Does anyone else think the NBA draft had too many players from overseas?

[Hanmudog]

I realize that there are alot of skilled European players that deservedly got drafted but it sure seemed like there were several from Africa that make John Riek look skilled. I have no idea what the Lakers were doing by taking those two guys from over there. Their highlight tapes looked like intramural games.

It is a shame that guys like Ravern and Kodi who actually have some skills (even if they are headcases) don't get a chance while some guy that averaged 0.7ppg and 0.3 rb gets a shot with the Lakers.

 

[seshomoru]

They draft a prospect they don't have to even pay. They basically get the rights to him, and if he develops then it's all good. If he doesn't... oh well, they never paid a dime to him. It's a free farm system, and then they get to try out other guys for free agent contracts. You only get 12 active roster spots and 3 inactive, so sometimes, you might actually not need to draft anyone. So take a flyer on a foreigner and he's yours later if he develops.

For what it's worth, the guy the Lakers took 56th was traded to Denver for a future pick. Apparently, the Denver GM discovered the kid and thinks he's awesome.

 

[Hanmudog]

Makes sense for a team like Los Angeles. It just seemed like they were wasting picks when guys like Ravern, Scotty Hopson, and Ben Hansbrough were still out there. Outside shooting was their biggest weakness and taking the guys from Africa just did not make any sense at first.

 

[seshomoru]

The have a lot more weight when signing free agents than say... Indiana.

 

[fishwater99]

It's all about the money......