I know the NBA Draft is come and gone but something really got me -- For whatever reason more and more rookies are feeling entitled to their position in the draft. I don't know exactly how long this has been going on but with players the caliber of DeAndre Jordan and Chris Douglas-Roberts falling into the second round, you have to ask -- Why are players this good falling into the second round when they should be first round selections and why are players like Omar Asik and Luc Richard Mbah a Moute going ahead of them?
Because they refused to work out for teams with picks in the mid to low 20s, where a lot of drafts had them projected. They had a sense of entitlement that they were dead certs for getting picked within the top 20. Why? You can only go to so many teams for workouts, yes, but why not go to a team in the 20s. No, because that is above them. "A team in the 20s -- pfft -- not me."
There are some players that obviously don't need to go to those teams to workout, like Mayo, Beasley, Rose etc but if your a DeAndre Jordan or CDR - you should go. Once you get past a certain top 10 pick you should really workout with most teams.
Who are their agents? They should really be telling them to go because there is a good chance they good be picked there. Even if they are projected 15th, have it there as a security blanket. But Agents don't do that anymore do they? They won't a top pick because they get more salary, then they get more money. Money - that is how the world works after all.
Kids have a choice, they might not want to play a team - Similiar to Fran Vazquez with the Magic a few years back. But these guys were just declining invites simply because they had the superiority to say, 'no, I'm a definite top 20 pick.'
Hopefully collegians preparing to declare for the 2009 Draft will have heard these stories and think twice before declining workouts from teams in the 20s. When you compare pick no 23 to pick no 39...It's a long way down.
To the majority (possibly not the top 2-10 projected picks) of collegians that will enter the 2009 draft - You are not entitled.
Posted on: July 30, 2008 1:57 am
Artest to the Rockets
This will be a great pickup for the Rockets if they can get Artest. Now they have three stars along with great depth.
Yao / Mutombo
Scola / Landry
Artest / Battier
McGrady / Head
Alston
I mean it doesn't get better. The vital, most important question now is: can Yao and T-Mac stay healthy for one season.
If they can't Houston management really have to take a look at the direction they are going in. They could still get a star or a good young player for T-Mac in a trade. They could still have a good lineup. With Artest and Yao along with whoever they trade for they can still be a contender in the west.
Obviously they still want to give the T-Mac and Yao led team a shot, but they can't wait to long. If they do they will be stuck with a team led by two oft-injured players or be forced to trade one away for a group of young scrubs and picks. Which could potentially automactically put them in the rebuilding stage.
Yao / Mutombo
Scola / Landry
Artest / Battier
McGrady / Head
Alston
I mean it doesn't get better. The vital, most important question now is: can Yao and T-Mac stay healthy for one season.
If they can't Houston management really have to take a look at the direction they are going in. They could still get a star or a good young player for T-Mac in a trade. They could still have a good lineup. With Artest and Yao along with whoever they trade for they can still be a contender in the west.
Obviously they still want to give the T-Mac and Yao led team a shot, but they can't wait to long. If they do they will be stuck with a team led by two oft-injured players or be forced to trade one away for a group of young scrubs and picks. Which could potentially automactically put them in the rebuilding stage.
Category: NBA
Posted on: July 26, 2008 7:21 pm