This is sort of a running diary. I'm writing it as the draft unfolds, so there'll be a few reactions to the broadcast as well as my thoughts on the picks.
1. Bulls - Derrick Rose -- I don't like PGs being picked this high, and I think they should've just stuck with Hinrich, and they need front-court scoring, BUT ... Rose is the best player in this draft, so I can't be too critical of this pick.
2. Heat - Michael Beasley -- Waiting for a trade ... Terrible. Riley hates him, not a leader, not a winner, and he's incredibly immature (he just said: '... and I love to have fun off the court! I think that's real important for a team', really, Michael? You haven't figure out that that's the reason you almost slipped out of the top 2?). Even if he grows up and figures out how to play defense and all those good things, the Heat have now locked themselves into a team led by two tweeners. Did you see the Finals? Those teams were HUGE! The Spurs were huge, the Pistons were huge (except for Ben, who wasn't important on the offensive end), the 80's Lakers were huge, the 80's Celtics were huge, the Bulls were huge (except for Rodman, ditto the Big Ben thing). Like it or not, size is VERY important in the NBA. You can't have your leaders playing 2" shorter than their counterparts. In my Mock Draft I projected this pick and said that the Heat would lose in the 2nd round for the next 10 years, I still believe I will be proven correct.
3. Timberwolves - O.J. Mayo -- Bill Simmons said something that I should've thought of: O.J. Mayo in Minnesota? He's gonna like it there? This guy almost attended Grambling and he has a borderline God Complex. He's gonna be okay on a terrible team in the middle of nowhere? This is insane. And their back-court now consists of two tweeners with him and Foye (3 if you count McCants, ugh). They've got some talent, but Mayo needs to show that he can improve a team. He led a team that got worse last year, and his teammates weren't fond of him (in the beginning of the season, anyway). Why would that situation be different on a worse team with a worse coach in a harder league with worse teammates. But I will say this: Mayo can still figure it out, and he may turn into a legitimate superstar one day; he's smart and very talented. But I don't think it'll happen, not in Minnesota.
4. Sonics - Russell Westbrook -- I love Westbrook ... as an energizing defender off the bench. Right now there's no reason to believe he'll be an elite point guard, and that's what the Sonics want him to be so they can dump Watson and Ridnour. This is much better than Bayless, though. Bayless is almost guaranteed to be more productive than Westbrook, but Westbrook will finish his career with a few hundred more wins. Bank it.
5. Grizzlies - Kevin Love -- I've soured a bit on him after hearing countless people who've said that he's simply not physically capable of making an elite contribution to an NBA team. I probably should've believed the same thing from the start, but I thought he could play the 5 on a small roster for a fast-break team like D'Antoni's Suns. I still kinda believe that, but there's no way he'll ever be a 40-minute All-Star. On the Grizzlies? Is that a fast team? Can they take advantage of outlet passes? If Rudy #### *can* run fast enough, *will* he? Will #### and Love engage in mortal combat during practice? (oh my God, that was a complete accident, I just now realized that those two names are on the same roster) Probably won't be worth the 5th pick. If they wanted a solid contributor they should've settled on Lopez.
6. Knicks - Danilo Gallinari -- I'm not gonna pretend like I know how this'll turn out. Did Isiah Thomas recommend this pick? Is he allowed to make decisions anymore? Drafting players was the only thing he was good at! But actually, on a D'Antoni-coached team, this guy will be an improvement on anything.
7. Clippers - Eric Gordon -- I don't care about his talent, or his numbers, or his personality. He's an undersized choke artist, and his plus-minus is going to be horrific. But because we're all hypnotized by 20+ PPG scorers, no one will have the guts to bench him, and he'll play for 15 years before joining Shareef Abdur Rahim, Stephon Marbury, and countless others in the Hall of Losers.
8. Bucks - Joe Alexander -- I never really got a chance to see him in college, so I bought into all the positive hype about him. But just recently I read that he doesn't look like he knows what he's doing in games. That's really concerning. I don't believe everything I read, but why would that get written if there wasn't some truth to it? And didn't they just trade for Richard Jefferson? And aren't average-sized 3's a dime-a-dozen? Why would any team need to stock up on these guys? What's the plan?
9. Bobcats - D.J. Augustin -- (I initially followed the crowd and projected DeAndre Jordan here, thank God the NBA wised up about that guy) When I see stuff like this I suffer a crisis of pride. Was I wrong about Raymond Felton? Isn't he a solid point guard? I keep hearing that he's not a true 1 ... really? Didn't he win an NCAA Title playing nothing but point guard? I don't get it. And they're trying to replace him with a guy who everyone knows will be a defensive liability. It's just not smart. They should've just drafted Lopez to shore up their center position and solidify their frontline by moving Okafor to the 4.
10. Nets -- Brook Lopez -- Oh my God, he sounds like a meathead from an '80s college movie. 'Hey brah, you gonna pass me a brewski or what? Hey, look, it's Nerdberg! Quick, get the water balloons full of birth secretions!' Not a big fan of Lopez, but at #10 it's not a bad pick. However, they just traded for Jianlian, and they already have Krstic. That gives them 3 7-footers with questionable toughness. This is how they're gonna woo LBJ? I don't get it.
11. Pacers - Jerryd Bayless -- I've never hid my hatred for Bayless. Even if he played defense and his teammates liked him he'd still be an under-sized 2, or a too-selfish 1. But this late in the draft I can't blame the Pacers for picking him. He's very talented, and they've wanted to replace Jamaal Tinsley for the last 34 years. He said all the right things in his interview ... but so does everyone else (except for Beasley, but we expected that).
12. Kings - Jason Thompson -- I like his size, and apparently he 'has a good motor'. I know nothing else about him, so I won't judge it. Katz is saying that the Kings' scouts were in love with him. Is that good or bad? Does this mean that Thompson will be their 4 and Hawes will be their 5? I'm not sure that's a good idea.
13. Trailblazers - Brandon Rush -- Whoa. A lot of people thought they'd take Alexis Ajinca (or whatever). The Blazers are much smarter than people think. Will Rush be a star? No, but he will contribute to a team that's getting better and more talented every year. It's times like this that I get happy that the Sonics are leaving so I can embrace the Blazers. This is a great move that'll help their defense and deepen them in a very profound way. I love it!
14. Warriors - Anthony Randolph -- Randolph is terrible, he's thinner than Durant, he gave his team no wins, and he wasn't even statistically prolific. The Warriors already have two young, thin, big men. They need another? What's the point? Do they think this guy is gonna put on 50 pounds? TELEGRAPH TO THE WARRIORS: Your bizarre philosophies worked for one round against an overrated team of chokers!
15 Suns - Robin Lopez -- Don't bother wearing the hat, Robin, you can't pull it off with that hair. This is the way they're heralding their new traditionalistic era? By drafting a guy who might be able to allow Stoudamire to play the 4 for 15 minutes a game? Meh, not a terrible pick.
16. 76ers - Marreese Speights -- Say what you want about his personality, you can't teach height. I'd rather have Speights than Beasley. He's talented, and he has plenty of time to figure out how to play defense and pass and run a few laps and all that stuff. This late in the draft it's perfectly fine to take risks.
17. Pacers (via Raptors) - Roy Hibbert -- If I had no other decent options for my 5, I'd be happy to have Hibbert fill that hole. But he's a career underachiever with a low ceiling and molasses shoes.
Shot of Darrell Arther still waiting, and DeAndre Jordan is still on the board. NBA teams are getting smarter all the time.
Displayed in ESPN's runner: 'Danilo Gallinari, 1st European player selected by NY in the 1st round since Nene'. That statistic is worthless in more ways than I can count.
18. Wizards - JaVale McGee -- Good size, good pedigree, and he was on the All-WAC Defensive team. That's good enough for me.
OH MY GOD! Ike Diogu and Jerryd Bayless for Jarrett Jack and Brandon Rush?!?!?!?!? Don't like it. Smart for the Pacers, Jack will be a more reliable point. Not so smart for the Blazers, they just got smaller and much worse defensively. Bayless's problems will be tempered by Roy's point guard skills, and this gives them LOTS of offense ... but is this the right kind of offense? I'm already bitter. I hope Sergio Rodriguez emerges next year.
19. Cavaliers - JJ Hickson -- Mario Chalmers is still on the board? Yeah, they draft a point guard every year, but maybe they should try drafting a 1 who actually has a history of winning. Chalmers was also a top-10 recruit, if you'll remember, so he has plenty of talent (hidden by that deep, stat-stifling roster), and he plays hard defense. Exactly the kind of guy you need to support LBJ.
Statistic: DJ Augustin is the 3rd Longhorn drafted in the 1st round in the last 3 years ... wow ... Durant still needs to figure out that the NBA is about more than shooting, and everyone was surprised that Aldridge was productive last year, on pace to becoming a lifelong borderline All-Star. You UT people need to kill all this hype until your professional alumni start living up to the hype. And pray that Augustin at least tries to play defense.
20. Bobcats - Alexis Ajinca -- They traded a future 1st-rounder (and therefore a very high 1st-rounder) for this guy? He looks like an acrobat on stilts and he doesn't produce anything. His wing-span is 7'8"? To me, that just makes it 40% more likely that he'll suffer a compound fracture while trying to block a Josh Smith dunk.
Oh, the Blazers also gave up Josh McRoberts in the deal. That actually makes it worthwhile for the Blazers, even if Jerryd Bayless sounds like he was told he has two weeks to live.
21. Nets - Ryan Anderson -- Good point, ESPN crew. Why have I not heard anything about this guy since the season ended? He was really good! He's got size! He shoots 90% from the FT line! Defensive liability, but he'll be a good role player.
22. Magic - Courtney Lee -- Love it. Small school guys are always risky, but he's got good size and good talent. Hopefully this'll get JJ Redick off that roster.
23. Jazz - Kosta Koufos -- I didn't watch him play (the Big Ten is terrible), so I'll just take this time to say that Ohio State annoys me. Stop losing Title games, you guys are embarrassing yourselves. Start earning some of that merchandise revenue you rake in.
24. Sonics - Serge Ibaka -- Uh, yeah, cause international players have been working out so well for the Sonics ... He's got 17 brothers and sisters? And he's from the Congo? Jeez, I feel sorry for the guy. These media patsies mention that stuff like they're just charming idiosyncrasies, but that's serious business. Unless this guy is royalty he had a traumatic childhood raised by some (understandably) irresponsible people. I hope he makes it.
25. Rockets - Nicolas Batum -- Thin and French.
Darrell Arthur hasn't been selected because of a kidney problem? If that's a big deal then why wasn't this talked about before the draft? It's late and he was projected in the top 10! Just pick the guy!
26. Spurs - George Hill -- Wha? The Spurs made the pick, so I'll trust it. But, wha? IUPUI? There are a lot of names on the board. Maybe this is genius, or maybe this is a case of a front office trying a bit too hard to be clever.
27. Trailblazers (via Hornets) -- Come on guys, don't disappoint me again -- Darrell Arthur -- Alright, fine. I don't really like him, but this is a bargain. And even if the kidney thing turns out to be a problem, the Blazers have enough talent for two rosters, they'll survive. Besides, they paid cash for this pick, and their owner is Paul Allen so they essentially got him for nothing. A top-10 guy on a winning team for nothing? Good times. I'm feeling better.
28. Grizzlies (via Lakers) -- Mike Miller was their leading rebounder? That's pathetic. The news of ####'s maturity has been greatly exaggerated. -- Donte' Green -- I'm sorry, I have to risk being offensive: what's the deal with these names? I can kinda understand the myriad spellings of 'Dante', but the addition of the apostrophe? When you're so desperate for a unique spelling of a banal name that you resort to using superfluous punctuation, just concede defeat and name the kid 'Russ'. This is not a commentary on African-American culture, it's an excoriation of *poor* culture. Kids get dumb names for the same reason that poor dudes on buses use their knees to claim space like it's a land rush. It's all about some sort of misplaced pride. I'm glad Green is an NBA player now and not an aspiring accountant, good luck explaining that name in a job interview.
29. Pistons - DJ White -- 6'9"? He's taller than I thought. But what are they gonna do about their center position? Rasheed's about done, so is Ratliff, and Maxiell's too short to be relied on. Maybe they just should've drafted DeAndre Jordan and hoped for the best. At least they'd've paid him less than Nazr Mohammed.
30. Celtics -- They need to get a 2, Ray Allen is just about cooked -- JR Giddens -- Darn. Remember this guy? I was annoyed by him from the instant I saw him. Sportscenter loud mouths were telling me that I should be glued to the tube to check out his sick dunks. I looked and said: 'Uh, yeah, thanks. There are good players out there who can dunk.' They needed a 2, but couldn't they've gotten a more mature kid with a more well-rounded repertoire? Why not just grab Douglas-Roberts? I don't get it.
Disclaimer: I'm pretty sure I repeated, or outright plagiarized (on accident) about 2 or 3 jokes in this blog. But I'm sick and this thing is huge and I'm not making any money off this, so screw it.
Beasley was the best player in college in the past four seasons. He's the best player in this draft as well. Unfortunately for him he will have no help whatsoever from the Heat's coaching staff. Derrick Rose will find the NBA adjustment a lot harder than Beasley will.
Everyone wanted the Sonics to draft Bayless at #4...why? They just spent last year's #2 pick on a guy that will need 25 - 30 shots per game what they needed was a perimeter defender not another backcourt scorer. Great pick with Westbrook.
The Pacers have reinvented themselves in a span of two days. Larry Bird has just removed himself from any Isiah Thomas comparisons.
Eric Gordon WILL be trash in the NBA, so the Clippers are the perfect team for him to be trash on.
The Wolves are quietly putting together a decent team, something they never seemed to be able to do when the had KG.
I loooooove Garlinari at #6. Once the Knicks get rid of the cancer that is Stephon Marbury, this team will improve by leaps and bounds.
Robin Lopez will eventually be the next Dennis Rodman, minus the wedding dress.
With Chalmers still there at 30 I would have taken him. Having said that why not take a flyer on Giddens who has sick length ,a good low post game, a decent jumpshot, plays above average defense and is a monster on the glass?
Picking at 30 allows the luxury of drafting "potential"
Besides, now P-Dub has sombody to compare knife wounds with.
Last edited by 54fulltiltfulltime on June 26th at 9:27 PM.
Though you said that you couldn't be to critical of the pick of derrick rose, theres a reason he went 1. If you look at the other 2 pgs taken at 1, it shows the confidence Chicago has in him. He will also be absolutely loved. Hinrich has reached his peak, yet many GM's still have a lot of interest in him, including the heat. Don't be surprised if a Hinrich/Tyrus Thomas for Sean Marion deal is floated around
CurlyMo, you're foolish, Rose having a harder time than Beasley? Rose is as bigg and as strong as just about any PG in the league aside from B-Diddy, you obviously do not watch these kids play. Beasley relies heavily on out muscling his defenders, and that just ain't gonna happen so easily if at all in the NBA. Unfortunately I agree with this piece, I am a Heat fan, but you can't have two guys giving height, they will have to out-run and out-jump the opposition, and while it may be good for a post season upset or two (Warriors) that style of play has proven time and time again to be ineffective as far as going the distance.
I do like the selection of Chalmers though, that was a steal and fills an important need. Jackson in the late second round was a nice pick as well. I think we're setting up for a MArion trade for sure.
Gordon is trash?! Wow, I read the first paragraph only initially and already determined you were a ####, but that solidifies it, lol. You so obviously don't know a thing about b-ball. You did not watch Rose, Beasley, or Gordon because your prognostications are all ####-backwards. Gordon is a superb athlete, and he reminds me of B-Diddy. He will need to improve his ball-handling, but his shot is pure and he has high b-ball IQ. Russell Westbrook at #4 and you're endorsing that? #### of epic proportions CurlyMo.
How in the world did Regicide ever get a Blog on this site!?!?!? This guy would make Jordan sound like 3rd round loser pick or something!?!? Just a bunch of negative, uneducated waste of typing if you ask me!!!
Beasley was not the best player in college basketball for the past four years because he is a freshman. So that only allows him to be the best for one season. The 1,2 and 3 picks were all freshman
wow, a true #### has spoken. This is posibily the dumbest person ever associated with basketball. Your ignorance is radiating off you. Maybe you should learn something before speaking/writing in the future...
Thanks for the substantial arguments, guys ... I obviously come off as negative, because I think there are a *lot* of bad ideas out there that need to be fought (like 'it's *okay* when players don't play defense as long as they score a lot of points'), so those are the things I focus on. And by the way, I don't beg FoxSports to keep putting my stuff on the front page. It's their choice, which I'm quite surprised by because I'm really sloppy about these things.
george hill exploded in orlando...every scout knew who he was after that....who else was on the board besides douglas roberts? chalmers wont be a good nba player...besides ian mahinmi will be on the roster this year and hes a machine...
Good blog...the only thing worse than the talent in this draft was listening to the announcers calling this garbage. No wonder the NBA wants a minimum age requirement..how many times did we hear (____ ____) has a chance to be a starter in 3 or 4 years. Wasn't that what college basketball used to be for? Why pay a guaranteed contract to a player who won't even start for at least 2 years. Teams are selling picks in the first round..translation "there isnt 1 player on this board who can help us or is worthy of a multiyear guaranteed contract." Same thing with drafting international players who won't even think about coming over for 3 years. Pathetic.
OJ Mayo hasnt even played an NBA game yet and I'm already officially sick of him. The guy already was old enough to drive when he played his first 9th grade game, last year should have been his junior year in college. Let's see how good Danny Almonte Mayo is when he plays against people his own age. Wait..I'll tell you how this turns out..Stephon Marbury. Mayo will be traded more times and get more coaches fired than playoff series won 10 years from now.
And seriously, what was the point of showing Darrell Arthur every 30 seconds in the second half of the first round? What, the guy didn't feel bad enough already, sitting there as several million dollars in guaranteed money went down the toilet for him? No need to embarrass him further.
I don't care who you are; the Blazers finally has a front office that gets it and it shows! They are giving Nate McMillen a roster he should be able to win with; the best part is they have future picks young talent and no heavy contract mess to worry about; I'm impressed by the Blazers draft moves this year, they simply out-smarted the competition.
It's very rare when someone's blog loses all credibility in the first sentence, you are what they call an uniformed observer, probably blogging on a subject you shouldn't.
The point guard position is the most important position in the NBA, it used to be that a great big man (true center) you always seek but there arent any in todays NBA other than a few. Having said that, except in cases of team needs you take the best available which the Bulls arguably did. Think of the Hawks passing on Chris Paul and Deron Williams and taking Marvin Williams, if there is any chance on getting a long term starting point guard you instantly take it. Point guard is the hardest position to fill in todays NBA, why so many teams are forced to play younger players that can handle the ball and are prone to turnovers, or forced to take a combo guard.
Rose, Mayo and Westbrook two combos and one natural who will likely play the PG position will end up being the most succesfull players in this draft. But keep analyzing.
Who is this joke Regicide? I heard of most of these players but not this loser. If he is so smart, how come he isnt in the NBA? I also like Gordon. Mayo is that what goes on a burger? Randolph will be a good fit with the Warriors. He needs to put on some weight.
man i feel bad for whoever sat next to you during the draft, you are one angry/bitter dude.
enough with the height already, man thats annoying. wow 2 inches. kobe 6'6 compared to durant whos 6'9, jason kidd is 6'4 and tony parker is 6'2. it's not about height or weight or speed, its how you execute the game.
a guy whos 6'4 210lb wont succeed, but someone who is 6'5 230lb will be a superstar. ridiculous.
Many decisions puzzled me in this years' draft. Two early picks I believe will be flops. Russel Westbrook? Jared Bayless? Gimme a break. Eric Gordon should have gone sooner, the man is a fantastic athlete plump full of talent and energy. Jared Bayless should have gone later or possibly not at all. Of course he's better than I'll ever be at B-Ball but IMO over-valued, same as Russel Westbrook. If I owned a team and had no specific need for a "type" of player, Jason Thompson and D.J. Augustine would be taken much earlier. I believe these are the 2 most overlooked and underrated players drafted. Jason Thompson from Rider is a freaking stud, seriously. This man will be an all-star for the Kings and could possibly take em' to the playoffs next year. I've seen him play and this guy is going to end up being the one everyone wish they took (after the obvious first few draft picks). Great character, strength, size, talent... on and on. And D.J. Augustine, although kind of small, will suprise the NBA world too. Has anyone seen this guy play? He's amazingly quick. I wouldn't take him over Derrick Rose but he's definitely the second strongest point guard up for grabs. A future all-star.
I hate commenting on my own blogs, but I have to answer a few things (to be expounded in full-length blogs in the near future). 1st) I wrote it live, of course it's out-dated, check the publishing time. 2nd) Size is very important *relative to position* (a 6'6" SG is a giant, while a 6'9" C is a shrimp), and yes, it is VERY IMPORTANT. Look at the history. Look at the best players on the Championship-winning teams. Dwyane Wade and Isiah Thomas are virtually the only under-sized players on that list, and both of them were guards, where size is less important. AND both of them were supernatural cut-throat assassins. I haven't seen that from Gordon or Bayless. 3rd) Who said I thought I was smart? ... well, I do, but I don't advertise it. I do these for fun. Criticize the blog, not the blogger who's supposedly bitter just because he's critical of NBA personnel management.
for all those signing off on the 9th pick of augustin who is solid within his abilities but umm..did anyone happen to catch the tourney this past march when he was matched against the top pick rose with who had less games under his belt or tourney experience and was throughly outclassed by the then freshman?..wasnt even close on either end..so to think that augustin is gonna come into the league and have his way with any of the elite PGs or even the marburys of the league is gross over statement and honestly i doubt he sees any real minutes till like 2010..i see him in the mold of jameer nelson and hes still searching for his confidence and niche
Having been an nba fan for decades, I am real familiar with "experts" like regicide who claim height is everything. They though Michael Jordan was too small to be a 3 which was his "natural position" so he would fail. They thought Charles Barkley was way way too short to have a succesful nba career. They were certain that Wes Unseld would never, ever, be a starting center in the nba. I could go on, and on, and on....but the point is that a great basketball talent will find a way to succeed in spite of his size. It has been repeatedly proven and will be proven again and again whether this ill-informed blogger believes it or not.
I love the blog. What was there 8 freshmen and a couple of refugees from Africa and Eastern Europe. Your right that a lot of these guys will fail. The teams are so afraid of missing a young guy that develops, but are they really? I do like the Rose pick and Chalmers, Rush and Alexander. Theya ll seem to have game and some sanity(okay maybwe not Rush with third try at getting drafted). Keep up the good work and tell us how u really feel the next time.....
I dumped the Mariners a long time ago, I've now dumped baseball because its records are now held by blatant cheaters and everyone's okay with it, and I'm now being forced to dump the Sonics. It's down to the Seahawks and the Huskies ... and maybe the Trailblazers. It's depressing. All of that lost Sports-Energy is now being diverted into hating Michael Vick, Notre Dame, and anyone else who is overrated and/or criminal (I'm looking right at you, Jimmy Clausen).
