Sunday, July 1, 2012

The NBA Draft was a Bust / Time for the NBA to Expand to Europe


This past Thursday, The Professor and I watched the 2012 NBA Draft. I've seen plenty in the past, but until now I didn't realize how much better the NFL's Draft is. First off, did anyone notice their was absolutely no excitement? At times, you could hear a pin drop! David Stern better be concerned. Is this ESPN's fault too? Maybe. But the brunt of this lame production lies on the shoulders of Stern and the NBA.

Here are some suggestions that may make it at least more exciting than the NHL draft.

  1. How about playing some music in the arena between picks. It blew my mind that whoever produced this piece of junk didn't think of that!
  2. Hire the person who does the NFL draft. NOW!!!!!!!!
  3. Bring the draft back to NYC. Preferably Madison Square Garden. Newark? Newark? I like the Mayor but other than that. Newark? The Nets are in Brooklyn now. Let's move on...
  4. Make the draft at least 3 rounds. It would increase the intrigue and give more light to the D-League.
  5. Don't interview a little girl. How did the NBA all of sudden become a bad Hallmark TV movie?
  6. Where was Dickie V? Vitale probably knew it was gonna be lame and opted out!
  7. David Stern should only announce the first 5 picks. It was funny when he said, “Thanks for the Warm Welcome”, but Stern is not Howard Stern. Stick to the off camera duties David.
  8. Have celebrity fans and former players announce the picks.
  9. Does the team call them on the phone before the announcement? If they don't do that like the NFL does, maybe this is a good time to start! It adds to the drama...
  10. And finally....Maybe a remote camera somewhere on the planet, other than the 2 cameras they used in Newark, would be a good idea. Ya think?!?!

Time for the NBA to Expand to Europe

The NBA needs to expand to Europe. I'm tired of hearing that the talent isn't good enough yet. IT IS!
I suggest a (4) Four team expansion from four European Countries.

  • Barcelona or Madrid, Spain
  • London, England
  • Berlin or Hamburg, Germany
  • Paris, France

Hear me out:
  1. New York to London is around the same distance as New York to Los Angeles. Make the European swing 2-3 weeks. Extra days off for west coast and Euro teams during road trips.
  2. 60 more players added to the NBA which would expand the draft to 3 rounds.
  3. D-League expansion to Europe.
  4. Increased sales
  5. The number of international players in the NBA is at an all time high. This years draft was thin because Euro Clubs are getting wise to the increase. They are signing the young players, (15 years old and up), to tighter and longer contracts. This puts the NBA franchises in a position where they have to buy the Euro club out after drafting the player. If the league expands, these types of restrictions will still be their, but it will make the young player think twicwe about signing with a Euro Club first. They may wait it out or insist on an opt out clause if interest by an NBA club.

Please share your comments about this story. Would love to hear your take!

BrainHeat

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