What the NBA Draft Should Learn From the 2026 NFL Draft | Deadspin.com The NFL turned its most popular off-season extravaganza into a golf tournament this week.
Maybe they couldn’t hear it, but the silence on our end of the cable hook-up was deafening.
I understand why golf fans want the world’s top players to pick up the pace. There’s only so much a broadcaster can say about a guy’s cool sunglasses on his excruciatingly long walk to a 350-yard drive.
But a professional draft is different, especially when fans are as invested as they are in football. And basketball, for that matter.
Thursday’s telecast of the NFL Draft’s first round had to make Bob Hayes proud. It flew by.
Not coincidentally, it had to go down as a JaMarcus Russell – the worst of all-time, flawed in so many ways.
But there’s good news: The NBA should have learned a whole lot in terms of What Not To Include in the script for its big night in June.
Here are six suggestions.
Say Something
I found it interesting that some day-after critics of ABC’s telecast found it noteworthy that Nick Saban labeled one selection “not really a self-starter.”
Wow. Scathing. Potentially libelous. Shocked he wasn’t dismissed from the panel immediately.
OK, maybe not.
That was the most controversial thing Saban said all night, the only utterance to which fired-up football fans in TV-land screamed back: “Yeah. You tell ‘em, Coach. The guy is fat and out of shape. Been saying that all season.”
That’s why we gathered the gang, slipped on our 2025 Fantasy Football Champs t-shirts and poured the Mexican Coke. We didn’t come to hear “Go Wolverines” and “Go Buckeyes” from Saban’s sidekicks.
A draft inspires debate. Half a team’s fan base has been calling talk radio for weeks demanding their scouting chops go regional. The other half has waited until day-after to let everyone know they heard it here first: Our pick blows.
Yet all we heard on NFL Day 1 was how coachable the kid was and what a great fit he’d be.
THIRTY-TWO TIMES.
Give me …
Ban Cheerleaders
It all starts with the panel. Ernie Johnson is the perfect NBA host.
Then you need book-end blowhards. The Republican and the Democrat, if you will.
Stephen A. Smith is ideal. Informed, well spoken and, most importantly, loud.
Then you need someone equally bull-headed, but ideally from a basketball background. I see him, but it would be bold – Draymond Green the player/analyst.
In between, we only have Johnson … because I’m saving the fourth virtual seat for a real game-breaker. If you thought Green was out there … Stay tuned.
“I Want to Thank …”
The three biggest wastes of time on draft night are:
- “I wouldn’t be here without my mom.” (Every player interview.)
- “We’re so proud.” (Every parent interview.)
- “Can you describe your feelings?” (Every interviewer.)
It reminds me – time and time and time again – of a roving baseball reporter in the stands chatting with a rookie outfielder’s family while a no-hitter is going on.
Can we get back to the action?
No interviews!
“Jeopardy” Can Wait
What’s the rush? We’ve tuned in to welcome (or trash) our new baby. Let’s spend the night together.
Fifteen minutes between picks seems perfectly fine.
There are two aspects of each pick that every fan of that team wants to hear experts dissect: The current state of the team (leading into who would be the ideal addition) and the snap-judgement fit/ramifications of the pick itself in the immediate aftermath of it having been made.
Five minutes of the former and five minutes of the latter might not be enough time. OK, so how about six of each? It’s the best we can do.
Throw in your three minutes of commercials and you have 15 minutes of absolute sports heaven sandwiching each pick. Times 30.
Not eight (down from 10) like the NFL sped us through in its all-important Round 1.
What’s Must-See TV Without a Celebrity?
Sadly I must admit: Yes, you can have too much Stephen A. Smith. So let’s trump his and Draymond’s dueling haymakers with a “wow-inducing” local expert with something of substance to say about each pick.
I’m talking Barack Obama living and dying with his beloved Bulls. Kevin Hart, Peyton Manning, Patrick Mahomes, David Letterman, Tiger Woods, Uma Thurman, Drake, Billy Crystal, Dianna Russini …
You’ve now elevated your telecast to Academy Awards level. And the great thing about these ultimate attention-grabbers – every team has at least one – is they would kill to have their basketball expertise heard. You know, like real fans.
Each joins the debate for his/her team via satellite, shoehorned into the six-minute lead-in and the six-minute critique. Tell me you wouldn’t tune in for that.
It sure beats watching them actually try to play in a celebrity game.
You Make The Call
Thirty teams with 15 minutes between picks. Give me a second … that’s 7 1/2 hours. Yikes.
How in the world can we get people to stick around for Oklahoma City’s pick well around the clock has struck midnight?
You gotta know I have an idea:
Make the thing interactive. As soon as the screen flashes, “The Pick Is In,” you have one minute to text your prediction to 3447274554268 (DGIsBrilliant).
Viewer with the most correct selections wins $1 million. You sleeping in the next day?
To quote Kirk Herbstreit (for the one and only time): “I love it.”
#NBA #Draft #Learn #NFL #Draft #Deadspin.com
The NFL turned its most popular off-season extravaganza into a golf tournament this week.
Maybe they couldn’t hear it, but the silence on our end of the cable hook-up was deafening.
I understand why golf fans want the world’s top players to pick up the pace. There’s only so much a broadcaster can say about a guy’s cool sunglasses on his excruciatingly long walk to a 350-yard drive.
But a professional draft is different, especially when fans are as invested as they are in football. And basketball, for that matter.
Thursday’s telecast of the NFL Draft’s first round had to make Bob Hayes proud. It flew by.
Not coincidentally, it had to go down as a JaMarcus Russell – the worst of all-time, flawed in so many ways.
But there’s good news: The NBA should have learned a whole lot in terms of What Not To Include in the script for its big night in June.
Here are six suggestions.
Say Something
I found it interesting that some day-after critics of ABC’s telecast found it noteworthy that Nick Saban labeled one selection “not really a self-starter.”
Wow. Scathing. Potentially libelous. Shocked he wasn’t dismissed from the panel immediately.
OK, maybe not.
That was the most controversial thing Saban said all night, the only utterance to which fired-up football fans in TV-land screamed back: “Yeah. You tell ‘em, Coach. The guy is fat and out of shape. Been saying that all season.”
That’s why we gathered the gang, slipped on our 2025 Fantasy Football Champs t-shirts and poured the Mexican Coke. We didn’t come to hear “Go Wolverines” and “Go Buckeyes” from Saban’s sidekicks.
A draft inspires debate. Half a team’s fan base has been calling talk radio for weeks demanding their scouting chops go regional. The other half has waited until day-after to let everyone know they heard it here first: Our pick blows.
Yet all we heard on NFL Day 1 was how coachable the kid was and what a great fit he’d be.
THIRTY-TWO TIMES.
Give me …
Ban Cheerleaders
It all starts with the panel. Ernie Johnson is the perfect NBA host.
Then you need book-end blowhards. The Republican and the Democrat, if you will.
Stephen A. Smith is ideal. Informed, well spoken and, most importantly, loud.
Then you need someone equally bull-headed, but ideally from a basketball background. I see him, but it would be bold – Draymond Green the player/analyst.
In between, we only have Johnson … because I’m saving the fourth virtual seat for a real game-breaker. If you thought Green was out there … Stay tuned.
“I Want to Thank …”
The three biggest wastes of time on draft night are:
- “I wouldn’t be here without my mom.” (Every player interview.)
- “We’re so proud.” (Every parent interview.)
- “Can you describe your feelings?” (Every interviewer.)
It reminds me – time and time and time again – of a roving baseball reporter in the stands chatting with a rookie outfielder’s family while a no-hitter is going on.
Can we get back to the action?
No interviews!
“Jeopardy” Can Wait
What’s the rush? We’ve tuned in to welcome (or trash) our new baby. Let’s spend the night together.
Fifteen minutes between picks seems perfectly fine.
There are two aspects of each pick that every fan of that team wants to hear experts dissect: The current state of the team (leading into who would be the ideal addition) and the snap-judgement fit/ramifications of the pick itself in the immediate aftermath of it having been made.
Five minutes of the former and five minutes of the latter might not be enough time. OK, so how about six of each? It’s the best we can do.
Throw in your three minutes of commercials and you have 15 minutes of absolute sports heaven sandwiching each pick. Times 30.
Not eight (down from 10) like the NFL sped us through in its all-important Round 1.
What’s Must-See TV Without a Celebrity?
Sadly I must admit: Yes, you can have too much Stephen A. Smith. So let’s trump his and Draymond’s dueling haymakers with a “wow-inducing” local expert with something of substance to say about each pick.
I’m talking Barack Obama living and dying with his beloved Bulls. Kevin Hart, Peyton Manning, Patrick Mahomes, David Letterman, Tiger Woods, Uma Thurman, Drake, Billy Crystal, Dianna Russini …
You’ve now elevated your telecast to Academy Awards level. And the great thing about these ultimate attention-grabbers – every team has at least one – is they would kill to have their basketball expertise heard. You know, like real fans.
Each joins the debate for his/her team via satellite, shoehorned into the six-minute lead-in and the six-minute critique. Tell me you wouldn’t tune in for that.
It sure beats watching them actually try to play in a celebrity game.
You Make The Call
Thirty teams with 15 minutes between picks. Give me a second … that’s 7 1/2 hours. Yikes.
How in the world can we get people to stick around for Oklahoma City’s pick well around the clock has struck midnight?
You gotta know I have an idea:
Make the thing interactive. As soon as the screen flashes, “The Pick Is In,” you have one minute to text your prediction to 3447274554268 (DGIsBrilliant).
Viewer with the most correct selections wins $1 million. You sleeping in the next day?
To quote Kirk Herbstreit (for the one and only time): “I love it.”
![Caitlin Clark’s fourth quarter heroics nearly lead Fever to win INDIANAPOLIS — For three quarters of Friday’s game against the Mystics, Caitlin Clark could hardly hit a shot. In the fourth quarter, she could hardly miss.Clark scored 17 of her 32 points, including five 3-pointers, in a wild final frame of regulation and dragged the Fever back into a game against the Mystics they looked set to lose. Her fifth 3-pointer was the biggest of the night as it forced overtime in the waning seconds.Even though Clark’s heroics would not be enough as the Fever fell to Washington in the extra session in one of the best finishes of the young WNBA season, it still highlighted just how quickly things can change with Clark on the floor.“I felt like I could have made another like five [threes],” Clark said postgame. “They’re all like right there and, obviously, it’s great to break through and get some to go down.”Clark hit a pair of threes on successive possessions midway through the first quarter. As it would turn out, those would be her only two makes through the first three periods.Clark was an ice cold 2-15 from the field and 2-7 from three heading into the fourth, mirroring the Fever’s offensive struggles as team as they were shooting just 32.8% from the field in that span.But back-to-back threes from Clark in the first 90 seconds of the fourth were a precursor of what was to come in the final 10 minutes.Clark scored or assisted on 11 of the first 12 points of the period. The only point she didn’t directly create was a Monique Billings free throw…which came on a foul after a Clark pass. She would go on to assist or score on 18 of the first 21 points for the Fever as they pulled themselves back into the game.Her third three gave the Fever a short-lived 70-69 lead. By the time she connected on her fourth three, the Fever trailed by four with just over 90 seconds left. That deficit grew to eight with 51 seconds left, leaving Indiana in need of a miracle.After a Myisha Hines-Allen layup, a Mystics turnover led to a Kelsey Mitchell 3-pointer, cutting the deficit to just three. The two teams traded free throws, leaving the Fever down three with 5.1 seconds left.A great play design from Indiana head coach Stephanie White created just enough room for Clark to get off a shot as she drifted out-of-bounds. It was all the space she would need as the shot found nylon, tying the game with 1.7 seconds left.“That’s like the hardest thing as a basketball player is when you’re not making shots to really stay in it,” Clark said. “So I’m certainly proud of myself. Really, really battled.”The Fever were given one more scare in the wild fourth quarter as Sonia Citron’s half-court heave swished through the net, but it came after the buzzer, sending the sides to overtime.Unfortunately, all those heroics to force the extra session were for naught as the Mystics responded again, building a multi-possession lead in the closing minutes. Again, though, they left the door open as missed free throws and a timely 3-pointer from Lexie Hull gave Indiana a chance in the final seconds.However, a desperation shot from Mitchell fell short at the buzzer, allowing Washington to escape with a dramatic win.For the Fever, as much as they can take away from their fight in the fourth and overtime, it was the middle quarters that were the most costly. Indiana shot 10-42 in the second and third periods, including 3-19 from range.“If we don’t have three clunky quarters, we don’t force ourselves into basketball heroics,“ Clark said. ”We don’t want to play that way. Like I know it’s exciting for the crowd, but we should have had ourselves in a position, especially after the first quarter, to control this ballgame and we really didn’t.”Friday was the second time in three games the Fever have eclipsed 100 points. Ironically, they have lost both of those contests, a sign of both how great this team can be offensively and how much work they still have on the other end.“We put a lot of pressure on our offense to be perfect when we don’t consistently defend,” head coach Stephanie White said. “Again, this is on us as coaches. This is our responsibility. We’ve got to be disciplined the entire game. We’ve got to be disciplined every possession. We’re taking chances. We’re fouling shooters who are about to shoot tough shots. We’ve got breakdowns in coverages. We’ve got to find combinations of players and rotations that’s net efficiency can be good.“We can’t wait to play defense in situations where we feel good and we’re making shots. It seems like we’re making shots and everything’s flowing and we’ve got energy on the defensive end, and when we’re not, we don’t. It’s got to be the other way around. The energy has to be dictated on that end of the floor and that’s a mindset.”As dramatic and exciting as Friday’s fourth quarter was, the game as a whole highlighted where the Fever need to grow. No team wants to have to rely on “basketball heroics” to potentially win a game.But it was also a sign of just how special Clark can be and how quickly she can deliver those heroics to try to save the Fever from defeat. #Caitlin #Clarks #fourth #quarter #heroics #lead #Fever #win](https://i1.wp.com/platform.sbnation.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/05/gettyimages-2275874262.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C10.732984293194%2C100%2C78.534031413613&w=1200&ssl=1 "Caitlin Clark’s fourth quarter heroics nearly lead Fever to win INDIANAPOLIS — For three quarters of Friday’s game against the Mystics, Caitlin Clark could hardly hit a shot. In the fourth quarter, she could hardly miss.Clark scored 17 of her 32 points, including five 3-pointers, in a wild final frame of regulation and dragged the Fever back into a game against the Mystics they looked set to lose. Her fifth 3-pointer was the biggest of the night as it forced overtime in the waning seconds.Even though Clark’s heroics would not be enough as the Fever fell to Washington in the extra session in one of the best finishes of the young WNBA season, it still highlighted just how quickly things can change with Clark on the floor.“I felt like I could have made another like five [threes],” Clark said postgame. “They’re all like right there and, obviously, it’s great to break through and get some to go down.”Clark hit a pair of threes on successive possessions midway through the first quarter. As it would turn out, those would be her only two makes through the first three periods.Clark was an ice cold 2-15 from the field and 2-7 from three heading into the fourth, mirroring the Fever’s offensive struggles as team as they were shooting just 32.8% from the field in that span.But back-to-back threes from Clark in the first 90 seconds of the fourth were a precursor of what was to come in the final 10 minutes.Clark scored or assisted on 11 of the first 12 points of the period. The only point she didn’t directly create was a Monique Billings free throw…which came on a foul after a Clark pass. She would go on to assist or score on 18 of the first 21 points for the Fever as they pulled themselves back into the game.Her third three gave the Fever a short-lived 70-69 lead. By the time she connected on her fourth three, the Fever trailed by four with just over 90 seconds left. That deficit grew to eight with 51 seconds left, leaving Indiana in need of a miracle.After a Myisha Hines-Allen layup, a Mystics turnover led to a Kelsey Mitchell 3-pointer, cutting the deficit to just three. The two teams traded free throws, leaving the Fever down three with 5.1 seconds left.A great play design from Indiana head coach Stephanie White created just enough room for Clark to get off a shot as she drifted out-of-bounds. It was all the space she would need as the shot found nylon, tying the game with 1.7 seconds left.“That’s like the hardest thing as a basketball player is when you’re not making shots to really stay in it,” Clark said. “So I’m certainly proud of myself. Really, really battled.”The Fever were given one more scare in the wild fourth quarter as Sonia Citron’s half-court heave swished through the net, but it came after the buzzer, sending the sides to overtime.Unfortunately, all those heroics to force the extra session were for naught as the Mystics responded again, building a multi-possession lead in the closing minutes. Again, though, they left the door open as missed free throws and a timely 3-pointer from Lexie Hull gave Indiana a chance in the final seconds.However, a desperation shot from Mitchell fell short at the buzzer, allowing Washington to escape with a dramatic win.For the Fever, as much as they can take away from their fight in the fourth and overtime, it was the middle quarters that were the most costly. Indiana shot 10-42 in the second and third periods, including 3-19 from range.“If we don’t have three clunky quarters, we don’t force ourselves into basketball heroics,“ Clark said. ”We don’t want to play that way. Like I know it’s exciting for the crowd, but we should have had ourselves in a position, especially after the first quarter, to control this ballgame and we really didn’t.”Friday was the second time in three games the Fever have eclipsed 100 points. Ironically, they have lost both of those contests, a sign of both how great this team can be offensively and how much work they still have on the other end.“We put a lot of pressure on our offense to be perfect when we don’t consistently defend,” head coach Stephanie White said. “Again, this is on us as coaches. This is our responsibility. We’ve got to be disciplined the entire game. We’ve got to be disciplined every possession. We’re taking chances. We’re fouling shooters who are about to shoot tough shots. We’ve got breakdowns in coverages. We’ve got to find combinations of players and rotations that’s net efficiency can be good.“We can’t wait to play defense in situations where we feel good and we’re making shots. It seems like we’re making shots and everything’s flowing and we’ve got energy on the defensive end, and when we’re not, we don’t. It’s got to be the other way around. The energy has to be dictated on that end of the floor and that’s a mindset.”As dramatic and exciting as Friday’s fourth quarter was, the game as a whole highlighted where the Fever need to grow. No team wants to have to rely on “basketball heroics” to potentially win a game.But it was also a sign of just how special Clark can be and how quickly she can deliver those heroics to try to save the Fever from defeat. #Caitlin #Clarks #fourth #quarter #heroics #lead #Fever #win")
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