NBA Secretly Planning "Backdoor Draft"

NBA SECRETLY PLANNING “BACKDOOR DRAFT” By Joe Bodolai Faced with increasing salary costs and bonus payments to first-year players selected in its annual draft of college athletes, the National Basketball Association is said to be “secretly planning a backdoor draft.” This would allow the NBA to conscript players into the league for drastically reduced fees. Bleacher Report has obtained one such conscription notice from a confidential leak it would not admit to being Commissioner David Stern himself—but it was. The conscription notice reads in part: “Greetings from the Commissioner of the National Basketball Association. You are hereby ordered to report for practice with the Oklahoma City Thunder at 6:00 a.m. Saturday, December 20, 2008.” The draft would apply to unemployed schoolyard players and talented high school seniors. Players at major colleges would receive a freshman year deferment, and it is not known yet how the league would deal with the ... (link)