The league recently announced rules changes to encourage teams to invest in player development, allowing them to sign more of their own youth players without exposing them to the leaguewide draft, increasing roster sizes and allowing six players 24 years old and younger to be exempt from the salary budget.
Sanders, the last athlete to play pro football and baseball at the same time, also may be speaking on behalf of the millions of people who play fantasy sports, virtual leagues in which players draft a roster of real athletes to play out their wildest (sports) fantasies.
But at least the last few drafts leave the roster with a hint of promise for coming years.
Draft Reunion: The rosters of the two teams include five players who were selected in the first round of the 2003 draft: Jeff Carter (11th over all), Dustin Brown (13th), Steve Bernier (16th), Zach Parise (17th) and Mike Richards (24th).
Didn't the N.B.A. draft sap Arizona's roster?
Sonics have two No. 1 draft picks on the roster (Patrick Ewing, 1985, and Pervis Ellison, 1989).
With no N.H.L. draft picks on the roster, the team does not have players leave early for the pros.
The Giants, by comparison, have four players from those draft classes on their roster: Jeremy Shockey, Osi Umenyiora, David Diehl and David Tyree.
Morey has repeatedly acquired and flipped high-value players and draft picks, reshuffling the roster in a perpetual quest to put the Rockets in position to make a blockbuster trade.
Going into the tournament, Canada Coach Dave Cameron said he had a "lunch bucket," "blue-collar" team, prompting expressions of disbelief from those who pointed out that he had 15 first-round N.H.L. draft picks on the roster.
