The_Irony wrote:Needless to say this is the biggest draft in years for Detroit. I hope they finally have someone who has the foresight to point out what this team needs the most.
I disagree but only based on the talent level in this year's draft. Will one or some of these players become legit NBA stars? Probably. But IMO there isn't a bona fide can't-miss player in the bunch. And I think that's a trend that will continue with the one-and-done principle, which to me is truly a double edged sword. I am not a fan of forcing athletes to stay in college when they are in no way, shape or form there to get a formal college education. But by the same token it makes it extremely difficult to draft effectively when the players have so little experience; more and more it seems like draft picks are about hope/potential rather than plug-and-play, proven capability. I don't think players are any more likely now to become NBA stars at 18-20 than they ever were; they're just entering the league sooner. I think the NBA would be better served if the D-league was truly used as a minor league to develop players rather than a place to stick them after they've struggled out of the gate in the NBA. It sucks watching a team ride a high draft pick for too long because there's big money wrapped up in them but the player just isn't ready for the NBA. Then their confidence and attitude get shot, and off to the D-league they go to either turn it around or fizzle out and die.
Simply put, short of the next Lebron James coming along I'm not sure there are going to be many drafts anymore that carry a lot more significance than any other because hope/chance/luck seems to be playing a lot bigger role now that we're dealing with mostly 18-20 year old kids, i.e. truly still KIDS. There's still a whole lot of both physical and mental growth that happens between age 18 and 23. Or doesn't happen, as the case may be, due to the way these kids are treated/handled/developed.