No more games but a lot more basketball

Congratulations to the Dallas Mavericks on winning their first NBA Championship title. Thanks to the incredible play of MVP Dirk Nowitzki, the Mavericks defeated the Miami Heat in six games to become NBA champions this past Sunday night.

So, that is the end of the NBA season right?

Wrong.

This 2011 NBA off season is going to be one of the most important in years. The current Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) expires on June 30. With the owners and players a long way from securing a deal a lockout is expected. The lockout is exactly what it says – players will be not be allowed to use the team facilities. There is strong talk there will be a long delay in the NBA season starting. Amongst other things, the owners are seeking a hard salary cap and a reduction in the length and the amount of Player contracts. Missing three months or more of the 2011/12 season would be a disaster not only for the NBA but the game. However, before the CBA expires and any potential lockout, the 2011 draft will take place.

Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Derrick Rose and Dirk Nowitzki are all household names around the basketball world. Soon to be joining them in the NBA are Kyrie Irving, Derrick Williams, Kemba Walker and Jimmer Fredette. These players have a lot to achieve before they become household names in the NBA but on Thursday 23rd June their names will be called by NBA Commissioner David Stern and they will join the greatest basketball players in the world on the big stage.

The general consensus among the experts is the 2011 draft is the weakest in many years and the expected lockout is one of the reasons why. Potential top ten picks such as Harrison Barnes, Jared Sullinger, Perry Jones and Terrance Jones have decided to stay in college and declare for the draft in 2012. I am sure had those four players made themselves eligible for selection the strength of the draft would not have been questioned, but who is to say a team will not pick up a potential franchise changing player in this years’ draft?

It could be the Cleveland Cavaliers. They have the luxury of the first overall pick and are expected to draft Duke freshman Point Guard Kyrie Irving. Or it could be the Dallas Mavericks who have the 57th overall pick. In 1999, the San Antonio Spurs used the 57th overall pick to select Manu Ginobli, now a three time NBA Champion and two time All Star.  What a great pick that turned out to be. On the flip side in 1984, the Portland Trail Blazers selected Sam Bowie as the second overall pick ahead of Michael Jordan. Can you imagine how different the history of the NBA would had been if Jordan been drafted by Portland? This is the beauty of the draft. Every team is looking for the next superstar, a role player or at worst a backup player but there are no guarantees in the draft.

Leading up to next weeks draft I will profile some of the players who have declared and some of the teams who will be using the draft to try to rebuild their franchises. Finally, on the day of the draft I will post my own mock first round draft.

Stay posted.

Article courtesy of Michael Roberts.