Feeling a draft
This year's NBA Draft had a weird feel to it, partly because ESPN took control of the coverage and partly because I felt I didn't really know as many players out there as before. The international players definitely added something to it, but also the fact that I really only get geeked up for college hoops in March probably means I missed a few diamonds in the rough.

Moving the draft from TNT to ESPN meant losing Craig Sager's wild suits (one of these days, he should just go back out in an old Willie costume). We also don't have Chuckles Barkley making fun comments or Hubie Brown talking about upside. Plus, we get lots of those wild ESPN draft graphics. Michelle Tafoya was fine in Sager's role -- it's hard to extract much out of most of these draft picks. Tom Tolbert played the useful clown role reasonably well. I particularly liked Jay Bilas breaking down players and not being afraid to rip into them, although he does it in such a smooth style that you sometimes don't realize he's ripped guys a new one -- unlike Mel Kiper or Dick Vitale, who was very predictable in his stuff about big-time college players and the HS/underclassmen leaving early and getting drafted late. Jim Grey had plenty of news, but at times he seemed really out of place doing those reports.

One fun thing about the draft this year (and hopefully will last for many years) is the raucous crowd at the Theater at MSG. It seems like some of the Knicks fans were the Jets fans who love to stir up trouble in April. I was half hoping David Stern would announce the Knicks took Blair Thomas from Penn State.

As for the picks themselves, I guess I was surprised by the number of "name" college players (including a bunch of seniors) taken early and before all of the international guys everyone seemed to drool over. I suppose at the top of the draft, you're really looking for players who are supposed to contribute right away, while the bottom of the draft is more for building depth either for now or later -- although you can still get lucky, like Jamaal Tinsley and Tony Parker a couple of years ago.

One thing that seems to be glossed over is the fact that many international players can be held for a few years, continue to play overseas without being held against a team's salary cap, and come over when they're ready. This is the type of "minor league" people have been clamoring for stateside. There really isn't as much risk with these players, especially if you take them at the end of the first round or in the second round. (It's much like the NHL with its international players). For teams with salary cap troubles, it's a smart move to make. I think this sort of protection is more of a reason that international players are taken in larger numbers these days. Just imagine if you could do this type of "stashing away" with college players -- that would change the face of the draft today.

At the same time, I do wonder what scouts in the NBA are thinking by making these international players so coveted despite not seeing them play (or not playing much for their team overseas). I think scouts in some of these sports want to show off how much they think they know by showcasing unknown players as great things. Maybe familiarity breeds contempt, especially with college seniors. We've seen them so much that we know their flaws. We haven't seen much of these other guys, so the mystery makes them all the more valuable.

Jason Kapono, taken with the second pick of the second round after a serviceable but unspectacular career at UCLA, probably summed it up best: "I just know that I should have left (UCLA) after my freshman year, played in Croatia, grew a beard and changed my name to Vladimir Kaponovich," he said jokingly. "Then I would have been perfect."

But as in many sports, it's hardly about what's going on now as what the future holds. Cards of rookies are often more valuable than those of established stars. Many college football fans care more about who's being recruited rather than who's on the field now. Upside is the most popular word during the draft. Sometimes I wonder if we shouldn't just put a crystal ball out on the field and leave it at that.