Knicks · Sheridan: Owners want a third round to the draft (page 1)

The Website of former ESPN and AP basketball writer Chris Sheridan
About» About This Website About the Author Great Wall Photo Contributors
Tips
Contact
HomeExclusive: NBA wants 3rd round in draft
September 7, 2011 By Chris Sheridan 82 Comments
By Chris Sheridan

VILNIUS, Lithuania — After an overnight flight connecting through Helsinki, Finland, I bumped into a scout for the Denver Nuggets near the tourist information booth at the quaint little airport here where the second round of EuroBasket is taking place.

Whether he knows it or not, he may be here scouting future third-round draft picks.

That’s right: Third round.

SheridanHoops.com has learned that NBA owners have proposed adding a third round to the annual draft, a proposal that the players’ union has countered by offering an array of changes to the draft that would help address the owners’ desire for more competitive balance.

According to sources involved in the league’s collective bargaining discussions, the union has proposed various changes to the draft:

_ Under one proposal, the 15 teams with the worst records would continue to pick 1st through 15th, but then would also have the 16th through 30th picks. The teams with the top 15 records would have the first 15 picks of the second round, then would have the 44th through 60th picks, too. Under this proposal, the Chicago Bulls (whose 62-20 record was the league’s best last season) would have the 45th and 60th picks instead of the 30th and 30th picks. The Minnesota Timberwolves, who had the NBA’s worst record (17-65), would have their lottery pick and the 16th pick, but would no longer have the first pick of the second round — No. 31 overall.

_ Under another proposal, the teams with the eight worst records would get an additional first round pick, beginning with selection No. 22, and the teams with the eight best records would have no first-round picks but would select at the top of the second round (picks 31 through 38), then also would get the final eight picks of the second round.

There hasn’t been a third round in an NBA draft since 1988 (Anthony Mason, selected by Portland, was the most memorable pick of that third round), as the following season the draft was shortened to two rounds. The draft was seven rounds from 1985-87, and longer before that (Little-known fact: The Chicago Bulls drafted sprinter Carl Lewis in the 10th round in 1984, even though he had not played high school or college basketball. That was the same year Chicago drafted Michael Jordan No. 3 overall).

The draft negotiations have been one of the few side issues that have been discussed during the labor talks, which have centered mainly on the split of revenues between the owners and players. As reported here yesterday, the sides are closer on the money than they have been leading everyone to believe.

Labor talks will resume today in New York.

http://sheridanhoops.com/2011/09/07/excl...

I really like this idea and I think Sheridan discounts how global basketball has gone since '88. I think this would increase the number of international players in the league dramatically. I also think Sheridan's site should be added to the blogs here. He does a great job and a great source of information before the trade deadline this year.

man, I hate all these if/then rules, especially with the actual lotto. Or will that going away?

I like what baseball does with the conditional picks best, but that's tied to free agency and not record.

If a player is ranked as a 'Class A' player (a player in the top 20 percent at his position as per the Elias Sports Bureau), and another team signs that player, the new team sacrifices their first round pick to the old and the old also receives a 'sandwich' pick between the first and second round.

If no players move, then there are no sandwich picks.

If a team signs a 'Class B' player (top 40 percent), the new team does not sacrifice their pick, but the old team gains a 'sandwich' pick.

I think this helps teams in poor markets, and also helps the players. The players are free to get more money by going for greener pastures, and the small markets get to draft the Monta Ellises, DeJaun Blairs, Gilbert Arenases, Rashard Lewises, Manu Ginobilis, etc. of the world

If you increase the number of active players OR total players, this could work. Or better yet, have the NBDL work as a real minor league system that allows you to send your young players without costing you space in the total roster.

I think if the owners are for giving up picks 22-30 you go with it. Those teams are generally capped out and do something creative with the pick. I think the international game is growing quickly and a third round could help the nba explore it more withoug as much risk.

Knicksfan wrote:If you increase the number of active players OR total players, this could work. Or better yet, have the NBDL work as a real minor league system that allows you to send your young players without costing you space in the total roster.

I like this. They can do the third round for the rights of the players for the summer league, if not chosen they can hold the rights for the NBDL

Its allowing the worse teams the opportunity to rebuild after a bad season.

I would imagine when Isiah comes back he would like this.

MOre picks to trade!

If they really want to be more competitive they should have fewer teams.
The current lottery forces the best players to play for the shittiest teams and only a exception or two like Durant enjoy that. The mega alliances of big names is the new normal.

loweyecue wrote:If they really want to be more competitive they should have fewer teams.
The current lottery forces the best players to play for the shittiest teams and only a exception or two like Durant enjoy that. The mega alliances of big names is the new normal.

The goal is to find ways to strengthen teams not eliminate them. Im not sure we need to contract as the pool of players seems to be growing overseas. I don't think your incorrect that contraction would be a very short term quick fix but if the goal of the NBA is to have teams worth $450 million and them going away means $900 million is lost. Gone.

Is it right or wrong? It just is.

The great ones will still get paid. The idea is to move bad contracts quickly so teams can give deserving players a chance to earn themselves and be of value to the teams.

Rules like these would give some marginal teams an even greater incentive to dump games late in the season because the draft would become so valuable.

ItalianStallion wrote:Rules like these would give some marginal teams an even greater incentive to dump games late in the season because the draft would become so valuable.

Isn't this always the case?

We talking non playoff teams. Playoffs MAKE MONEY! Incentive of player playoff bonus, coach playoff bonus.....etc is good enough.

Getting another mid round pick is not like taking to get a franchise player in the first 3 overall picks.

Nalod wrote:

ItalianStallion wrote:Rules like these would give some marginal teams an even greater incentive to dump games late in the season because the draft would become so valuable.

Isn't this always the case?

We talking non playoff teams. Playoffs MAKE MONEY! Incentive of player playoff bonus, coach playoff bonus.....etc is good enough.

Getting another mid round pick is not like taking to get a franchise player in the first 3 overall picks.

The bad teams would get greater value out of the draft than they do now. That only serves to increase the incentive to dump. Yes, some dumping occurs now. But everyone that knows they out of the playoffs and even some very shrewd franchises that are willing to think longer term would be better off dumping that being the 7th or 8th seed and going out in the first round.

ItalianStallion wrote:

Nalod wrote:

ItalianStallion wrote:Rules like these would give some marginal teams an even greater incentive to dump games late in the season because the draft would become so valuable.

Isn't this always the case?

We talking non playoff teams. Playoffs MAKE MONEY! Incentive of player playoff bonus, coach playoff bonus.....etc is good enough.

Getting another mid round pick is not like taking to get a franchise player in the first 3 overall picks.

The bad teams would get greater value out of the draft than they do now. That only serves to increase the incentive to dump. Yes, some dumping occurs now. But everyone that knows they out of the playoffs and even some very shrewd franchises that are willing to think longer term would be better off dumping that being the 7th or 8th seed and going out in the first round.

thats true. the incentives of having a good playoff team is reward enough. the question is whether they will still have the lottery for the first 12 picks. i hope so since i always loved the draft. i support three rounds however there have been many players in the second round who dont make a team so how relevant will a third round be?

I could care less if they add 50 rounds to the draft and turn the lottery over to NASA-based brain surgeons to run.

GET THE FLECKING DEAL DONE! MOMMIE!!!! MOMMIE!!!!! MOMMIE!!!! GIVE ME MY NBA!

I WILL ABSOLUTELY GO POSTAL READING PEOPLE ON THIS BOARD COMMENTING ABOUT HOCKEY IN ANOTHER MONTH.

ItalianStallion wrote:

Nalod wrote:

ItalianStallion wrote:Rules like these would give some marginal teams an even greater incentive to dump games late in the season because the draft would become so valuable.

Isn't this always the case?

We talking non playoff teams. Playoffs MAKE MONEY! Incentive of player playoff bonus, coach playoff bonus.....etc is good enough.

Getting another mid round pick is not like taking to get a franchise player in the first 3 overall picks.

The bad teams would get greater value out of the draft than they do now. That only serves to increase the incentive to dump. Yes, some dumping occurs now. But everyone that knows they out of the playoffs and even some very shrewd franchises that are willing to think longer term would be better off dumping that being the 7th or 8th seed and going out in the first round.

Not sure what they are offering is worth dumping the season. Its pretty well established now that teams can't depend on dumping with the current lottery system.

Who the F would watch the draft if the their team isn't a lottery team. Stupid rule to giving bad teams two first rounders. If you want parity in the leagues then the better rule would be a inverse order draft for lottery teams. Put simply the last team to miss out on playoffs select fifth. So if the team has the 15th worst record and failed to make the playoffs it should be automatically the 5th pick in the draft. Leaving the first 5 picks to the worst teams in the draft.

Stick it. The only lottery I ever enjoyed was the first one.

I think this would only work if one of 2 things happen. Either NBA rosters get expanded to like 18 players to account for the extra players in the D league or D league players do not count towards the roster. Personally I l long believed-at least since all these high schoolers started jumping ship the NBA should adopt a developmental structure similar to the NHL or MLB.

See??? the hockey references have started already!!!

Papabear Says

The NBA needs to get out of the markets where they are loosing money. It always seems to be the same team in the lottery every year anyway. I think that if a team is in the lottery for 2 years in a row with top 7 plus picks they should only qualify for a 20th pick as thier lottery pick. We keep watering down picks and talent because we are in so many markets. We should make players stay in college for 2 years or they must be 20 years old in order to play for the NBA.

jrodmc wrote:See??? the hockey references have started already!!!

Hockey's a niche sport.

joec32033 wrote:

jrodmc wrote:See??? the hockey references have started already!!!

Hockey's a niche sport.

yep--the niche of fucking awesome