Is the NBA "robbing the cradle"?

I realize the NBA has recently amended its rules with a lower-age limit for draftees/signees, but if they continue to raid college progs, they're gonna lose their free "farm system". Also, the quality of college basketball overall will suffer. Why should they continue to invest time & money into top HS players if they're only gonna be there for one year or so?

The Continental League and the other "minor leagues" just don't have the coaches, staff, & trainers anywhere near the level of most college progs.

This gets back to a prob with the NCAA overall...What's the harm for a college athlete signing with a pro team, but not playing nor practicing with that team, nor receiving one dime in pay in any form, nor even wearing anything close to the pro team's colors or logo unless they happen to resemble his/her college team's colors...while continuing his/her college career? This creates a win-win situation for both college and pro. The college could have the assurance of that player's services for a full 4 years, while the pros would receive a well-developed, more mature player.

 

Stefan M: It's actually win-win-lose. The college and the pro team would be taking advantage of the player. A contract without compensation? Sounds like slavery to me.

Actually, I didn't elaborate too well, Stefan. When a player is first drafted now, he has no contract, but has a committment to play for the team that drafts him, or not play at all; the player has little-to-no say in the matter.

The compensation could be worked out after his college career is over, with a minimum guarantee to be paid to every underclassman drafted/signed in case the player becomes unable to play for the pro team through no fault of his own. Sure, the pro team is taking some chance that the player may not be able to play due to injury, or that he may turn out to not "have what it takes" to play pro ball, but shoot, they take a bigger chance when drafting someone outta high school.

I believe the NCAA's attempts to preserve "amateur" status for college players in any sport are quite stodgy & outdated. My view is, long as an athlete isn't being paid by any pro team for anything, and the player isn't participating in any of the pro team's activities, on or off the court, he/she is still an amateur.

My gosh...Look at the Olympic Games...They were supposed to be strictly amateur, but many nations were giving their top athletes jobs as "athletic trainers" when the ones being trained were THEMSELVES, playing against the top opposition available. When pros were admitted, sure, the USA basketball teams steamrolled all comers for a few years, but now, other nations which have pro basketball teams are catching up.