So what if the NBA season is canceled. What do you do about the draft next June (in Newark), the first draft of the Brooklyn Nets? Chris Mannix examines what the NHL did when faced with the same issue following their season long lockout in 2005, when Sidney Crosby, a transformational player, was on the board.
Mannix reports that if the NBA did follow the NHL model, and no one will admit it's been discussed (and it may not have), the Nets would be among those in the forefront of the odds. The way it would work the NBA would award balls based on team record with a maximum of three balls. The Nets would be among five teams with three balls.
As Mannix writes, what is Lady Luck smiles on the Nets: "What if the Nets, who have a sparkling new arena in Brooklyn and (if they can re-sign him) a franchise point guard in Deron Williams, were slotted in a position where they could acquire an elite forward like Harrison Barnes or Jared Sullinger? Either might make Brooklyn even more enticing to Dwight Howard."
-
NHL offers ready draft model if NBA faces canceled season - Chris Mannix - Sports Illustrated