All You Need to Know About the 2008 NBA Draft

The 2008 NBA Draft is fast approaching and the Memphis Grizzlies will once again hope the basketball gods are kind to them for the first time in franchise history and we are blessed with a franchise changing talent. At this point it doesn't matter what position that player plays, at what position he is drafted, or what college he attended. We need a franchise changer!!! Until we get one, we are just spinning our wheels.

Enough of that...Here is what you need to know for the 2008 NBA Draft:

The 2008 NBA Draft will be held on June 26, 2008 in Madison Square Garden in New York.

The deadline for college underclassman and international players under the age of 22 to declare for the NBA Draft was April 27, 2008. The NBA released the names of the players who declared on May 1st.

The players who declared for the draft have until June 16th or ten days before the draft to withdraw their names from the draft and return to school or Europe.

The Memphis Grizzlies will have the 4th most chances to win the the 2008 NBA draft lottery on May 20th. This is how it breaks down:

Miami Heat have 250 (out of 1001) chances or 25.0%
Seattle Sonics have 199 or 19.9%
Minnesota Timberwolves have 138 or 13.8%
Memphis Grizzlies have 137 or 13.7%
New York Knicks have 76 or 7.6%
Los Angeles Clippers have 75 or 7.5%
Milwaukee Bucks have 43 or 4.3%
Charlotte Bobcats have 28 or 2.8%
Chicago Bulls have 17 or 1.7%
New Jersey Nets have 11 or 1.1%
Indiana Pacers have 8 or 0.8%
Sacramento Kings have 7 or 0.7%
Portland Trailblazers have 6 or 0.6%
Golden State Warriors have 5 or 0.5%

Here is a complete breakdown on the lottery numbers.

The drawing of the ping-pong balls is conducted in private, though observed by independent auditors and representatives from each team. The results are subsequently presented in a short ceremony (typically broadcast prior to or during halftime of an NBA playoff game), in which the order of the lottery is announced in reverse order, from the fourteenth selection to the first. Representatives from each NBA franchise with a lottery pick are present at the lottery ceremony.


One week after the lottery is determined, the NBA will hold its 2nd official pre-draft camp in Orlando. The 2008 Orlando pre-draft camp will run from May 27-June 3. The rules for the pre-draft camp can be found on Draft Express. The NCAA has allowed college underclassman to have their expenses for workouts paid by the NBA which is why there are a lot of "strange" declarations by some juniors. Individual workouts, however, still are not allowed until the conclusion of the Orlando pre-draft camp on June 3rd.