Pacers official on mock drafts: 'Don't pay a lot of attention to them'
Quick, rough estimate: How many mock drafts have you read in the past 24 hours? It's okay, you're among friends; you can be honest here. We're all doing it. It's half the fun of draft season; the other half, naturally, is getting to know a new player that will make you and your team very happy.
But that doesn't mean NBA teams are exactly charting their draft plans with an eye on those same mock drafts, no matter how well known. And in the case of the Indiana Pacers, scouting director Ryan Carr says they're so much digital noise. Via the Pacers official team website:
"I don't pay a lot of attention to them," Carr said. "I'm more worried about where we have guys ranked.
"I know the guys who run the main ones. They're good guys and they're working hard, but they're doing it for public consumption, not for us. I'll stick with our internal thinking rather than someone who isn't in all our meetings and isn't invested in what we're trying to do."
Sure. It makes sense. Front offices have people to do that kind of thing for them, and they have access to a lot more (and more accurate) information. And the honesty is appreciated, especially in the face of what former Pacers president Donnie Walsh had to say when those putting together mock drafts would give him a call.
"I'll start the conversation by saying, 'I'm not going to tell you who we're taking. And if you guess it right, I'm going to lie to you,'" Walsh said.
Is it still being honest if you tell someone you're going to lie to them? Either way, don't let these NBA insiders dissuade you. There's a little more than two weeks remaining until the draft. Enjoy it to your heart's content.
(h/t NBA.com)
Photo Credit: Brian Spurlock/USA Today Sports
