NBA Notebook | Union chief stands ground on age limit

[Omaha Steve]

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/sonics/2004361241_nbanotes20.html

By The Boston Globe

NBA commissioner David Stern has been making the rounds, talking about another increase in the minimum age for a drafted player. Unless he's willing to offer the union a substantial inducement, he's wasting his time.

"My position is the same as it's always been: I am opposed to it," said union chief Billy Hunter. "In the last agreement, we agreed to raise the age in return for some trade-offs. But I am clearly opposed to doing it again."

Right now, a U.S.-born player has to be 19 years old and one year removed from high school to be eligible for the draft. Stern would like the age limit to be raised to 20.

Hunter said 45 high school players have been first-round picks since 1975 and there is an 82 percent success rate for those players.

"We've had no problem with the kids coming into the league out of high school. They behave," Hunter said. "This is just more of the NBA wanting college to be a proving ground for the kids when the reality is they'd be better served coming into the NBA because they don't teach skills in college. And I don't hear the fans clamoring for an increase in the age limit."

Note

• An NBA audit of teams shows the 15-67 Miami Heat is paying a luxury-tax bill of more than $8 million, according to the Sun-Sentinel of South Florida. According to the audit, eight teams face more than $90 million in luxury-tax bills this summer, ranging from the Knicks (about $20 million) to the Suns (a little more than $3 million). The Knicks and Heat are the only two luxury-tax payers who did not make the playoffs.

[guyanakoolaid]

1. While we're on the NBA...

SPUUUUUUUUUUUURRRRRRRRRRSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!

[pscot]

2. NBA can go fuck themselves

Mother-fuckers are taking my team away. I'll never watch another NBA game.