By: Dan Barto, Director of Player Development at The Basketball Academy and The PTC
As the ATL's basketball bandwagon takes off like oil and gold the sub plots interest me the most.
I have only watched Joe Johnson workout on the court once. Sometimes that's all you need to determine a players focus. He did not say a word throughout the warm up and then continued to put on a show for the following 45 minutes. Just like last night's domination you could see his imagination and determination. The creativity and the desire to succeed was evident. There was not much laughing and nothing was at half speed.
The reality isI took a special notice to this workout because I had heard the Joe Johnson stories. Was it bitterness? Was he just a comfortable max player? The Hawks? No leadership? Well maybe he was just a snake in the grass.
It took Mike getting cut in high school, 3 years of college, a bad injury, and six years of losing before his big jump. Mentally he moved to a whole other level. Could we be seeing the questions about Joe Johnson being answered in a similar manner?
The story goes that after two tremendous seasons at Arkansas JJ entered the Celtic organization with high hopes of learning and using his southern upbringing to stay humble. The bottom line is Joe Johnson's 48 games in Boston were long and scarring. Paul Pierce and Antoine Walker were hitting there stride and Boston was on the rise. Selecting a player with the 10th pick that played the same position as they did created a three man squeeze for playing time.
Pierce a product of Inglewood, CA and Walker a product of Chicagoland played and practice with the only way you get out of those areas, attitude, aggressiveness and pride. Many practice hours and plane rides; Joe Johnson was the recipient of their wrath. Just like Michael Jordan was known for making practice and travel more competitive than the games, Walker and Pierce were storied to do the same.
After being shipped to Phoenix before the trading deadline, Johnson moved on and Walker and Pierce lead the Celtics back to the Eastern Conference leader board. Pierce's and Walker's greatness can not be questioned and their tactics happen in every NBA franchise, however it seems now that someone with the size, speed, mindset and understanding of the game may have kept a diary of those days. Young and impressionable men always are looking for mentors and role models, though Pierce and Walker may not have known what they were doing at the time they may have created a monster.
As the series goes on I can’t help but wonder what is going through JJ’s mind.
By: Dan Barto, Director of Player Development IMG Basketball Academy and The PTC
The NBA and NCAA have made it clear that they are going to push harder in the direction of character filtration processes to reinvent the image of players, strengthen the brand, and controlling competitiveness between franchises.
Is it fair? Probably not by today's standards but let's look at the concept of an entrance exam. Unlike the Wonderlic test, this will determine a player's basketball IQ, love for the game, basketball-specific creativity, and work threshold.
The idea consists of 4 sections in which two of the first three sections will count as well as section four for a total score of 1200 points. Once the test is graded only the score will be revealed much like the SAT.
Part One: The History of the NBA (400 points)
Like Jeopardy, the players will have a couple of books with tons of facts and statistics. The questions will be multiple-choice with the all of the above/none of the above option on every question. Though simplistic in theory, it would be a great way to judge the all important "Love for the Game."
Part Two: Short Answer Breakdown (400 points)
This is a short answer section in which the players will be able to answer things ranging from situational basketball to expectation of the differences in rules and style of play in the NBA versus one another, and college and international.
Part Three: Film Breakdown (400 points)
Players will have written situations explaining the dynamics surrounding the upcoming film piece. The players will watch the film piece and then answer the 5 questions in written form that relate to each film piece. There will be a total of 4 film pieces worth 100 points each. The questions will have a human scorer with a basketball background grade based on 20 points.
Part Four: Future Predictions (400 points)
The last section of the test will ask the players to explain the career route and the reasons associated with their success. The players will be urged to express creativity and ability to organization for this portion. This section is the most rigorous and important section.
As mentioned in my last blog, the NBA Early Age and Draft Committee will create the exam with it's wealth of knowledge and decide in which ways it should be used.
By: Dan Barto
As writers across the country keep commenting on the current issues between the NCAA/NBA collusions, I have spent a week researching the different possibilities where everyone wins.
The NCAA solidifies a committee who identifies the 100 top high school seniors based on pro potential. These players will be required to participate in the NCAA for one year like the current rule state. During the process the players can either enter the draft after one year or complete or four years of college. The players regardless of future performance will be paid $20,000 dollars per year which is a total of $80,000 per player.
If the player does not pass at least 9 credits per semester they are reduced to $10,000 the following year. This way the school has no other responsibility other than to run it's institution.
Over the course of 4 years worth of players it could cost a max of $8 million per year plus taxes. With players not meeting academic requirements, leaving early for the NBA and leaving for overseas it would be much less. In return for the $8 million the panel that the NCAA selects which will consist of former players, coaches, agents, front office members and financial planners will be readily available to answer questions and consult with the board.
The NBA would then change the CBA, whether it causes a strike or not, to include a clause that says this board will represent these players for the rookie contract. All contracts both through the team and involving marketing will be set for 4 years under strict policies. This would allow the players to adjust and focus on their profession basically making the same amount of money as before but the people on the periphery would not.
I have based a lot of the philosophy on entering the military here in the US. Many times super talented minds in the military leave the game to go into business on their own or in consulting. After 4 years under the NBA/NCAA committee the players that make it will become free agents. Anyone who wants to negotiate with the players including shoe companies and agents will need to be monitored by the committee but only marketing contracts will be signed.
Players who are not in the top 100 must focus on development and education while attending college and will stay more focused on percentages of how many make it and fighting for spots in what is left for the unranked. College coaches, AAU coaches, agents, shoe companies and greedy family members would like all other have to wait anywhere from 4-8 years to capitalize on these kids unless the kids choose to give them a piece of the action which was negotiated by the committee. This puts the college coach in a position to actually help the players in their program make wise decisions about their future and would always have the ear of the committee.
Under this system the committee could also directly influence what players are doing once inside of an NBA organization. The players would have to work really hard so that when that free agent contract came they were a desirable commodity. This also would stop the backdoor agent/front office dealings that may occur. Players who may not pan out after 4 years or maybe 2 years for second round picks would also be able to use the committee and college coaches for advice
Yes, there would be tons of scandals that resulted but the players would be educated heavily in the business and be able to make the best case situation decisions. Many players are already starting their own companies and agencies because they are realizing that people do not always have their best interest or development in mind. If there are any problems, every thing is documented by the committee so that there is a level of accountability.
There would be no limit on marketing but the NBA would then have access to all deals putting everything on the table for the record. If Nike wants to pay Lebron $100 million fine or if they want to pay him 5 million for the first 3 years that's fine too and it is all his and he has the power after the fourth year to go with anyone he wants. They will spend the money on what will sell shoes immediately so they will pay.
Now most will cry that this is causing a monopoly and I would say no more of a monopoly than the NFL or MLB. If they NBA want to go global they have to clean things up with ideas like this. Let's face it $20000/year after taxes is less than $1500 a month clear which most bad waiters in a college town make working less hours.
The NBA teams would split the costs through a yearly fee and would each have one full time member on the committee. The players union would chose one former player to represent each team as well as ten outside members. Membership would be four year terms max. Only the 10 outside members would be paid for by the NBA, the other fees would be covered by the team
If agents want to start paying players knowing that at minimum it will take 4-8 years to get a return that will shorten the field of agents. By reducing the playing field it should improve integrity, increase client satisfaction, and required those involved to bring tangible services to the table when negotiating.
The first few years of this process would be a battle but just like the 19 year old/one year removed people will just accept it and adjust.
