Interesting article about the value of late first round picks and some of the questionable methods teams are using to negotiate those deals. This is part of the reason I was against trading Shump to OKC for the 29th pick. It's crap pick. From a player personnel, I don't see much of a difference between pick 29 and pick 39. But I'm not sure how I feel about the idea of first round picks being coerced into taking D-League contracts, especially after watching the crap Pierre Jackson went through. If NBA teams are going to play that game, I think there should be a willingness to raise base level salaries for D-Leaguers.