ANYONE FEEL A DRAFT?

The NBA draft takes place on Thursday night, and maybe this is the first you’ve heard of it. It certainly doesn’t get the hype and buildup of the NFL draft, which essentially starts in January (the hype and buildup, that is) and continues ever higher until the end of April.

The NBA draft is only two rounds – 60 selections, all in a night. The NFL draft goes seven rounds and roughly 260 picks over three days. The NFL selections are almost entirely American players, from colleges we’ve heard of. The NBA routinely selects foreign players with whom we have no familiarity. They may be good for the NBA, but they’re not exactly a thrill for the fans.

Here are three players likely to be chosen near the top of the NBA draft. See if you find yourself stifling a yawn.

There’s Emmanuel Mudiay, a 6-5 point guard from the Congo who played in China last year. O-h. And he could be the No. 4 overall pick. There are power forward Kristaps Porzingis of Latvia and small forward Mario Hezonja of Croatia (though it could be Mario Croatia of Hezonja). Imagine watching your team tank all season long just so it could take … one of these guys you’ve never heard of or seen.

You will notice some known quantities early – Duke’s Jahlil Okafor, Kentucky’s Karl-Anthony Towns, Ohio State’s D’Angelo Russell. There will be gambles, like Myles Turner, who played one season at Texas and wasn’t all that hot. Yet he is considered a top 10 pick. Hey, he’s 6-11 and you can’t teach height.

With two picks, an NBA team can’t exactly restock its roster. And with the anonymity of so many picks, the drama that the NFL creates is sorely lacking.
 
 
Post By: Larry Weisman, a longtime sportswriter for USA TODAY, blogs for Twistity.com. Follow him on Twitter @MrLarryWeisman.