Bargining agreement close to being met... NEW AGE LIMIT!

[J@3]

If the active roster is expanded to 14, does this mean we'll get 2 more All-Stars picked on the bench for each team?

[Riot]

I heard they got rid of the IR, true or not true?


EDIT: Andrew, the NBDL will not be for younger players. It will be for players already on an NBA roster. So it's not like they can go to the NBDL instead of college, you must be on a roster and the team can call you down to the NBDL.

[Andrew]

EDIT: Andrew, the NBDL will not be for younger players. It will be for players already on an NBA roster. So it's not like they can go to the NBDL instead of college, you must be on a roster and the team can call you down to the NBDL.

Then what's the point of lowering the minimum age in the NBDL to 18, if 18 year olds are not going to be eligible for the draft or to join an NBA roster via undrafted free agency?

[cyanide]

Maybe it forces them to play in a "lesser" league for a year to gain experience and training instead of ending up as a bench warmer the first year?

[Andrew]

But that would prevent them from entering the draft. While there are certainly undrafted players who have had enjoyed success - Ben Wallace being a great example - players who get drafted in the first round and especially as a lottery pick generally have an advantage when it comes to winning playing time as soon as they hit the league.

I think the NBDL could work as a substitute for college when it comes to players under 19; once players turn 19, they could be called up or choose to declare themselves eligible for the next available draft (thus preventing NBA teams from calling them up).

In any event, it must be possible to join an NBDL team without going through the draft and being sent there by an NBA team if players who are not old enough to be eligible for the NBA Draft are allowed to play in the NBDL. My understanding of the NBDL is that it's not only intended as minor/development league for the NBA where teams can send players, it's also another route to the NBA, especially with the lowered age limit.

[Riot]

They lowered the age to 18 so high schoolers who entered this year or players who are under 20 currently can go to the NBDL.

[Fenix]

That probably means that a high school junior (18) can leave school for NBDL for a year - until he's 19 and his class graduates. So instead getting MORE educated players, we could get LESS educated ones. Good work.

[Andrew]

They lowered the age to 18 so high schoolers who entered this year or players who are under 20 currently can go to the NBDL.

Good point, hadn't thought of that. But not everyone in the NBDL has entered the draft, so I still think it might exist as another route to the NBA besides the college draft - especially if it develops into a larger, fully-fledged minor/developmental league with affiliations to specific clubs.

[Andrew]

During the pre-draft show they mentioned that the NBDL will indeed be another alternative for 18 year olds who choose not to go to college. I had a feeling that would be the case.