The Brass Ring -- Whose dream is it?

The story is always the same, however the names just change from year to year.

Brass rings shine bright when they are polished, but if neglected they begin to tarnish and fade.

Polished and unpolished high school and college basketball players, who seem to think they have what it takes to make it in the NBA, will make a bid for one of the brass rings in June of 2003. Is it premature or all the right moves?

Whose dream is it?

The anxious agents, the ill-informed parents, or the kid grasping for hoop dreams. Maybe they all want the dream, however, while hoop dreams can be promising, they also can be impractical denied fantasies.

LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony and the Yugoslav Darko Milicic may be obvious draft picks, but even they will have to prove themselves to be NBA caliber material.

James, Anthony, Milicic, and other fortunate young players will be given the trial brass rings.

While some potentials will fade into the hardwood, others will be shipped off to minor leagues or left to take the road overseas where many non-guaranteed contracts wait.

This summer, Commissioner David Stern and the league owners will meet to decide on a new collective bargaining contract. On the agenda may be age limit.

Rumors of a proposal that a player may not enter the NBA until he is the ripe old age of 20 are running rampant.

Many critics bark at the thought of dreams deferred for the young players.

However, Stern and others say it will give the player time to gain life experiences and maturity, in order to make a life altering decision such as the NBA.

The NBA, agents, parents, sports critics and fans need to remember that the success stories of underage players are few, and the failures of NBA careers are several in numbers. These young players should be nurtured, mentored, and assisted in making the right decision.

As the NBA draft approaches, the families of these young players, as well as agents and coaches, need to remember that the brass ring belongs to the new, young talent that has been given the talent to play. Not to the young unskilled player who has been told the time is now or it will become a missed opportunity.