The NBA Draft has become a mystery in the quarter-century since Kevin Garnett changed the norm by coming directly out of high school to be the fifth overall choice for the Timberwolves in 1995.
Rapidly, the draft became more about projection and less about the knowledge obtained in watching a player compete in college. Even the one-and-done rule for draft eligibility the NBA was able to institute in 2006 didn't change the pattern of teams taking their best guess, once the top few picks were selected.
There are 353 Division I basketball schools occupying every cranny of the United States, and there are eligible players all over Europe, and it remains astounding how soon an NBA draft can go from sure-things to suspects.
Noah Vonleh played one season as a 6-foot-9 center for Indiana in 2013-14. The rebuilding Hoosiers went 7-11 in the Big Ten, lost the conference tournament opener to Illinois and missed both the NCAA and NIT.
Vonleh averaged 11.3 points and nine rebounds – solid for a Big Ten freshman, but no more than that. Heck, he was outplayed by big ol' Mo Walker when the Hoosiers lost 66-60 that winter in Williams Arena.
How does that get Vonleh drafted No. 9 overall by Charlotte in the 2014 draft? As a suspect, obviously, and more evidence as to how quickly the NBA Draft can run out of impact players.
Vonleh was 19 during his first NBA season. He played in 25 games for Charlotte, spent time with the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, and then was traded with Gerald Henderson to Portland for Nic Batum. He also had stops with Chicago and the Knicks, before signing a one-year, $2 million contract with the Wolves for this season.
Five teams in Season 6 for the No. 9 overall selection in the draft? No wonder the NBA is the world leader in teams trying to tank for Ping Pong balls, when a draft can be that thin.