Let’s see – so far this month, I’ve picked Serena Williams to win the French Open, Funny Cide to win the Triple Crown and the Nets to win the NBA Finals…

Any other teams/athletes you want jinxed? I accept cash, check or credit card…

Feeling a Draft

This Thursday, the NBA holds it’s annual draft at Madison Square Garden in New York. However, this year, there’s a lot more anticipation than usual, and a lot less suspense. The Cleveland Cavaliers will select the oft-lauded prep phenomenon, LeBron James, with the first selection, and the Detroit Pistons will follow by selecting the even younger Serbian, Darko Milicic. Soon after that, last season’s collegiate champion, Carmelo Anthony, will be selected third by the Denver Nuggets. Anthony, the oldest of the three, is only nineteen years of age. Any one of these players could easily be selected first overall in most years, and all of them are expected to become superstars in the marketing-driven NBA.

There are plenty of other talented players available in the draft, as well. Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade, T.J. Ford and Mickael Pietrus may dramatically change the fortunes of the teams that select them. With the recent influx of European and South American players into the NBA fold, the draft has now become a truly international affair, and teams have become enamored with finding the next Dirk Nowitzki, Nene Hilario or Yao Ming.

Out of all the drafts held by the four major North American sports, the NBA’s draft may be the most exciting, and definitely makes for the best drama. Why? Simple. No league’s draft changes the composition of a team more completely, or with more regularity than the NBA Draft.

An NBA team brings twelve men to the court, meaning that each player comprises just over eight percent of the roster. Therefore, a single quality player (or a poor one, for that matter) can impact the team dramatically. When that player is say, Hakeem Olajuwon (the first overall pick in 1984), the entire franchise can be changed for the better, and future championships can even be attributed to such a selection. However, when that player is say, Steve Stipanovich (the second overall pick in 1983), it can take the franchise years to recover. This kind of risk and reward transforms the draft into high-stakes poker for many teams, and the real results may not be known for years.