Our old friend Myles confirmed that speculation when he talked to The Dallas Morning News about the current rule and the changes he’d like to see made:

“I would like to see it at least two years. I did a CBS show with [NBA commissioner] David Stern in which we talked about this. I asked David how about two years, and he said ‘yes.’ He thought two years was better than one year, and I think two years is better than one. I think three is better than two, but I’ll take two. But of course he has to negotiate that with the NBA’s Players Union, and I think the contract is up in 2½ to three years, but he at least at that point expressed interest in exploring two years.”

This is a topic that’s only going to garner more attention now that Brandon Jennings has peaced out from Arizona and is headed east because he couldn’t enter the draft. Personally, my vote is to abolish this rule completely and let kids go straight to the NBA if they choose with one caveat: if a kid opts for college, he’s required to stay three years. This would allow the freedom of choice, but it also gives college coaches a chance to protect their programs from early entry candidates decimating their rosters.

{HT: FanNation}

According to sources, the proposal would still need to be passed through the NBA Players Association.

“It’s a big step for the owners and the commissioner to say they’re ready to bargain in good faith to get the rule passed,” said one college coach who wished to remain anonymous. “The NBA is willing to give up something to get this rule passed; we just don’t know what it is yet.”

The NBA adopted a 19-year-old age limit through the collective bargaining agreement which expires in 2010-11.

Since the NBA put the current age restriction in place, I’ve always felt it either needed to be two years (or more) or done away with completely. If you’re going to require players to attend college, get in line with college football and college baseball and make it a three year out of high school rule. All the current rule has done is create the phrase “one and done.”

There will always be those who argue that players should be able to jump directly to the NBA from high school and they’ll throw out the success stories of Kobe Bryant, Tracy McGrady, Kevin Garnett and countless others. For every Bryant, McGrady and Garnett, there’s a Lenny Cooke, Korleone Young and DeAngelo Collins. Guys who would have benefited greatly from college but instead tested the NBA waters and got burned.

So what are your thoughts on the current rule and this new proposal? Do you agree with having an age limit rule to enter the NBA or should players have a right to enter the league immediately following high school?  Thoughts are welcome in the comments.