Basketball from a fan’s perspective

The history 
This should have been done sooner, oh well let’s proceed anyway, the NBA Draft has gone through several variances over the years.  At one time there were as many as 21 rounds, of course the number of teams was much smaller than today’s NBA.  I read the Players Association negotiated an arrangement with NBA owners to reduce the number.  They held the belief athletes could pick and choose a team as a free agent rather than be bound to a team.  In 1987 the draft consisted of 6 rounds, that year there were a total of 161 players chosen.  The following year 1988 it was reduced to 3 rounds with a total of 75 players.  In 1989 the draft became 2 rounds where it’s remained since. 

Think about this a moment, the 2019 NBA Draft ran from 6:00 p.m. to shortly after 11:00 p.m. Central Standard Time.  Surely the entire draft was not televised back in the day.  Yes, it’s changed over the years even the participants, one of the studio host mentioned this fact, Michael Jordan the 3rd pick in the 1984 draft didn’t attend.  Rest assured there were likely others who also skipped the draft.  It’s become such a production now a player wouldn’t dare not attend if extended an invitation.  As I was finishing this account, I was reminded by a friend the Raptors Fred VanVleet went undrafted.  In 2016 after completing his eligibility at Wichita State he was passed over in the draft. VanVleet became an impact player and certainly was one of the keys to the Raptors NBA championship. 

The 2019 NBA Draft
We are liable to see almost anything during the NBA Draft; Thursday evening prove no different from several of the past.  From the wardrobe choices to the hair stylings, several players couldn’t fit the team cap on securely, we saw it all.  It was interesting for the first time Knick fans appeared pleased with the team selecting RJ Barrett.  Usually the choice is met with a chorus of boos by Knick fans in the audience.  As we moved into the second round, I mentioned to my neighbor several names were unfamiliar to me, that applied to a few American and almost all the international players. 

Giant Tacko Fall was not drafted although he believed might show up on some NBA team’s Summer League roster.  The same for Mizzou’s Jontay Porter who suffered almost the same fate as Bol Bol.  Porter failed to be drafted and Bol was the 44^th pick in the second round, both suffered injuries causing them to miss the 2018-19 season.  The Cavs surprised us choosing point guard Darius Garland after drafting point guard Collin Sexton last season. 

Several prospects had moms or dads with an athletic past, what stood out for those in Kansas City might have been Jaxson Hayes.  His father Jonathan was a tight end for the NFL Chiefs and Steelers.  My Lakers managed to swing a second-round trade which allowed them to draft shooting guard Talen-Horton Tucker.  He’s listed as 6 foot 4 with a 7-foot wingspan, how this move impacts the Lakers for the future is unknown at this point.  The Hawks and Pelicans appeared more active than other teams with draft choices and draft night trades. 

A different perspective 
Early on I made it known I believed the Lakers gave up too many draft choices in the AD trade.  It took another Laker fan to place this picture in the proper perspective for me and other fans of the team.  This was his comment, “With the addition of Anthony Davis the Lakers will be able to make a deep playoff run.”  This fan is considering the team being playoff bound the next three or four seasons.  His statement makes sense, he was not stating championship just earning a playoff berth. 

With 30 teams in the NBA the Pelicans could find themselves with a series of Laker picks ranging anywhere from 25 to 30.  Don’t misunderstand, there is always talent available in every draft.  As an example, Jordan Clarkson was the 46^th pick in the second round of the 2014 draft, he’s still in the NBA playing a valuable role.  Late first round and second round talent has proven valuable in the past without being All-Star level.  If everything works as this fan proposes the Pelicans will likely not be in the lottery for the Laker picks.     

Lehigh in the NBA
Lehigh University is a private research university located in Bethlehem Pennsylvania.  The latest information indicates the school has over 6,000 undergrad and graduate students. “Lehigh has produced Pulitzer Prize winners, Fulbright Fellows, members of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences and of the National Academy of Sciences, and National Medal of Science winners.”  The university is rated as one of the top academic institutions in the nation.

Lehigh competes at the Division I level in the Patriot League in basketball.  C.J. McCollum was one of those players under recruited when he left GlenOak High School in Dayton Ohio.  NBA scouts “found” him at Lehigh and the Blazers made him the 10^th pick in the first round of the 2013 NBA draft.  His first two seasons were an adjustment period.  His third season McCollum had a 20.8 per game scoring average, since then he’s scored in double figures every season. McCollum’s become “Robin” to Damian Lillard’s “Batman”.