Philoscifi

On the brink of destruction, the world desperately needs a Hero. Phil Safari, a reluctant Candidate, must prove himself worthy to the gods by completing a Heroic Task: change 1000 lives for the better… or else! The following is part of the Safaris – a collection of Phil’s misadventures in Heroism. Find out how it all started and what he has learned about love, life, and the pursuit of happiness.

So I was watching the NBA Draft this year, and I started thinking how ridiculous the hype was. I mean, 10 years from now, how many of these people will be remembered? The failure rate seems rather high. I couldn’t decide whether this was a consequence of bad scouting, player work ethic, or simply a bad fit. For a second opinion, I called my resident NBA expert, Jake Sunwell.

“Yo, you busy?”

“Technically yes. I’m in a raid right now, but go ahead.”

“You sure? I don’t want to cause a wipe.”

“Dude, I’m a @#$%ing pally. All I do is spam Flash of Light. It only takes one finger, and it’s brainless. Go ahead.”

“I’m watching the NBA Draft right now. Why do you think so many draft picks don’t pan out?”

“Aside from the fact that many GMs are total tools? Lots of reasons, but my favorite is the overvaluation of potential and undervaluation of psychology. Potential is nice, but if you are lazy bastard, it’s worthless.”

“Yeah, I agree. Although I think that physique does matter to a certain extent. A pencil thin guy might not be able to survive a NBA season. So what kind of traits would you look for?”

“It all boils down to drive. That covers how you respond to pressure, criticism, and failure. Drive means not settling and always challenging yourself to be better. All great players have it.”

“But this quality can also make you an overbearing teammate, which might be bad for team chemistry. What do you think about drafting based on need?”

“Dude, get the best players first; worry about chemistry later. Winning cures all ills. I don’t believe in drafting for needs; most rookies can’t help you immediately anyway. You can fill needs through free agency. I agree that having 50 guards and no centers is not good, but you’re an idiot if you pass up Michael Jordan for Sam Bowie. You draft the elite talent, no matter what.

“After that, grab promising rooks, and if they happen to fill a need, even better. If you don’t see anything good, trade the pick. And unless you have a great scouting department like the San Antonio Spurs, you can forget about finding hidden gems. There you go – the NBA Draft for Dummies from yours truly.”

“Ok, fine. But how a rookie turns out is determined by the environment he starts in. By following your strategy, the perennial bad teams get too many youngsters, and the good teams just let them vegetates on the bench for years. How is anyone going to develop under those conditions? I think teams need to think about these things before they draft.”

Jake laughed. “I agree with you in principle, but #%$^, man, this is the pros! No babies allowed. So what if some coaches bury rookies on the bench? I have no sympathy for them; they get paid millions. Hell, pay me millions, and I’ll gladly warm the bench.

“Besides, what about Michael Redd? He was a 2nd Round pick who was stuck behind Ray Allen for years. Instead of whining, he worked hard and got so good that he replaced Allen.”

“Yeah. It’s still poor team planning, but I guess you’re right. It’s the professional’s job to make the best of the situation.”

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