A Tiny Problem With the One and Done

Carmelo Anthony. Kyrie Irving. Kevin Love. Kevin Durant. All of these men share a few accomplishments that only a handful of others may boast. All of them average twenty points per NBA game, all of them will play in the all star game in Houston this year, and all of them represent the United States internationally. Not a shabby list of accomplishments, only the best of the best can call themselves All Stars or Olympians. Oh, one other thing they have in common, all four of them left college after only one year. No one really puts "left college after one year" as a career accolade.


                                 
Wait, where's my one and done trophy? Hiding behind my scoring title? Nope. Other scoring title? Nope.

For so many young athletes, the accomplishments of Kevin Durant paint the picture of what leaving after the first year of college can turn into. Because of this, for every Kevin Durant, there are twenty Omar Cook's. For every Carmelo Anthony, there are a slew of Donte Greene's, each new Donte believing the notion that they're the next Carmelo. The Donte next to him is sure to turn into Tiny Gallon, not him.

                                "If that's my oreo falafel sunday, you're gonna be in some trouble!"


And that's where we begin our journey today. The legend of Keith Gallon. Tiny Gallon, if you were unable to decipher from the above image, received his nickname ironically. While Charles Barkley sported the title "The Round Mound of Rebound", Keith seemed suited for something closer to the round mound of onion rings. Despite his...shall we say, advanced weight, Tiny awed college scouts with his remarkably soft shooting stroke and mountains of potential. As well as the mountains on his... The idea of a post with such tremendous girth paired with a soft shooting touch made scout after scout salivate. Tiny would eventually land in Norman, Oklahoma, former stomping grounds of Blake Griffin. Then coach Jeff Capel learned quickly that Tiny was no Blake Griffin however. Gallon mustered a mediocre ten points and eight rebounds per contest, and while nearly averaging a double-double is typically quite an achievement for most players, for a player of Gallon's talent, there was work left to be done. Another year or two of work in college, and Keith could've developed into the second coming of Al Jefferson. All Keith had to do was return to college, a chance to grow his game and shrink his weight in a nurturing college environment. Like so many other misled athletes, Gallon chose to spurn college for the greener pastures of the NBA. See, Tiny decided that he was ready for prime time, and took his talents to the eligibility pool. Unlike many one and done bust players, Tony wasn't a lottery pick who would one day be a disappointment, he risked everything as a late second round draft pick. Some experts even projected he wouldn't be drafted. The Milwaukee Bucks would at least temporarily soothe his fears by drafting him with the seventeenth pick of the second round. So to recap, a former star high school recruit with untapped potential chose to leave a place where he could grow his game until he was ready for the big leagues, but chose to leave immediately because, hey, I'm gonna be Dwight Howard anyway right? This doesn't just refer to Keith Gallon anymore. We're talking about 90 percent of players who leave for the NBA too early. A common misperception about these kids who leave early is that they're money chasers. Kids who have never really had money have a few bills waved in front of their face chase it with the promise that it will always be that easy. These kids aren't stupid, their whole lives they've been nothing but the best, why would they expect anything to change?


               The only thing Kevin the accountant is beating Tiny at is food consumption. Actually...



Was it really crazy for Keith to think that he was better than he really was? Basketball had always come easy to him, no matter who he played he always had every advantage. The problem? There are at least a thousand other players who feel the same way! When these aspiring stars look at the bright lights of the NBA, they see Lebron, a man who dominated basketball like Will Ferrell dominates comedy movies. And look! Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving took the same path I can take! I've always dominated! And now I can do what they do too!

Jackie Moon and Tiny Gallon are about as talented. Moon gets the nod for "Love me Sexy", though.

Every Donte Greene or Acie Law that every lived believed this lie. Greatness is few and far between, even though it seems to course through each prospects veins. For every draft class there may be a Carmelo Anthony. Guaranteed twenty others guys think that guy will be them of course. But what can be done? The one and done rule is nearly as foolish as when players were allowed to leave high school a year early. The only difference would have been that Kwame Brown would spend a year pretending to care about the outcome of games at some college. The omnipresent Shaquille O'Neal believes that players should stay in college for three years, a sentiment echoed by thousands of basketball fans. The NBA players association fights this idea passionately though, and a resolution is unlikely to be found for quite some time. It's a decision that mutually benefits collegiate and professional basketball alike. Players who stay in college learn the game better and are better prepared to succeed at the next level. College basketball improves through the build up and distribution of talent, creating more parody and an overall improved quality of basketball. Recruits are unlikely to agree, but would certainly benefit from an extra year or two. Although a decision seems unlikely for some time, changes need to be made eventually, not only to protect the players from themselves, but to protect the game of basketball.