Blue_and_Whte wrote:Good article by Josh Robbins on drafting for talent and not need. Disregard if this has been posted already.
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/orlando-magic/os-josh-robbins-magic-insider-orlando-magic-draft-20130524,0,6959891.columnThe media’s saturation coverage of the NFL Draft unfortunately has skewed the way sports fans think about the NBA Draft.
And, perhaps as a result, some fans of the Orlando Magic are losing sight of what this draft really should be about for the franchise.
Too many fans want the Magic to draft “for need.”
The refrain goes like this: The Magic have a significant deficiency at point guard; therefore, the team must — absolutely must!!! — draft a point guard.
I hear it all the time.
On sports talk radio. When I run into strangers or friends in town. When I open my work e-mail every morning.
But that line of thinking is woefully shortsighted.
It reflects a fundamental misunderstanding of where the Magic stand at this moment.
The Magic have just completed Year One of a long, potentially arduous, rebuilding project.
In the June 27 draft, Magic officials need to select the player they think has the best chance to develop into a perennial All-Star, regardless of position.
If the best high-ceiling player happens to be a center, draft him, even though the Magic already have a talented, young player at that position, Nik Vucevic.
If the best high-ceiling player happens to be a small forward, draft him, even though Maurice Harkless has the potential to be a top-notch defender.
The same goes for the power forward, shooting guard and point guard spots.
If this were the NFL, my advice would be different.
Pro football is a sport in which teams often should draft for need.
In the NFL, of course, there are far more prospects available in every draft, and the difference in quality among the top-notch players at different positions often isn’t as profound as it is in the NBA.
Pro football also is a sport in which league officials systematically have created a state of perpetual parity. Teams with awful records one season are rewarded with easier schedules the next season, while teams with great records are punished the next season with tougher schedules.
The problem with this year’s NBA Draft is that there’s no single franchise-altering talent available — no one along the lines of Shaquille O’Neal in 1992, a LeBron James in 2003 or even an Anthony Davis in 2012.
Or at least that’s what the experts think.
The question is: Is there a hidden gem out there somewhere? In 2010, the Indiana Pacers already had small forward Danny Granger when they used the 10th overall pick to select another wing, Paul George. What a brilliant move. George has emerged as the Pacers’ best player, and he was just selected to the 2012-13 All-NBA Third Team.
Many Magic fans hope this year’s gem is a point guard.
Jameer Nelson isn’t the team’s long-term answer at the position because he’s 31 years old and because the team is years away from title contention.
To be sure, there are some intriguing point guard prospects in this year’s draft, most notably Michigan’s Trey Burke, Syracuse’s Michael Carter-Wiliams and Lehigh’s C.J. McCollum.
But do any of them have a higher upside than Kentucky center Nerlens Noel or Kansas shooting guard Ben McLemore?
That’s the question Magic GM Rob Hennigan and assistant GMs Scott Perry and Matt Lloyd need to answer before June 27.
Luckily for the franchise, Hennigan and his crew didn’t listen to fans who didn’t want the team to trade away J.J. Redick at the trade deadline. The Magic ultimately traded Redick and two others for a package of players that included a high-upside youngster, Tobias Harris.
Now, once again, the Magic front office needs to tune out the noise.
i dont even like need drafting in the nfl that much
