NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has never been one adverse to change since he took over that role from David Stern. For the most part, it has helped the Association move on from a bygone era that saw popularity dwindle. We can conclude the on-court product has played a role in this, but Silver’s leadership has also been a strong point for the NBA.
It now looks like Silver himself is prepared to rethink the entire one-and-done rule that forces prospects to play one season of college basketball before entering the NBA Draft. In fact, Silver himself got into deep detail about the rule in a recent appearance on The Herd with Colin Cowherd.
There’s a whole heck of a lot to look at here.
First off, Silver made sure to note that he and Michele Roberts, executive director of the National Basketball Players Association, agreed to put this on the back burner as the two sides worked out their recently agreed to collective bargaining agreement.
Secondly, Silver pointed to the situation that came up surrounding Ben Simmons and his one year at LSU. The commissioner discussed at length how Simmons’ “career” with the Tigers wasn’t even a full year and how the 2016 No. 1 overall pick didn’t understand why he had to play college ball. In reality, Simmons himself used his short stint in Baton Rouge to kill time between high school and the NBA Draft itself.
For his part, Silver indicated he doesn’t blame Simmons or others who don’t want to play amateur basketball. He also indicated that the idea of youngsters going one-and-done at the college level could stunt their growth.
In the end, the NBA Commissioner told Cowherd that the Association is rethinking said rule and could be in the process of changing it.
While that could impact the quality of college basketball, it really does look like this is something the NBA has to do. Whether that becomes a reality here soon remains to be seen.