The NBA Draft might be the most over hyped event in sports today and this is from a guy who used to love the NBA Draft. I couldn't wait for the NBA Draft to start at the Felt Forum underneath Madison Square Garden. I couldn't wait to see what kid from the metropolitan area was selected in the fifth or sixth round. In 1982, the Celtics selected William Brown, from St. Peter's College in Jersey City, NJ, with the 115th pick. That's when the draft kept it real.
Why is the NBA Draft becoming increasingly irrelevant? That's easy - teams in the NBA only have control of their draft choices for four years. When a nineteen-year old enters the draft, an NBA franchise only holds his rights for four years. By the time the kid is twenty-three, he's looking for big dollars or a tropical climate to show his improving game. The team that drafted this kid has endured his adjustment to the NBA game and his lack of maturity. Very few kids entering the NBA at nineteen or twenty have a clue what it takes to thrive in the league.
Let me give you a little tour of the overall first-round pick over the last ten years. You 'll enjoy this:
2007 NBA Draft Portland Trail Blazers Greg Oden
2006 NBA Draft Toronto Raptors Andrea Bargnani
2005 NBA Draft Milwaukee Bucks Andrew Bogut
2004 NBA Draft Orlando Magic Dwight Howard
2003 NBA Draft Cleveland Cavaliers LeBron James
2002 NBA Draft Houston Rockets Yao Ming
2001 NBA Draft Washington Wizards Kwame Brown
2000 NBA Draft New Jersey Nets Kenyon Martin
1999 NBA Draft Chicago Bulls Elton Brand
1998 NBA Draft Los Angeles Clippers Michael Olowokandi
1997 NBA Draft San Antonio Spurs Tim Duncan
In the last ten NBA Drafts, only one overall first pick has provided the team that drafted him with a championship, and that is Tim Duncan with the San Antonio Spurs. Yes, LeBron James and Dwight Howard might bring championships to their respective cities, but will LeBron stay in Cleveland and will Howard spend his entire career in Orlando?
Kwame Brown, Kenyon Martin, Elton Brand and Michael Olowokandi no longer play for the teams that selected them on Draft Night. Michael Jordan's selection of Kwame Brown was a bust and Elgin Baylor should carry a photo of Michael Olowokandi in his wallet as penance.
Kenyon Martin was the best player to come out of the 2000 NBA Draft. That draft is proof that building through the draft is near to impossible.
Take a look: 2000 NBA Draft
It's pretty evident that Andrew Bogut and Andrea Bargnani did not warrant being selected with the first overall pick, but the NBA Draft has to be the toughest test of a general manager in professional sports. There are very few players who will be impact players in the NBA. The way to win in the NBA is through free agency. You can't win in this league with a collection of kids - just ask the Boston Celtics.
For those who want to argue the draft can be a quick fix; we can use Chris Paul as a great example to prove that point, but Paul is the exception not the rule. In 2005, Marvin Williams was taken with the second overall pick and Chis Paul was selected fourth. The Atlanta Hawks probably feel that Marvin Williams isn't going to bring them a championship. He may be part of a championship one day in Atlanta, but he ain't carrying the franchise on his back. Do you think the Hornets knew Chris Paul was going to be this good?
2008 NBA Draft
It's fairly obvious that every team now believes it needs an impact player at point guard to contend for a title or to immediately improve. That would explain the infatuation with O.J. Mayo and the mistaken belief that he can run the point. Point guards are now viewed as a instant cure all. Steve Nash did it in Phoenix and Chris Paul has made New Orleans a legitimate championship contender.
But how do you explain the Celtics championship with Rajon Rondo at the point? Rajon Rondo is not an elite point guard. Rondo is a serviceable point guard, but he's not going to make anyone forget Bob Cousy and Nate "Tiny" Archibald. The Celtics proved you can win a banner without an elite point guard. Danny Ainge and Doc Rivers proved there is more than one way of winning in the NBA. Hell, the Celtics didn't even have a sharpshooting European on the team.
When you look at 2008 mock draft boards, point guards are projected as four of the top six picks. Derrick Rose, O.J. Mayo, Russell Westbrook and Jerryd Bayless are projected to go early and another point guard Eric Gordon is expected to be taken within the first ten picks. Maybe this is the year of the point guard, but how many of these guys are true point guards? In my opinion, only Rose and Bayless are true points. Westbrook is a legitimate NBA guard, but I'm not so sure he's a point guard. Mayo is a project and Eric Gordon needs to improve his ball-handling skills.
2008 NBA Draft White Hype
Will Joe Alexander or Keith Love be the Gerry Cooney of this draft? If I had to bet on one guy to struggle, it would be Joe Alexander. Alexander's ascent up the draft board reminds me of Paul Grant before the 1997 NBA Draft. Grant was a seldom used player at Boston College who then transferred to Wisconsin. Playing his senior year at Wisconsin, Grant enjoyed a solid season. Being seven feet tall, Grant was taken by the Timberwolves in the first round with the 20th pick. Grant played four games for Minnesota and cost the team over $903,240. Grant's NBA career consisted of sixteen games and he made approximately $3.3 million dollars. America is a great country.
Is Love or Alexander the next Paul Grant? I don't think so, but each has some obstacles to overcome. Love needs to avoid the buffet line and Alexander has to prove his half year of success at West Virginia wasn't a fluke. I view Alexander as a riskier pick than Love.
Pat Riley
Pat Riley is concerned about Michael Beasley's maturity, but he's enamored with O.J. Mayo. When did O.J. Mayo become Pat Riley's poster boy for maturity?
The Best Part of Tonight
It's the suits.
Jalen Rose
