Judgment Call

2013 NBA Draft Night (A New York Vacation Turns into a Dream NBA Coverage (Part III))

15 July 2013 at 10:15 am

I had had the chance to hear and see in person a handful of the potential draftees and, perhaps, future NBA stars in the days leading up to the 2013 NBA Draft. On 27 June 2013, I had the honor and privilege to be present at the Barclays Center, home of the Brooklyn Nets, for the actual event, to experience the sights and sounds that we all had previously seen and heard on television.

I emerged from the subway exit that led right to the Barclays Center on Atlantic Avenue, Brooklyn, and the hustle and bustle in the area was immediately apparent. Barclays is a new, state-of-the art arena, not even a year old, where aside from sporting events, concerts and conventions are also held. Aside from the Nets, in a couple of years, the New York Islanders of the NHL will also call the Barclays Center their home.

In the maze of hallways, I saw the media dining venue, full of many of the reporters and writers I had seen in the previous days. I found the Media Room where, on stage, a huge man in a rusty-red colored suit was posing for pictures with anyone who wanted one with him. It was Chocolate Thunder himself, Daryl Dawkins, formerly of the Philadelphia 76ers and the New Jersey Nets, and a more-than-once-in-the-past Manila visitor. When he learned I was from the Philippines, he gave me a big hug, slapped high-fives with me a few times, and said he intended to visit our country again sometime soon, so he could meet up with his friend, “Senator Jaworski.”

In the media waiting area, there was a fridge full of different drinks, and a table with some of the most delicious chocolate chip cookies and fudge brownies for all to enjoy. Laptops were plugged in, cameras were being tested, and people were chatting with each other, mostly about who they thought would be picked at number one, and where other draftees would end up. I had the opportunity to again chat with Marc Spears of Yahoo! Sports (U.S.) and Craig Sager of TNT, and both said they did not have any idea of who would end up at number one. I met Ron Burke of NBA TV, and saw Calder Hynes, the PR Manager of the Nets, who had invited me to a Nets Draft Workout a few days before. He told me that he and the entire Nets organization were excited about the news of Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce heading to Brooklyn. Outgoing NBA Commissioner David Stern walked by, with his Deputy and incoming Commissioner Adam Silver close behind, as the event was about to start.

In the crowded room where I admittedly felt like an outsider, it was refreshing to find one of our “kababayans”, Rodene “Den” Cortes, who was the representative of NBA.com Philippines. He told me he is a physical therapist from Cebu and working in NYC, and got the NBA.com Ph correspondent gig while writing from there. Naturally, we kept each other company for the rest of the night, since we both were there as the lone representative of our respective websites, and neither of us had a cameraman or photographer to assist us. We learned that the NBA Communications Group had seated us beside each other in the designated media section inside the arena. We made our way to our seats, but stopped several times along the way as we passed some noted NBA personalities, such as former Washington Bullets GM and current Nets scout Bob Ferry (father of current Atlanta Hawks GM Danny Ferry, a thirteen-year NBA veteran), and met some others, like NBA TV host, former NBA player “3-D” Dennis Scott and Miami Heat forward Shane Battier, who would later interview the Draft picks as they exited the stage.

The crowd was filling up the freezing venue when we made it to our seats, and we watched as the potential top draft picks took their places in “the Green Room” with their friends and families, college coaches, and agents. There was a stage set up in the middle of the venue, where Scott and Matt Devlin were the in-venue hosts for the night. Throughout the evening, they would talk about the needs of each team on the clock to make its pick, and interview past draftees, who would relive their Draft night experiences, and also chat with the just-drafted players. They explained that each team would have five minutes to make its pick in the First Round, and two minutes in the Second Round.

When Stern came on stage a little past 7:30 p.m., the rowdy Brooklyn crowd, most of whom were clad in New York Knicks shirts/jerseys, booed loudly. They repeatedly did so every time Stern would come out to announce the next draft pick. Stern, for his part, played along and even encouraged the crowd to continue booing, chiding them when their boos grew softer as the night progressed, and even gamely addressing the foreign media and foreign TV audience by “explaining” that in the US, booing was a form of high respect, which drew more jeers. By now, you all know that the number one pick in the Draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers was a big surprise: Anthony Bennett of UNLV. Nobody predicted Bennett would go first, and Stern only added to the great suspense by pausing for some time before making the announcement.

RELATED: 2013 NBA Draft

What amazed me is that the twelve (12) men who were invited to the Media Availability at the Westin Times Square the day before the Draft were exactly the first twelve players picked. I have no idea whether this was just by coincidence or a testament that the NBA is an expert at listening to the buzz around the league and evaluating the available talent, but the fact that the projected top twelve was spot-on really caught my attention.

During each commercial break, or in between picks, prizes were given to members of the audience who could answer trivia questions asked by the beautiful Nets Game Host, Ally Love. The Nets Dancers (Brooklynettes) were also on hand to provide assistance and entertainment. Transcripts of interviews with each pick were immediately handed out to each member of the media, showing the efficiency in the system in place that night, which was very, very impressive.

The night dragged on as practically each team took the full time allotted to them before Stern would come out to name their pick. Nets fans approved of their lone pick, Mason Plumlee of Duke, at 22nd, but the loudest cheers came when the Knicks picked Tim Hardaway, Jr of Michigan as the 24th pick, signifying the fans’ approval. Knicks fans have been known to boo loudly not just at Stern, but also when they don’t like the player chosen by their team, such as when it picked banished PBA import Renaldo Balkman in 2006.

As the First Round was coming to a close and Stern came out to announce the 30th pick, the audience suddenly changed its tone, cheering and clapping for the man who had been Commissioner for thirty years, and giving him a standing ovation. Stern teased the crowd by saying, “You’re ruining the fun!”, before he called Nemanja Nedovic as the last pick of the First Round. Then, the second surprise of the night came, as Hall of Famer Hakeem “The Dream” Olajuwon was called on stage to say a few words in honor of Stern. Hakeem’s was the first name Stern had announced in the first Draft he oversaw in 1984. What a way to close thirty years of overseeing a league which has grown leaps and bounds since then, making the game an international one, reaching places where basketball was not previously well-known, and truly making the NBA a global league.

The crowd dwindled as the Second Round picks were introduced by Silver, and finally, almost midnight, just like that, it was all over. Sixty (60) players were called and now had the opportunity to land on an NBA roster for the coming season. Good luck to them, and to all the aspiring free agents. As for me, I am thankful for having had the opportunity to be at the NBA Draft. Thanks to everyone who made it possible.

You can follow Charlie on Twitter @CharlieC.

Editor's note: The blogger's views do not represent Yahoo! Southeast Asia's position on the topic or issue being discussed in this post.