If an NBA Draft falls in the forest and no one cares, does it make a sound?

This draft is by far the least interesting event I can remember since the science nerds had earthworm races in elementary school. The rumored overall first pick, Duke PG Kyrie Irving, is being a billed as a player capable of "...making an All-Star Game or two...".

Really? Is this where we are as a professional sports culture? Our number one picks already come pre-busted?

For all the greatness that was this past NBA season, the "Association" has a problem almost as big as its impending labor issues: the overall lack of quality young talent.

Now some of you will say "What about Derrick Rose? Kevin Durant? etc?" The few exceptions, and Rose is a big one simply due to winning the MVP award, doesn't change the fact that every year there are no more than 2 or 3 compelling rookies that make people want to watch.

Last season, only Blake Griffin, Landry Fields and John Wall averaged more than 30 minutes per game. That's only 63% of the game folks.

Griffin, whose rookie season was delayed a year by injury, became a lightning rod for attention due to being an incredible dunker. Wall shot 41% from the floor- not from three-point range, overall while playing just 69 games. Fields averaged a paltry 9.7 points and 1.9 assists per game and I know for sure that unless you're a Knicks fan you were shocked he played that much. In addition, only 4 rookies averaged double figures in scoring.

Going back a year, you have rookies making slightly more impact with Tyreke Evans, Stephen Curry and Brandon Jennings all seeing more than 30 minutes per game. Tyreke Evans led rookies with a 20.1 points per game average. The top 7 rookies averaged double figures.

Sounds not that bad, right?

Here's the top 7:

Evans, Curry, Jennings, Marcus Thornton, Jonny Flynn, Darren Collison and Omri Casspi.

Evans shooting and production slipped slightly, but that probably has more to do with the Sacramento Kings roster than anything else. Jennings? For a point guard averaging almost 15 shots a game, shooting 39% isn't going tot get it done. Flynn? After missing most of last season due to injury, he's probably just lost his job due to Ricky Rubio coming over from Spain.

The two bright spots out of that list are Collison and Thornton. Thornton averaged over 20 points per game after being traded to the Kings and Collison's numbers improved on an Indiana Pacers team that gave the Chicago Bulls more than anyone expected in the playoffs.

So you're saying "what's wrong with that, jackass?" The problem is that no one is talking about them much. When was the last time you were talking hoops and Marcus Thornton's name came up? OK, those of you not living in northern California? That's what I thought.

The only league that mires its rookies in more obscurity is Major League Baseball, whose young players bounce around the minors usually for 2-4 years, sometimes injure themselves, and rarely pan out.

The dearth of young talent as evidenced by this years underwhelming draft is a direct product of players not maturing in the college ranks. That can only be changed by scrapping the ridiculous one-and-done policy that forces players to play at least one year either at school or abroad.

The NBA does not have a superstar problem. It does not have an identity crisis. It has a development crisis. Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan, Dirk Nowitzki- these are all players getting toward the end of the road in their careers. The next round of superstars don't seem as bright.

Rose is a score first point guard and needs 1000 shots per game to get his numbers. Durant? He can score, but at this point I don't see him in that rarified air. LeBron James? I think we're finding out that maybe he just isn't as great as we all hoped.

So watch the NBA draft for like 20 minutes, because after pick 3 it really turns into a matter of picking future bench players. Not what you call "Must See TV".