As was reported last week, the G League is creating a new opportunity for NBA prospects over 18 years of age to sign a contract worth $125K as an alternative to the one-and-done route in college basketball. And per Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News, at least two current Knicks players, both of whom had to wait a season out of high school before entering the NBA Draft, would have taken advantage of this new program if it had been offered when they were getting ready for college.
Big man Enes Kanter, who attempted to play his freshman season at Kentucky before being ruled ineligible, and his current backup, rookie big man Mitchell Robinson, both told Bondy that despite skepticism surrounding the new program (e.g. salary too low, missing out on benefits of big-time college basketball, etc.), they like the new option for young prospects.
Kanter, who turned down millions to play in his native Turkey to play at Kentucky, said in his typical brash fashion, “I turned (millions of dollars) down to play NCAA and then they say no college basketball. Are you kidding me? The NCAA rules are terrible. Write that.”
Robinson, who enrolled at Western Kentucky but quickly withdrew to take the year off to prepare for the draft through individualized workouts, was a bit more measured, saying “I probably would (go that route) because the G League helps you get developed to play at the next level. I don’t see how it would hurt. You can get all the reps you want but you also need to be on the court. A lot people think that school won’t help them so this would be the best thing for them.”
Meanwhile, both Emmanuel Mudiay and head coach David Fizdale also support the new G League initiative, with Fizdale going as far as to support the end of the ban on high schoolers jumping straight to the NBA. “Most of them aren’t (ready for the NBA). But… I’ve always looked at this issue as a regular working human being would be able to make millions of dollars when they’re 18… so how do you tell an 18-year-old who can dunk and shoot 3s that he can’t go to the league?”
Marc Berman of the New York Post has more out the Big Apple this evening:
- Mario Hezonja appears to have maybe taken it personally after being ripped on social media by former team executive Clarence Gaines Jr., the right-hand man to Phil Jackson during a forgettable era of Knicks basketball from 2014-2017. Hezonja scored 18 points on 8-of-16 shooting and was physical on defense in a loss to the Bucks one day after Gaines’ tweet went viral.
- A potential silver lining to the ankle injury suffered by prized rookie Kevin Knox is the emergence of the otherwise seldom-used Damyean Dotson, who finished with 14 points in 31 minutes on 4-of-8 shooting from long range.
- The neck injury to Courtney Lee that has sidelined the veteran since the beginning of training camp remains a mystery, with Lee planning to undergo more tests to find a remedy or the cause of the neck spasms. It remains to be seen whether the effects of the injury are in any way related to the Knicks’ efforts to trade Lee.
Hezonja is a disaster defensively. I can see why he was cut.
Except he wasn’t cut…
It remains to be seen if Lee is faking an injury so the Knicks don’t trade him?
Fail!
The angle was perhaps he’s not as eager to return if he’s not going to play anyway.
Enes was screwed by the NCAA, but, while he might not have gotten millions to go to UK, I’m sure he got more than this G League proposed amount.
How? Other than waived tuition fees a college cannot use financial incentives to bribe players into coming to their program. And let’s not forget, an 18 year old coming out of high school and earning $125k in one year is not a bad deal.
I think he is hinting at behind the scenes payments
The college doesn’t pay them. Sometimes, the coaching staff forgets this fact and it leads to Federal prosecutions like the one currently going on. It’s done via the agents and apparel companies, using street agents (AAU) and on behalf of college coaches (who are clients, in effect, of the same agents and apparel companies). Not even a clear NCAA violation always. It was initially only about elite HS players that have almost certain NBA careers, and they still get the lion’s share of it. Very little is paid in cash, although it’s likely higher and more cash if the player (and the family) are outside the country. Kanter went to Prep school in the US; initially brought from Turkey by one group and switched after his Prep season. I forget the school he was originally committed to, but Kentucky’s people didn’t get him to switch without upping the ante (and bringing a foreign player here is not cheap to start with). Rumor was the first group tattled to the NCAA about some $$ he previously got with a team in Turkey in excess of what’s permitted. Dirty business at the top of recruiting, and top schools and coaches are almost at a point where they’re saying it’s not worth it (the college teams take the most risk and get the least benefit, as these guys aren’t that good really and they’re there 1 or 2 years).
Gee, Fizdale, you tell the kid he does not qualify yet. How hard is that? Why the question? Fizdale is an ego-stoker. He says if a player can dunk, he’s NBA-ready.
He’s saying he believes in free markets where people can market their talents to prospective bidders. If they’re adults they should be able to monetize their skill sets.
… unless the unions & employers say whoa boy.
Actually I think Fizdale was literally worried about what he would say. It’s like his comments on Knox’s injury.