S4SC with Sonny Vaccaro Day 1 Recap

The 2014 Sport for Social Change Conference started off with a bang Thursday night!  Fans were blessed with a wonderful conversation between ESPN's Tom Farrey and basketball marketing legend, Sonny Vaccaro.  Vaccaro began his basketball marketing career with the Dapper Dan High School All Star Game in Pittsburgh, PA in 1965.  Dapper Dan was the first high school basketball all star game in the country; a groundbreaking idea by Vaccaro to help the public see the young basketball talent in the U.S.

K.J. McDaniels Destroys a Basketball; Puts Himself in RoTY Conversation

Shooting Guard/Small Forward, K.J. McDaniels

      In the 2013 NBA Draft 76ers fans saw All-Star point guard traded for the #6 overall pick that year (Nerlens Noel) and the need to fill the hole at point guard.  With their own pick that year, #11 overall, they filled that need with former Syracuse point guard, Michael Carter-Williams.  Since then the man known as "MCW" went on to win Rookie of the Year honors for the 76ers, and will be making his 2014/15 debut within the coming days, finally healthy after off-season shoulder surgery.

Sport for Thought: Wiggins or Love?

Love and Wiggins. Two stars entering different stages of their NBA careers. Is Kevin Love or Andrew Wiggins more valuable to a NBA franchise?

Year of the Freshman

Another year another NBA Draft.  This year was considered one of the strongest and deepest draft classes since 2003 when LeBron, Melo, Bosh, Wade, and company were selected and given mega-million dollar contracts.  Eleven years later, the likes of Andrew Wiggins, Jabari Parker, and Joel Embiid will each get their time to shine in the spotlight.  Nobody will know for sure how good this draft class is until several years down the road when each gets professional playing experience in the NBA.  But how can we say that this class will make a major impact right away when each of the top ten picks are twenty years old or younger?  Seven of the top ten picks were freshman!  (Dante Exum is eighteen years old and the equivalent to a freshman.)

Sixer Fans, Patience is a Virtue

With the third pick in the 2014 NBA draft, the Philadelphia 76ers select….Joel Embiid. Another injured player Sixer fans are thinking. Before Joel Embiid broke his foot, he was almost a lock to be the number one overall pick leaving the Sixers with either Jabari Parker or Andrew Wiggins. Sixer fans are no stranger to having to wait for a top ten pick to be healthy. Last year it was Nerlens Noel being the number six pick sitting out the whole year but they had Michael Carter-Williams as well. This year, they have a bunch of second round picks instead.  It is reported that Embiid will be out five to eight months but no one will be surprised if he sits out the entire season.

NBA Draft Preview: The Future is Within Sight

Alright ladies and gents, the 2014 NBA Draft is now just a couple of days away.  Many basketball fans have been waiting, waiting, then the All-Star break happened, and then there was more waiting, the trade dead line, waiting and...well you get the picture.  For several team's fans, the only result that mattered was the number in the loss column.  As you know, this was the case for most if not all 76er fans in the 2013-2014 season.  And because of that, we have a Sixers' fan (me!) preview before the actual preview.  You may recognize this one: 

Market Power: NBA Rookie Edition

The NBA postseason is coming to an end with the finals beginning this week. It is a rematch of last year’s thrilling finals between the Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs. It’s going to be a dogfight. Even though the finals will be going on, June 26th is what many of the bottom dweller teams are looking forward to being the NBA draft. This year’s draft has a ton of talent, but does talent translate into marketability? Earlier I discussed the three players left in the playoffs I would target for marketing. Now I will take a look at three NBA soon to be rookies and why I would choose them to market my company.

1.7

1.7 is just a number, a very small number, a number nobody really thinks of because it's so small.  When the number is made into a percentage, it is virtually forgotten:  1.7 percent.  That means, every one or two times out of one hundred tries, this thing will happen.  And on Tuesday, May 20, 2014, the odds were forever in the favor of the Cleveland Cavaliers.  Of the twenty-three total NBA lotteries, the worst team has won only three times (the Magic in 2004, Cleveland in 2003, and New Jersey in 1990).  There is no rhyme or reason for a team winning the lottery, but many believe the system is rigged.  Is it?  Should changes be made to the current NBA Draft Lottery?

Abolishing the 'One and Done'?

For the 2006 NBA Draft, the NBA implemented a new rule adding an age limit to players entering:  19 years of age or one year removed from college.  The term 'one and done' was then coined for this rule as many of the top players played one year in college, only to declare for the NBA draft after the season had ended.  Since its implementation, many college student-athletes have left college for the NBA to (1) become a successful  professional athletes and (2) to earn a payday.  However, it appears that the latter may be considered the commonality.

The Sports Biz Report - Episode 2.5 - 2014 NBA Draft Class

2013 NBA Draft: The Financial Difference Between #1 and #5

At around 7:30pm Thursday night in Brooklyn, NY, 30 young men will have their lives changed forever when David Stern calls their name to play in the NBA. These 30 young men (some even younger than me, which I find very upsetting) will see the gratifying culmination of years of summer basketball camps, AAU travel teams, and countless hours in the gym in front of the eyes of millions of fans across the world. Also, most will strike it rich in an instant. But how rich you may ask? Well, I’m here to explain the pretty big difference between going first overall (such as Kentucky’s Nerlens Noel, Maryland’s Alex Len, or Georgetown’s Otto Porter) and going fifth or lower.

Above the Rim: The 2013 NBA Draft: Up in the Air

As the NBA season came to an end in spectacular fashion last week, NBA fans and teams focus their gaze on the 2013 NBA Draft, which takes place this Thursday, June 28^th. Although the draft is an exciting time every year for teams looking to get better and strive for future playoff runs, this draft is less hopeful than most. With no surefire All-Star caliber prospects and no legitimate #1 player, this year’s draft is not one that will put any forlorn franchise immediately back into playoff contention.

The 2012 NBA Draft: A Fan’s Journey

3 NBA Draft Stories to Watch

Tonight is the night where 60 dreams are made and most are put on hold.  Tonight is the night of the NBA Draft.  The draft will be held at the Prudential Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey starting at 7pm.  The one night event will air on ESPN and NBA TV while also streaming on ESPN3.com.  If you cannot get to a TV or a computer, then you can follow along on Twitter by following the NBA (@NBA) or under the hashtag #NBADraft.  I’m sure that the NBA will have very solid social media coverage given their vast social media presence and innovative approaches.