In NBA, It’s Not Good Year to Find Work for Late-Round Draft Picks

Even in normal years, the chances for a late round NBA draft choice to make it on an NBA roster were always slim.

Expansion and the advent of no-cut contracts made them a rarity on an NBA team. Even a club seeking to rebuild would rarely go past the third round to get immediate help.

But the slim chance was there. A sixth or seventh rounder could come in to a rookie camp, impress a coach and at least earn a chance to make the team. Even if he failed, he could make an impression for a roster move that had to be made during the season.

This year, the odds are reduced even further. The agreement by the players’ association with NBA teams not to negotiate with draft picks at least until Oct. 1 has resulted in the elimination of most rookie camps thoughout the league.

The reason for the “understanding” was because the two sides had yet to agree on a new collective bargaining agreement. This understanding may wind up hurting rookies the most, particularly those selected late in the June college draft.

“It’s going to have a strong impact,” says Chicago Bull Coach Doug Collins. “We won’t be getting a look at some of the draft choices like we have had in the past. It’s really a shame, too.”

The Bulls used to send their draft choices to an NBA Central Division rookie camp in mid-summer. First rounders usually bypassed the camp because they knew they would win spots on a roster and didn’t want to risk injuries.

“But we got a look not only at our picks but the other teams’ picks. Plus you got some free agents in there,” Collins says. “This year we aren’t having it because of the agreement. It’s going to be tough for a late rounder to get a chance to be seen.”

In Chicago’s case, the plight of a player like former Illinois star Doug Altenberger comes to mind.

Altenberger was thought to have been a first or second round draft choice after his junior season. A sharpshooting guard who was also known for his physical defense, Altenberger suffered a back injury that caused him to be red-shirted for his senior year.

He came back last season and had a good, but not overly impressive year.

“Doug Altenberger was a steal in the sixth round,” says Bulls’ General Manager Jerry Krause. “But with our other first and second round picks plus the veterans, I don’t know whether he’ll get an opportunity to impress us with the limited time available under the agreement.”

Altenberger’s situation is similar to others around the NBA.

For former Indiana guard Steve Alford, the rookie camp would have allowed him to shed some of the criticism that he isn’t ready to play in the pros.

“It’s disappointing in a sense because you won’t be able to prove anything until you are signed and that’s not going to be until at least after Oct. 1,” Alford says. “I do know one thing. Those camps are rugged affairs. I knew a friend that shared a room with another player from the same team and they never spoke to one another because the competition was so fierce.”

At Boston, Oklahoma’s Darryl Kennedy was rated by scouts earlier in his career to be a bona fide NBA prospect. But he was the Celtics’ fourth round draft choice and may not get the opportunity to win his way on the roster.

Antoine Joubert of Michigan is another example. A good, hard-nosed point guard with the Wolverines, Joubert isn’t considered to have the offensive skills to compete in the NBA.

“Some people said the same thing about Magic Johnson a while back, at least from the point of view of his offensive skills,” says Collins. “Johnson proved he was a better offensive player in the pros than he was in college.”

Joubert, drafted by the Pistons in the sixth round, may not have enough time to show he can shoot with other established pros, let alone other rookies drafted ahead of him by Detroit.

Other lower round draft choices considered sleepers include Gerry Wright of Iowa (fifth round by Detroit); Frank Ford of Auburn (sixth round by the Lakers); Darryl Bedford of Austin Peay (fourth round by Milwaukee); Tracy Foster of UAB (sixth round by 76ers); Vernon Carr of Michigan State (fifth round by Sacramento).

However, this year’s hold on talks with free agents and rookies isn’t likely to be a harbinger of the future.

When the NBA begins its expansion next year, teams will be looking deeper into the draft for players. Expansion clubs are more likely to give a late round draft choice a chance to impress and make the clubs.

“It appears to be a one-year thing,” Krause says. “What is important, however, is that this year’s selection of a 12-man roster is going to be critical. After this year, you have to worry about what players you are going to protect from the draft. It’s going to be a real shame if one of these later round draft choices doesn’t get a chance to make the club and gives up.