Draftexpress.net is reporting the Kevin Durant will announce that he will declaring himself eligible for the NBA draft sometime mid-next week. This development should come as a surprise to no one as the future superstar is projected to be a top-two pick in the upcoming draft.
Thanks for the memories, KD. Here comes the tank-a-thon from teams like the Celts and Griz.
Does anyone really think the lottery is deterring teams from sitting their star players for the season as a tactic to increase their odds? Stats guru John Hollinger has provided evidence that no competitive advantage can be acheived through this strategy. Furthermore, based on his superb research, the only thing it's going to do is turn off an already irritated fanbase for the remainder of the season. As an old school Mavericks fan, I remember sitting through the horrid 15 - 20 win seasons and the notion of them trying to be worse didn't make me want to run out and buy more tickets.
Particularly in this year's draft, we have no idea if Brandon Wright is the next Bosh or maybe Horford is going to terrorize defenses like a Randolph (without the drama) or J. O'Neal. With a draft that appears so deep, just play out the games guys!
The clock is ticking Oden....Hope you enjoyed college because play time's over.
Saturday, April 7, 2007
Friday, April 6, 2007
Preps or Pros
It's that time of the year again! A slew of college basketball stars will leave their respective schools pining for one more year. And conversely, NBA fans (the few that are still in existience) cross their fingers, wait for the pong balls to drop, and pray for the next Big Thing.
For the first time in many years, there are two legitimate studs at the top of the draft and teams around the league are putting their stars on the bench in hopes of enhancing their chances at Oden or Durant. While both of those players certainly look like certain superstars, what about all of the players that are going to make the colossal mistake of declaring and going undrafted.
Here's a look at last year's draft class (this list will only include collegiate players):
Declared and signed with an agent: 37
Total drafted in first round: 16
Total drafted in second round: 8
Based on these numbers (which do not include players currently active on NBA rosters), about 35% of the eligible players went undrafted. With a few exceptions, I do not believe that any of these players made the correct decision to enter the draft and all of them would be best served to have gone back to school.
All of this has been written over and over again but I believe there is a fundamental issue that serves as the primary source of the problem. While it is great to believe in yourself, college players are delusional when it comes to accurately evaluating their own talent and their ability to compete in professional basketball. As a solution to this, here's what I would propose: a new elite summer league for college freshman and sophomores to compete against the summer teams put together by the NBA teams. Expand the league, invite 50 -60 college players, hire some quality NBA assistants to run these teams.
The advantages to this sort of league would be tremendous:
- Allow college players to see the remarkable difference in experience that raw talent can not consistently overcome
- Player development for all of those involved.
- A marketable summer league for basketball. These games could and should be televised across the country. Imagine the possibility of a team with Oden and Durant playing against last year's draft picks? Experience vs. talent? At the minimum, it would be fun to watch.
Of course, the downside is injuries to the college kids and them spending their time over the summer not in class.
Thoughts?
For the first time in many years, there are two legitimate studs at the top of the draft and teams around the league are putting their stars on the bench in hopes of enhancing their chances at Oden or Durant. While both of those players certainly look like certain superstars, what about all of the players that are going to make the colossal mistake of declaring and going undrafted.
Here's a look at last year's draft class (this list will only include collegiate players):
Declared and signed with an agent: 37
Total drafted in first round: 16
Total drafted in second round: 8
Based on these numbers (which do not include players currently active on NBA rosters), about 35% of the eligible players went undrafted. With a few exceptions, I do not believe that any of these players made the correct decision to enter the draft and all of them would be best served to have gone back to school.
All of this has been written over and over again but I believe there is a fundamental issue that serves as the primary source of the problem. While it is great to believe in yourself, college players are delusional when it comes to accurately evaluating their own talent and their ability to compete in professional basketball. As a solution to this, here's what I would propose: a new elite summer league for college freshman and sophomores to compete against the summer teams put together by the NBA teams. Expand the league, invite 50 -60 college players, hire some quality NBA assistants to run these teams.
The advantages to this sort of league would be tremendous:
- Allow college players to see the remarkable difference in experience that raw talent can not consistently overcome
- Player development for all of those involved.
- A marketable summer league for basketball. These games could and should be televised across the country. Imagine the possibility of a team with Oden and Durant playing against last year's draft picks? Experience vs. talent? At the minimum, it would be fun to watch.
Of course, the downside is injuries to the college kids and them spending their time over the summer not in class.
Thoughts?
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