If I had to rank the player drafts from the four main Professional Sports here in North America, here is how the list would look…
- NFL
- NBA
- NHL
- MLB
I have my own personal bias built into the list; I am number one, an NFL fan and because I am a Canadian I guess this is why I rate my interest higher in Hockey than in Baseball.
The NFL has turned their draft into an art form of the highest order, with television coverage unparalleled. Baseball just hasn’t been able to create the fan and media attention similar to the other sports drafts. I would give high marks to the NBA in the efficiency of how they get their draft done. Five minutes between team choices seems like a short period of time compared to the NFL, but I think the shorter time frame keeps the process rolling along at a nice pace. In fact it hardly gives you time to get to the fridge to get the next Bud before the next team is up.
The NBA completed their 2006 draft the other night in Madison Square Garden. The Toronto Raptors with the number one lottery pick said that they fielded a number of inquiries regarding the possibility of trading this pick. However they obviously felt that there was not enough value in the offers and they stayed with their pick.
NBA PLAYERS HAVE TO BE FROM SOMEWHERE, WHY NOT ITALY?
The Raps chose Andrew Bargnani from the Italian professional league with the number one lottery pick. As is always the way with the prognostications regarding the top ten picks prior to the draft, there were rumors floating around about just whom it was that the Raptors might choose. A major clue as to how they were going should have been the fact that the Raptors recently hired Italian basketball executive Maurizio Gherardini onto their staff. One could have easily assumed that Maury, (I’ve just Americanized him) was brought in to help with the transition that Bargnani will face. The number one pick will be dead center in the media’s target for a while and this would be difficult enough for any player, but it will be even harder for a new guy coming in not totally knowing the language. Another interesting side bar is that it’s been recently rumored that Spanish professional forward Jorge Garbajosa will be signing with the Raptors on or after July1st.
He previously played in the Italian league for a team that was managed by Gherardini, and has been quoted as saying that he is looking forward to playing with fellow Spaniard Jose Calderon on the Raptors.
If nothing else, Bryan Colangelo has certainly begun his term with the Raptors by shaking things up, with an early trade to pick up yet another Euro, and now the addition of an Italian player as his first pick and the rumor of another European coming aboard.
The team that they will field this coming season will certainly have an international look to it; but is Colangelo taking a big risk? Because, the NBA “brains” all seem to feel that the Europeans come in to the league trying to play a “softer” game. The Raptors are “on the clock” again, but this time it reads European time!
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