Zagoria: Imagining an NBA Draft with No Age Limit

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no speed limitThis year will mark the 10th anniversary of LeBron James’s grant entrance into the NBA, when he wore an all-white suit (perfect garb for a Savior) to Madison Square Garden and was chosen No. 1 by the Cleveland Cavaliers out of St. Vincent-St. Mary High School in Akron, Ohio.

Two years later, the NBA and the players union instituted the so-called “one-and-done” rule mandating that players had to be 19 years old and a year removed from their high school graduation class in order to enter the draft.

While this year’s NBA Draft is considered to be “historically weak” by various NBA executives, the 2014 draft is projected to be especially strong because it will likely feature current high school seniors Andrew Wiggins, Julius Randle, Andrew and Aaron Harrison, Jabari Parker and Aaron Gordon.

But what if those players were all allowed to come out this year, the way King James did?

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The Three-Man Weave, Week 4: NCAA Tournament Edition

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At this point in basketball season, we’ve got to touch upon the NCAA Tournament and the annual madness, mayhem and delight that come along with it.

We’re an hour late with this post; the first two games are already underway.

Let the madness begin!

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2013 Big East Tournament: A Social Media Spectacle

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The Big East Tournament as we all know it is now gone.

But the recent five-day basketball bender in New York City left behind many indelible impressions; including 64,248,336 #BigEast hashtag impressions on Twitter from Tuesday, March 12, through the close of Saturday, March 16.

SH Blog: Kobe sprains ankle; Delonte West joins the D-League; Boeheim would take Porter #1

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Tomorrow is Selection Sunday, and while as usual my Maryland Terrapins are on the bubble (with a crucial game today against North Carolina), there are a number of teams already in the Big Dance. Check out our index of NCAA tournament teams if you need a March Madness primer. And if you really want to win big with your bracket this year, enter our $100,000 Challenge.

In NBA news, we’ve got a column up from Frank Madden on the Heat’s 21-game winning streak, and of course all the NBA news you can handle is right here:

  • ELLIS_MONTA-bucksPretty much a fixture in these Saturday news roundup blogs is Marc Stein’s Weekend Dime at ESPN.com. There’s a new one up today, so click through for the full piece. Here’s one interesting excerpt: “One trusted insider and faithful Weekend Dime reader, upon seeing the mention in this box last week about how some teams out there expect Monta Ellis to consider opting into the final year on his contract at $11 million next season, took strong issue with that notion and urged me to follow up with a projection that Ellis remains far more likely to opt for free agency come July. The whispers in Milwaukee have been in circulation for some time that Ellis would opt out of his contract to become an unrestricted free agent at season’s end, largely because of the number of teams projected to have salary-cap space this summer and the resultant ability to more than recoup that $11 million in a longer-term deal.”
  • Kevin Ding of the Orange County Register has some news that may be scary to the Lakers: “After a scoreless first quarter, Bryant didn’t come back to the Lakers’ game in Indiana on Friday night because of his sprained left ankle. Bryant missed all four of his shots and has lost his man, Lance Stephenson, time after time at the other end early in the game as he struggled to move on defense. During the second quarter while on the bench, Bryant was asked something by assistant coach Chuck Person, and Bryant responded: “I can’t go.” “I just couldn’t move,” Bryant said after the game. “It’s really as simple as that. It just continued to swell and continue to get tight, and more pain, and I couldn’t put any pressure on it.” “

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Kotoch: Top 20 NBA Draft Prospects, Pre-March Madness

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March Madness is right around the corner, so it’s time to circle the wagons and look ahead to the NBA draft after breaking down each position the past five Saturdays.

Since the last Big Board, draft stocks have soared or tanked based on performances, injuries, and inconsistencies. As the NCAA Tournament approaches, the lives of NBA scouts will be consumed by the names on this list as they dissect every wrinkle or wart of each prospect.

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