David Stern discusses 'one-and-done' collegians

Like millions of basketball fans across the country, NBA commissioner David Stern tuned into the NCAA championship game Monday night.

"I watched the game while it was still a game, and then I caught up on some of my NBA games," Stern said Tuesday in reference to Kentucky's impressive performance in a 67-59 victory over Kansas.

There are some who would say Stern is partially responsible for Kentucky's domination of the big game, given that the Wildcats are loaded with "one-and-done" talent. Freshmen Anthony Davis, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Marquis Teague will likely leave school and become first-round picks in June's NBA draft. Under the NBA's collective-bargaining agreement, American-born players must be at least 19 during the calendar year of the draft and be one year removed from their high school graduating class.

Stern said it's not his job to worry about whether a particular rule is good for the college game. Then he went a step further and suggested that maybe it's up to colleges to think about why their players are opting to leave after one year.

"It's not geared to whether it's a good thing for the colleges," Stern said. "I assume that certain colleges think it's a good thing because they take these players with virtually certain knowledge that they will be coming into the NBA. It seems to suggest that some of the players' complaints that they should be paid are getting closer to the bone if you are just going to a pre-NBA program."

Stern spoke at a media event in Manhattan to kick off the NBA's Green Week presented by Sprint. He smiled when he brought up the subject of paying college players. He did say the league would love to have three years to watch them compete at a high level, as the NFL does, but one year was what the NBA was able to get in collective bargaining.

Said Stern: "It's a heck of a lot better for us than just getting players out of high school."

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Fame snub upsets King. Former Knicks great Bernard King, who was also on hand to launch Green Week, said he was disappointed to be passed over for enshrinement in the Basketball Hall of Fame. King, 55, was one of 18 finalists, but his name was not among those announced Monday in New Orleans.

"Obviously, it would have been a great honor for me and my family and I am very disappointed," King said. "But at the same time, it's not something when I was playing, or any player is playing, that you think about a lot. If I am inducted in the future, it will be a great honor."