John Wall and the Absurdity of NBA Eligibility Rules

Earlier this weekend there was a a little tiff between Kentucky’s star point guard John Wall and coach John “Raise the Final Four Banner then Pull it Back Down” Calipari.  After Kentucky’s upset loss to South Carolina, where Wall played poorly (13 points, 9 assists, 7 turnovers), Calipari criticized Wall, but said that he didn’t play all that badly.  In response, Wall fired off this comment about Calipari “I just try not to listen to him and go out and play basketball and try and help my team win.”  Wall subsequently met with Calipari and the two now say the relationship between them is fine.

But, what’s more telling about this event than Wall’s initial comment, which he said he made in frustration over the loss, is Wall’s explanation for why things are all good with Calipari now.  Wall noted that he would listen to Calipari because his advice would help him “at the next level.”  Wall also said: “The main thing is to listen to Coach. He knows what he is doing.  Derrick and Tyreke are doing great in the NBA.”  Interestingly, Wall never talked about Calipari’s advice being important to lead Kentucky to a national title– only what Coach Cal’s advice can do for Wall’s NBA career.  These comments reveal that Wall is looking ahead to the NBA already, more so than winning the NCAA tournament for UK.  If Wall were concerned with such things, you’d at least think he’d mention his team or their goals rather than simply the NBA and what Kentucky can do to get Wall better ready for the NBA.

Wall’s thoughts are illustrative of a broader problem with the NBA’s rule that players must spend 1 year out of high school before they enter the league.  The current NBA eligibility rules forces players like Wall– people who are basically NBA ready–to go to college knowing full well that they will only be there for one year.  Wall knows that he is simply  biding his time waiting for his NBA career: he has bigger aspirations than winning the NCAA tournament.  In the meantime, players like Wall take away scholarships from kids that would actually use them to get an education, maybe even stay a few years at their school, as opposed to simply biding their time until the draft.  What good does it really do John Wall to take up spots of other athletes?  Does John Wall staying at UK for one year, worrying about his NBA really help the University of Kentucky?  Is John Wall really going to get an education staying at UK for one year?  Don’t think so.

Ultimately, kids straight out of high school can be ready for the NBA.  Unlike the NFL, high school kids can be physically ready to play the game and don’t need to bulk up or polish their skills as much.   The success of Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett, and Dwight Howard demonstrates people can succeed in the NBA without going into college ball.  I don’t doubt John Wall wants to win the NCAA tournament, but I think that clearly isn’t his number one priority no matter what he says.  His comments reveal that the NBA is his number one priority, which is fair given his talent.  Wall should be leaving for the NBA is that is the case, rather than sticking around the college ranks where his team should be the  number one priority.