*FAN SUBMISSION by Reshail Sohail. Find him on Twitter @SportSharkBlog and his site www.sportshark.net.*
Courtesy: Yahoo Sports
Sacramento Kings General Manager Pete D’Alessandro is known for thinking outside the box, but his latest idea of seeking public analysis for the upcoming NBA Draft is not only innovative, but could potentially be brilliant.
D’Alessandro calls it “Draft 3.0″ and announced the challenge last Friday during an “Ask Me Anything” chat on Reddit. He’s inviting members of the public and fans to submit their methodology for evaluating players in the upcoming NBA Draft.
“This is a resource, fans are a resource,” D’Alessandro told News10. “There’s so much information out there right now that fans can pull it in and put together really organized thoughts.”
What the Kings are not seeking are fans with foam fingers and jerseys to join team management on draft day. Contestants will submit analysis for the hope to be chosen to be allowed into the Kings “war room” during the draft on June 26. The team will select two winners to be granted the access and help the Kings brass in making their pick, in exchange for the analytic advice.
“I don’t know that we’ll get the right answer with this group, but if I get more questions, that’s something that is a positive,” said D’Alessandro, who heads into his second off season with the Kings.
D’Alessandro’s concept follows the vision from team owner Vivek Ranadive and his “NBA 3.0″ plan. “When I went in for my interview with Vivek, he asked me to draw up what my front office would look like,” D’Alessandro said. “I had a dotted line to a circle called ‘outside the box.’ I didn’t really know what that meant, I just know that there’s something out there and he got all excited because of what he was thinking.”
Ranadive has explained his vision on multiple occasions by changing how fans interact with and follow the game; he wants the team to use innovative methods to think differently about basketball and utilize new technology and analytics to improve his franchise. Even though there is no promise to win a job with the Kings, the chance to impress an NBA team and get the draft day experience is something D’Alessandro feels could be incredibly advantageous for someone looking at working in the front office of a professional sports team.
Sacramento will find out where they pick in the draft during the NBA Draft Lottery held on May 20. They have the seventh-best chance of winning the top pick or sneak into the draft’s top three spots.
The Kings will collect submissions until May 19 (Source: Sean Cunnigham)
