NBA Draft Thoughts

Being an NBA General Manager is an extremely difficuly job. However, year after year I watch players who I know will turn out to be legit NBA perormers drop and drop and drop. Every year for the life of me I can't figure out why these GM's wouldn't use just a little common sense. GM's do not seem to notice that the draft turns out exactly the same way every year. There are several things that pretty much hold true year after year. Rarely(aside from international and in the past, high school players) will a team find an elite NBA scorer past the mid part of the first round.
The nba is a mentally challenging league, it isn't meant for immature and socially flawed children- therefore, every year without fail, a player with questionable character will turn out to be a huge bust. These guys don't grow up overnight - GM's often believe that they can be the ones to turn these guys around - more often than not, they can't.
When drafting in the second round, only draft one of three types of players - a high energy, high effort player(brandon bass, ronny turiaf, craig smith, trevor ariza). To make it as a second round pick, one must be brimming with fire and desire. A specialist( kyle korver, Paul Millsap), or a project ( monta ellis, manu ginobili). These are the types of second round picks who have a shot to make it - rarely do any other kind become much of anything in the NBA.
Some of this years candidates for the dumb gm pass overs - Tyler Hansborough if he declares, Joey Dorsey and Joe Alexander.

The Draft

The NBA Draft is far and away my favorite sporting "event" of the year. As someone who loves college and pro basketball, the draft is the bridge between the two. It is where the latest superstars get their start. But for me, the draft is not about the superstars, my favorite part of the draft comes when most people are no longer watching - the second round. The players picked in the second round fall into so many different categories - but they all share one thing in common, they all go home that night lacking a guaranteed contract. Too many first rounders feel that a sense of entitlement comes with that guaranteed 3 year deal and instant wealth. Rarely though, will you find a second round pick who makes it, who walks tall with that same sense of arrogance. The second round picks in the NBA are what professional sports WERE MEANT to be all about, desire. Unlike in the NFL, to make it in the NBA as a second round pick is exceedingly difficult. An NBA second round pick has to have a perpetual drive and desire to become an NBA player. This is why I love the NBA draft, because it's not all about newest prima donnas, its also about the fighters, the scrappers, the gym rats who would sacrifice anything to fulfill their dream of playing in the National Basketball Association.

Making sense of the wacky world of the NBA Draft

Simply stated, the NBA draft is a crapshoot. Year after year, sure things become….not so sure things, and non entities emerge as legitimate NBA talents. Scouts, GM’s, Coaches and the like spend the entire year preparing for one night, nevertheless, it is impossible to predict how any one pick will fare in the NBA.
The purpose of this blog is to make some sense of the wacky world of the NBA and more specifically, the draft.