I LIKE THE SO-CALLED "one-and-done" restriction associated with the NBA and college basketball.

In fact, I hope NBA commissioner David Stern can persuade the NBA Players Association to agree to expand the rules under the collective bargaining agreement to require prospects to wait 2 years after their high school class graduates before they can apply for the NBA draft.

The quality of play in the association will be better for it.

Yes, it impedes a kid's ability to exploit his basketball skills and earn money off them, but it does not violate his rights.

Sure, it makes a farce of the "student-athlete" element of college basketball, but that's not the NBA's concern.

Without question, it could encourage a lot of young players to make bad decisions that might end up hurting their careers in the long run, but that is not the NBA's responsibility.

If you view the National Basketball Association for what it is - a multibillion-dollar global business enterprise - then you understand that "one-and-done" is nothing more than a business strategy designed to benefit the corporation.

All of the collateral arguments about what is happening to the players and the college game are moot with respect to the NBA's responsibility to make the best decisions for the health of its business.

"This is not about the NCAA; this is not an enforcement of some social program," Stern has said of the rule that requires players to be 19 years old and 1 year out of high school before entering the draft. "This is a business decision by the NBA."

The NBA said from the beginning it just no longer wanted to be in the business of trotting out to high school gymnasiums around the country to scout players.

Negotiated with the players association in 2005, the rule got renewed interest because of Brandon Jennings, who was drafted 10th overall by the Milwaukee Bucks in last week's NBA draft.

Jennings put a new wrinkle on "one-and-done," because he had passed on a scholarship to Arizona and instead played in the Italian League for a season before meeting the draft requirements.

It again sent alarmists ringing the bell that this precedent would further ruin college basketball, because now players would flock to Europe instead of going to college.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

The idea that a wave of high school players will catch planes to play abroad is exaggerated speculation.

First, the play in many of the top leagues in Europe is better than in most NCAA conferences. And given the restrictions on the number of American players per team, a European team will go for only the best talent.

Only a select few high schoolers would be more valuable to a European club than a more experienced American who isn't quite NBA-caliber.

The European Leagues aren't in the business of being feeder systems for the NBA. They will want to protect their assets.

Jennings signed a 1-year deal with Lottomatica Roma, but if this becomes a trend, European clubs will require multiyear contracts with expensive buyout clauses for players to prematurely jump to the NBA.

Spanish teenage point guard Ricky Rubio, the fifth overall pick, has a $6.6 million buyout for a contract that doesn't pay $1 million a season.

If the goal is to get to the NBA as quickly as possible, buyouts would keep playing overseas from becoming the best option.

A few will follow Jennings' path, but what's wrong with what Jennings did?

He didn't commit a crime, although some want to make it look as if he did. He simply pursued legitimate work.

It's about this time every year that I laugh at the hypocrisy of our sports culture.

Because it has always been done that way, it's OK for baseball and hockey players to forgo higher education to sign professional contracts, yet we get up in arms about basketball players doing so.

The funny thing is that since the NBA has only a two-round draft, we're only dealing with a handful of kids.

How many marginal baseball prospects are picked in Major League Baseball's 50-round draft and offered $25,000 to surrender college educations each year? Hundreds?

Nobody ever complains about that.

The NBA has the right to set or negotiate job requirements just like any other business. The collective bargaining aspect kills potential lawsuits.

The argument that the league is denying kids the right to make money playing basketball does not stand up. As Jennings showed, you can make money overseas if you are good enough.

The NBA has no age requirement to play in its developmental league.

Nobody thinks hospitals should hire doctors who aren't properly trained. The NBA is essentially using the same thought process.

It wanted better-trained rookies because its product was suffering, as more young players entered the league without the proper skills and knowledge to correctly play the game.

A lot of people think "one-and-done" is unfair, but it's smart business for the NBA - so smart that it should push hard for "two-and-done." *

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