|
COPYRIGHT 2002 Sporting News Publishing Co.
Looking over his mock draft list at dinner one night last week, a league personnel evaluator furrowed his brow and shook his head. "Hard to figure where all these guys are going," he said. Oh? Another thin crop of incoming rookies? "No, the opposite. There are only 28 spots, but there's a whole mess of good players."
This is a unique problem for an NBA draft. Traditionally, there are a handful of obvious top choices, followed by a grab bag of mediocrity, potential and the occasional diamond in the rough. Scouts and general managers agree, though, that this draft is stocked with talent that goes past the top 28.
"This is the deepest draft we have had in years," says veteran league scout Marty Blake. "If you're picking 17, 18, 19, then you will probably have eight or 10 players to choose from at that spot."
The depth of this group of players, bolstered by anywhere from five to eight international players who are potential first-round picks, adds some intrigue to next Wednesday's draft in New York. With intrigue, of course, comes questions. With questions, come answers--answers we hope to provide here.
1. Will there be draft-day trades?
Last year's draft got more exciting with a series of big first-round swaps, and there could be similar activity this time. The Rockets have the No. 1 pick and have paved the...
Read the full article for free courtesy of your local library.
|
Bookmark this article
Print this article
Link to this article
Email this article
Digg It!
Add to del.icio.us
RSS
