BuzzerBeater Forums

i can't let the chunks have the last word on a thread he started -- but, la fou, i've been thinking . . .

what if we had something like what i understand the nfl has -- a collective scouting of a group of rookies. the way i envision this working is teams would pay to look -- say $50,000 -- and then get all the available information about all the rookies. (this could be subject to further development -- maybe the same balls system, ranking, box scores, or maybe some specific skills, height --)

then -- and this is the idea -- we would have a league-wide Dutch auction -- each team would offer silent, secret bids on the player(s) of their dreams -- i could see each team bidding on up to three players, say -- they could offer bids on each of the players, but rank their priority. this draft would accomplish much:

1) teams could opt in or out of the draft -- increasing the range of management tactics
2) teams could look for specific players to fit their needs
3) giving sufficient clues for a reasonable idea of the player's abilities and potential would remove or certainly reduce the random / gambling factor
4) strong rookies would no longer be free money for the undeserving, but would be fairly valued from the beginning. or, to put it another way, rookies would be more accurately valued before they hit the TL
5) it would be challenging to come up with a bid that both wins a player and does not overpay
6) it would further complicate finances, as teams would have to plan for the bids

downside, or adverse changes:
1) teams lose their draft advantage currently gained now by losing. i don't see this as deal breaker, because they could plan for spending big bucks on a draft choice.
2) multiple bids could be a hassle -- maybe teams could have a top bid, next bid, third bid, using the same money, but once that money is used, further bids would have to be covered with cash

this would add a bit of active excitement to the weeks between seasons, as we would be looking at other teams and determining what their needs might be, their bids, etc.

would more successful teams not have more money during the season as well, and be able to afford to spend the extra on the scouting? right now, more successful teams have more money and can buy better players on the TL than weaker teams -- i don't see the difference. i think it is safe to say in bb it is always better to be a strong than weak team.

and as far as improving weaker teams, as it now stands, the weaker team(s) may or may not get the best player(s) available, thanks to random chance. as it now stands, my experience has shown me that weak teams and strong teams alike kiss off the draft more or less (i am basing this on the league averages on the team finances page). and after division v, a draft choice is not going to salvage a team headed for relegation anyway -- drafts are all about the future two or three seasons down the line.

i suppose i am saying the draft as now constituted does not accomplish the purpose of re-balancing league competition. my suggestion does make the process a bit more rational and predictably useful. and rich teams have as much chance at that rare 18-year old HOF player during the draft as on the TL.

Simply put, and for the 100th time, the draft is BORING AS HELL. You dont' do ANYTHING at all for 99.999% of the season.

The entire draft experience is made up of the following:
- deciding how much to invest on the scouts at the beginning of the season (3 minutes maybe?)
- MAYBE changing that once or twice during the season (another 3 minutes maybe?)
- ordering the list of players once it comes out (5 minutes? maybe 10 if you scouted a lot of players?)
- seeing who you ended up with (another two minutes)


Perhaps if the entire process were more interactive and fun during the season then so many people wouldn't completely disregard what should be one of the main aspects of the game.

This is my issue with the draft. And notice that not once did I mention the value of the drafted players in general, and the ones I have been selecting.

I found Joe Bronson in the draft...he's now one of the best guards in the USA as a 22 year old. There is no way I would have been able to buy such a player on the market, especially considering my lack of funding.

This season I picked up an 18 YO MVP potential with a $4 220 salary.

The draft is a combination of luck and skill, just like it is in the NBA. You could have had the #1 pick in 2006 and your only real option would be Rondo (in retrospect), or you could be picking in 2003 where D-Wade, Chris Bosh, Lebron James, David West and some others would have been available. That's how drafts work.

Last edited by 420Monta at 3/29/2010 1:02:29 PM

Concept question: would you prefer the draft, or something ala a HT "youth academy"?

I can say from having played HT for a spell before and after youth academies, the academies do a great job of rewarding effort & thought put into the player generation process, and level out some of the randomness. That being said, they do a GREAT job rewarding effort -- if you half ass your youth academy, you ain't gonna get anything out of it. So from that perspective, the draft (or HT's older "youth pull" system) is much nicer for casual players and maintains more of a level (albeit capriciously distributed) system.

Concept question: would you prefer the draft, or something ala a HT "youth academy"?

I can say from having played HT for a spell before and after youth academies, the academies do a great job of rewarding effort & thought put into the player generation process, and level out some of the randomness. That being said, they do a GREAT job rewarding effort -- if you half ass your youth academy, you ain't gonna get anything out of it. So from that perspective, the draft (or HT's older "youth pull" system) is much nicer for casual players and maintains more of a level (albeit capriciously distributed) system.

If you wish to maintain an NBA-style format, then the draft is fine.
What I would like is to have the same level of interaction during the entire season that you have with the HT youth academies, here in the BB draft. I don't think it's an impossible thing to achive if the scouting process is done the right way.
At the moment though, there is simply no comparison between the youth system in HT and the one in BB.

I disagree. The draft is sort of medium risk- high reward. The money spent is not that big of a deal to me. And you really will not find quality trainees on the market for less than 600k. Sure you could get crappy 3.1k guys with maybe allstar potential for 100 or 200k, but that's not really what I hunt for. Transfer prices for trainees are seemingly even higher than they are for established stars. And if you plan on buying a 4.5k 18y/0 SF or PG with perennial allstar or higher potential, LOL good luck. They are going for 1.2mil minimum. Some allstars and stars are going for a million as well.

TL is too expensive. I didn't draft exceptionally well this year, but a 4.5 salary 19 SG isn't TERRIBLE. And would cost be 250k anyway. Plus I get another player for free.

But you'd put poor Slobovich out of a job.

Lord knows he'd prefer cruising solo on the backroads of Indiana looking for kids shooting at hoops on the sides of their barns than sit crammed into the pressbox at the United Center while well-heeled players with three digit numbers on their backs are measured for their vertical leap.

C'mon, think of the boozehound. (Though Joe says the press food table at the United Center isn't bad at all. Not bad at all.)