Im not trying to slap anybody in the face, but to say it was run fine. I distinctly remember times when people were asking for the draft to stop because they didn't know what was going on. People not sure what picks counted. Other posters allowing people to purchase franchises. And now we have an experienced poster and manager that has left. And it really is sad to see especially because he was somebody that had invested alot of time in this.
I think what people are complaining about is that wdleehi didn't bend the rules.
In the situation of the first pick, it's a tough call. Yes, the Lakers had PM'd their pick ahead of time, but they were also online. wdleehi could have picked Lebron for them. However, he didn't, because he had let everyone know that he would only make picks if posters weren't available. He had also emphasized that if you were online, the draft wouldn't be held up for any reason, whether it was to complete a trade or whatever.
It's easy to criticize the situation because it was the first pick, but what if it was the #15 pick, who was online and didn't draft somebody? Should wdleehi have stepped in and drafted for them, too? As soon as you do that, you start getting gripes that "hey, that wasn't the player I wanted; you should have let me pick for myself". (Something similar, but not exactly the same, happened last year).
As for selling franchises, the rules on that were clear, too. Owners needed to be here or make other arrangements. If they didn't, their team would be offered to somebody else. What was the other solution? Skip the picks, and then draft at the end of the round?
That makes sense for some franchises, but what about Philly, that had the #15 pick? Should they be skipped, with their owner (or new owner) now being told he has essentially the #30 pick, with no compensation? That's a proper penalty for the owner of the team, but what if it's a new guy taking over? He now has no value. It also unfairly rewards people picking after the lazy owner, as good players fall to them who really shouldn't have. wdleehi's solution -- which was clearly set up before the beginning of the draft -- was the fairest thing, even if it hurt the owners of two active franchises (Miami and New Orleans).
Again, there are probably some decisions that I may (or may not) have handled differently, but I think we owe wdleehi thanks for stepping up and being the one to make those tough calls.