Big Dance, bigger mistakes

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With the NCAA tournament upon us, prepare to hear about the NBA draft stock of various players rising and falling with each shocking upset or overwhelming victory. It sounds crazy, right? NBA teams track star players through dozens of high school, AAU and earlier collegiate games. Then teams interview everyone and anyone near and dear to the players while also administering workouts and medical exams. Yet somehow, a few one-and-done contests against what are usually wholly unfamiliar opponents could determine players' professional futures.

"We talk about this a lot," said one Western Conference front-office source. "We joke, 'He's 20th, now he's 17th ... "

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Ric Bucher

NBA Reporter, ESPN The Magazine Senior Writer

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• Senior writer for ESPN The Magazine
• Co-authored "Yao: A Life in Two Worlds"
• Full-time beat writer/NBA analyst since 1992