Teenagers Wanting to Play in the NBA

n the NBA Draft last week for the first in history the first three players drafted were freshman and a record 10 freshman were taken in the first round. The one and done rule is now in full force. As of last year, the NBA prohibits players from playing in the NBA until they have spent one year out of high school and are 19 years-old. This was implemented by NBA Commissioner David Stern in response to the numerous high school seniors that made themselves eligible for the NBA draft in recent years (as many as six one year) - many of whom were not ready to make the jump from high school to the NBA.

Now, was this rule put in place to save the youngsters from their own delusions, or to save the NBA from the embarrassment of having to to draft unproven high school seniors in the first round as one sports commentator on ESPN's SportsReporters suggested yesterday (the embarrassment, I'm assuming he meant, would actually come later when the player did not make it in the NBA - which several did not in recent years)? Or, for both of these reasons?