bobinator said:
Let's a huge number, 40 high school players a year, are good enough to get signed by the G League, that's still a lot of guys that aren't right?
I honestly think the fix here is pretty simple, and it's to just let kids make money off their name and likeness. If Nike wants to sponsor an 18 year old, let 'em. Then you've got the shoe company money going directly to the players themselves instead of handlers, parents, coaches, "mentors" or whoever else.
If ADIDAS tells a kid they'll give them more money to go to Kansas than Nike will give them to go to Kentucky, then they can go to Kansas.
Instead of everyone paying everyone under the table, let's just pay 'em right out on the table.
If a few kids can get $50k from Nike, great. But Kentucky, Duke, Arizona, etc. will still be fighting for that player, so what is there to discourage those schools' boosters from offering additional $ under the table?
Are we expecting HS kids to say, "nah I already got a nice check from Nike, I don't want to take any of this free money you are handing to me"?
Are boosters going to stop using their disposable income to ensure their alma mater has the best talent on the court?