Here's a suggestion for ESPN to help improve its NBA Draft coverage next season -- no Dick Vitale.
Anyone who watched last week's proceedings on the "Worldwide Leader in Sports" has to agree the network's leading college basketball analyst stood out like a square peg in a round hole. And, no, it had nothing to do with his adrenalin-driven, yet redundant shtick which propelled him to more fame than he could have ever fathomed back in his coaching days.
Almost to a player, Vitale slanted his draft analysis more favorably towards the college players drafted versus the eight high school players selected in the first round. On the surface, this was not surprising, considering Vitale's livelihood is college basketball, and his knowledge of such players at least provided a perspective outside of the NBA-dominated spiel of David Aldridge and Tom (Where did you get that jacket?) Tolbert.
At the same time, it seemed Vitale (and Jay Bilas -- to an extent when he called one of the high school players a potential bust in the presence of the youngster's father) went the extra mile to point out the shortcomings of the high school players, while hyping up the credentials of those college-seasoned veterans like St. Joseph guard Jameer Nelson and Connecticut's Emeka Okafor.
Viewers who refrained from hitting the mute button during one of Vitale's pro-college rants probably did not know several pre-NFL draft analysts ranked high school senior and top pick Dwight Howard ahead of the NCAA Final Four MVP. This was based on Howard's perceived "upside," better all-around offensive skills and concerns as to whether Okafor's past back troubles will be a recurring problem throughout his NBA career much a la another former Charlotte forward Larry Johnson.
Question marks about Nelson's height (5-11) and consistent outside shooting made him a risky high draft pick. In fact, upon being drafted 20th by the Denver Nuggets -- right after eight high school seniors -- he was promptly traded away to Orlando.
That's right, the same Magic organization Vitale excoriated minutes earlier for passing over a college-tested player like Okafor. Vitale saw that decision as "Not so awesome, baby!" and another example of the further erosion of the NBA product as a result of drafting unproven high school seniors.
Enough already!
To paraphrase Jack Nicholson, Dick Vitale "just can't handle the truth." These days, how a player fares against college basketball competition over four years is proving to be less of an indicator of his pro basketball success. For every Tim Duncan, there's a Christian Laettner, Bryant "Big Country" Reeves, Mateem Cleaves, John Wallace and, yes, (due to injury) even a Grant Hill who fail to live up to their college press clippings or Vitale's public endorsements.
Conversely, high school players who have entered the NBA early have enjoyed (no pun intended) a "high" success rate. Out of the 17 players drafted since 1995, 12 are either starters or key team contributors off the bench. Statistically, the high schoolers more than hold their own in comparison with those players who leave college after two years.
Want further proof? Here's a list compiled of former first-round picks since 1995 broken into three teams based on their class standing entering the NBA Draft. Take your pick as to which team would be favored in a round-robin tournament:
A. HIGH SCHOOL SENIORS
GUARDS -- Kobe Bryant, Tracy McGrady and/or LeBron James
FORWARDS -- Kevin Garnett and Amare Stoudemire
CENTER --Jermaine O'Neal
BENCH -- Jonathan Bender, Al Harrington, Eddy Curry, Darius Miles, Kwane Brown and Tyson Chandler
B. TWO OR LESS YEARS OF COLLEGE EXPERIENCE
GUARDS -- Allen Iverson and Mike Bibby
FORWARDS -- Elton Brand and Rasheed Wallace
CENTER -- Shaquille O'Neal
BENCH -- Jerry Stackhouse, Antoine Walker, Chauncey Billips, Lamar Odom, Ron Artest, Baron Davis and Mike Miller
C. FOUR-YEAR COLLEGE SENIORS
GUARDS -- Andre Miller and Kerry Kittles
FORWARDS -- Wally Sczerbiak and Kenyon Martin
CENTER -- Tim Duncan
BENCH -- Keith Van Horn, Shane Battier, Raef LaFrentz, Juan Dixon, Desmond Mason, Mark Madsen, Tayshaun Prince and Jamaal Tinsley
It's enough to make even Vitale sit silent -- for about 15 seconds -- and ask himself whether his beloved college game is doing enough to prepare players for the NBA. Based on last Thursday, the high schoolers and NBA general managers apparently already know what the answer is.