For all the draft board changes, the flips and flops, and
the shuffling of player rankings across the country, this draft – at least at
the top – is shaping up exactly as we expected. The top recruits heading into
this past college basketball season were Derrick Rose, Michael Beasley, OJ
Mayo, Eric Gordon, and Kevin Love. Tonight, all five should go in the top ten.
Despite the scandals that affected Gordon (his coach) and
Mayo (his posse), the
character issues that plagued Beasley, and the conditioning concerns
surrounding Love, these guys will highlight tonight’s 2008 NBA Draft – just as
we thought they would a year ago. Sure, this season has seen others charge up
the draft board – Russell Westbrook, Brook Lopez, and Jerryd Bayless would
certainly agree – but the blue chips remain largely on top and ready to claim
their spots on NBA rosters.
Tonight, I’ll be offering a running commentary of the draft, with the occasional help of my friend Jason. I’m not going to pretend that I’m not ripping off Bill Simmons, but I won’t be reading his draft diary until this one is complete. Any similarities are coincidences.
First a few stray comments:
-Brook Lopez looks oddly like Ivan Drago. I half-expect him to lean down over David Stern and say, “I must break you.”
-Kevin Love looks a lot skinnier than he did all year. Do you think he tightened his chin strap?
-I expect the first three picks to be Rose-Beasley-Mayo. Anything else would be uncivilized. If Chicago somehow goes with Beasley, there will be pandemonium in Chicago and throughout the b-ball world.
What the hell were the Nets thinking trading RJ for Yi? This doesn’t make sense to me. Nets execs think Yi reminds them of Dirk Nowitzski. Yeah, and I’m Spud Webb. This will free up cap space for the Nets to go after LeBron, but for the next two years, they just gave up their best and most consistent scorer. I don’t get this trade.
7:05 – Chicago tells ESPN’s Andy Katz that Derrick Rose will be a Chicago Bull. No real surprise here, though I’m sure the Heat aren’t too happy about it. They’re now going to field a ton of offers because it looks like they don’t love Beasley. I think they’ll take him unless they’re bowled over by a trade offer.
7:11 – I love Dick Vitale, especially when there are no Duke players in the draft. That’s right: Greg Paulus didn’t quite make it this year.
7:13 – OJ Mayo is wearing glasses, I guess to seem less likely to commit a rules violation. I wonder if they cost $30,000. Anyway, I like OJ. I think he’s going to be a phenomenal talent in the league for a long time to come and he seems like the most marketable of the top guys in the draft. Plus, his name doubles as a delicious snack.
7:15 – RIP Len Bias: http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/eticket/story?page=bias&lpos=spotlight&lid=tab7pos1
7:16 – Derrick Rose is phenomenally giggly. What’s up with this? You’re the top player in the NBA draft., Derrick. Stop giggling. Also, Rose is often compared to Chris Paul and Deron Williams, which may be true – but he’s not nearly as well-spoken as either of those guys. He likes to eat candy, his nickname is Pooh, and he keeps giggling like a girl. What’s up with this?
7:17 – Beasley seems like a cool guy.
7:23 – I’m reading the Len Bias piece and it really bothers me. Every time I really think about it, it bothers me. This guy went to Maryland, was probably the best athlete in school history, and would have been Jordan’s natural rival in the NBA. But he was also just a kid who died of drugs in a dorm I’ve visited many times
7:24 – On a brighter note, the Knicks apparently think the guy they want will fall to #6. Danilo Galinari? Russell Westbrook? Probably not Jerryd Bayless. Stephon Marbury?
7:31 – David Stern steps to the podeum. I actually saw him Tuesday in the city as I stood outside the NBA building with my friend Scott. Stern rushed out of the building to a waiting car. He looked just like he looks on TV, like the most powerful man in sports.
7:38 - With the first pick of the 2008 NBA Draft, the Chicago Bulls select Derrick Rose!!!!! Michael Beasley politely claps. Rose looks thrilled. He’s hugging people and offers the Commish the two-handed shake. He’ll have to give up #23, but somehow I don’t think he’ll mind. ESPN’s been showing the same 3 clips of Rose all week. I’m actually convinced he only played in three possessions all year.
7:40 – I wonder if Mark Jackson and Jeff Van Gundy are both absolutely furious they’re not coaching the Bulls this year. Rose looks strangely subdued. Wow, he sounds and looks just like his mom. And they both seem incredibly calm for having just become multimillionaires.
7:43 – The Miami Heat select…Michael Beasley! Wow, I was nervous there. But they did the right thing. OJ Mayo looks disappointed, Beasley looks relieved. If they keep Marion and Beasley and field a middle three of Wade-Marion-Beasley, the Heat are back in the playoffs in 2008-9. People always talk about Beasley and Rose as sure things, but didn’t they say the same about Derrick Coleman, Chris Webber, and Michael Olowokandi? You never know… I predict OJ for the next pick, but I think there’s a slim chance of Kevin Love. Uh oh, Beasley just described himself as a “fun-loving guy off the court.” Pat Riley just slapped himself.
7:48 – Minnesota takes…OJ Mayo. No shock here. Kevin McHale just got a new face for a franchise that lost KG. Do you think Mayo’s glasses have lenses in them? I actually think Mayo will be ridiculously good going forward in the NBA. Plus, he has a beard now.
7:52 – Pat Riley doesn’t sound too high on Beasley. He just pawned the decision off on his assistants. He also said, “We love Michael” but then focused on his talent rather than he character. He said he hopes he matures real quickly, so surely there are some concerns in the Heat tent.
7:54 – Sonics wanted to drop back, but were unsuccessful. Here comes David Stern. Sonics take…Russell Westbrook. WOW! WOW! WOW! This kid rose like a meteor this year. Wow. From a second-round choice to the fourth pick, he’ll join Kevin Durant and Jeff Green. I wonder if there’ll be a trade here with the Knicks or Clippers so the Sonics can get Brook Lopez or Kevin Love and a little something else. We’ll see…They just cut Westbrook’s time to give more airtime to Kevin Durant, who seems pleased to have RW on his team.
Commercial Break. I’m thinking Grizzlies take Lopez or Love when we come back.
8:01 – Memphis picks Kevin Love! UCLA back to back. Am I crazy or will Rudy Gay-Kevin Love-Mike Conley be a pretty decent core for that team? More importantly, THE KNICKS ARE ON THE CLOCK!!!
8:06 – My dad says the Knicks will go with a guard. I’d like to see Jerryd Bayless. 30 seconds left. I am psyched. The Knicks select: BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The crowd doesn’t like this and I’m not sure I do either. But apparently he’s incredible, so we shall see. I wanted Bayless. I hope we don’t regret this pick. Galinari is trying to kiss ass by saying “New York is the best city in the world.” He’s saying the same five phrases over and over. I wonder if he has an Italian-to-Draft-Day dictionary. Let’s hope he pans out. And let’s watch the Clippers take Eric Gordon here. That’s my prediction.
8:12 – Gordon to Clippers. Big shock. Here he comes, rocking the white tux. Knicks just passed up Eric Gordon and Jerryd Bayless. Stu Scott is talking about the record being set for freshman picks – dude, that’s what happens when you change the rules to make high school picks go to college. Boo yah! By the way, what happened to all these expected trades? I’m thinking we’ll see Joe Alexander come next, joining Russell Westbrook in the WHAT!?!? column. I think Gordon will be really solid as a pro, but he’s an undersized 2. Don’t let his rocky finish to the season taint your vision of him – that Indiana situation would have doomed anyone’s game. Gordon sounds a lot smarter than I heard he was.
8:16 – Donnie Walsh says he got his man. I truly hope so. By the way, Stuart Scott said Galinari could eventually remind New York fans of Derek Jeter. Really? Really, Stu? Really?
8:18 – Bucks take Joe Alexander. By the way, he comes from Maryland. He played in West Virginia. Gary Williams can’t recruit. I expect Brook Lopez next. Dude, Joe Alexander is intense. It looks as if he’s about to rip Stephen A’s head off and dunk it. By the way, isn’t getting Richard Jefferson and Joe Alexander in the same day kind of redundant? Seriously?
8:23 – I’m not particularly upset about the Galinari pick. I just can’t get excited about a guy I’ve never seen play.
8:24 – Bobcats (the incredible trio of Michael Jordan, Larry Brown, and Adam Morrison) select…DJ Augustin!!! WOW! Huge shock here! DJ shut shat himself. Brook Lopez just died a little bit inside. Man, I’ll bet the Nets regret trading for Yi now that Brook Lopez is on the board. So, will Augustin or Felton start for Charlotte at the end of this season?
8:28 – How come none of these guys seem ecstatic? I would be thrilled. They barely seem pumped. I like DJ a lot but I’ve always been a little hesitant about his size in the NBA game. The Nets will probably take Lopez here. But who knows. I just had a thought. Imagine if Robin goes above Brook? Hmm..
8:29: Nets select Brook Lopez. Welcome to the Garden State, Brook! This kid was a great player for Stanford this past year..can’t believe he lasted to 10. DJ Augustin in front of him..WOW. NJ fans are going to like this guy. He seems tough and plays hard as hell, yet retains a pleasant demeanor. Kind of like New Jersey. I grew up there, by the way.
8:35: Pacers get Bayless. My least favorite team gets the player I wanted the Knicks to get. Awesome. My friend Jason pointed out that when you hear the draft ding, you also hear the sound of a Windows error. He’s a dork. I really, really, hope the Knicks don’t go for Jamaal Tinsley. I really, really hope this doesn’t happen. I don’t think Donnie Walsh would do it, but if Isiah was here he would have already given him a 4-year, $400million contract. Jerryd Bayless rocks the white suit. I couldn’t pull that off.
8:42: Sacramento on the clock. I’m thinking Arthur, Chalmers, or maybe even Robin Lopez. And it is…Jason Thompson? What? What? What? Who? Huh? Okie dokie. The Kings suck. This guy grew eleven inches between his freshman and senior years?! Wow, that’s crazy! If I grew eleven inches, I’d be a half a foot shorter than he is now. This next pick has to be Brandon Rush, who is one of my favorite players in this draft. I really wanted to get him as a Knick, but I think he’ll go to Portland here. If not, he won’t last beyond Phoenix.
8:47: Blazers take Rush! Yippee! Man, I wish I was a Blazers fan. They’ve become one of my favorite teams to follow, with Oden, Aldridge, Roy, and now Rush – not to mention the immortal Steve Blake.
The Warriors could go for a big man here but they might need a backup for Baron Davis in case he leaves. Still, I think they could take a big man and Darrell Arthur might be their man. Anthony Randolph has plenty of upside but he’s 6-11 and weighs under 200 lbs. I like Athur here. Let’s see:
8:51: Warriors take Randolph, who subsequently breaks in half. So the lottery is set: Rose, Beasley, Mayo, Westbrook, Love, Galinari, Gordon, Alexander, Augustin, Lopez, Bayless, Thompson, Rush, and Randolph. If you’re going to take Thompson at 12, how do you not trade down to do it? This makes no sense. Randolph seems very confident, which I like.
8:56: Suns pick Robin Lopez, who is probably shocked and thrilled to go here. Man, imagine being their parents and having both kids drafted into the NBA. Incredible. The Lopez parents are like the Mannings of the NBA. Robin wins the award for biggest hair since Joakim Noah. I actually like Robin Lopez better than Brook Lopez. By drafting Brook, you want to get an offensive big man. By drafting Robin, you’re expecting a defensive specialist. Robin has less measure up to and thus more to gain. Wow, apparently Robin’s dream was to play for the Suns. Finally, someone who sounds thrilled to be here! He sounds thrilled. That’s how it should be. I’m thinking the Sixers will take Speights next, but Arthur is still on the board. Decisions, Decisions. They desperately need a banger inside (that’s what she said!) and either of those guys could get it done for them.
9:03: It’s Speights, who is not present. Raptors should take
Arthur or Dante Greene here. I
think I like Arthur for them, especially since Jermaine O’Neal is fragile.
Donte Greene is a tougher Andrea Bargnagni with a lot of Rashard Lewis in him,
but the Raptors may go for the surer thing in Arthur.
9:07: Raptors select Roy Hibbert. WOW. Holy cow – OH WAIT, he’s going to Indiana. So Indiana gets Jerryd Bayless, Roy Hibbert, and TJ Ford, a great couple of days for Larry Bird’s boys. By the way, the Jazz will be furious. I will be utterly shocked if the Wizards don’t take Darrell Arthur here. He is the best player for them and is still on the board. He’s a dream for them and they’ll snatch him up. He’ll join me in DC soon.
HUGE TRADE
Blazers get Bayless and Diogu for Rush and Jack. Wow, the Blazers got an elite point guard to join Oden/Aldridge/Roy. Unreal. Huge move for them! Rush will be strong in Indiana, where he’ll join his brother Kareem. By the way, Wizards took Javale McGee, a skinny kid with a ton of upside. Eventually, he could be better than Arthur, but it’s gotta be frustrating for Arthur to sit there. Maybe he’ll join LeBron here.
9:20: Cavs take JJ Hickson, a great pick for them out of NC State. Big body to play inside in the 4-spot, but as Jay Bilas is saying, he’ll have to work on an outside shot. I think this is a very good pick for them. I have to believe the Bobcats will take Arthur, who I’m sure they’re thrilled is there now. They passed up Brook Lopez to take a PG at 9, probably never thinking they could get Arthur here. I will be appalled if they don’t take him.
9:25: Ah, I forgot about Koufos. This could be him.
9:26: Commish: Jordan/Brown/Morrison take Alexis Ajinca, big man from France. Ok, yeah I guess I could see this. Still, it’s a surprise for a team that always selects the best college players. Arthur is probably one pick away from crying at this point, the one man left in the green room now. I’m thinking Kosta Koufos or Arthur here.
Alert: Josh McRoberts was traded. Holy shit! He is actually one-half of my least favorite sports duo of all-time, the other half being Greg Paulus.
How is Jerryd Bayless not absolutely psyched to be rescued from Indiana, much less going to a juggernaut like Portland? I like him a lot less than I did a few minutes ago.
The Nets are on the board here, and I have to think they’ll take Arthur since they took Lopez earlier. Lopez rules out Koufos here, at least according to me and my friend Jason. Jason brings up a good point about Bayless, by the way. He says he’s down because he could have gone as high as second in the draft. He’s fallen to 11 and was traded for Brandon Rush, who went 13th. So yeah, I could see why he’s not more excited. Still, I’d rather go late to Portland than early to Indy.
I’m going out on a limb here and saying I want CDR here. The Nets have Brook Lopez, Yi, and Josh Boone. Come get CDR!
9:33: Ryan Anderson, from the University of California, and Darrell Arthur just shot himself.
I’m going to say the Magic will take Arthur to strengthen their frontline, CDR to step in at the 2, or Chalmers to replace Jameer Nelson at point guard. I’m going with Chris Douglas-Roberts here. He’s the best possible pick for the Magic: a guy who can step in right away and make an immediate impact at shooting guard.
Ooh, Jeff Van Gundy agrees with me all around. I love JVG!
Here comes the Commish! The excitement is building.
Magic pick Courtney Lee. Great choice! How did I not mention him?!?! He’s going to be a very good player in the NBA and should be able to contribute this year at the 2-spot. He’s a great talent from Western Kentucky. He showed us in the tournament that he was a star and his late-game heroics in the first round showed us that he is an unselfish star. I might have preferred CDR here but I can’t argue against Courtney Lee. He’s a guy, by the way.
I have to predict Koufos here for the Jazz, who desperately need a big man.
9:43: Koufos!
I’m predicting Arthur finally to the Sonics.
They take: Serge Ibaka. Good guy. Good pick. I’ve read a few things over the past few weeks, but again, I can’t get excited about guys I’ve never seen play.
Here’s Darrell for an interview with Doris Roberts. He seems disheartened obviously, but is handling it well. I’ve said a few times on this blog that Kansas is my second team in college bball and I’m sorry to see Arthur stuck in the green room.
I’m thinking Chalmers here for the Rockets. Rafer Alston is a fine point guard but not a great one. He’ll need help and Chalmers could do the trick. They could also go for a center here because it seems like Yao is becoming more and more injury-prone as he gets older.
9:55: Rockets select Nicolas Batum, a swingman who I thought would be going to the Spurs two picks after this. He has been highly touted and looks to be a good presence here. Shane Battier can’t be too happy to see this pick.
Bucher reports that Darrell Arthur has an undisclosed kidney issue that teams are very hesitant to embrace. Wow.
I think the Spurs should go with CDR here.
They instead pick George Hill, who I have never heard of…
DARRELL ARTHUR FINALLY GOES TO NEW ORLEANS AT 27!!!! He gets a standing ovation from the Madison Square Garden crowd. Portland actually has the pick though through a trade, so Arthur is the newest member of the Portland Trailblazers. Portland got Jerryd Bayless AND Darrell Arthur in the draft. Unbelievable. They continue their draft day dominance. David Stern is actually applauding. Phenomenal.
Memphis here has the ability to draft favorite son Chris Douglas-Roberts, who helped lead the Tigers to the NCAA final today. He’s one of my favorite guys in this draft (if you couldn’t tell), but I’m not sure he fits as well here as he does on some other teams. He could be a good backup here and, if they trade Miller, a starter. Here we go:
10:15: Grizzlies select Donte Greene. He’s a great talent, a 6’9” inside/outside player with an unpolished game who has the ability to develop into a phenomenal player. He has a way to go, but he can get there.
Detroit is on the clock now and CDR is from Michigan…I actually also like Joey Dorsey for them, the reincarnation of Ben Wallace. He’d be a great fit for this team. And I think CDR would be a better choice for Boston, who has the 30th pick. Boston needs a future SG to back up Allen now and replace him later. CDR, if he’s around, would be a great choice.
10:21: The Detroit Pistons select…DJ White. Yeah, I get this. He’s a big forward out of Indiana who played second-banana to Gordon. White’s knee problems have taken a big toll on him but at 6’9”, 251, he can be a big-banging guy for the Pistons.
Stu Scott mentions Isiah Thomas and the crowd at MSG erupts in Boo’s. Good. I hate Isiah. Have I mentioned that?
I cannot see any situation in which Boston will not pick Chris Douglas-Roberts here. I really can’t.
Holy cow, I didn’t realize that Portland had two early picks in the second round. Jesus. Portland is going to be ridiculous. And they have the #55 pick too. Wow. Unreal.
David Stern sure is taking his time here….What could he be doing back there? Jello shots?
10:30: With the final pick in the first round, the Boston Celtics select J.R. Giddens, from New Mexico. He’s supposed to be good, but he’s not CDR, which means I am unfairly against him.
Well the first round is over, with a lot of top players going a lot later than I thought. Jerryd Bayless, Brook Lopez, Darrell Arthur, Donte Green, and now Chris Douglas-Roberts fell farther than I thought they would.
Larry Brown was shown on the big screen at the Garden and the fans started chanting “Jeff Van Gundy!” I couldn’t agree more.
That’s it for tonight. Tomorrow I hope to grade each team on their performance today.
Goodnight folks!
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