Keep these pointers in mind when Draft day comes around

Tennessee coach Bruce Pearl, part of NBA TV's and NBA.com's coverage of the NBA Draft, offers his five pointers for NBA GMs in the 2009 NBA Draft:

The draft is nearly upon us, and all the organizations are going through the process of finalizing their draft day strategies. This is such an important event for each and every NBA team, as each club looks to position itself for future championship contention.

Bruce Pearl :: Head Coach :: University of Tennessee In four seasons at Tennessee, Pearl has led the Volunteers to an average of 24.5 wins per year, three SEC Eastern Division titles, an overall SEC championship, the school's first No. 1 national ranking, a school record 31 wins in 2007-08 and four straight trips to the NCAA Tournament--including back-to-back appearances in the Sweet 16. He has been named SEC Coach of the Year twice (2006 and 2008) and earned national coach of the year honors twice. • Click here for Bruce Pearl's full bio Previous Pearl's Gems Entries: • Five sleepers in this year's Draft • The first seven selections in NBA Draft should be ... • College teaches NBA skills that other draftees don't get

Today I'm offering up some advice that I'd give to NBA general managers in order to help them maximize their returns in this year's draft.

1. Draft more on productivity than on potential. It's better to know exactly what you're getting than to hope what you get turns out to be what you want. It creates pressure on the player, the coach and the front office.

2. Trade down in this year's draft. There's been talk for months that this isn't a particularly strong draft. After doing a lot of research and talking to a bunch of people in the business, it's become more and more clear to me that there's as much quality in the second round as there is in the late first round. In many drafts this is not the case, but this is an exception.

3. Toughness is a factor and should weigh heavily into your draft-day decisions. Players that are tough -- and particularly players who know how to defend physically -- seem to make the best and easiest transition to the next level.

4. Character counts. It sounds cliché, I know. But don't lose sight of the fact that you're making a significant investment in your organization and in your brand. Good people make good teammates. Good teammates come together to accomplish great things on the court.

5. (I've got to sneak this one in here...) Do everything you can to work with the Players Association to get rid of the one-and-done rule for college student-athletes. It hurts the college game. And I've said many times before that college basketball does so much in helping to prepare young men for NBA success, as well as for success in life off the court. Give us at least two years.

Good luck to all the teams -- and all the players -- in the draft. It's a great day. Enjoy it. I'm excited and thrilled to be a part of it this year.