Jack’s Blog

In the April 28, 2008 addition of Sports Illustrated - yeah, five years ago - there was an article about the NFL draft.  Not surprising, since it was the same time of year as the one held a few days ago.  The article was about the 1998 draft, the one with Peyton Manning and Ryan Leaf, and with the #5 pick (Curtis Enis, who retired from the league two years later) and the #92 pick (Hines Ward, who became the Super Bowl XL MVP).  A couple of the people quoted in the piece were New Orleans coach Sean Payton and former Green Bay Packers general manager, and current San Diego Chargers consultant, Ron Wolf.

Their discussion was, naturally, about the “science” of drafting football players.  Their comments, however, rang just as true as if they were discussing the NBA draft.  Payton’s comment was, “You get excited about a guy because of his tools and projecting his ability, but so much of this is looking beneath the surface.”  As the NBA playoffs continue, it’s impossible not to look at the “nobodies” who slipped through the draft cracks and the high profile picks which have yet to live up to pre-draft hype.  Everybody knows the Sam Bowie over Michael Jordan gigantic  mistake and Greg Oden before Kevin Durant humongous error.  Another interesting example would be the 2009 draft in which the Minnesota Timberwolves were in the market for a guard (several as it turned out).  They took Ricky Rubio, Spain’s version of “Pistol” Pete Maravich, with the fifth pick.  They also had the sixth pick and, because most thought Rubio would be difficult to sign, they decided to go with an additional point guard.  Their choice was Syracuse’s Jonny Flynn - whose career mostly has been in the NBA, although last season he played for the Melbourne Tigers in Australia.

What Payton meant can clearly be seen in that selection.  Not only did Minnesota select Flynn over the next pick, Stephen Curry, whom the T-Wolves are constantly being reminded went to Golden State but they also passed on #10 Brandon Jennings, #17 Jrue Holiday, #18 Ty Lawson (they actually did draft Lawson but it was only to trade him to Denver for a future first round pick) and #19 Jeff Teague.  It’s more than a stretch to say that guys picked in the first round “slipped through the cracks” but it does show how the draft is such a crap shoot for a team when its name comes to make its draft selection.

Other classics?  How about the Clippers, a year after they wisely (OK, that year, a three-year-old would have) picked Blake Griffin at #1, they felt they needed to get a small forward with the ability to get his own shot.  They chose Al-Farouq Aminu with the eighth pick.  The Jazz took Gordon Hayward next, just before the Pacers who grabbed (and has never let go of) Paul George.  Why would the Clippers pass on Paul George for Al-Farouq Aminu?

For the answer, listen to the eerie crossover similarity between football and basketball, as told by Ron Wolf:

The fascinating thing about pro football is, no matter how long you’re in it, you can’t predict how guys are going to handle the pressure, the limelight, the money.”

Please read my ideas about the “one-and-dones” in intercollegiate athletics (along with my ideas on aiding the apparent problem).  This post will not be a rehashing of that one but, rather, will tie some of the points I made in it into a bet made by a couple of local athletes. 

Fresno State fans were fortunate for the past couple years (something they might just now be realizing) to have had the opportunity to watch two extremely talented athletes, a football player (Ryan Mathews) and a basketball player (Paul George) play at a non-BCS institution.  Seldom do schools at that level have such gifted athletes, much less at the same time.  Note: Since I was working at Fresno State at the time, I am aware that David Carr, Melvin Ely, Stephen Abas, Nick Watney and Jamie Southern all played for the Bulldogs the same year, so this phenomenon is not a first for the school.

This current fact, though, was validated after this past year’s NFL and NBA drafts.  Both stars were selected in the first round, Mathews picked 12th by the San Diego Chargers, George 10th by the Indiana Pacers.  In an interview with George in yesterday’s Fresno Bee, it was reported that, prior to the NBA selection process that he and Mathews had a $5,000 bet as to which player would be drafted higher.

I have said numerous times before, both in this space and in conversation with others that one of the easiest things to do in life is to spend other people’s money.  So, let me preface my remarks by saying this is not an indictment on either or both of these young guys (neither of whom I know).  Possibly, my reading of this wager (of minute proportions considering what their contracts will be) coincided a little too soon after my reading the cover story on the recent Time magazine (2/28/10).  That issue has on its cover the license plate BNKRPT and the story is about the miserable economic plight of nearly every state in this nation.

Far be it from me to lay guilt on two student-athletes in their early 20s.  It’s just that, after reading the article, it occurred to me that, had these guys - who must have entered college fairly certain that a professional career in their sport was not only a goal, but a distinct possibility - been able to study a course which would have made them aware of the economic condition in this country (as well as others), possibly the bet would have been $5K to the charity of the winner’s choice.  Then again, maybe they were taught that and maybe the winner’s take did wind up as a charitable donation, but the tone of the article didn’t seem as though the bet was made with that purpose in mind.

Hey, I know it’s their money and they earned it (although some may say that remains to be determined).  It’s just that if guys are going to leave school early - or even if they’re not - part of a college education ought to be enlightening the student on national and global issues.  The question can also be asked of me, “What am you doing for others?”  Quite pertinent and while I won’t list my charitable deductions, I can only say I act and agree (admittedly, on an infinitely lesser level) with the feelings of Bill Gates who said:

“Is the rich world aware of how four billion of the six billion live?  If we were aware, we’d want to help out, and we’d want to get involved.”

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