I told you all I had some basketball stories this week, and I am coming at you with another one today.

Today is a one of, and I don't like to use important words like this for something that doesn't seem that important, triumph. It's a triumph for high school players. It's a triumph for the NBA and G League. It's a triumph to show how unimportant and ridiculous the NCAA truly is. It is a triumph to show how absurd to the "one and done" culture has become in men's college basketball. I am flat out impressed and hope that stuff like what happened the other day continues to happen. And for those that will call me out for being a hater, one of these kids was supposed to go to Michigan. These type decisions are what I have been advocating for, and I hope this will happen more and more until the NCAA decides that Pay for Play needs to be implemented sooner rather than later. Two days ago the number 3 college basketball recruit in the country, Jalen Green, decided he was bypassing his one season of college basketball to go play in the G League. He was given a 500,000 dollar contract and he is available to any team that wants to draft or sign him ASAP.

I cannot overstate how much I love this, and how great of an idea I think this is. Only a few hours after his choice, the Michigan decommit, Isaiah Todd decided to do the same. No money or contract numbers were announced, but we all know he will get paid to play, will play with pros, or guys that have the skill to be pros and he will be eligible to get drafted the very next season. Both guys will be eligible for next year's draft in fact. Again, I cannot emphasize enough how great of a move this is, and how much I respect these kids and the people around them to push them to make this choice.

Of course there are people out there bad mouthing this decision. They think it could be a death knell to smaller schools, and quite possibly, the NCAA as a whole. They think these kids will be exposed. They don't want them to get hurt playing against grown men who don't care what their mix tape looks like. They think a pro locker room could mess them up. To all of that nonsense, and whatever in the hell else other people are saying, who cares. If these kids are good enough, and pro teams want them, let them play with pro players. Let these teams sign them. Let them go overseas. It happens in hockey and baseball all the time. It happened in the NBA for a minute, before they implemented the dumb ass rule of one year removed from high school. As for the other complaints, small schools will still get other kids. Not every player is a 5 star player that has the talent to do what these kids are doing. And the NCAA will still be around and still be corrupt. I know that the NBA is trying to get rid of the "one and done" rule, and that is a good thing. Until then though, if pro teams want to sign these kids right out of high school, and they want to go, let them.

As I said, there are plenty of other players that will still use college as a stepping stone. The AFL, AAF and XFL were all going to kill NCAA football they said, and NCAA football is as popular as ever. Minor League baseball has never taken away from the great drama that surrounds the College World Series. And March Madness, man did I miss that this year, will still be compelling even without every single 5 star player playing for Duke or Kentucky. I also think this is a good test for these kids to get prepped for the NBA. They are going to be there the following season anyway, so why waste a year playing against inferior competition. The worst thing for Zion was his one year at Duke. AD won a title at Kentucky, but he really didn't have to play college ball. Joel Embiid's injury stuff started when he was at KU. I could go on and on and on. But, the major thing, we never bad mouth foreign prospects for playing professionally as young as 15. We heap praise on guys like Ricky Rubio and Luka Doncic, but bad mouth these kids when they want to try against higher level competition than division 1 college players. I don't get the hypocrisy. These kids are good enough to play in the G League, a bundle of teams want them, so let them go and play. If they get exposed, at least they get to make a little money before being out of the game. That doesn't happen in college, at least on the surface. This ties right into playing grown men trying to get a job by any means necessary. As a kid I was always told to play against people that were bigger and better than me. That it would make me a better player. And it did. So, I think it is an excellent idea for these kids to go play professionally wherever they are wanted. They won't waste a year, and they will learn, just a little bit, what it is like to be a real pro.

Speaking of the whole locker room stuff, that is a non starter for me. If you go and do your job, I don't see why anyone would really care, unless they have some deeper issues. You win, play hard and do what you're told, and stay out of the way to the best of your ability is to their advantage. I think all the hubbub is dumb, unnecessary and pointless. If a kid is good enough, a team wants him enough and they can make money, more power to that player. Go do what you need to do and get some money while you can.

My hat is off to Jalen Green and Isaiah Todd. I hope they succeed and I hope more players, players that are as good as they are, do the same.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet.

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