half the draft picks wind up spending a year or more down there.
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