sandcrabs June 26th, 2008
I’m doing something a little different. I’m typing this blog while watching the first round of the draft live. The following will be my observations (as skewed as they may be) and opinions (we all know what those are compared to) so hang on and enjoy the ride….even if it gets a little boring. This will be quite long, but please hang tough. Those couple of WUF fans should appreciate some of this, or at least a couple of observations. Or, maybe I’m just a hack.
1. Chicago - Derrick Rose. Duuuuhhhhhh!!!!! This is the absolute can’t-miss individual in the draft. This kid is a pure point guard. He penetrates and kicks extremely well, he can jump through the roof and he’s as smart as a whip. The only knock on Rose is that he doesn’t have a pure shot. So? Neither did MJ, but he developed one.
2. Miami - Michael Beasley. Another no-brainer. It’s difficult to understand where that talk about Pat Riley not being sure about him, something along the lines of some character issues. Immature maybe? Could be all that talk was either a smoke-screen, or something to generate interest in a trade. Stay tuned as I will make updates as they happen.
3. Minnesota - O.J. Mayo. Hey, wasn’t there another O.J. from USC? Something about hacking up his ex-wife and her, ahem, friend. Mayo is a great player with a 5 cent head. Talk about your character issues. He was busted in 2007 for a marijuana charge, which was subsequently dropped. Marijuana? He’ll fit in perfect in the NBA.
Update**** - O.J. Mayo being interviewed states he will bring leadership to Minnesota. Yeah, if somebody needs a bong for a smoke-out. What a punk-ass biznatch.
4. Seattle - Adrian Peterson? Oh, they’re not in Oklahoma just yet. 62 losses last year. They select Russell Westbrook from UCLA. Stud on defense, can put up some highlight dunks. With Kevin Durant, can you say ruuuuunnnnn! Expect Seattle to have an up-tempo game next year.
How much does Stephen A. Smith suck? Or blow, for that matter. The guy can’t shut up and he usually doesn’t know what the hell he’s talking about. He totally hates on west coast basketball.
5. Memphis - After Pau Gasol’s disappearence in the finals, that deal doesn’t look all that bad. Fear not kids. Memphis will find a way to screw this up. Kevin Love. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha. Another punk. He’ll enjoy languishing in the crap-hole of the NBA that is Memphis. There’s some concern about Love’s weight. Fantastic. Put him in a city known for BBQ. Don’t be surprised ifhe balloons up like Kevin Duckworth. (That dude’s freakin’ huge!) Now I’m kind of glad he didn’t go to Oregon. One and done. Not a team oriented type of person.
6. New York - Who will the fans boo this year? The natives are getting restless. Where does this new Isiah-less era go? Having Mike D’Antoni as coach is a definite upgrade. Danilo Gallinari. OMG! The fans are freaking out. The poor kid. He doesn’t know what he’s in store for. The kid’s only 19. It’s going to take a few years for him to develop. He’s a tough guy, but is he tough enough to handle those NY fans? We’ll see.
Jay Bilas sure tells it like it is. Everybody else is rubbing up to Gallinari, but Bilas talks about his weaknesses. Nice job Jay.
7. LA Clippers - Eric Gordon. Is that Ben’s little brother? Big guard (6′3″, over 200 lbs). The kid has a stroke. He can put it up from anywhere. Not a good ball handler, but he sure can score. Do the Clips have somebody who can get him the rock? Crap, I don’t know. I don’t pay much attention to them, except that I see they’re always in the lottery.
Stephen A. Smith really is a moron. Doesn’t want to knock Gordon? He’d hammer you little man.
How ugly is the international ball? What’s with that funky yellow stripe? Trying to be like the WNBA and differentiate from the Association?
8. Milwaukee - Joe Alexander. Great pick. This kid has so much potential. I hope being in dairy country doesn’t stunt his growth. This guy is extremely athletic and his work ethic is tremendous. Much more impressive than last year’s choice )which, by the way, is now in New Jersey). It would have been nice to see this guy in a Trailblazers’ jersey. Oh well. I’ll step out right now. This guy is my favorite for R.O.Y.
9. Charlotte - Too bad MJ can’t evaluate talent like he could play. Well, compared to the greatest there is no way to tell. When you have performed at such a high level everybody else just plain sucks. DJ Augustin. Crap. I really thought he was going to Portland. Well, with their GM doing what is now called the “Pritch-slap” on all his trades last year, you never know. Augustin is quite awesome. Second best point in the draft, maybe even 1b. If Charlotte keeps him then they have made an excellent choice. They’ve ignored their need of going big, but maybe MJ can redeem himself much like Danny Ainge did last year. Time will tell.
10. New Jersey - Rumor has it that Portland has traded into this spot. Will their selection tell the story? The need is for low-post scoring. Need? or want? Brook Lopez. Well, now we know Portland definitely jump into this spot. Lopez is the better of the twins. He’s tough (which folks from New Jersey really like) and can defend the paint with authority. I hated him playing for Stanford against my beloved Ducks, but he is a force. Could be the steal of the draft.
11. Indiana - Jerryd Bayless. Another Pac-10 guy. 5 of the first 11. Wow! ACC and SEC can kiss my ass. Good solid pick. He can get up and down quick but needs some improvement with his passing. He’ll get to learn from TJ Ford, which is always a positive. Smart kid. Says he’ll play wherever the coach tells him to.
12. Sacramento - Jason Thompson. High on many draft boards, but maybe not quite this high. He’s a big guy who can rebound. He will probably be a bit of a project, but he’s smart. Another milk-toast player on a milk-toast team. Is there any other team as boring as the Kings?
13. PORTLAND TRAILBLAZERS!!!!!!!! - This pick will be intriguing at best. Will they keep him? Who would they trade it to? Brandon Rush. There’s been talk of sending a few players out. Rush is a good athlete, but is he really who Portland wants? He shoots well and can defend exceptionally well. We’ll see what happens. If they keep him, say goodbye to Martell Webster. Damn, I’ve got several of his autographed cards. Maybe he can blow up somewhere else. Be prepared for an update.
14. Golden State - They absolutely don’t want to part with Monta Ellis. Good idea. The guy is going to be a freak. Anthony Randolph. Jay Bilas called this one. The guy is big and versatile, but he’s young (7th freshman) and skinny. He will need to get much bigger and stronger to be successful. He has mad skills but can he withstand the bump and grind of the NBA? We’ll see, but don’t expect much from his this coming season.
15. Phoenix - Another foil for Shaq? What a dick he’s really turning out to be even without the whole Kobe thing. I’m not a Kobe lover, but can’t Shaq just shut the hell up? What am I saying? Of course he can’t. The pick? Robin Lopez. Not a horrible pick, but he probably should have gone a little lower. He’ll have a very good defensive presence, and he shoots free throws much better than Shaq, but that’s not really saying much. Another Pac-10 guy. Nice hair dude. Looks like a cross between Side-show Bob and Justin Guarini (yes, I threw down an American Idol reference. Sometimes I’m such a pussy).
16. Philadelphia - Marreese Speights. Nice spelling. He’s not even at the draft. That should tell you something. He has some offensive gifts but he’s not a dominate player. Wimps out from time to time and doesn’t push himself. He needs to learn that right away.
17. Toronto - This pick will go to Indiana via trade. Indiana chooses, I mean, Toronto chooses Roy Hibbert. This guy is huge. 7′2″ and 278 lbs. He’s got good offense skills but is a little slow in transition and on defense. He’s a monster though. With Jermaine O’Neal gone from Indiana, this makes the most sense.
Don’t you just feel sorry for that poor sap who is the last in the greenroom? There have been selections made ahead of Darrell Arthur who are not even at the draft. A little embarrassing.
Hey look! Terry Porter. We love you in Portland Terry! Good luck.
18. Washington - JaVale McGee. Hmmmm. His mother was an all-American at USC and played in the WNBA. The first mother-son combination. What a nice thing to be known for. The kid has a wing-span that goes forever. Maybe a little bit of a project, but this guy can play.
Update: Portland acquires Ike Diogu and Jerryd Bayless from Indiana for Jarrett Jack and Brandon Rush. See? I told you Portland wouldn’t sit tight. Diogu will be cool to watch heave up shots that will go in a lot. My thinking is that they still need to get that prototypical point guard. Could Webster be next out? I’m not sure that I really like all of this trade. I understand that you’ve got to give up something to get something, but I’m just not that excited about Bayless. Pritchard has been a draft-day genius, so I’ll trust him…for now.
19. Cleveland - A year removed from the finals. Some guy named Labron plays there. They’re starting to put some parts in around James but really need some offense to take the pressure off him. J.J. Hickson. A beast in the post. Bilas called this as well. (better than Mel) Some say he’s undersized as an NBA 4, but the guy can play. Needs some of the veterans to stay on him to perform all the time, but his post presence on offense certainly will help.
20. Charlotte - Can MJ make another decent pick? Alexi Ajinca. A freakin’ Frenchman? The guy is tall with a wingspan of 7′8″. Holy crap! He not really that good of a player and needs a lot of work. Look for this guy to stay in Europe for at least another year or two. Wasted pick? Quite possibly.
Update: Josh McRoberts thrown into deal between Portland and Indiana. Good young talent, but Portland needed to clear out a few to make some great moves.
21. New Jersey - How to improve on that steal at #10. Can they do it again? Ryan Anderson. Another not in attendance. Who is going to give Arthur some relief? Anderson passes well and shoot the lights out. He’s tall (6′10″) and can step out to the 3. New Jersey fans will like this guy. This is shaping up to be a good day for the Nets. With their picks and their trade they got bigger and tougher without losing quickness. Nicely done. Watch for NJ next season.
22. Orlando - Dwight Howard. What a freak. I love watching this guy play. He’ll be great for several years. Now all he needs is somebody to take some offensive pressure off him, or can get him the ball. Courtney Lee. A senior so there’s some maturity there. Jay Bilas likes him so he must be pretty decent. Can’t say I’ve heard much about him but I respect that he stayed in for 4 years….but how many freshman from Western Kentucky have declared?
Kiki is one ugly dude. Portland fans will never forget the 3-for-Kiki trade. Ouch.
23. Utah - Kosta Koufos, rhymes with dufus. Big dude. Really big dude. He’s gotta be tough for Jerry Sloan to want him. A bit of a project, but Utah can wait. Oh yeah, another freshman.
24. Seattle - Serge Ibaka. Who? Big, tall guy but who knows much about him. Well, the experts do. The prevailing thought is that he’ll stay in Spain for the next several years. Okay then. I don’t care about him until talk gets to him coming into the league. They just said he has 17 siblings. Holy crap! Not much to do in the Congo is there?
25. Houston - Nicolas Batum. Another Frenchman. Does he know defense? France certainly doesn’t. Shoots well but that’s about it. I don’t think we’re going to see much of this mope. This late in the first round you see a lot of picks burned. I think that’s what this was.
Darrell Arthur has a medical concern? Wow. How could that stay under wraps until now? He should have known something like this was going to happen. If not, he’s got crappy representation. Somebody should have been in his ear. It’s quite possible he doesn’t go in the first round. That would suck, but it’s is own fault. I don’t feel sorry for this dope any more.
26. San Antonio - George Hill. IUPUI. That’s Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis. Huh? Sounds like an identity crisis. Are they Indiana University or Purdue University? Well, the second most boring team in the NBA would make a choice like this. The guy is a physical speciman, but how will that translate into an NBA career? Wait and see. There’s a lot of that this year.
27. New Orleans, or Portland - Portland bought this pick for $3mil. Hmmm. I wonder what they’re going to do with this. Chances are they will package it for a deal, but you never know. It also could be for a player overseas. Portland is known for that (Rodriguez, Fernandez). I hate those choices most of the time. It’s a waste of a pick. If you’re going to do that, take a solid guy that’s suffered, I mean spent 4 years at college. That bunghole David Stern blows about trying to have players go to school with his lame idea of increasing the age-limit. Stand behind your words or shut the hell up. Well what do you know. Portland’s done the decent thing and drafted Darrell Arthur, and he gets a nice ovation from the New York fans. Don’t expect him to stay in Portland though. He’s a good player, but I’m betting he’ll be switching hats before all is said and done. They just interviewed his mom and she had quit her job as….a truckdriver. Don’t piss her off.
28. Memphis - Donte` Greene. Another freakin’ freshman. Mr. Stern, your plan sucks. A perimeter player with suspect decision maiking. Needs to really mature, but is that possible in Memphis? They really needed to get tougher down low and this does nothing for that.
29. Detroit - What can the Pistons do to get over that conference finals hump? Can the coach? Done. What piece is missing. Does anybody really think they can do that with this pick? Maybe fans in Detroit can, but they’re the same ones who hailed the arrival of Rasheed Wallace and that final piece for a dynasty. One and done. You need somebody to replace that piece of crap. No heart. They guy can not take the pressure of being that go-to-guy. Sheed wants to be the guy, when he wants to be it. If he doesn’t, forget about it. D.J. White. Not the guy, but a good player for the next-to-last pick. He’ll be a productive player for Detroit, but they’ll need to make a deal for “that guy”. Joe Dumars is one of the best at evaluating and assembling talent. We’ll see if he can do it again.
30. Boston - You’ve got your championship, now go away. Make a stupid, last pick in the round choice, and let’s go back to laughing at you. Take a knucklehead to irritate KG. It’s time for Danny Ainge to go back to being sucky. He got lucky last year. I don’t expect any dynasty, certainly not even close to the glory days. Damn, their taking a long, long time in making this pick. I’m not quite sure why. Oh, here comes the Hobbit of the league David Stern. The pick is J.R. Giddens. Well, relish in your championship. It won’t last.
That’s it for the first round of the 2008 NBA Draft. Some interesting picks, as always. I fully expect for a lot of this to be old news and many more moves to be made, especially from the Blazers. I just don’t feel like Pritchard is done. One thing is for sure. He may make as many moves as Trader Bob Whitsitt, but he knows what he’s doing. I know, this was an extremely long entry. I don’t know if I’ll do something like this again so you’re Diggs and comments will help me with that decision. Or, I may just say to hell with it and do what I want. As you know, I’m an asshole…and proud of it. Peace!
