Thursday, June 28, 2012

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. 




Along with the NFL Draft, the NBA Draft is always packed with storylines.  
With the successes and visibility of college basketball many fans are familiar with the names in the draft and have actually watched them play.  Drafts usually bring no shortage in storylines, and this year’s NBA Draft is no different.  Here are 3 storylines to watch for at tonight’s NBA Draft.



1. #1 Overall Pick – As with any draft, everybody wants to know who will go number one overall.  This year it is looking like Anthony Davis out the University of Kentucky.  Coming off of a National Championship, Player of the Year award, and a US Olympic team tryout, Davis seems primed and ready to take his game to the top professional level.   The New Orleans Hornets are the owners of the number one pick by the graces of random selection at the NBA Draft Lottery (or by the hand of David Stern…).  With Davis trademarking different plays on words regarding his famous unibrow, it will be interesting to see if the Hornets cash in marketing on the brow.



2. Houston Rockets’ 3 first round picks – After a Tuesday trade where they sent Chase Budinger and the draft rights of Lior Eliyahu to the Minnesota Timberwolves for the 18th pick in the today’s draft, there are plenty of trade speculations swirling.  With the acquisition of the 18th pick, the Rockets now own pick 14, 16, and 18 in the first round.   Perhaps the biggest and most intriguing of all trade rumors is that the Rockets are willing to send all three of their mid first round picks to the Orlando Magic for disgruntled superstar center Dwight Howard.  It may seem crazy, but it also seems possible.   This is definitely a possible draft day trade to keep an eye on.



3. Where will the hometown Sixers go? – There has been plenty of speculation in the Philadelphia area of where the Sixers will go with their first round pick mid-way through the first round at number 15.  I have seen many fans calling for the team to pick Ohio State standout Jared Sullinger.  The pick would interesting because it seems like he may have to slip a little bit to fall to the Sixers, but they would also be taking a chance on an oft-injured player.  The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that the team could go with Arnett Moultrie, the 6’11” center from Mississippi State.  The team also has expressing interest in Terrence Ross of the University of Washington and Moe Harkless of the St. Johns Red Storm.  Given the team’s success last year coming within one game of the Eastern Conference Finals, today’s NBA Draft will be critical for the Sixers.



We will find out the answers to these three stories and more.  How do you think it will play out?

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