Hype Aside, NBA Draft Better Than NFL's

6/23/11

Despite its new format, the NFL Draft remains watered down. For whatever reason — perhaps due to the months and months of prognostications — NFL executives feel that the event now needs to span three days.

In contrast to its over-done counterpart, the NBA’s version always seems to sneak up on people.

Maybe it’s because it’s only days after the conclusion of the NBA Finals. Maybe it’s because we’re not constantly inundated with Jon Gruden specials in Primetime.

Regardless, the NBA Draft never fails to entertain.

While the NBA Draft is superior for a variety of reasons, including the names (Jonas Valanciunas and Bismack Biyombo are projected lottery picks), the primary rationale is the individual nature of the sport.
The pundits will argue that the Mavericks’ recent triumph over the Heat proves otherwise. They have written articles that the Finals result exemplifies that teamwork always wins out.

The NBA is different than the NFL in that individuals CAN dominate a game, series, or entire season.
As a result, any given selection in tonight’s draft can significantly impact the future of a franchise.

Imagine if the Milwaukee Bucks had NOT traded Dirk Nowitzki on draft night for the late Tractor Traylor and Pat Garrity.

Had the Nuggets selected Amar’e Stoudemire rather than Nickoloz Tskitishvili (another great name BTW), Denver may have won a title by now.

Ditto for the Blazers had they taken Chris Paul or Deron Williams rather than trading down for Martell Webster.

The point is: any given pick can alter the fortunes of not only a single organization, but the entire league.

Many of the players drafted in the NFL lack the cool names, but they are still foreign to us. Only Mel Kiper and his cronies know the Starting Strong Safety for Virginia Tech. On the other hand, everyone remembers the names and faces from March Madness.

While a select few NFL draftees make impacts during their debut seasons, the effect of the NBA Rookies is more substantial. Again, due to the smaller rosters and individualistic nature, NBA Rookies are thrown to the fire much sooner.

Don’t believe the significance of the NBA Draft? Just take a look at the 2011 NBA Champion Dallas Mavericks.

Jason Kidd: #2 Overall in 1994
Corey Brewer: #7 Overall in 2007
Caron Butler: #10 Overall in 2002
Tyson Chandler: #2 Overall in 2001
Shawn Marion: #9 in 1999
Dirk Nowitzki: #9 in 1998
Jason Terry: #10 in 1999
That’s 7 players on their roster drafted in the top 10 of their respective drafts.

Oh, and if that doesn’t do it for you, tune in for the suits. Or the accents. Or Jimmer and Jonas in the same room.