I am the pressure. I am the sport.

Can a player be a bust after one year? Can a 6-2 shooting guard shoot 38% from the field? Ask Jimmer! (Photo Credit: NBA.com)

I’m actually writing this post from the international terminal at the Auckland Airport so I don’t know what the view of the draft is like from here.

This Thursday evening June 28^th, is the annual NBA draft.  This is the day when the hopeless get hope.  Unless, of course, you’re a Sacramento Kings fan, then you know you’re getting screwed.

Last years draft was a debacle.  The drafting of Jimmer Fredette was a last-ditch effort to attract a crowd to Sacramento home games in a ‘contract year’ for the team and city.  In case you hadn’t heard, the Kings were on the verge of leaving Sacramento at the end of the 2011 season, for the greener pastures of Los Angeles.  They were given a one-year extension to try to work out a long-term deal to keep the team in town.  Knowing that the team had a year to make a good impression, they picked Fredette to try to spark the home crowd into attendance.  He was one of the most prolific scorers in college basketball history and initially, when all of his jerseys sold out, both in stores and online, it appeared to be a success. Continue reading →