Money Players

An Open Letter to NBA Rookies

To: NBA rookies

From: Marc Isenberg

Date: December 18, 2011

___________________________

Your NBA career is about to start. Talk about being blessed! You've gotten to this point because you are ridiculously talented and genetically gifted. And most likely because you worked incredibly hard to become the best player you are capable of becoming. Enough with the accolades. This is no time to celebrate. Especially with your NBA career about to begin.

Transitioning from college or Europe to the NBA is fraught with peril. More so this season because of the lockout. Players will go through an abbreviated 3-week training camp, followed by a crazy 66-game season and a full slate of playoffs. It's not ideal, but it sure beats not playing.

Here's how crazy the year's NBA schedule is: In January, the Portland Trailblazers play an unprecedented 18 games, including 9 games in 13 days (7 road games, 2 home, and games on 3 straight nights). By comparison, last season the Trailblazers played 14 games in January.

This year's NBA rookies are at a clear disadvantage: Long lockout, shortened training camp, shortened season. But that's life.

If you're an NBA rookie, what are the keys to success?

1) Get in NBA shape...ASAP

Lack of conditioning shows lack of professionalism. Hopefully you took care of business during the lockout and showed up Day 1 in decent shape. If you didn't, the NBA can be a cruel place: simultaneously playing your way into shape and learning a new system is not a good strategy for endearing yourself to your coaches and GM. The key is to be sensible about your training. If you're behind in your conditioning, you can catch up. But you need to do it sensibly. Get in extra cardio, but do low-impact training, including bike, elliptical or swimming or water workouts.

2) Take care of your body

The NBA is a long season. In this abbreviated training camp and shortened season, there's an increased chance of getting hurt. Take care of your body like never before...or you will pay a steep price. My formula for (almost) guaranteed success: Get at least 8 hours a sleep a night, get off your feet a couple hours during the day (pregame naps are king!), significantly reduce soda, alcohol and fatty food intake, and increase CORE training. In other words: eat, sleep and breathe basketball.

3) Compartmentalize

The mark of a great NBA player is his ability to keep focused on basketball, even in situations when family and relationship issues develop. That does not mean focusing solely on basketball career and neglecting other aspects of your life. Just know that most of your waking hours, especially during the season, needs to be devoted to basketball--and nothing should interfere. Don't let outside distractions affect your focus and your performance. Think of basketball as your sanctuary from the "real world."

4) Prepare for the "rookie wall"

There is a high probability you will struggle as a rookie. Frustration, weariness and pain coupled with an insane travel schedule will likely take a toll on how you perform. Embrace the challenge. The keys are to stay positive, keep working hard, take care of your body and know that the adjustment to the NBA takes time. How you perform in April and May is a function of what you do now. 

5) Play basketball, stay hungry

"Live as a poor man with lots of money." --Pablo Picasso

From now until the season ends, the only real necessities are a comfortable apartment, a decent car, a stocked fridge (preferably with healthy food), and wardrobe decent enough not to draw NBA fines. That's it. As a rookie, it's easy to give into the temptation to spend a lot of money, especially when your max-salary teammates are doing the same. If you're going to splurge on one thing, it should be healthy, gourmet food.

Keep in mind: Because the regular season has been reduced by 16 games, you're earning approximately 25% less. The money is still great, but this is not the time to blow your hard-earned income...especially in an uncertain economy. Go out and have a great rookie season. Then reward yourself with some of the money you earned. But do it sensibly. 

6) Take care of your business

Your business is basketball. Most of your energy, especially during the season, should be devoted to improving your game and helping your team win games. That's what pays the bills. But neglecting your finances is a huge mistake. Hopefully you're already working with a team of qualified, competent advisors (agent, financial advisor, accountant/business manager, etc.). Their job should be to help you do your job--and to help you earn and save money. It should not be to enable you or shield you from the realities of business. You need to know what's going on and to take action if something is not handled appropriately.

If your goal is to make good financial decisions, read my booklet Go Pro Like a Pro. If you email me your address, I will send you FREE copy. That's right!! If you really want to delve deeper into these issues, make sure you get my book Money Players.

Or if you want "The More Fun Alternative to Money Players," try this:

--Marc Isenberg

Marc Isenberg is the author of "Money Players" and "Go Pro Like a Pro" and counsels athletes at all levels how to be successful in sports, business and life. Along with Nolan Smith and Sydney Smith, he founded Hoops Family to support basketball players and their families, which will debut in 2012.

Follow Marc on twitter: @marcisenberg

Email Marc @ marc.isenberg@gmail.com

 

Seth Davis misses on Taylor Branch rebuttal

When the NCAA puts forth crazy stuff to defend its enterprise, I may not like what they say, but I understand their strategy: Defend their business enterprise at all costs--or perish...even if what they say makes virtually no sense. I am clearly not the NCAA's constituency. Sadly, neither are "student-athletes," who have no legal standing in the NCAA, no direct role in its governance structure and no real voice. The NCAA's stated mission is student-athletes, so at least they have that going for them.

I do get bothered when someone I respect parrots NCAA talking points. Here, I am talking about CNNSI's Seth Davis who wrote a rebuttal to Taylor Branch's acclaimed "The Shame of College Sports." In it, Seth expresses his disagreements using virtually the same shopworn arguments used by the NCAA to make his case.

Say it ain't so, Seth!

I consider Seth a friend. He gave me a tremendous endorsement for my book, Money Players, calling me  a "tireless advocate for both professional and amateur athletes." We've also fought together against the National Letter of Intent by encouraging future collegiate athletes and their families to consider the benefits of not signing. Also, Seth's next book is on the late John Wooden, which I look forward to reading.

Still, Seth's rebuttal of Branch's piece is wrong on many levels, so let's go...

The true value of a college education
Seth writes, "Student-athletes earn free tuition, which over the course of four years can exceed $200,000. They are also provided with housing, textbooks, food and academic tutoring."

The real question should not be what a college education costs, but what is it worth to an individual student? To someone who maximizes their college experience, this exchange might be more than fair. On the other hand, it lacks intellectual honesty to argue that revenue-producing college athletes will, one day, have fond memories of the NCAA's educational and economic paternalism imposed on them.

Yes, athletes who are provided "full" athletic scholarships have a great advantage over students burdened by the enormous costs of college (The NCAA preferred term is "grant-in-aid," yet another contrivance used to avoid the appearance of quid pro quo). While this arrangement sounds great to Seth and many others, like a lot of things in life, "free" often comes with a hidden price tag.

Sorry, but just because a person assigns a high value to a full ride athletic scholarship does not make it so.

A degree or a meaningful education?

Seth suggests, "We spend way too much energy worrying about how the system affects a very small number of elite athletes, young men who are going to be multimillionaires as soon as they leave campus."

To suggest that impending wealth is reason to stop worrying about "small number of elite athletes" is completely off base. The huge number of college athletes participating under the NCAA umbrella provides ample opportunity to lie with statistics.

Let me quote...me, from a 2010 US News Op-ed:

The NCAA's incessant references to 410,000 athletes obscure the problem. Few think we need to reform lacrosse, field hockey, or other sports in which there is no economic incentive to have "student athletes" who are not really students. Just 13,000 (3 percent) of the 410,000 athletes support the NCAA and its member conferences and colleges through billions of dollars in TV revenue through major football and basketball programs. Even among that 3 percent, it's the much smaller number with NBA or NFL potential who galvanize the fans.

Also, many college athletes who are fortunate to go on to earn millions playing professional sports, don't become millionaires. Seth, re-read Money Players. This is well documented.

Seth continues his hyperbole, "As the father of three children under the age of eight, I can only pray that someone 'exploits' my sons someday by giving them tuition, room and board at one of America's finest universities."

As a father of an almost two year old, here's my view: No effen way. No one will exploit or "exploit" my daughter. If she plays sports in college, it will be because she wants to, not because she has to in order to fund her college education. In the meantime, I will unapologetically advocate for more fair treatment of all college athletes.

Is college athletics a lousy business?

Seth writes, "Myles Brand, the late NCAA president, frequently railed against [reckless expenditures]. They don't, however, begin to account for just how expensive it is to operate an athletic program. Branch derides college athletics as 'Very Big Business,' but the truth is, it's actually a 'Very Lousy Business.'"

Seriously? College sports is a lousy business? Back to reality: College athletics is a fantastic business for anyone fortunate enough to work in this enterprise, including coaches, administrators and also media.

As comedian Stephen Colbert once joked, “The NCAA basketball tournament has everything I like: corporate sponsorship, unpaid labor and blind partisan allegiance.” That's a funny punchline, but also spot-on accurate.

Can anyone think of a better business model? A legal (at least for now) cartel that conspires to define labor as students, caps the value of allowable aid, keeps athletes out as members (ensuring little pressure from within to change) and combines it with a devoted and vast fan base coveted by corporate sponsors. Absolutely brilliant, assuming you don't care about the rights of those who operate under these rules.

The NCAA is getting paid $10.8 billion from CBS and Turner Broadcasting in exchange for the broadcast rights to the next 14 NCAA men’s basketball tournaments. The Pac-12 signed a 12-year deal with ESPN and Fox for $2.7 billion ($225 million per year). There are at least 25 college football coaches earning at least $2 million dollars per year. Anyone who wants to argue that college sports is a lousy business is either an accountant named Max Bialystock (from "Springtime for Hitler" fame) or works in some aspect related to NCAA sports.

Seth works for CBS Sports. As Upton Sinclair wrote, "It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary depends on his not understanding."

If you don't like being an amateur, leave

Seth writes, "Left unsaid is the fact that the players do have access to the fair market. If they want to be compensated for their abilities, they can simply turn professional."

Perhaps Branch left it unsaid because the notion that college athletes have access to professional sports is completely dishonest. There is no competing market for football players until three years after they graduate from high school. Basketball players currently have a one-year restriction post-high school. They do have the options of Europe and the D League, but college is a better place to hone one's basketball skills, assuming eligibility can be maintained.

After Maurice Clarett sued the NFL in order to enter the league after only two years at Ohio State, the NCAA filed an amicus brief in support of the NFL position.

According to Wally Renfro, who still slings it at the NCAA: "The reason for filing the amicus brief had to do with...being supportive of education. The concern is not for those who go to professional sports, including the NFL, and are successful. Those folks are going to do just fine. The concern is for those who believe they can (and) probably have no real chances of being successful (as a professional) but abandon education in the process and wind up with neither a career nor education."

Nate Jones debunks this crazy theory in a Money Players post in response to a Len Elmore Op-ed.

The fact is the NCAA has actively lobbied and supported barriers to entering these professional workforces, while maintaining an opposite public stance.

--Marc Isenberg

On Twitter @marcisenberg

 

Branch article in The Atlantic lays college athletics bare

Here's my October Basketball Times article.

If you are a frequent reader of my columns, you know that I often use this space to write about problems in big-time college sports. I point out an unfair rule or two, explain its unfair impact on players, spread some blame and offer a few solutions. But the NCAA remains elusive when it comes to criticism.

 So a few members of the media and the academic world criticize the NCAA. It happens when you try to lord over the amateur world. Interestingly, the NCAA is remarkably thin-skinned when it is criticized. Especially if it Jay Bilas is talking or tweeting.

NCAA blogger-in-chief David Pickle once wrote, “Over the last six months, Bilas has written 13 posts focusing on the NCAA. The tone has ranged from a little negative to negative to hostile … (He) knows he can say whatever he wants, secure in the knowledge that he’s accountable for nothing.”

Interesting that an NCAA employee would play the accountability card, considering the NCAA really only has to please two constituencies: Congress and college presidents.

Congress can be plied with tickets. College presidents are slightly easier. Just keep the money flowing.

Shortly after the University of Miami scandal broke, NCAA president Mark Emmert rose to Miami president Donna Shalala’s defense: “She’s been a terrific leader in higher education, and I have great respect for her. I can only imagine how much she’s struggling with this, like I would have if this had happened on my watch.”

Wait, I thought college presidents were supposed to be in control of their athletic departments. And she’s already off the hook before the investigation begins in earnest? Meanwhile, several Miami players were suspended for dealing with a booster welcomed by the athletic department – and by Shalala.

When I saw the photo of Shalala cozying up with Ponzi schemer and Miami athletic supporter Nevin Shapiro, I remembered the enduring image of the 1991 photo of UNLV basketball players in a hot tub with Richie “The Fixer” Perry. That photo essentially ended Jerry Tarkanian’s reign at UNLV.

I promise you that Shalala will meet a better fate. Once you come to grips that the NCAA is hardly accountable to college presidents – and vice versa – it’s smooth sailing. Also, keep in mind, college athletes are not members of the NCAA, though athletes are NCAA’s stated primary mission. Ironic – and profitable.

The NCAA, if nothing else, is elusive. “We put our money where our mission is,” if you believe their words. It doesn’t matter what the usual suspects of NCAA “cynics” say.

But what happens when a new figure enters fray? And that person is Taylor Branch, who comes with impeccable credentials, including a Pulitzer Prize for his work chronicling the civil rights movement. As far as I know, Branch had never written a single word on college athletics. Then he pens “The Shame of College Sports,” a 15,000-word essay in The Atlantic, which Frank Deford called, "the most important article ever written about college sports."

Branch’s pièce de résistance is reminiscent of the Seinfeld series finale. For nine seasons, the main cast engaged in questionable behavior. But only a few people – like the irrepressible Newman (Newman!!! if your memory needs jogging) – knew that Jerry, George, Elaine and Kramer were up to no good. In the finale, the main characters were arrested for failing to help a carjacking victim.

Then their entire lives end up on trial. It does not end well. Judge Arthur Vandelay, reading his verdict: “I don’t know how, or under what circumstances, the four of you found each other, but your callous indifference and utter disregard for everything that is good and decent has rocked the very foundation upon which our society is built.”

Taylor Branch judgment reads like Judge Vandelay's verdict. He weaves it all together, laying college sports bare. With little room to mount a plausible defense, especially now that the masses are well versed in the “shame of college sports,” it will be interesting to see how (or if) the NCAA responds. [Interestingly, the NCAA has gone radio silent since the article was published over 10 days ago.]

Branch’s main thesis: “The NCAA today is in many ways a classic cartel. Efforts to reform it have, while making changes around the edges, been largely fruitless ... Threats loom on multiple fronts: in Congress, the courts, breakaway athletic conferences, student rebellion and public disgust. Swaddled in gauzy clichés, the NCAA presides over a vast, teetering glory.”

Branch’s article recalls an unsettling exchange at a Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics hearing in 1991 between Sonny Vaccaro, the former shoe impresario (and longtime BT columnist), and a college president, who asks Vaccaro: “Why should a university be an advertising medium for your industry?”

Vaccaro response, “They shouldn’t, sir. You sold your souls, and you’re going to continue selling them. You can be very moral and righteous in asking me that question, sir, but there’s not one of you in this room that’s going to turn down any of our money.”

Vaccaro added: “You’re going to take it. I can only offer it.”

Sports Illustrated’s Andy Staples tweeted a great idea: “They should actually inscribe that on the wall at NCAA HQ.” 

Let me add: The majority who work in college athletics are good people. That includes those who work at NCAA headquarters, although the PR and media departments seem populated with propagandists hell-bent on perpetuating the myths that ultimately get translated into rules and even laws.

Not much more needs to be said than what Branch has already written (although, we can hardly wait for an extended version, which will be published as an e-book). A lot needs to be done. Not by NCAA “leaders,” but by those in a position to protect the legal rights of these athletes. 

Vandelay?

California gets tough on agents and ham sandwiches

Since 2001, the NCAA and its members have been instrumental in the passage of the Uniform Athlete Agent Act (UAAA) and other similar laws in 44 states (40 adopted the UAAA and 4 states have laws regulating agents). 

So has it worked? Well, not exactly.

According to a 2010 review by the Associated Press, "more than half of the 42 states with sports agent laws didn’t revoke or suspend a single license, or invoke penalties of any sort. Neither had the Federal Trade Commission, which was given oversight authority by Congress seven years ago."

So did the NCAA admit defeat and move on? Heck no. It doubled down.

Some believe the problem with the state agent laws is they don't have any real teeth. Maybe if violators were subject to jail time and significant financial penalties, agents think twice about flouting NCAA rules.

That's apparently the theory behind California Senate Bill (SB) 238, signed into law last week by Gov. Jerry Brown. SB 238 strengthens penalties of agents who violate the Miller-Ayala Athlete Agents Act.

According to the  bill’s author, California State Senator Kevin de León: "The dirty secret behind student athletes is that they toil for long hours pursuing their dreams but are often living in poverty. They are very vulnerable to unscrupulous agents preying on them in the hopes of a future reward. I am thrilled California is now one step closer to preventing student athlete victimization with the passage of this legislation."

First of all, it is a hardly a "dirty secret" that athletes are poor and work hard, but okay. Second, the notion that we are one step closer to "preventing student athlete victimization" is laughable.

In May, I was an invited speaker at an informational hearing held by Sen. de León.

The short version of my testimony:

Our government should be focused on far more important matters (e.g., jobs, the deficit!). It is absurd to elevate NCAA rules into law, especially if the NCAA consistently argues against outside intervention when it suits its purpose. There is virtually no enforcement of these laws. It is touted as protecting student athletes, but it's mainly about protecting NCAA institutions who see a correlation between agent contact and athletes turning pro early. There are no criminal penalties for coaches, athletic administrators and boosters who engage in similar activities. Last but not least, NCAA agent rules are completely unfair to begin with.

I am not really upset the bill passed, although if I knew the fix was in I would not have wasted my time testifying. I know the drill: Powerful people at powerful institutions usually get what they want. But...my state is drowning in a $26 billion budget deficit and they are worried about a few rogue agents who do not follow NCAA rules.

Actual steps to protect college athletes

Yes, the sports agent industry should be regulated in some fashion. I just do not believe the NCAA deserves governmental assistance when it comes to enforcing unfair (and likely illegal) rules that harm college athletes. If Sen. de León wanted to get one, maybe two steps closer to "preventing student athlete victimization," he should champion legislation that:

• strikes down the NCAA's "no agent rule," which harms both athletes engaged in the negotiation of professional sports contract and those considering turning pro
• allows schools to provide multi-year athletic scholarships
• increases the value of such aid to the full cost of attendance
• similarly encourages coaches, athletic administrators and boosters to follow NCAA rules (not that I am in favor of making NCAA rules into law, but if we're heading down that path, why not?)

California’s Miller-Ayala Uniform Athlete Agents Act

Why was Senator de León interested in protecting student athletes? For starters, I am sure the NCAA and its members lobbied hard. Since the Miller-Ayala Act was enacted in 1996, no agent has been charged with violating.

According to de León's press release, SB 238 "protects student athletes by requiring the courts to suspend or revoke the business privileges of an athlete agent convicted of violating the Miller-Ayala Athlete Agents Act. Additionally, athlete agents are required to disgorge all gross revenues received in connection with the violation. This bill not only applies to athlete agents, but also 'runners' who are often friends, family members, marketers, and real estate/financial advisors."

SB 238 clearly spells out possible penalties: "An athlete agent or athlete agent's representative or employee who violates any provision of this chapter is guilty of a misdemeanor, and shall be punished by a fine of not more than fifty thousand dollars ($50,000), or imprisonment in a county jail not exceeding one year, or by both that fine and imprisonment."

Whoa! So a parent who does not follow NCAA rules can now be characterized as an agent and end up in the slammer? Writer Dennis Dodd once relayed what a former NCAA staffer told him, "If it wants to, the NCAA can make a ham sandwich a representative of a university's athletic interests." Surely NCAA enforcement can work the same magic with agents. (I doubt that was covered at the recent NCAA Enforcement Experience.)

One of my favorite cartoons from my book, Money Players, seems even more prescient...

This may close the so-called "Cam Newton Loophole" but think how this might play out going forward: The next version of Reggie Bush or Cam Newton could put a parent in jail for up to one year. That'll do wonders for recruiting.

UAAA background

Let's look at the whole issue of government interceding on the NCAA's behalf to address sports agents:

In the late  90s, the NCAA declared a virtual war against agents. The NCAA enlisted the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws (I am sure at considerable cost) to draft a model law that would “provide a uniform system for regulating athlete agents.” That almost sounds reasonable. But the UAAA also, in effect, elevates violations of NCAA rules into violations of state laws carrying civil and criminal penalties. Clever. 

Here part of a "sample letter of introduction", which the NCAA posted on its website to encourage its members to send to state legislators:

Unprincipled agent conduct presents a legitimate threat to the vitality of amateur athletics. While many agents perform a valuable service for their clients, dishonest agent conduct, intended to take advantage of the student athlete for financial gain, results in the loss of student-athlete eligibility, the imposition of financial penalties on the student-athlete's institution, and the taint of "scandal" on both the institution and the entire community of amateur athletes.

Very true, but the same can be said about "unprincipled" conduct by coaches, athletic administrator and boosters. Of course, the NCAA and its members would never want laws that could ultimately be used against their own.

And don't forget: When the NCAA wants to be left alone, it argues that it is a private, voluntary association, legally entitled to establish its own rules and regulations without outside interference. If you don't like, go work or play somewhere else. Take that, Jerry Tarkanian and anyone else who feels mistreated by the NCAA and sought justice through our judicial system. But...the NCAA can't effectively regulate sports agents. So the NCAA asks for government assistance. Nicely played. All this works, of course, because not many people track the NCAA or even care to bother. Exhibit A: I said all this at de Leon's hearing and see how much good that did.

For more information, my good friends Darren Heitner and Joshua Golka have have written extensively on the UAAA.

Mischaracterized problem

One of the main points I stressed at the hearing is that despite what the NCAA wants us to believe, this is not an agent problem. This is an amateur problem, created by a one-sided system that artificially caps athletic scholarships and denies college athletes the right to agent counsel. Ultimately, these rules encourage an unfortunate underground market for elite, mostly poor college athletes.

Also worth noting: With all the lobbying by the NCAA and its members to pass agent legislation, we are not talking about more than a couple hundred college athletes who are not only tempted to be bankrolled by agents, but actually accept such offers. And, perhaps most important of all, unscrupulous agents do not commit the worst crimes against broke college athletes. No, the worst offenses are committed against pro athletes who have actual money to steal.

Solutions?

Sorry, but there are none. At least not in its present form. Until the NCAA membership agrees to do an about-face on its agent and amateur rules, the underground market for players will continue to drive market force.

Yahoo! Sports' Dan Wetzel recently offered one, simple solution: "The way to end the selling of football/basketball recruits is to have schools stop buying them." Exactly.

The NCAA likes to claim that college athletes are entitled to talk with agents and even benefit from their services. Of course, there is some notable NCAA fine print:

“If you receive assistance from an advisor, you must compensate the advisor in an amount equal to the value of the services he or she provides you…without jeopardizing your eligibility, regardless of whether the advisor does not typically charge clients for such services.”

Translation: If the NCAA wants to bring down an athlete, a parent, an agent or a ham sandwich, this provision spells trouble.

--Marc Isenberg

Follow Marc on twitter @marcisenberg

NBA Draft rewind

A few thoughts about the 2011 NBA Draft...

ESPN reported that it was the highest rated NBA Draft in 15 years. Why so popular?

The NBA is hot right now, but I don't think that explains why so many tuned in, especially for a draft that is, overall, considered weak. Twitter is probably the real reason. How else can so many people be engaged at the same time around a common interest? And you don't even have to pay a bar tab at the end. Maybe. That assumes, of course, that you are not participating in the now-legendary Jay Bilas Drinking Game, whereby you drink to certain oft-repeated comments describing draftees (e.g., a player's wingspan). My bet for most inebriated? Those who drank to, "Should've stayed in school."

The NBA is a journey, not a destination
The NBA Draft has a lot of drama. A few hoop dreams become reality. A few are shattered. But, folks, keep it in its proper perspective: Getting drafted in the first round is certainly a good thing, especially the guaranteed money that goes with it.

My advice for all the draft-night winners and losers...

If you're drafted in the first round, great, but don't believe the hype, stay humble and focused. And save money!

If you're drafted lower than hoped--or not drafted at all...best to shut up, get to work and prove the basketball pundits wrong.

For all, remember, it's not where you start, but where you finish. The best line is from Jerry West who once told me,"The goal is not to get to the NBA. It's to STAY in the NBA." The proper attitude is to accept whatever hand is dealt--and, of course, Go Pro Like a Pro (shameless plug for reading my booklet).

Rick Barnes is the reason Jordan Hamilton fell to 26, says Hamilton

According to Chris Tomasson, Hamilton believes the reason he slipped to the 26th pick is his coach, Rick Barnes, did not give him a good recommendation.  Of course, there are three version to every story: yours, his and the truth.

Hamilton may have a legitimate gripe against Barnes. But blaming others for one's draft woes never plays well. As much as I reflexively like to take a player's side, if you make a coach think you are uncoachable, whether you are or not, that's his impression. And there's a good chance the coach will express his thoughts to all those who ask, including NBA GMs and scouts. In the end, college coaches definitely want their players to succeed in the NBA, even if they couldn't stand coaching certain guys.

Players need to understand, part of being coachable is playing the game, on and off the court: Do what the coach wants, buy into his system and generally act like team player. Or, at least, create that impression.

Jordan Hamilton Is fighting an uphill battle by making the case against Rick Barnes, no matter actually happened. Barnes has too many Texas-to-the-NBA success stories, including one of the most talented and coachable players in the NBA, Kevin Durant.

Best for Jordan Hamilton to shuddup and let his play talk for him.

F*$@ anyone who referenced Mr. Irrelevant

Mr. Irrelevant got its start in the NFL. The first recipient was was Kelvin Kirk, who was the last selection in the 17th round. Kirk was the number 487th pick. In 1976, the NBA had 10 rounds (220 picks). Back then, the last player selected had little to no shot at a pro career.

In the 2011 NBA Draft, the last pick was Isaiah Thomas, who was was 2011 First Team All-Pac-10. He was also the 2011 Pac-10 Tournament MVP. There is nothing irrelevant about Isaiah Thomas.

Dime Mag posted a good article on the topic, "Isaiah Thomas Is Not (Mr.) Irrelevant." In the last 10 NBA Drafts, four players made an NBA roster and two played "multiple seasons."

Should Thomas have waited another year? Who knows? I do believe players drafted in the second round should have the option to return to college for another year, assuming they've kept their eligibility in tact.

This leads me to my next issue: Those who criticize kids for turning pro too soon...

"Should have stayed in school"

Sure, more kids should stay in school. Same as every year. But, the real issue is not underclassmen declaring for the draft. It's the NCAA rules, which create this problem in the first place. And then the public blames these kids for making "bad" decisions without mentioning that the NCAA screwed borderline players when it eliminated testing of NBA waters.

For my entire diatribe on the subject read, "Mad as hell at the new NCAA draft declaration deadline."

I also reject the notion that players who turn pro early, but get drafted late did so because they received bad advice. Going pro versus staying is a game where some win, some lose. You just want those faced with this situation to make an informed, thoughtful decision without undue influence from either side.

It's also important to remember: One more year does not guarantee anything. It was great that Kyle Singler returned to Duke for his senior year, but did he improve his draft stock? If DeAndre Liggins returned to Kentucky, would he have used another season to showcase his talents? Not necessarily, especially if his minutes go down. Maybe Josh Selby should have stayed in school, but no one outside Josh and his inner circle really know his situation.

I certainly would have liked Tyler Honeycutt and Malcolm Lee to return, but they wanted out. When they were forced to make their final decision, both were legitimate 1st round prospects. If anything, this was the year for middle-of-the-pack college players to leave early once players like Harrison Barnes, Jared Sullinger, John Henson, Terrence Jones and Perry Jones decided to stay.

It is interesting to note: ESPN's Chad Ford Version 2.0 Mock Draft, which was posted May 17th, around the time of the NCAA-imposed deadline, included four college players (including three underclassmen) who projected as first rounders who fell to the 2nd round. It happens.

Let's look at the second round of the 2011 NBA Draft. 10 underclassmen were selected, 12 seniors, 7 foreigners and Jeremy Tyler.

2nd Round Underclassmen

34 Shelvin Mack

35 Tyler Honeycutt

36 Jordan Williams

41 Darius Morris

43 Malcolm Lee

37 Trey Thompkins

47 Travis Leslie

49 Josh Selby

53 DeAndre Liggins

60 Isaiah Thomas

Many of the foreign players drafted won't come immediately to the NBA. Some are under contracts. Others aren't ready. They'll wait until they are ready for the NBA. 

About that kinder, gentler NCAA...Collegiate players should have the same flexibility to return to school. Would the NCAA model been hurt by Isaiah Thomas returning to University of Washington next season? Please, someone, make that case.

Rollin' with Nolan

It is a huge honor for your name to be called on draft night by David Stern and even Adam Silver. But I am happiest for Nolan Smith, who was drafted 21 by the Portland Trailblazers. Many of you are familiar with his incredible and bittersweet story. Hard not to root for Nolan, even if you are part of the "anti-Duke" sentiment.  WaPo's Liz Clarke did a great piece on Nolan, his sister Syd, his mom Monica and his dad, the late Derek Smith. And make sure you check out the Sydney and Nolan Smith Foundation, which honors their father by turning family death "into a positive by sharing with other children who have suffered similar losses."

The 2012 NBA Draft Jay Bilas Drinking Game

I am going with: "Should have gone pro last year." Back when the talent pool wasn't so deep.

Follow Marc Isenberg on twitter @marcisenberg

South Park takes on the NCAA and student-atholeets

When we're talking comedy and college sports, no one ever did it better than Stephen Colbert: "The NCAA basketball tournament has everything I like: corporate sponsorship, unpaid labor and blind partisan allegiance."

In just 16 words, Colbert provided a fairly accurate blueprint for why college sports is so darn successful. 

Colbert's joke was funny. But did you see Comedy Central's South Park episode "Crack Baby Athletic Association"? It just eviscerated the NCAA. What do crack babies and the NCAA have in common? On the surface, nothing. But South Park dug deep and ended up striking comedy gold.

Even I, who has been known to criticize the NCAA on occasion, cringed a few times as watched. Of course, Trey and Matt offered a nasty portrayal of the NCAA, but that's how comedy works. When an institution offers unyielding, sometimes absurd arguments to justify its very existence, there's going to be pushback.

Who knew Matt and Trey were so well versed in the nuances of NCAA atho-letics and so capable of doing a full frontal on the NCAA in less than 22 minutes?

If you care about college athletes or are just have to find out what crack baby basketball is all about, enjoy the entire whole episode.

Or you can watch this instant classic scene below where Cartman pretends to be a slave owner looking for a legal way to not pay his slaves. He figured the University of Colorado president might have some unique insights. Just wow. 

Crack Baby Athletic Association
Tags: SOUTH
PARKEric Cartman,Kyle Broflovski,more...

Some memorable quotes...

Slave owner meets academia

Colorado president: "There are very good reasons our student-athletes can't be paid."

Cartman: "Now when we sell their likeness for video games, how do we get around paying our slaves.

President: "Student-athletes."

Cartman: "Student ath-o-letes? Oh, that is brilliant, Suh!"

Cartman: "If any government agency listening in on this conversation they should know we're not talking about slave ownership. [whispering] Alright, sir, how do you get around not paying your slaves?"

“I ain’t arguing. If they got paid then how would we make all that money, right?”

On the Crack Baby Athletic Assn. business model

"Got a constant flow of athletes that never dries up. Best of all, it's charity, so it's tax free."

"And it actually helps the crack babies. It's like volunteering, but we make just a little on the side.

"Welcome to The Firm."

On CBAA rules and an in-home recruiting visit

"Crack baby players can't make a salary based on the rules. I don't make the rules. I just think them up and write them down."

“Ma’am the Crack Baby Athletic Association is a storied franchise.  It was founded over 12 days ago with a firm ethical code that strictly states benefits to players is detrimentalized to their well being. I cannot offer you or your child any cash. I can, however, offer you a little bit of crack.”

----

What do yo think? Did South Park go too far? 

UPDATE: A few of the above quotes are courtesy of Darren Heitner at Sports Agent Blog, who transcribed my favorite new word "detrimentalized." Brilliant, Suh.

"Compete" booklet offered free on iHoops Website

 

Rick Rhoads and I partnered with iHoops, the official youth basketball initiative of the NCAA and NBA, to educate prospective NCAA athletes and their families about the basketball recruiting process. The result of this collaboration is a FREE booklet titled, "Compete: A Guide for College-Bound Basketball Players."

The iHoops Website describes Compete:

"While the NCAA's Guide for the College-Bound Student-Athlete is heavily referenced in Compete, this booklet is different because it advocates the student-athlete first and foremost, and does so in the simplest wording possible."

Yes, Compete "advocates the student athlete first and foremost." And it does so in the simplest wording possible...aka plain English!

Despite a chilly relationship with a few NCAA folk, I am pleased that iHoops, which is funded in part by the NCAA, saw the value in working cooperatively. Special thanks to former iHoops CEO Kevin Weiberg for getting the ball rolling and current iHoops CEO Len Elmore for seeing this project to its completion.

As Elmore noted in his introduction to Compete: "The iHoops staff applauds the authors for their willingness to provide this assistance...iHoops understands the value that Compete represents. As a high school student-athlete, you can benefit enormously from the information on recruiting and eligibility which, in turn, will help you  'compete' successfully in the classroom and in basketball."

Let me reiterate: This booklet is free. Nada. They don't even charge "shipping & handling." Just click on the link. And it's yours. Act now!

While the examples used in Compete are basketball-specific, the booklet can benefit athletes in all sports, male and female.

Please spread the word!

After you read, let us know what you think. 

--Marc Isenberg

Follow on twitter @marcisenberg

Mad as hell at the new NCAA draft declaration deadline

Here's my most recent Basketball Times article, which addresses the NCAA membership's decision last week to gut what remained of the rule allowing basketball underclassmen the opportunity to "test the NBA waters."

But wait, I am not done attacking the rule change and the people who defended it.

The NCAA's board of directors voted to affirm the rule which will require underclasmen who wish to return to school to pull their name out by April 10th, which is conveniently the day before the spring signing date. The new date goes into effect in 2012. (There's a convoluted system by which this could be overriden, but don't hold your breath: The power conferences have already spoken.)

I am under no illusion that NCAA members would do anything other than what is in its best interest. (In case you don't know, student-athletes, who are arguably the key component in this multi-billion dollar enterprise, are not actually members of the NCAA.) I just get irritated when the NCAA and its members attempt to frame this as anything but self-serving.

Basketball underclassmen considering NBA Draft

The following is an excerpt from my upcoming booklet, Go Pro Like a Pro.

[If you want to receive a copy of the entire booklet, email me @ marc.isenberg@gmail.com]

Chapter 4 deals with the decision a few, select college athletes face:

Stay in school or go pro?

The goal should not be to get to the NBA. It should be to stay in the NBA.

—Jerry West, former NBA superstar guard, longtime general manager and the silhouette in the NBA logo

Too many college athletes have not business leaving turning pro early, but they do so anyway. The goal of players contemplating leaving school with eligibility should be to get the decision right, especially with so much at stake: a college education, money, career goals and even your happiness. So, yes, it’s a big deal.

There’s nothing wrong with doing everything in your power to get to the pros as soon as possible. The purpose of this chapter is to help you focus on the issues that matter in this increase the chances that you get this make-or-break decision right. Everything else is irrelevant. But, making a good decision, based on accurate market information, can significantly determine your success—or your failure.

College coaches moonlighting as compliance officers

Tennessee basketball coach Bruce Pearl committed a serious offense when he lied to the NCAA about a silly secondary recruiting violation. Next to Ohio State's football coach Jim Tressel, Pearl almost looks like an NCAA saint.

In April 2010, an unidentified man tipped Tressel off about an alleged "memorabilia for tattoos" scheme. Two weeks after the first email, the man asked that the information be kept confidential, although he never stated why.

Coach Tressel might argue he was protecting his players but, in the end, didn't do them any favors. Had the NCAA known about the situation in April, they could have conducted a more timely investigation. The way it ultimately went down was absurd: The players were allowed to play in OSU's bowl game, but only if they promised to return to school in 2011, rather than declare for the NFL, in order to serve suspension.

It was not just what this man was emailing Tressel; it was also what he was doing. He was acting as a self-appointed operative working to keep this situation from blowing up. Man, did he fail! And now we can examine the "smoking gun" emails, which leaves zero doubt that Tressel knew exactly what was going on. No plausible deniability. No claiming ignorance. Tressel's job is to coach the football team, not to bury possible NCAA violations.

Here are a few of the most damning points made by the unidentified emailer:

• "A lot of my friends are in law enforcement."
• "I have been told OSU players including [name redacted] have been given free tatoo's [sic] in exchange for signed memorabilia."
• "I had Eddie Rife in my office for an hour and a half last night."
• "He will not talk about this publicly."
• "I will try to get these items back that the government now wants to keep for themselves...I know who specifically in the District Attorney's office that is working on this matter and know both of them well so I will try if the opportunity presents itself."

The (wrong) lesson for other powerful football coaches: If you're going to enlist operatives, make sure they are competent. Hint #1 you're dealing with a Keystone Kop: He sends an incendiary email to a work account at a public institution.

There is really no way to explain Tressel's inaction other than to conclude he thought he could get away it. Read Tressel's scathing obit written by Clay Travis.

Tressel and others can hide behind his stellar reputation developed over 30+ years in college coaching, but is that enough? Then there's this from Tressel's autobiography, unearthed by ESPN.com's Mark Schlabach:

"The reputation of a thousand years may be determined by the conduct of one hour." Ohio State coach Jim Tressel included that Japanese proverb on Page 193 of his book, "The Winners Manual For The Game of Life." Eight pages later, there's this nugget from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow: "It takes less time to do the right thing than to explain why you did it wrong."

Nothing like using a man's own rope to hang him with.

Of course, Tressel did not write the playbook when it comes to coaches overstepping their bounds. That honor would probably go to former Nebraska coach Tom Osborne.

From a September 25, 1995 Sports Illustrated article titled, "Coach and Jury":

"I don't tell Tom Osborne how to run the football department," Lancaster County Attorney Gary Lacey says, "and he should stay out of the criminal justice system. He hasn't done that at all." According to Lacey, Osborne has taken it upon himself to interview witnesses in criminal cases, offered very public opinions on the probable innocence of players who have yet to stand trial and attacked the credibility of witnesses testifying against his players. In January 1994 he and an assistant even locked away a gun that had allegedly been used by one of his players in the commission of a felony.

I recently wrote in Basketball Times about the coaches' code, the practice of not turning fellow coaches in to the NCAA:

Georgia State football coach Bill Curry (who also coached at Alabama, Georgia Tech and Kentucky) told ESPN The Magazine: “For the most part, when I was involved at the high level of recruiting, we usually called each other and worked it out between the two of us. If we caught someone doing something wrong, I would call and say, ‘Look, let’s talk about this. If we can’t talk about this, I am going to turn it in.’ And I always told them, ‘If you ever get something on us, then you call me. And if I don’t cooperate, you turn us in.’”

Translation: The NCAA’s job might be to investigate possible rules violations, but the coaching fraternity is better served when these matters are settled without involving the NCAA, the rightful legal authority. And Curry is one of truly good guys in college athletics. 

The old comic strip Pogo had a classic line that applies here: “We have met the enemy, and he is us.”

I'm sure Tressel regrets his actions now. But you're kidding yourself if you believe that covering up (or ignoring) such allegations has not been the go-to strategy for many coaches...for many years.

Honesty should be the best policy. But, morals aside, winning in college sports is the ultimate best policy.

--Marc Isenberg

Follow marc on Twitter @marcisenberg