Without the NBA Age Minimum, Is Derrick Rose a Cheater?

by Tom ZillerFiled under: Bulls, Grizzlies, NBA DraftI don't aim to defend the practice of cheating on your SAT, as Bulls star Derrick Rose is alleged to have done prior to enrolling at the University of Memphis in 2007. Even at age 17, Rose should know better. His brother Reggie Rose should have known better. Any other advisers potentially involved in the alleged fake-out should have known better. No excuse erases that.But humor me for a second. We're told by David Stern that the NBA age minimum is a business decision, that the league's owners benefit from being able to see these bucks play for a year elsewhere (college, Europe, D-League). That the league benefits from being able to remove its scouts from high school gyms and AAU tournaments. That, in the end, the players benefit from the softer transition from amateur to pro.Rose, one of the league's brightest young stars, saw his reputation take a massive hit Wednesday, all for a violation that never would have oc...