Wednesday, June 28, 2006
1st Annual NBA Draft Diary
Back again after a 6 week absence. I've finally recovered from the depression of the Spurs and the UT baseball team not winning titles, so I'm ready to post once again. Here is my first annual draft diary...
6:22: Just got home, draft coverage started 22 minutes ago, but Toronto has yet to make their first pick. JJ Redick being interviewed. I can’t say there’s another guy that has done more to destroy his draft stock in the last 3 weeks than Redick. Then again, the NBA likes guys with DWI's and back injuries.
6:23: Stu Scott interviewing Adam Morisson… are there two people who’s look alone is a more perfect example of unintentional comedy than these two?
6:24: Mark Jones comments that Rudy Gay has won the green room award as the best dressed. Coincidence that a guy named Gay is best dressed? I think not.
6:29: Still no pick… By the way, I plan on going back and keeping a running tally of the number of times Jay Bilas says the word “long”. Actually I’m wondering if anyone will be called “not long”.
6:32: David Stern announces the Raptors have 5 minutes. In reality they had 4 weeks. I think Toronto should pick Gay, because they already have their starting frontcourt set with Rasho, Bosh, and Villanueva. They will take Bargnanni, barring any surprises. Bargnanni will be a #1 overall pick who will be sitting on the bench to start his career. Is he the next Darko or the next Dirk? I lean towards Darko myself.
6:36: Stern announces the first pick: Andrea Bargnanni. 2nd straight year a foreign guy with the initials A.B. is the #1 overall pick. Do you really want to make the first pick in the NBA Draft a guy with a girl's name? Standing next to Stern, he looks like a white Manute Bol. Dan Patrick makes instant reference to Italy in the world cup after the pick… how many weeks ago do you think he came up with that idea?
6:40: Awkward moment of the night #1: Stu Scott interviewing Bargnani in English, when Scott’s native language is Ebonics and Bargnani’s native language is Italian.
6:42: Andy Katz just announced that Aldridge will go to the Blazers via trade. Chicago picks Aldridge #2 overall. Aldridge will be the 2nd UT player picked by Chicago in the top 10 and traded to another team on draft night (See Chris Mihm, drafted 7th by Chicago and traded to Cleveland on draft night).
6:44: First long reference – Bilas on Aldridge
6:46: Brian Colangelo getting interviewed to explain his choice of Bargnani #1. Meanwhile, I have flashbacks to Charlie Casserly on NFL Draft day explaining the pick of Mario Williams over Reggie Bush and Vince Young.
6:48: Charlotte selects Adam Morisson. Ten years from now, everyone will remember how goofy his mustache looks more than the team that drafted him and what he did in the league. My prediction – Gay will be a better pro.
6:52: Morrison admits he gets advice from Chris Dudley on how to play in the league with diabetes. (If Morrison has as successful a career as Dudley had, I’ll be surprised)
6:53: Dickie V calls Aldridge ‘soft’, says he doesn’t rebound. Dickie V doesn’t realize Aldridge was 2nd in the conference in rebounding.
6:54: Portland picks Tyrus Thomas who will be traded to Chicago. Can you say 2nd coming of Stromile Swift?
6:55: Bilas wingspan reference: Thomas
6:58: My brother Nate calls, tells me he thinks Thomas is the best player in the draft. I disagree, obviously, thinking he’s the next Swift. So we’ll see who has the better career between Aldridge and Thomas. I’ll take LaMarcus.
6:59: Stu Scott gives a shout out to Frederick Douglas.
7:00: Atlanta picks Shelden Williams. Atlanta will be picking in the top 5 once again next year. Draft picks like this one is why. Vitale says Williams will be better than Aldridge as well. I don’t think he’ll be as good of a defensive player when he’s not playing under Duke rules anymore.
7:02: Adam Morrison makes a commercial where he admits crying. He’s a girl.
7:06: Minnesota selects Brandon Roy. Everyone has been on this guy’s bandwagon. Is he a top 10 player in any other draft?
7:10: Boston picking for Portland. Aldridge’s future teammate. If you ask me, an Aldridge/Gay combo will bring home an NBA title if they stay together 10-12 years. Bilas just says Foye is the best player in this draft, but has Gay #1 on his current draft board over Foye at the same time.
7:15: Portland takes Foye with Boston’s pick. I like this pick, because he’s a big physical player with a good outside shot. Portland has probably had the best draft of anyone, getting Aldridge and Foye by giving up no more than Telfair.
7:20: Looks like Houston will trade #8 pick with Rudy Gay for Shane Battier. I like this trade for both teams. Memphis has been a team needing a star scorer to get over the hump and Houston can always use a guy like Battier who can play the 2, 3, or the 4. If Rudy Gay becomes a 20 ppg scorer, Memphis will be a legitimate contender. 7:23: SAS says Houston should keep Gay because they can’t score enough. They didn’t score enough because Yao and TMac only played in 30 games together all year.
7:28: Golden State selects Patrick O’Bryant from Bradley. The first “Who the hell is that?” pick in the draft.
7:29: Wingspan alert: Bilas on O’Bryant
7:33: Now Portland trades Foye for Roy straight up. At this point, I just think Portland is trying to set a record for most draft day trades. They have now made 3 trades in the the last 24 hours. So Aldridge’s running buddy will be Brandon Roy.
7:34: Wingspan alert: Dan Patrick on Saer Sene – 7’8” Wingspan, biggest in the draft. Seattle picks Saer Sene – so total of two “Who the hell is that?” moments in the top 10 picks of the draft.
7:37: After 10 picks, my best available… Marcus Williams, PG from UConn. Best point guard in the draft, one of the 3 critical positions for a successful NBA team. (The other two are a low post presence and an athletic scoring wing player… all the best teams have 2 of 3 if not all 3 of these positions).
7:40: Orlando takes JJ Redick. Prepare for Dick Vitale slobber-fest. Hey Dickie V, want some beer to help wash the taste of JJ Redick’s weiner out of your mouth? (Just as I write this, my brother calls and says “I’m surprised Dickie V can talk so clearly with JJ Redick’s c*ck all over his tonsils). Obviously there’s something to this, or we wouldn’t have both had the exact same thought at the exact same moment.
7:46: NO takes Hilton Armstrong. Excellent defensive player. The only thing I have to say here is maybe they will stop talking about JJ Redick. Therefore, Hilton Armstrong is the MVP of the draft for the viewers so far.
7:50: Sixers on the clock… Will they go another year without trading AI after constant trade speculation?
7:52. Answer: NO. They pick Thabo Sefolosha. ok, whatever.
7:55: Sefolosha goes to Chicago. So the sixers do make a trade, but it’s the wrong one. Unintentional comedy moment… Sefolosha talks about how much he looks forward to playing in Chicago while wearing a 76ers hat.
7:57: Jay Bilas makes the worst joke I’ve ever heard. “The draft is like a Lids store in the mall… 2 for 1 hats, everyone gets 2 hats.” Word of advice Jay… Stick to what you know… upside and wingspan.
7:58: David Stern just called out Dan Patrick from the podium for not saying anything nice about any of the draft picks. Dan Patrick responds by saying he likes commissioner Tagliabue more. This is the worst awkward TV moment of the night so far.
7:59: Utah picks Ronnie Brewer. ESPN interviews Brewer’s dad, who looks like Nick Van Exel’s long lost twin brother.
8:00: Bilas describes Brewer as having “freaky length and wingspan”. That a way to mix it up and keep us on our toes.
8:02: David Stern announces the Roy for Foye trade, then has this clueless look on his face like he wants to make a joke about the fact that their names rhyme, but he can’t come up with anything, so he decides to stay silent for 4 seconds followed by a matter-of-fact “ok.”
8:03: NO picks Cedric Simmons, who got completely schooled by UT’s front-line in the NCAA tournament. Stu Scott gets in a “baby daddy” reference when interviewing Simmons. His goal is clearly to work his way through the entire ebonics dictionary by the end of draft night.
8:09: Philly takes Carney with via Chicago. I like him as a player if he can be a good defensive player. He and Iguodala are pretty much the same player, that could be the only problem.
8:13: Dan Patrick interviews the Hornets’ GM, who looks like Jesse Ventura. Texas Sports Gal thinks his head looks like an egg.
8:15: Indiana takes Shawne Williams of Memphis. They blow it big-time by not taking Marcus Williams, the best pure point guard available in the draft. At this point, I’d love to see my Spurs trade up to get Marcus Williams to instantly have the best backup PG in the league.
8:16: Bilas Long reference: Shawne Williams “very very long, 7’3” wingspan”
8:19: Dan Patrick puts Larry Bird on hold. ESPN having technical problems that are increasing by the moment.
8:20: Greg Anthony has said the following statement about AT LEAST 10 players to this point in the draft: “He has the chance to have the biggest impact of any player in this draft”. He’s approaching Jay Bilas “long/wingspan” status with his “impact” comments.
8:23: Washington takes Oleksiy Pecherov – How long will it be before someone on this broadcast announces his name as Pecker-off.
8:25: Token audience shot of Spike Lee. Who else has maintained his celebrity status in spite of not doing a thing of significance in the last 10 years as well as Spike Lee?
8:28: Queens select Quincy Douby of Rutgers. David Stern, a Rutgers grad, feels the need to announce that Douby comes from a great university. This is probably the only player drafted from Rutgers in Stern’s tenure, so I wonder how many years he’s been waiting to pimp his university.
8:30: NYC Crowd boos fervently when profile of Isiah goes up at the draft.
8:31: Knick fan suggests they draft Marcus Williams. While he is the best player available, I wonder if Isiah planted this guy in the crowd. Who else would suggest that their team needs a point guard when it already consists of Stephon Marbury, Steve Francis, Jamal Crawford and Jalen Rose? I’m convinced, Isiah planted that fan in the crowd.
8:34: Knicks select Renaldo Balkman 20th. Never heard of him. This is the highlight of the draft… David Stern, after announcing the pick, says “Renaldo Balkman is not here”, followed by Dan Patrick saying “…and that’s probably a good thing.” I guess Isiah felt he had enough shoot first point guards and he didn’t have enough undersized power forwards. They draft a 6’5” power forward who everyone agrees is a 2nd round pick at best. My brother and I spend about 2 minutes straight on the phone laughing at the Knicks organization after this pick. I’m going to miss Isiah in New York, as he won’t be around come draft time next year.
8:40: Suns pick Rajon Rondo. Rondo is basically a rich man’s Royal Ivey. Good defender, long arms (I’m starting to sound like Bilas), good ball-handler. I like his game a lot.
8:43: I’m still laughing about the Knicks picking Renaldo Balkman. I mean if they wanted to draft a 6’5” power forward, they could have gotten two that were better than Balkman in PJ Tucker and Eric Hicks of Cincinnati.
8:46: Nets get Marcus Williams at 22. Steal at this spot. I actually thought Toronto would have been better off with him at #1 than they will be with Bargnani. Point guards are critical positions and the Nets got the best one in the draft at pick #22. Prediction: He will be first team All-NBA Rookie team if he gets enough playing time behind Kidd.
8:47: Dickie V adds to the legend of the bad Knicks pick. Out of 100 names included in the NBA’s draft media guide, Renaldo Balkman is not on the list.
8:49: Nets with two picks in a row, take Marcus Williams teammate at UConn Josh Boone. Good defensive post player. True 6’10” tall. Not a good offensive player, but doesn’t need to be with Carter and Jefferson already on their team. Nets have had the best draft of any team to this point.
8:56: Memphis takes Kyle Lowry. I thought they would have been better off with a post player, someone like Leon Powe of Cal or someone that can play the center position. Memphis was terrible at center last year with Tsakilitis and Lorenzen Wright.
8:58: Cleveland at 25. Rumors spread all week saying Cleveland has promised the 25th pick to Daniel Gibson. It’s possible he got promised the 25th pick, but if you ask me, there’s no way Cleveland honors that promise and actually takes Gibson in this spot. I think Cleveland would be an excellent fit for Gibson because he could play the point guard on defense and the shooting guard on offense with LeBron handling the ball. It’s one of only a handful of teams where Gibson could fit in and play a role without being a true point guard. Gibson is a better version of Damon Jones. We’ll see what Cleveland does…
9:01: I was right, Cleveland takes Shannon Brown. However, the analysts just talked about how Cleveland needs a shooter and instead they get a slashing wing player instead. I have no doubt Gibson is one of the best spot up shooters in this draft.
9:05: Interview with the logo. I’ll say this on the Rudy Gay trade. The last 6’8” athletic 2-guard the logo traded for on draft night is a guy named Kobe Bryant. Is Shane Battier the next Vlade Divac? Is Gay the next Kobe?
9:08: Lakers take Jordan Farmar. Not a difference maker, but anyone is an upgrade over Smush Parker.
9:13: Trailblazers potentially making a 4th trade of the night to get the Suns 27th pick. Suns take Sergio Rodriguez, who Dan Patrick informs us goes by the nickname “Spanish Chocolate”. He’s Spain’s Jason Williams.
9:15: Dallas on the clock. I’m worried they will pick PJ Tucker, and that he will cause all kinds of problems for the Spurs. Tucker reminds me quite a bit of Josh Howard as far as his college career.
9:16: Jim Gray is losing his voice while interviewing Mitch Kupchak. He sounds like he did on location after the brawl in Motown, when he sounded like he was holding back tears while doing his commentary.
9:17: Dallas takes Maurice Ager. Another great athlete for Dallas’ team. I’m worried that Dallas is going to get better and better over the next 3-4 years, while the Spurs will slowly decline over the same period of time. Bilas says Ager doesn’t know how to pick up concepts, while the Texas Sports Gal and I both wonder how the hell he would know something like that?
9:18: Knicks on the clock, with a pick they got from the Spurs in their stupid trade sending my team Nazr Mohammed for undersized PF Malik Rose. I can’t wait to see who they will pick next. If they picked Renaldo Balkman at #20, maybe they’ll pick me at #29. Greg Anthony has no clue who the Knicks will pick.
9:23: Knicks take Mardy Collins of Temple. Another guy I’ve never heard of, 6’5” guard. I don’t know how he’s going to get any playing time with J. Rose, Marbury, Francis, and Crawford. So with their 2 first round picks, on a team that won 23 games, the Knicks get a 4th undersized power forward and a 5th guard.
9:29: Portland takes Joel Freeland with the final pick of the 1st round, and Dan Patrick instantly comments that “they spotted him bagging groceries in England.”
9:32: David Stern comes out to boos, as he announces Russ Granik, doing his final NBA draft as debuty commissioner. Russ apparently has a cult following in NYC.
9:40: Portland takes Cincinnati guard James White. The over/under for him to end up in a jail cell is 9 months.
9:47: Clippers take Paul Davis at 34, good college player, reminds me a lot of Nick Collison. Tucker and Gibson still on the board.
9:48: And as I say that, Toronto takes Tucker at 35. First words out of Jay Bilas’ mouth, as if he’s running on autopilot… “7’1” Wingspan”. All the analysts have a lot of positive things to say about Tucker. He will make Toronto’s team as a 2nd round pick, he’ll get a contract, and he will be a contributor.
9:56: Running out of things to talk about… At this point, just waiting for Gibson to get picked and waiting for the Spurs only pick of the draft at 59. Before discounting the importance of the 59th pick, keep in mind that the Spurs drafted Manu Ginobili with the 57th pick in the 1999 draft.
10:02: Cleveland up at 42. I’d actually be shocked if they don’t take Gibson here since he’s still available. If Gibson doesn’t go here, he could drop all the way down to Cleveland’s pick at 55 or off the board altogether.
10:06: Gibson does go to Cleveland at 42. The analysts like the value at 42 and his outside shooting. Pretty much spot on in saying he needs to improve his point guard skills. Gibson is likely to win a ring as long as he can stay on with the team, because LeBron is destined to lead this team to at least a couple titles before he retires.
10:16: 45 picks in, I’ve targeted my guy that I want the Spurs to pick if he falls to them. Hassan Adams from Arizona. Zona guys always seem to be effective NBA players. Adams is a guy that I could see eventually replacing Bruce Bowen as a defensive stopper. He’s the kind of athlete the Spurs were missing when trying to match up with Dallas this year in the playoffs. Maybe not a good character guy, so I doubt this happens even if he is available at that spot, which I don’t think he will be. If I was the Spurs GM, and Hassan Adams was available, I would certainly take him.
10:17: Indiana just drafted Alexander Johnson of FSU with the 45th pick. Since this guy is from Florida State, I put the over/under on time before he is arrested at about 11 months.
10:23: Portland has made their FIFTH trade of the night. This has got to be some kind of record. They trade James White to Indiana for Alexander Johnson, so the over/under on the time it takes for Johnson to end up in jail is now at 6 months, while White’s over/under odds have been raised to one year.
10:29: ESPN has a marketability analyst, Darren Rovell. This guy is a fruit, without a doubt. My gaydar just shot off the chart the moment this guy showed up on my HDTV.
10:31: Portland made their SIXTH trade of the night. They trade Alexander Johnson to Memphis for a future 2nd round pick. Alexander Johnson’s over/under odds on how long it takes him to end up in jail just shot back up to 18 months. This odds-maker (and Johnson’s lawyer) is starting to get pissed off at Portland’s GM for all these trades.
10:37: Hassan Adams just went to the Nets at 54. CRAP!!! Almost fell to the Spurs at 59. Not like the Spurs would have picked him anyway, but I’d take him on my team any time. Now the only suspense left for me is whether or not Portland will make any more trades and to find out the name of the foreign player I’ve never heard of who the Spurs will draft. The Nets easily have had the best draft of any team in my view.
10:49: Dallas’ 2nd pick coming up, then the Spurs and Detroit with the final pick in the draft. Dallas picks Danilo (J.R.) Pinnock. Who cares?
10:53: Spurs take Damir Markota, 6’11, 240 lbs, 20 years old of Serbia. Looks like a future guy to add depth on the frontcourt, no more no less. Definitely not a Manu-type prospect if you ask me, but since 1999, it’s a lot tougher to find top foreign prospects in the draft without anyone else knowing who they are.
10:58: Detroit takes Will Blalock of Iowa St. 6’0” shooting guard if you ask me.
Can’t wait until next year’s draft.
6:22: Just got home, draft coverage started 22 minutes ago, but Toronto has yet to make their first pick. JJ Redick being interviewed. I can’t say there’s another guy that has done more to destroy his draft stock in the last 3 weeks than Redick. Then again, the NBA likes guys with DWI's and back injuries.
6:23: Stu Scott interviewing Adam Morisson… are there two people who’s look alone is a more perfect example of unintentional comedy than these two?
6:24: Mark Jones comments that Rudy Gay has won the green room award as the best dressed. Coincidence that a guy named Gay is best dressed? I think not.
6:29: Still no pick… By the way, I plan on going back and keeping a running tally of the number of times Jay Bilas says the word “long”. Actually I’m wondering if anyone will be called “not long”.
6:32: David Stern announces the Raptors have 5 minutes. In reality they had 4 weeks. I think Toronto should pick Gay, because they already have their starting frontcourt set with Rasho, Bosh, and Villanueva. They will take Bargnanni, barring any surprises. Bargnanni will be a #1 overall pick who will be sitting on the bench to start his career. Is he the next Darko or the next Dirk? I lean towards Darko myself.
6:36: Stern announces the first pick: Andrea Bargnanni. 2nd straight year a foreign guy with the initials A.B. is the #1 overall pick. Do you really want to make the first pick in the NBA Draft a guy with a girl's name? Standing next to Stern, he looks like a white Manute Bol. Dan Patrick makes instant reference to Italy in the world cup after the pick… how many weeks ago do you think he came up with that idea?
6:40: Awkward moment of the night #1: Stu Scott interviewing Bargnani in English, when Scott’s native language is Ebonics and Bargnani’s native language is Italian.
6:42: Andy Katz just announced that Aldridge will go to the Blazers via trade. Chicago picks Aldridge #2 overall. Aldridge will be the 2nd UT player picked by Chicago in the top 10 and traded to another team on draft night (See Chris Mihm, drafted 7th by Chicago and traded to Cleveland on draft night).
6:44: First long reference – Bilas on Aldridge
6:46: Brian Colangelo getting interviewed to explain his choice of Bargnani #1. Meanwhile, I have flashbacks to Charlie Casserly on NFL Draft day explaining the pick of Mario Williams over Reggie Bush and Vince Young.
6:48: Charlotte selects Adam Morisson. Ten years from now, everyone will remember how goofy his mustache looks more than the team that drafted him and what he did in the league. My prediction – Gay will be a better pro.
6:52: Morrison admits he gets advice from Chris Dudley on how to play in the league with diabetes. (If Morrison has as successful a career as Dudley had, I’ll be surprised)
6:53: Dickie V calls Aldridge ‘soft’, says he doesn’t rebound. Dickie V doesn’t realize Aldridge was 2nd in the conference in rebounding.
6:54: Portland picks Tyrus Thomas who will be traded to Chicago. Can you say 2nd coming of Stromile Swift?
6:55: Bilas wingspan reference: Thomas
6:58: My brother Nate calls, tells me he thinks Thomas is the best player in the draft. I disagree, obviously, thinking he’s the next Swift. So we’ll see who has the better career between Aldridge and Thomas. I’ll take LaMarcus.
6:59: Stu Scott gives a shout out to Frederick Douglas.
7:00: Atlanta picks Shelden Williams. Atlanta will be picking in the top 5 once again next year. Draft picks like this one is why. Vitale says Williams will be better than Aldridge as well. I don’t think he’ll be as good of a defensive player when he’s not playing under Duke rules anymore.
7:02: Adam Morrison makes a commercial where he admits crying. He’s a girl.
7:06: Minnesota selects Brandon Roy. Everyone has been on this guy’s bandwagon. Is he a top 10 player in any other draft?
7:10: Boston picking for Portland. Aldridge’s future teammate. If you ask me, an Aldridge/Gay combo will bring home an NBA title if they stay together 10-12 years. Bilas just says Foye is the best player in this draft, but has Gay #1 on his current draft board over Foye at the same time.
7:15: Portland takes Foye with Boston’s pick. I like this pick, because he’s a big physical player with a good outside shot. Portland has probably had the best draft of anyone, getting Aldridge and Foye by giving up no more than Telfair.
7:20: Looks like Houston will trade #8 pick with Rudy Gay for Shane Battier. I like this trade for both teams. Memphis has been a team needing a star scorer to get over the hump and Houston can always use a guy like Battier who can play the 2, 3, or the 4. If Rudy Gay becomes a 20 ppg scorer, Memphis will be a legitimate contender. 7:23: SAS says Houston should keep Gay because they can’t score enough. They didn’t score enough because Yao and TMac only played in 30 games together all year.
7:28: Golden State selects Patrick O’Bryant from Bradley. The first “Who the hell is that?” pick in the draft.
7:29: Wingspan alert: Bilas on O’Bryant
7:33: Now Portland trades Foye for Roy straight up. At this point, I just think Portland is trying to set a record for most draft day trades. They have now made 3 trades in the the last 24 hours. So Aldridge’s running buddy will be Brandon Roy.
7:34: Wingspan alert: Dan Patrick on Saer Sene – 7’8” Wingspan, biggest in the draft. Seattle picks Saer Sene – so total of two “Who the hell is that?” moments in the top 10 picks of the draft.
7:37: After 10 picks, my best available… Marcus Williams, PG from UConn. Best point guard in the draft, one of the 3 critical positions for a successful NBA team. (The other two are a low post presence and an athletic scoring wing player… all the best teams have 2 of 3 if not all 3 of these positions).
7:40: Orlando takes JJ Redick. Prepare for Dick Vitale slobber-fest. Hey Dickie V, want some beer to help wash the taste of JJ Redick’s weiner out of your mouth? (Just as I write this, my brother calls and says “I’m surprised Dickie V can talk so clearly with JJ Redick’s c*ck all over his tonsils). Obviously there’s something to this, or we wouldn’t have both had the exact same thought at the exact same moment.
7:46: NO takes Hilton Armstrong. Excellent defensive player. The only thing I have to say here is maybe they will stop talking about JJ Redick. Therefore, Hilton Armstrong is the MVP of the draft for the viewers so far.
7:50: Sixers on the clock… Will they go another year without trading AI after constant trade speculation?
7:52. Answer: NO. They pick Thabo Sefolosha. ok, whatever.
7:55: Sefolosha goes to Chicago. So the sixers do make a trade, but it’s the wrong one. Unintentional comedy moment… Sefolosha talks about how much he looks forward to playing in Chicago while wearing a 76ers hat.
7:57: Jay Bilas makes the worst joke I’ve ever heard. “The draft is like a Lids store in the mall… 2 for 1 hats, everyone gets 2 hats.” Word of advice Jay… Stick to what you know… upside and wingspan.
7:58: David Stern just called out Dan Patrick from the podium for not saying anything nice about any of the draft picks. Dan Patrick responds by saying he likes commissioner Tagliabue more. This is the worst awkward TV moment of the night so far.
7:59: Utah picks Ronnie Brewer. ESPN interviews Brewer’s dad, who looks like Nick Van Exel’s long lost twin brother.
8:00: Bilas describes Brewer as having “freaky length and wingspan”. That a way to mix it up and keep us on our toes.
8:02: David Stern announces the Roy for Foye trade, then has this clueless look on his face like he wants to make a joke about the fact that their names rhyme, but he can’t come up with anything, so he decides to stay silent for 4 seconds followed by a matter-of-fact “ok.”
8:03: NO picks Cedric Simmons, who got completely schooled by UT’s front-line in the NCAA tournament. Stu Scott gets in a “baby daddy” reference when interviewing Simmons. His goal is clearly to work his way through the entire ebonics dictionary by the end of draft night.
8:09: Philly takes Carney with via Chicago. I like him as a player if he can be a good defensive player. He and Iguodala are pretty much the same player, that could be the only problem.
8:13: Dan Patrick interviews the Hornets’ GM, who looks like Jesse Ventura. Texas Sports Gal thinks his head looks like an egg.
8:15: Indiana takes Shawne Williams of Memphis. They blow it big-time by not taking Marcus Williams, the best pure point guard available in the draft. At this point, I’d love to see my Spurs trade up to get Marcus Williams to instantly have the best backup PG in the league.
8:16: Bilas Long reference: Shawne Williams “very very long, 7’3” wingspan”
8:19: Dan Patrick puts Larry Bird on hold. ESPN having technical problems that are increasing by the moment.
8:20: Greg Anthony has said the following statement about AT LEAST 10 players to this point in the draft: “He has the chance to have the biggest impact of any player in this draft”. He’s approaching Jay Bilas “long/wingspan” status with his “impact” comments.
8:23: Washington takes Oleksiy Pecherov – How long will it be before someone on this broadcast announces his name as Pecker-off.
8:25: Token audience shot of Spike Lee. Who else has maintained his celebrity status in spite of not doing a thing of significance in the last 10 years as well as Spike Lee?
8:28: Queens select Quincy Douby of Rutgers. David Stern, a Rutgers grad, feels the need to announce that Douby comes from a great university. This is probably the only player drafted from Rutgers in Stern’s tenure, so I wonder how many years he’s been waiting to pimp his university.
8:30: NYC Crowd boos fervently when profile of Isiah goes up at the draft.
8:31: Knick fan suggests they draft Marcus Williams. While he is the best player available, I wonder if Isiah planted this guy in the crowd. Who else would suggest that their team needs a point guard when it already consists of Stephon Marbury, Steve Francis, Jamal Crawford and Jalen Rose? I’m convinced, Isiah planted that fan in the crowd.
8:34: Knicks select Renaldo Balkman 20th. Never heard of him. This is the highlight of the draft… David Stern, after announcing the pick, says “Renaldo Balkman is not here”, followed by Dan Patrick saying “…and that’s probably a good thing.” I guess Isiah felt he had enough shoot first point guards and he didn’t have enough undersized power forwards. They draft a 6’5” power forward who everyone agrees is a 2nd round pick at best. My brother and I spend about 2 minutes straight on the phone laughing at the Knicks organization after this pick. I’m going to miss Isiah in New York, as he won’t be around come draft time next year.
8:40: Suns pick Rajon Rondo. Rondo is basically a rich man’s Royal Ivey. Good defender, long arms (I’m starting to sound like Bilas), good ball-handler. I like his game a lot.
8:43: I’m still laughing about the Knicks picking Renaldo Balkman. I mean if they wanted to draft a 6’5” power forward, they could have gotten two that were better than Balkman in PJ Tucker and Eric Hicks of Cincinnati.
8:46: Nets get Marcus Williams at 22. Steal at this spot. I actually thought Toronto would have been better off with him at #1 than they will be with Bargnani. Point guards are critical positions and the Nets got the best one in the draft at pick #22. Prediction: He will be first team All-NBA Rookie team if he gets enough playing time behind Kidd.
8:47: Dickie V adds to the legend of the bad Knicks pick. Out of 100 names included in the NBA’s draft media guide, Renaldo Balkman is not on the list.
8:49: Nets with two picks in a row, take Marcus Williams teammate at UConn Josh Boone. Good defensive post player. True 6’10” tall. Not a good offensive player, but doesn’t need to be with Carter and Jefferson already on their team. Nets have had the best draft of any team to this point.
8:56: Memphis takes Kyle Lowry. I thought they would have been better off with a post player, someone like Leon Powe of Cal or someone that can play the center position. Memphis was terrible at center last year with Tsakilitis and Lorenzen Wright.
8:58: Cleveland at 25. Rumors spread all week saying Cleveland has promised the 25th pick to Daniel Gibson. It’s possible he got promised the 25th pick, but if you ask me, there’s no way Cleveland honors that promise and actually takes Gibson in this spot. I think Cleveland would be an excellent fit for Gibson because he could play the point guard on defense and the shooting guard on offense with LeBron handling the ball. It’s one of only a handful of teams where Gibson could fit in and play a role without being a true point guard. Gibson is a better version of Damon Jones. We’ll see what Cleveland does…
9:01: I was right, Cleveland takes Shannon Brown. However, the analysts just talked about how Cleveland needs a shooter and instead they get a slashing wing player instead. I have no doubt Gibson is one of the best spot up shooters in this draft.
9:05: Interview with the logo. I’ll say this on the Rudy Gay trade. The last 6’8” athletic 2-guard the logo traded for on draft night is a guy named Kobe Bryant. Is Shane Battier the next Vlade Divac? Is Gay the next Kobe?
9:08: Lakers take Jordan Farmar. Not a difference maker, but anyone is an upgrade over Smush Parker.
9:13: Trailblazers potentially making a 4th trade of the night to get the Suns 27th pick. Suns take Sergio Rodriguez, who Dan Patrick informs us goes by the nickname “Spanish Chocolate”. He’s Spain’s Jason Williams.
9:15: Dallas on the clock. I’m worried they will pick PJ Tucker, and that he will cause all kinds of problems for the Spurs. Tucker reminds me quite a bit of Josh Howard as far as his college career.
9:16: Jim Gray is losing his voice while interviewing Mitch Kupchak. He sounds like he did on location after the brawl in Motown, when he sounded like he was holding back tears while doing his commentary.
9:17: Dallas takes Maurice Ager. Another great athlete for Dallas’ team. I’m worried that Dallas is going to get better and better over the next 3-4 years, while the Spurs will slowly decline over the same period of time. Bilas says Ager doesn’t know how to pick up concepts, while the Texas Sports Gal and I both wonder how the hell he would know something like that?
9:18: Knicks on the clock, with a pick they got from the Spurs in their stupid trade sending my team Nazr Mohammed for undersized PF Malik Rose. I can’t wait to see who they will pick next. If they picked Renaldo Balkman at #20, maybe they’ll pick me at #29. Greg Anthony has no clue who the Knicks will pick.
9:23: Knicks take Mardy Collins of Temple. Another guy I’ve never heard of, 6’5” guard. I don’t know how he’s going to get any playing time with J. Rose, Marbury, Francis, and Crawford. So with their 2 first round picks, on a team that won 23 games, the Knicks get a 4th undersized power forward and a 5th guard.
9:29: Portland takes Joel Freeland with the final pick of the 1st round, and Dan Patrick instantly comments that “they spotted him bagging groceries in England.”
9:32: David Stern comes out to boos, as he announces Russ Granik, doing his final NBA draft as debuty commissioner. Russ apparently has a cult following in NYC.
9:40: Portland takes Cincinnati guard James White. The over/under for him to end up in a jail cell is 9 months.
9:47: Clippers take Paul Davis at 34, good college player, reminds me a lot of Nick Collison. Tucker and Gibson still on the board.
9:48: And as I say that, Toronto takes Tucker at 35. First words out of Jay Bilas’ mouth, as if he’s running on autopilot… “7’1” Wingspan”. All the analysts have a lot of positive things to say about Tucker. He will make Toronto’s team as a 2nd round pick, he’ll get a contract, and he will be a contributor.
9:56: Running out of things to talk about… At this point, just waiting for Gibson to get picked and waiting for the Spurs only pick of the draft at 59. Before discounting the importance of the 59th pick, keep in mind that the Spurs drafted Manu Ginobili with the 57th pick in the 1999 draft.
10:02: Cleveland up at 42. I’d actually be shocked if they don’t take Gibson here since he’s still available. If Gibson doesn’t go here, he could drop all the way down to Cleveland’s pick at 55 or off the board altogether.
10:06: Gibson does go to Cleveland at 42. The analysts like the value at 42 and his outside shooting. Pretty much spot on in saying he needs to improve his point guard skills. Gibson is likely to win a ring as long as he can stay on with the team, because LeBron is destined to lead this team to at least a couple titles before he retires.
10:16: 45 picks in, I’ve targeted my guy that I want the Spurs to pick if he falls to them. Hassan Adams from Arizona. Zona guys always seem to be effective NBA players. Adams is a guy that I could see eventually replacing Bruce Bowen as a defensive stopper. He’s the kind of athlete the Spurs were missing when trying to match up with Dallas this year in the playoffs. Maybe not a good character guy, so I doubt this happens even if he is available at that spot, which I don’t think he will be. If I was the Spurs GM, and Hassan Adams was available, I would certainly take him.
10:17: Indiana just drafted Alexander Johnson of FSU with the 45th pick. Since this guy is from Florida State, I put the over/under on time before he is arrested at about 11 months.
10:23: Portland has made their FIFTH trade of the night. This has got to be some kind of record. They trade James White to Indiana for Alexander Johnson, so the over/under on the time it takes for Johnson to end up in jail is now at 6 months, while White’s over/under odds have been raised to one year.
10:29: ESPN has a marketability analyst, Darren Rovell. This guy is a fruit, without a doubt. My gaydar just shot off the chart the moment this guy showed up on my HDTV.
10:31: Portland made their SIXTH trade of the night. They trade Alexander Johnson to Memphis for a future 2nd round pick. Alexander Johnson’s over/under odds on how long it takes him to end up in jail just shot back up to 18 months. This odds-maker (and Johnson’s lawyer) is starting to get pissed off at Portland’s GM for all these trades.
10:37: Hassan Adams just went to the Nets at 54. CRAP!!! Almost fell to the Spurs at 59. Not like the Spurs would have picked him anyway, but I’d take him on my team any time. Now the only suspense left for me is whether or not Portland will make any more trades and to find out the name of the foreign player I’ve never heard of who the Spurs will draft. The Nets easily have had the best draft of any team in my view.
10:49: Dallas’ 2nd pick coming up, then the Spurs and Detroit with the final pick in the draft. Dallas picks Danilo (J.R.) Pinnock. Who cares?
10:53: Spurs take Damir Markota, 6’11, 240 lbs, 20 years old of Serbia. Looks like a future guy to add depth on the frontcourt, no more no less. Definitely not a Manu-type prospect if you ask me, but since 1999, it’s a lot tougher to find top foreign prospects in the draft without anyone else knowing who they are.
10:58: Detroit takes Will Blalock of Iowa St. 6’0” shooting guard if you ask me.
Can’t wait until next year’s draft.
