When I tune into NBA broadcasts on ESPN, I never expect to learn anything significant from the studio show. The most insightful information is primarily provided by the dot com crew. Henry Abbott, Chad Forde, John Hollinger and Ric Bucher do the yeoman's work of analyzing the inner workings of front office and team dynamics. So, when something like the NBA Draft comes along I know it promises to be more sizzle than steak. I have no idea why this is the case. ESPN's NFL coverage offers draft gurus such as Todd McShay and the grand poobah of all gurus, Mel Kiper, Jr. Meanwhile, NBA fans are left with the lead color commentators for NBA broadcasts (Jeff Van Gundy and Mark Jackson), who incidentally do fantastic work calling games, but seem slightly unprepared for this particular role. In addition, viewers get to listen to the dulcet tones of Stephen A. Smith interview the draftees in attendance. I'm not entirely convinced that he watches any more NCAA basketball than Angela Merkel (Germany's PM, so not too much if you're scoring at home). What chaps me off more than anything is the complete and utter lack of common sense on display. This was never more evident than the severe tongue lashing that Dick Vitale gave to the Knicks upon their selection of The Big Rooster, Danilo Gallinari, from Italy. The "experts" were quick to get in line to agree with the Bald Wonder. Vitale alleged that the Knicks organization and Knick fans need a player who can produce right away. There is no interest in developing a talent that might take a year or two to blossom. Excuse me while I lustily boo these morons. That line of thinking is precisely why the Knick organization is one of the top 3 worst run franchises in the sport. That is why the Knicks haven't had a first round pick in a few years, why Jared Jeffries makes $6 million a year, why they traded for Eddy Curry, Zach Randolph, Stephon Marbury and Steve Francis. They are an absolute laughing stock. When a team starts making moves to appease its fans it is a sure sign of an organization that has lost its way. The only time you mortgage your future for the sake of the present is if you have a REALISTIC shot at making the finals. I’m still not convinced that Dick Vitale watches more than 10 NBA regular season games a year. He’s become a parody of himself and not worth listening to unless he’s calling college games involving the best teams in the country.
So, to wrap this up, we've got one guy, Dick Vitale, who might not watch any NBA games and another guy, Stephen A. Smith, who might not watch any college games providing the viewer with expert analysis. To quote the Geico Caveman, "Maybe next time do a little research".
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I have one thought on what actually happened in the draft. I think the Celtics missed a golden opportunity to draft a player with untapped potential in DeAndre Jordan. This is a guy with a million dollar body and a ten cent head. Motivation and experience are two factors working against him. The Celtics represent the perfect opportunity to remedy both of those characteristics and the risk at taking him on at pick 30 is minimal. The team already has their top eight rotation guys returning from a 66 win team that went on to win the Championship. Essentially Jordan would serve an apprenticeship position under Kevin Garnett for the next few years. If ever there was a guy in the league who could motivate a young big it is the newly certified Kevin Garnett. This is a guy whose cylinders are always firing on full bore even to the point that some reporters question the results of such an attitude. I think Giddens selection is similar, but the ceiling isn’t as nearly as high
2 comments:
I totally agree about the commentary last night. It got to the point that I would just check the clock, flip the channel, and then go back to the draft every four and a half minutes. I get sick of hearing about how much "upside" or "length" someone has (you can't teach length!)
But you gotta respect Portland for their unabashed trades, right?
I absolutely love Portland. It seems like they have the only front office that is in the business of 'winning' the draft. They have a full roster and a bevy of picks this year and turned them into an enormous upgrade at pg and four future picks. Just incredible. I was hoping that my boy, Hibbert, would be around for your Jazz at 23. I envisioned Boozer and Hibbert playing a dominant high-low game. Instead, they got Mehmut Okur, Jr. Not bad, but could have been better.
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