The No Baskets League

If the NBA ever wanted to figure out why the league is losing is popularity they need not go any further than looking at the draft.

The Bulls drafted Yoakim Noah with the ninth pick of the draft. The ninth best available basketball player in world. Look at this guy. He's not a basketball player, he's the carnie guy on stilts.

What I've never understood about basketball is why the teams continue to draft for potential and not production. I believe the 1st rounders get a guaranteed three year contract and then the player becomes a free agent.

Why would you invest in a guy for three years only to watch him become available for free agency before you got his best games out of him? If I'm drafting with the ninth pick, I'm taking a guy that can take over a game ... today and if that guy is not there, I trade the pick for that guy.

This potential bit showed up even bigger for Daequan Cook.

Here's what Lance McAlister said on his blog.

If you ever doubted how much stock was put in "potential" for NBA prospects vs what they actually did in college...look at Dunbar/OSU's Daequan Cook.
He's drafted 21st overall last night. In his only college season, in OSU's two biggest games (Final Four) he played 7-minutes vs Georgetown and played 9-minutes vs Florida...going a combined 1 for 5 from the field. His NCAA tourney stats: 9 for 30, averaging 4.8 points. His three biggest games of the season were vs VMI, Eastern Kentucky and Coppin St. He played a total of 770 minutes of college hoops. He did not score in double figures in his final 11 games....and reached double figures only 2 of his final 17 games.

So the next time you see some guy you never heard of clang one off the iron go back and check his draft position. You'll find on the notes "raw talent, lot's of upside".