NBA Draft- Top 5 Winners and Losers

Winners:

Raptors: Before the draft even started, they received an all star in Jermaine O’Neal for T.J. Ford, Rasho Nesterovic, and the 17^th pick which became Roy Hibbert. These three are all decent players, but the potential of having O’Neal and Bosh on the court together creates the most potent frontcourt in the Eastern Conference. O’Neal has been injury plagued throughout his career, but so too has T.J. Ford. It seems like a wash yet there still remains a large disparity in talent between the two. Jose Calderon has also blossomed into a pleasant surprise for the Raptors. The only thing that might scare me is that their frontline seems similar to the Knicks big men of Randolph and Curry. The difference is after two years if this experiment in Toronto does not work out, they are both free agents. In New York, Randolph and Curry are stuck for a while because both have horrible contracts.

Nets: While I don’t love them losing Jefferson for a guy who sounds like a Pokémon character, Yi Jianlian, it allows them flexibility to get under the salary cap to try and woo Lebron into playing for his buddy Jay-Z. They also got bigger with adding the best center in the draft, Brook Lopez, with the tenth selection. He reminds me of Chris Kaman, a serviceable center who will average close to 10 and 10 for his career. Ryan Anderson is also someone who can stretch the court and will see playing time. To top it all off, they got the biggest steal in the draft. Chris-Douglas-Roberts, nicknamed CDR, plays like Tayshaun Prince with an unconventional shot. He can get to the basket and is a long and athletic defender who’s a proven winner. It would not surprise me if he becomes Jefferson’s long term replacement, and at #40 this is not a steal, its armed robbery.

Grizzles: They gave up two nice players, Mike Miller and Kevin Love for a potential all star in O.J. Mayo. Every team seemed to want this guy coming into the draft and the Heat even debated taking him 2^nd overall. The Grizzles need a player who can bring fans to the stands. Their best player entering the draft was Rudy Gay. Fans do not want to wear “Gay” on the back of their jerseys. Mayo is their new leader and now they need to address additional forwards in the off-season. They also added the Kansas product, Darrel Arthur with the 27^th pick who was supposed to be a lottery pick. As my friend Larry David would say, that is “Pretty Pretty Pretty Good.”

Blazers: They got a scorer in Jerryd Bayless who the Heat potentially were thinking about trading down for. They fell in love with his talent because he can create his own shot and has great 3 point range. Bayless and Roy in the backcourt will be scary for opposing defenses to handle. They also may have the rookie of the year. {remember Greg Oden} This team is ready to take the next step by making the playoffs thanks to their young core of high character players.

Rockets: Surprisingly I have inside sources. {Shout out to “Chummus” and his brother} He was alongside scouts as they watched players perform for the Washington Wizards. He believed the most impressive shooter in the draft and biggest sleeper pick could be Donte Greene. Well, he fell to the right team in Houston. He can come in off the bench, average 15-20 min per game and knock down some perimeter shots. I’m also in love with Joey Dorsey’s game. He is an athletic, tough defender who should have also been a first round pick. This guy can flat out rebound and will find a way to earn minutes at the next level.

Losers:

Sonics: Why did they have 5 picks in the first place? It does not make sense when only 12 make an active roster. This is not the NFL where the more picks you have the better off you are. Russell Westbrook is a good defender and athletic combo guard who would fit an already talented team, not the rebuilding Sonics who do not even know where there home will be next season. His stock rose tremendously as the draft drew closer, but I question his overall skills as being the fourth best player. Kevin Durant needs another scorer on this roster. What they really needed was a Robin to assist their Batman. Instead all they got with Westbrook was a Joker.

Bobcats: We all know Michael Jordan can make a jump shot but not much of a draft aficionado. {He selected Kwame Brown #1 overall} With two picks in the first round and “What can Brown do for you” on the sidelines {nothing if it involves the Knicks} it looked like a potentially good night. That is until they took D.J. Augustin. Now I like Augustin, but they already have a young point guard in Raymond Felton. They need a center so they can shift Emeka Okafor back to his natural position at the 4. The best center in the draft, Brook Lopez, was still on the board and could have fit a Larry Brown team with his scoring around the rim and shot blocking ability. Then they selected Alexis Ajinca who might not even play this year. What are they waiting for? They haven’t made the playoffs since the existence of their organization, so you would think now is the time to find players that can contribute right away?

Kings: Memo to the Maloof Brothers- If you like a player that no other GM has any interest in there is a thing called trading down. Jason Thompson may be great, but nobody else projected him to be a lottery pick. The Rider prospect taken in the first round was surprising in itself let alone going 12^th overall was downright stupid. If they traded back and took him later in the draft, they would have been able to acquire other needs to help build around for the future.

Dallas: This seems unfair to criticize a team that had no first round picks, but anyone who watched them in the playoffs can agree the one thing they lacked was youth. With a new coach and outlook I was expecting them to try and trade one of their veterans {Devean George, Eddie Jones, Tyronn Lue, Jamal Magloire, or Jerry Stackhouse} for a possible first round pick or just younger players. They were not even involved in any rumors, so they better use the offseason to improve their bench or else they will look old again and run off the court come playoff time.

Knicks: I like Danilo Galinari. Let me repeat that I like the so called “Italian Stallion” at the 6^th spot. The NBA is changing with most teams having international players on their roster. It was time for the Knicks to take a gamble on adding a European of their own. Plus guards like Eric Gordon and Jerryd Bayless who were still available, are great scorers, but the Knicks already have a bunch of selfish guards who shoot first in Marbury, Crawford, and Robinson. What was disappointing about draft night was that a point guard of the future was not established. Marbury’s contract ends after this season and he is the only true point guard on the team. The offseason will be vital for them to land a floor general that can flourish in Mike D’Antoni’s system. Hopefully the new guys running the show know what they are doing, which I believe they do.

From Worst to First

As much as I hate to admit it… Boston is the best sports town. The Red Sox winning the World Series and Patriots running the table only to fall one quarter shy of another Super bowl{which also would have completed a perfect season} was quite impressive. Even Major League Soccer’s New England Revolution made it to the cup finals in back to back seasons. I know the MLS is considered as fake as Pamela Anderson’s tits but it helps make my argument plus I enjoy watching my New York Red Bulls. {and yes Red Bull is responsible for more than just giving you wings and jaggerbombs they also do have a soccer team.} With the Boston Celtics capturing NBA hardware for the first time since 1986, a potential dynasty is in the making.

You know what The Mighty Ducks, Bad News Bears, and every other sports movie has in common? These teams are absolutely terrible from the beginning and by the time the credits roll around they somehow find a way to win. You have all seen this script play out before, and can certainly say it about the Boston Celtics who had the biggest turn around in just one season. They couldn’t win a game last year. In fact they couldn’t even win the NBA Draft Lottery! The team a year ago was as pathetic as watching the drunk David Hasselhoff eat a burger off the floor.GM Danny Ainge was on the hot seat, yet remained patient in keeping Doc Rivers as head coach. Acquiring Ray Allen was a heavily criticized move at the time. Then Ainge’s former teammate and friend, Kevin McHale, delivered Ainge a generous gift. This included Kevin Garnet for Al Jefferson, Sebastian Telfair {the shittier cousin of self proclaimed Starbury and creator of $15 shoes} and a bunch of other scrubs. The big 3 erased memories of last season’s worst record by winning a league high 66 games.

The Celtics run in the playoffs was entertaining to watch and included two games 7’s with the Hawks and the Cavs. {aka the Lebrons}The finals actually drew ratings unlike previous seasons that have been uneventful. Usually the Spurs are involved whose boring brand of basketball is less exciting to watch than my bobble head collection. The Celtics v. Lakers rivalry was renewed making an intriguing finals matchup. The Celtics game 4 win became an instant classic after trailing by 24 points. Role players such as Eddie House and James Posey chipped away at the score to take a commanding 3-1 lead in the series. Then the Celtics had a Kimbo Slice performance to win the title by 39. Did Odom and Gasol even show up in this series? Where was Phil’s famous triangle? Even Kobe didn’t have that breakout game? The answer was assistant coach Tom Thibodeau’s scheme that made Boston the best defensive team throughout the course of the season. Paul Pierce deservedly earned Finals MVP after shutting down Kobe Bryant throughout the series as well as putting up big scoring numbers of his own.

What is scary to think about these Celtics is that they can easily be back here next year with Pierce, Garnett, and Allen still in their prime. The words role player get thrown around a bunch by sports writers and commentators, but the Celtics role players, as The Rock would say, knew their role. {and shut their mouths you jabroni} Kendrick Perkins is a young and developing center while Rajon Rondo has all the tools to be a great point guard if he can develop a jump shot. Like the Red Sox and Patriots who have brought home multiple championships in recent memory, so to will these Boston Celtics.

With the # 1 Pick

It’s that time of year again. The time where Steven A. Smith yells for no apparent reason, the time where teams gamble on some goofy looking European, the time where big name players are swapped for picks, and the time where we get to debate who should go #1 in the 2008 NBA Draft.

The Bulls are officially on the clock with a little less than 3 weeks to go. What are their options? Trade the pick all together? Select the Chicago native Rose? Take Beasley? While the first option could be intriguing, it seems as silly as giving Billy Joel the keys to your new Porsche. The Bulls are young and talented and with a new coach and season approaching, they are only one key player away from being a legit playoff team in the East again.

Derrick Rose is a gifted talent who can run the point position for many franchises. The Memphis point guard may even be the better NBA professional; nonetheless, he is not the better fit for this currently constructed team. The Bulls already have three guards who log in plenty of minutes. Ben Gordon won the NBA Six Man Award and is a lethal shooter, while Larry Hughes was brought in by the Bulls front office in a mid-season trade this past season. Though Kirk Hinrich had his struggles last year, he still is a capable young guard that has averaged 6 assists throughout his entire career. These three guards are important to the Bulls long term success as Derrick Rose would only crowd the backcourt. [similar to the way Mexicans crowd a minivan]

The future of the Bulls is looking bright with a young core of talent, but has a whole the size of Rosie O’ Donnel’s ass at power forward. This is why on draft day a different Michael should be selected in the hopes of returning to the Jordan glory days. Beasley was a stud at college in the Big 12 averaging 26 and12 per game. He brings exactly what the Bulls need, a guy who can demand a double team and score “down low”. [Did R. Kelly record this song before or after he raped a little girl?] A versatile player who can score with his back to the basket would be a nice compliment to the offensively challenged Jokaim Noah and Tyrus Thomas. The Chicago Bulls were in heavy discussions to try and land Kevin Garnet or Paul Gasol, but were unable to complete a trade thus allowing them to slip away. Last time I checked the Celtics and Lakers with the addition of these scoring big men were playing in the NBA Finals. With the help of a dominant power forward in Beasley, the Bulls can also be in the mix next year.

Truth be told, both prospects leading the top of the draft board will be superstars at the next level. Beasley vs. Rose is like choosing between which Jessica [Simpson vs. Alba] you would rather for a night. Do you go with Jessica Simpson; freak in bed but not the smartest tool in the shed with some character concerns similar to Beasley, or do you go with the safe pick in Jessica Alba like the way scouts are drooling all over Derrick Rose after his performance during the March Madness Tournament? Either one of them would be fine choices, but I am taking Daisy Duke on my evening out or in this case giving the edge to Michael Beasley.