i remember these draft picks:
Kent Benson
Olden Polynice
Pervis Ellison
Shawn Bradley
Eddie Curry
Sam Bowie
Kwame Brown
Greg Oden
you get the picture. a very frustrating, and therefore realistic, aspect of this game is the inclusion of the vagaries of chance. you see an 18 year old, and want certainty about his future?
of course, this is why i have never spent anything on the draft -- i always figured i would spend about the same amount on purchasing players up to perennial all-star levels (i don't have any confidence i could train higher potential players to anywhere near their cap). so my argument is self-serving -- and i may be singing the same tune as you guys with my Utopia squad because i plan on drafting and developing home grown talent there eventually.
i will say, along with Pappy, i wish the attendance was a bit less mechanical. the effects of road losses is way overstated, the quality of the opponent or the importance of a given game way undervalued, and the benefits to miserable, tanking teams way too beneficial.