by SJ: June 24, 2004 WHAAAA? Predicting and following the NBA Draft has become as hard as pronouncing some of these international names Little Jimmy stares at his favorite section of the newspaper. Actually it�s the only section he can become familiar with; sports. He opens it up wide so it could literally wrap around his small frame. Jimmy glances at the NBA news, well aware of the NBA Draft being tonight. Jimmy is a big basketball fan, and plays and watches whenever he can. But a quick glance at the NBA Draft has little Jimmy puzzled and entirely unfamiliar with almost everyone on the list. He checks back and asks his old pops a question: -�Dad, who is Dwight Howard?� -�He�s a high schooler� his dad replies. -�O, then who is Pavel Podkolvine, or who is Andris Biedrins, or Sergey Monya?� -�I don�t know� his dad replies, almost as confused as his son. The NBA Draft has become as hard to follow as the NHL Draft. No one knows who anyone is anymore. And the only sure things are that you won�t have a clue that some of these people selected tonight, even existed on planet Earth! It�s become a speech class for those trying to follow it. It�s a who�s who of who�s. You could study these international players and still forget their names the next day. As for high schoolers, who knows really. Probably about 96% of all high schoolers drafted will never be more then names on a piece of paper, that gets tossed in a recycling bin the next season. These next big things are likely the next big busts. Potential doesn�t equal prowess and power. For every KG and TMAC there�s nobodys solidified to be the greatest thing since toilet paper. That�s all well and good, but most toilet papers are more durable then some of these can�t miss, all world talents. Almost all of these high school seniors are so frail they resemble skeletons. They need to bulk up and build up before they get beat up. Most take three to four years to do anything, that is if they�re still in the league and haven�t costed 6 executives within the organization their jobs. As for international players, the majority can�t play D and only a select few blossom like Dirk has done for Dallas. Also, most are unseasoned and underdeveloped, and require almost as much work as high schoolers themselves. Lets face the facts here. The odds of high schoolers panning out is slim. Stick ten names in a jar and let me pick out one. That�s what we�re doing. Pick a number and that�s were these guys could end up. The NBA Draft isn�t just an inexact science, it�s a puzzle that stretches for miles, landing general managers and coaches in the middle of nowhere as they scratch their heads, saying �what happened,� where did it all go wrong? How was I supposed to know that Anderson Varejao would be better than Vicktor Khryapa. Little Jimmy laughs. -�How did you say his name again, K u r u y a p a? -�I don�t know,�his pops smirks. He gently puts down the paper and smiles. -�You mean that wasn�t a city in South Africa�? Jimmy paused more confused than ever. And he hasn�t even seen the draft yet. That was just a mock. Another dead conversation, another NBA Draft, another group of people selected how you can�t pronounce. Must be a Thursday night deep in the heart of Madison Square Garden. Finally something I�m familiar with. Sheish! SJ can be reached at [email protected] |
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