League's executives know it's vital to have nose for picks

Every year, basketball fans from Bountiful to Beijing watch the NBA draft on television to find out which young players will end up with which franchise. Every year, one question lingers long after the final pick is announced and the annual extravaganza - which this year is scheduled Thursday night - slides from the forefront of our consciousness for another 12 months. Is the NBA draft really so important? If you ask Utah Jazz chief scout Troy Weaver, you won't ever have to ask again. "I think it is the single most important way to build a team," Weaver said. "When you have a chance to help your team - whether it's with a lottery pick or at the end of the second round - it's a tremendous opportunity. If you make the right pick, no matter where that pick comes, you can take your franchise to another level."
In 2003, the Cleveland Cavaliers owned the first pick in the draft and took high-school sensation LeBron James.