The NBA pre-draft camp is apparently ceasing to exist, which is a shame because although the quality of play was pretty lacking, it was still a great event to see lots of players and it was also fantastic for networking. Almost everyone who matters in the NBA went there not just to see players but to get face time with others in the business.
But, the Charlotte Observer (Rick Bonnell) reports: I just confirmed a story, originally reported by The Sporting News, that the NBA pre-draft camp is no more as we knew it. There will no longer be games or practices for draft candidates. Mass physicals will still take place, and those physicals will likely move back to Chicago from suburban Orlando, where the camp was held the past two years at Disney’s Wide World of Sports. Here’s the deal: The quality of player participating had deteriorated so badly the past few years that it became a sham. Twenty years ago, just sure-bet lottery picks passed on playing in the games. Recently, if two guys who played in Orlando were among the 30 first-round picks, it felt like a small victory for the league.
