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Michele Roberts, NBPA not in favor of one-and-done rule change

By Trisity Miller

Feb 7, 2015; Durham, NC, USA; Duke Blue Devils center Jahlil Okafor (15) greets fans after defeating the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Duke won 90-60. Mandatory Credit: Rob Kinnan-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 7, 2015; Durham, NC, USA; Duke Blue Devils center Jahlil Okafor (15) greets fans after defeating the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Duke won 90-60. Mandatory Credit: Rob Kinnan-USA TODAY Sports /
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Michele Roberts and the NBPA do not agree with the possibilty of changing the one-and-done rule.

When Adam Silver took over as NBA commissioner, ideas began to fly in regards to what rule changes he could make in the post-David Stern era. The biggest of those suggested rule changes? Doing away with the one-and-done rule that allows a player one year removed from high school to enter the NBA.

But if Silver wants to shift how newcomers enter the NBA, it’s going to take a battle as Michele Roberts, executive director of the National Basketball Players Association, isn’t in altering the one-and-done rule, per Ethan Skolnick of Bleacher Report.

What Silver wants by changing the one-and-done rule to possibly a two-and-done rule is to improve the quality of basketball. Unfortunately, if a particular issue is to be blamed for a decline in quality (which isn’t the issue), how college players — and others — enter the league isn’t the issue and Roberts is right to stand against the rule.

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Imagine the hype that dies down for newcoming players if the likes of Andrew Wiggins, Jabari Parker, Kyrie Irving, Derrick Rose, and other notable one-and-done’s are forced to remain in college an extra year. Not only that, but the future of the NBA (it’s a young guys league after all) opens themselves to a greater risk of injury before becoming a professional. Worst case scenario, the stars would take their talents to another professional league until they’re NBA ready, something a growing league doesn’t need.

If Silver wants to improve the NBA, there are other options he can go to: shortening to NBA season (I’m personally not in favor of this, but I could see how it helps), finding a better way to address egregious flopping, getting rid of conferences and allowing the 16 best teams in the NBA into the playoffs, regardless of conference, etc. These would help much faster than making promising stars wait another year to help boost the NBA’s popularity.

CBA talks have likely already begun, so we’ll hear more of this as the season goes on. If the NBPA and NBA can’t come to an agreement, we could be welcoming another dreadful league lockout, something else that’s not good for the NBA.

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