Comments on: Is the NBA Draft Broken?

By: Brian M

Brian M — Thu, 31 May 2007 19:59:57 +0000

Given that mediocrity yielded the Knicks Michael Sweetney in a draft featuring LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Carmelo Anthony, you can count me as one Knick fan who is on board with the anti-mediocrity sentiment.

Actually, I might qualify it by saying that the only thing worse in the NBA than being mediocre is being awful but having an incompetent front office. That’s something even Knicks and Hawks fans can buy into.

By: Mike K. (KnickerBlogger)

Mike K. (KnickerBlogger) — Thu, 31 May 2007 17:12:35 +0000

“there is nothing worse in the NBA than being mediocre.”

I think most Knick fans would disagree with this. Maybe Hawk fans as well.

By: isiah thomas

isiah thomas — Thu, 31 May 2007 16:59:42 +0000

I am a huge proponent of “pulling all 30 team names out of a hat one by one”. It would make for compelling television. The night of the draft, you’d have no clue whether your team was drafting #1 or #30 and when your team gets randomly picked out of the hat you have 5-10 minutes to make your decision based upon your needs and who’s on the board.

It turns the draft into a real sporting event. Forget about rewarding the poor and the rich getting richer, there is nothing worse in the NBA than being mediocre. Getting stuck year after year with the 15th pick is called basketball Siberia.

By: JK47

JK47 — Fri, 25 May 2007 17:01:54 +0000

Never mind the draft, the NBA itself is broken. Last night’s game with the non-call on Richard Hamilton was the last NBA playoff game I’ll watch this season. This year’s playoffs are the lamest, most unwatchable, most frustrating playoffs of all time, and that’s saying a lot, because last year’s were pretty awful too.

Yeah, Baron Davis was great. Suns-Spurs was interesting until David Stern ruined it. This league stinks right now.

By: edward caffrey

edward caffrey — Fri, 25 May 2007 16:07:35 +0000

Coaches come and go with teams but bad general managers seem to keep their jobs while their teams continue to flounder. This latest brohaha has as much to do with fans being sick and tired of their bad teams. If we force owners to sell their teams after five consecutive non-playoff seasons, many owners would not be satisfied with having a former player as general manager. It would be nice to see some sports writers get a chance with our teams for real. Let us see what one of these guys (Bob Ryan, Hollinger, Simmons, Aldridge, Wilbon, or Oberman) can do with the Atlanta Hawks.

By: Nick

Nick — Fri, 25 May 2007 15:44:31 +0000

I think that one problem is that all lottery teams are eligible for all three picks. I think one way to still give all lottery teams some hope but get more of a balance is:

1. All lottery teams have their pingpong balls (at current percentages) in for the #1 pick;
2. Only the worst 7 teams have their pingpong balls in for the #2 pick; and
3. Only the worst 3 teams have their pingpong balls in for the #3 pick; and
4. The top three picks are always protected from trades.

By: Matthew

Matthew — Fri, 25 May 2007 04:26:43 +0000

That solution pretty much means the teams with the most money will get the best players. I don’t want the NBA to turn out like MLB. But then again, I’m not from New York ;)

By: xduckshoex

xduckshoex — Fri, 25 May 2007 01:58:15 +0000

High school and college themselves are not slime, but the basketball programs can be.

A lot of these kids are gambling their whole lives on playing basketball anyway. From the age of 13 onward, a lot of these kids have people constantly telling them how great they are and how great life will be once they hit the NBA. I don’t think it’s a terrible idea to let them get a quick dose of reality by pitting them against pros at an earlier age. I personally wouldn’t implement it, but it’s not an insane idea.

And you are incredibly naive if you think that requiring players to be one year removed from high school solves the problem. A token gesture, nothing more. It just means we’ll have more guys who go to college for one year and then leave without a diploma, which isn’t enough of a change from having them come straight from high school to be significant. The only advantage for the NBA is that it gives teams another year to scout the player.

By: Hudson River

Hudson River — Fri, 25 May 2007 01:18:58 +0000

“A better idea would be to just do away with the draft all together, and let the teams sign players as young as 16. Like they do in the worldwide football. There you get them away from the slime of AAU, High School & College.”

Dervin, WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?!?

High School and College are defiantly not slime, that would be gambling their entire life on playing basketball, with no education for after their careers are over. Anyways the NBA just resolved this issue by requireing players be one year removed from high school.

By: Dervin

Dervin — Fri, 25 May 2007 00:23:05 +0000

Nice article.
The problem with “Tanking” is the fans get behind it as well, witness the Sports Guy’s writings this year. The organization would take a one year financial hit, but Fans are cynical enough to take one bad year for 10 good years.

Tanking might better be described as “Point Shaving.”

A better idea would be to just do away with the draft all together, and let the teams sign players as young as 16. Like they do in the worldwide football. There you get them away from the slime of AAU, High School & College. They’ll be the low man on the totem pole, learn proper off court behavior and the fundamentals.