It may seem like a familiar story because of the current labor unrest in the NFL, but this year’s NBA Draft is different from any other we’ve seen in quite some time for a variety of reasons.

With Draft Night just hours away, two storylines have been heavily played -- the 2011 class is both lucky and unlucky.

The class is weak, leading some lesser players to have inflated value, but that fortune is offset by the league’s looming lockout, which could delay their NBA dreams and be detrimental to their on-floor transition.

Critics will point to the lack of a sure-fire superstar. The projected first overall pick, Kyrie Irving, may not have ranked in the top four of five in some recent classes.

By the Wednesday afternoon on the eve of the draft, the Green Room invitees usually form some semblance of a cohesive group, but this year is slightly different. Some players trumpeted a united front in terms of the unique experience, while others downplayed any collective desire to prove their worth to detractors.

“Not at all,” Kawhi Leonard said when asked if the class had an attitude about their middling perception. “Everybody in this class worked hard to be were they are today. You all know what we’ve all done this year and we just want to get to the NBA.”

Just a few minutes later, after walking over to the crowded table of Kemba Walker, the former Connecticut guard used sarcasm and irony to compliment his class and predict a host of superb careers.

“I really don’t care. If it’s weak, then hopefully I’ll go higher. That’s how I look at it,” he said before turning serious.

“I think it’s a great class, honestly. Of course there are no LeBrons, D-Wades or Carmelos, but we haven’t done anything yet. We haven’t been able to prove ourselves yet.”

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The other theme of the day at the Westin in New York City was the upcoming lockout, which will go into effect on July 1st when the NBA’s current collective bargaining agreement expires unless there is a surprise late hour deal.

I expected the league’s incoming rookies to make politically correct comments about the labor unrest itself, but I wondered heading into Wednesday’s media availability whether any of them had contingency plans in the event of a lengthy lockout.

“I haven’t been following it a whole lot. It’s out of my hands. I can’t control it,” Brandon Knight said.

“I’m thinking about going back to school. I can work on my degree and also practice with the team,” the former Kentucky guard mused.

Knight’s plan of action was common, with Derrick Williams and Irving mentioning similar ideas.

The other course of action should a work stoppage bleed into the fall?

Working out and improving.

“If there’s a lockout, I’ll just be working out,” Alec Burks said. “Maybe back home, I might go to Vegas and workout where I was before all the pre-draft stuff. I hope it’s not as long as everyone is talking about.”

Walker shared Burks’ optimism.

“Everybody definitely wants to play in the Summer League, I know I wanted to,” Walker said when asked if the pending lockout will put a damper on the experience. “I don’t think there will be mixed emotions though, I still think I’ll be extremely happy. I’m thinking positive right now, I’m keeping faith.”

Jimmer Fredette and Tristan Thompson had their own takes on the situation.

Thompson surmised that the lockout isn’t going to have that much of an impact on the players invited to the Green Room for Thursday’s event, but rather the lower draft picks.

“No, it hasn’t affected me at all,” Thompson said. “If you’re a first-rounder, I don’t think it’s going to affect you because you’ve got a guaranteed team. It hurts in terms of no Summer League and time to develop, but it happens and you’ve got to deal with it.”

Thompson’s answer was very honest and candid, but Fredette downplayed the turmoil with a nod to good old fashioned capitalism.

“It won’t affect me too much. I’m just going to go about things as if there was a season and get ready for it, because you never know when things will end and I’m going to work as hard as I can to progress as a basketball player and make my game better,” he said before being asked about potential sponsorship opportunities.

“I might be able to do some stuff,” Fredette replied. “Hopefully I won’t be poor and I’ll be able to have some money in the pocket, we’ll see how that goes.”

The NBA is going to take a hit in the court of public opinion no matter the length of the lockout, but Walker’s line of thinking has to be right along with commissioner David Stern’s prayers.

“I’ll just keep on working out, staying busy,” said the 2011 Final Four Most Outstanding Player. “I’ll make sure I keep myself out of trouble and don’t do anything stupid.”