Enough Already, Dickie V.

If ESPN continues to cover the NBA Draft next year, let's hope they give Dick Vitale the night off. Vitale's role during this evening's coverage amounted to whining about all the high schoolers taken and crying over all the college kids left behind. Does anyone who regularly watches hoops, which would probably include all of us watching the draft, not understand Vitale's opinion on this matter? If you didn't before the draft, within the first thirty minutes, you certainly did.

Dickie V. doesn't like the system. He doesn't like high school kids getting drafted ahead of veteran college players. He doesn't like high school kids not going to college. Vitale thinks the high school kids are nothing more than potential and are coach killers, where college players are more "sure things". He doesn't think drafting high school kids helps the kids, the colleges or the NBA, it only prospers agents. Mr. Vitale is probably half right. The problem is he is half wrong, too.

I think lots of the high school players are doomed to failure. However, Vitale would have us all believe that every college prospect became a NBA all-star. Not one four year college player ever washed out of the league. No college all-americans failed to live up to the hype on draft day. Only those stinking high school kids fail.

What I find so entertaining about Vitale's endless complaining about the high school entries is that he loves them all when they chose to go to college. He raves about the freshman class each season almost as much as he decries the freshman class that got away to the NBA. Either they are really good or they aren't, Dick. Which is it?

Then there is the system Vitale wants revamped. He laments the current NBA climate and strongly supports Commissioner Stern's desire for a minimum age requirement. However, Vitale doesn't seem to mind the climate around college basketball. That environment, one of illegal recruiting, ridiculous made-for-athlete degree programs, academic fraud, out-of-control booster clubs, big money shoe deals for coaches, universities and players, doesn't seem to faze old Dickie V. a bit.

Most of us are used to Vitale unrelenting cheerleading for the college game, but when it's a NBA broadcast and all he can do is complain about the product for hours on end it gets really old, really fast. Even Jay Bilas finally grew weary of Dick's refrain and wondered aloud if Vitale liked "any high school or foreign player"? Vitale was quick to embrace LeBron James, but went no further.

After reviewing his performance tonight, the folks over at ESPN and the NBA, for that matter, should kindly thank Vitale for his input this year and tell him he doesn't have to work this day next year. Everyone will be much happier.