The NBA Draft is big business and it is something that is likely to make or break the season of some teams. While the NBA showcases a fairer approach to player acquisition than many sports and leagues around the world, there is still a lot to be said for the fact that the big teams in the big markets get the big players. This is understandable and with trading and picking up free agents at the heart of success for so many big teams, the pressure on the NBA Draft for the rest of the league becomes even bigger.
Smaller teams in smaller markets are no longer able to compete for the top players and this means that the NBA Draft is the way of these teams to redevelop their squad, build a team and hope that they can break out from the lower reaches, even just for a season or two. When big teams want to trade, there is often more to be said for the smaller team taking Draft picks as opposed to players. A smaller team can often get a lot more benefit from bringing in fresh-faced youngsters with something to prove and a reputation to develop as opposed to a veteran who is winding down his career and who is feeling a bit annoyed at the fact that his previous team no longer wanted him.
The NBA Draft leaves little margin for error for most teams
This means that there is a huge level of pressure on certain teams when it comes to the NBA Draft and this means that there is very little margin for error. When there is very little margin for error, you need to work harder and smarter and this means the scouting and research goes to greater depths. When you have all the teams scouting and researching, you have a story and this means the media undertakes the same hunt, scouring the country and indeed the basketball globe for players that can fit into a NBA team and make a difference from the off. There is no such thing as a sure thing but as any gambler will tell you, not all risks and gambles are equal; there are some risks that are more likely to pay off than others. It also means that with so much research being carried out in the hope of finding the new stars, there are very few surprises or shocks left in the NBA Draft. This doesn’t mean that there is no excitement though.
Teams will be a bit wary of this year’s Draft, that is only natural when you think of the tough time suffered by 2013 NBA Draft first pick Anthony Bennett. Even the first pick can struggle to find his feet and this means that no matter how hard you research or what groundwork you put in to help a player hit the ground running, the pressure and expectations can sometimes override everything else. However, there are plenty of players being lined up as top picks and “must-haves” for the 2014 NBA Draft and at basketball betting, we’ve been keeping an eye on what has been going on and who is being tipped for the top.
Like every other basketball fan, we want to know about who is going to emerge in the new season and what players are being tipped to light up the NBA courts in the new season, so the NBA Draft is important to us. We’ll be running through a selection of hot NBA Draft picks and tips in the days leading up to the 2014 NBA Draft, taking place on June 26th at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
At 3-1 down in the NBA Finals, many people predicted that the Cleveland Cavaliers would lie down, perhaps looking for the pain to be over and done with for another year. After all, they were facing the record breakers, the team that had shown themselves to be the best of the best by a good...