sdp@chinet.UUCP (steve d. pruitt) (02/21/86)
I know it's much too early to get serious about the NBA draft right now, especially with the }iNCAA tourney just around the corner, but I happen to follow a team (the Bulls) that will almost be a shoe in for the draft 'lottery' (it's a shame because right now we'd be in the coin flip with Golden State). Any way, given this years college crop, who whould go #1, in the top 7, what about underclassmen (Berry, Bedford, Washington (my personal favorite -- he'd be great in the same back court with Air Jordan although I know we need big men) ). Also are there any "decent" free agents to be available this summer (big men in particular). -- ......................................... . "Living forever isn't just a dream!" . . . . Steve Pruitt . . !ihnp4!chinet!sdp . .........................................
michaelf@ism780 (02/26/86)
Ralph Sampson will be a free agent at the end of this year.
He has publicly stated his desire to be a Laker though, so don't
hold your breath. Hell, he's already wearing the same goggles
as Kareem and Worthy.dietz@dataioDataio.UUCP (Kent E. Dietz) (02/26/86)
I heard that the NBA Players Association president (?) has proposed that the draft be eliminated when the Association contract comes up for review next year.This would allow all players to choose the team they want to play for, includingcollege players. Personally, I think this would make salaries increase by causing a bidding war for the best players. Also, the teams with the most money would sign most of the best players, destroying the smaller market teams, such as Portland and UtahRight now, Portland has a 380+ streak of sellouts, but they play in a 12666 seatarena. As an organization, they simply wouldn't be able to pay the rates of a truly "free agent" market. On the other hand, why shouldn't athletes be free to sell their skills to the team (company) of their choice. Engineers would probably be upset if there was a draft. What are the opinions of netland on the subject of eliminating the draft ? Kent E. Dietz FutureNet Corp. uw-beaver!entropy!dataio!dietz
mike@uokvax.UUCP (03/07/86)
I've always wondered about this also. I know that if I were a great
basketball player and I got drafted by the Boston Celtics, I would choke.
Something tells me that anti-trust laws are being violated in some way
(but I'm no lawyer). I'm all for players choosing who they want to play
for, but I have a feeling parity in the league would suffer (although
it doesn't seem to be working anyway).
I think a good example of something that isn't "right" is the arbitration
stuff going on in baseball right now. I just don't see how somebody can
force an owner to pay someone more than he is willing to pay. It seems to
be a disadvantage of exclusive rights to a player. Let's get rid of it!
Help stamp out player drafts in your lifetime! :-)
Mike Heath
Univ. of Oklahoma, Engineering Computer Network
{bacyn,csvax,ctvax,glmnhh,okstate,texsun,umree}!uokvax!mikeraraider@uokvax.UUCP (03/11/86)
Concerning the last note, with the salary cap, how can anyone really afford to enter any sort of bidding war? Most teams are at or near their limits, and the caps will not get much larger in the near future. The lottery business has to go, or at least be reworked. rich raiders u. okla.