2007 NBA Draft Notes

4:36 – The Portland Trailblazers take Greg Oden #1, as everyone already knew. One can’t help but make Bill Walton comparisons with Oden. Hopefully he won’t have the injury problems that Walton did.

4:39 – Stephen A. Smith is the most annoying analyst I’ve ever heard. “You can’t teach 7 feet.” What does that even mean? Arrgh.

4:41 – Just announced – the Sonics trade Ray Allen for the #5 pick, and select Kevin Durant 2^nd overall. This is just awesome news. The Sonics are going to take Jeff Green 5^th overall, and they get Wally Szczerbiak and Delonte West in the trade as well. It’s a great way to rebuild the team around Durant. The Sonics, I’m assuming, are going to start Durant, Green, Watson and Wilcox. Still need another guard though…I don’t see how a Watson, Ridnour combo at guard would work. Collison, I’m assuming, will be on the bench. I guess the Sonics could go with Watson, Durant, Green, Wilcox, and Collison…playing Green as a 2 and Durant as a 3. It would be a small lineup but there’s no way they score fewer than 100 points a game that way.

4:48 – The Hawks take Al Horford third…so this is like…I dunno…the 14^th year in a row that the Hawks have selected a power forward…when Mike Conley was there for the taking...This is like the Hawks passing on Chris Paul all over again.

4:52 – Memphis takes Mike Conley, the best player available, 4^th overall. Great pick by the Grizzlies.

4:57 – Boston takes Jeff Green, who will go to Seattle with West and Szczerbiak, for Ray Allen. I am seriously pumped right now. With Durant and Green, there is finally a chance to save basketball in Seattle (although I do have some issues with Green…his no show in the final four amongst other things).

5:04 – Milwaukee takes Yi Jianlian 6^th overall…this is a bad pick all the way around…first off Milwaukee took a big man, Andrew Bogut, first overall just two years ago. Secondly, Yi was opposed to playing in a city that wasn’t a big market…last time I checked Milwaukee wasn’t a big market. Or a medium market. It’s gonna be hard for the Bucks to sign Yi.

5:10 – The more I think about it, the more I’m bummed out that we didn’t get ANY potentially great players from Boston (other than Green of course). Sczcerbiak is essentially a 6^th man at best with a huge salary ($11.775 M next year). West is a fairly young kid who could end up being a good starter, but probably won’t. With Sczcerbiak’s contract, I’m sure Seattle will try him out as the 2 guard, but I don’t know how long that will last. Opening day lineup for Seattle will probably be Watson, West, Green, Durant, Wilcox; Watson, Sczcerbiak, Green, Durant, Wilcox; or West, Sczcerbiak, Green, Durant, Wilcox.

5:11 – The T-Wolves take Corey Brewer 7^th overall, an alright pick, but I don’t think he’s going to turn into the superstar that a lot of people think he will.

5:17 – Let’s see how badly MJ messes up yet another franchise with the 8^th pick.

5:18 – The Charlotte MJ’s select Brandan Wright 8^th overall. A surprisingly good pick. I think Wright has a chance to be a really great player in the league.

5:20 – Chicago is on the clock. Grab Noah. Grab Noah. Grab Noah. Grab Noah. If Chicago takes Noah, they are instantaneously the team to beat in the East.

5:23 – Stephen A just threw out Spencer Hawes’ name as a potential draft choice by Chicago. Take my word as someone who followed Hawes at UW last year: don’t.

5:24 – NOAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

5:25 – The Bulls officially earn the right to be the Eastern Conference team to get swept by a Western Conference team in the 2008 NBA Finals.

5:32 – Sacramento took Hawes 10^th overall. Upside potential. That’s the worst thing you can draft on in the NBA. How often has a player with “upside potential” panned out? Not often.

Rule #1: Don’t draft on upside potential

Rule #2: Don’t draft tall, white guys

The Kings broke both of those rules. Jay Bilas: “You can’t get caught up on a couple of things he doesn’t do well.” You can’t? Why not? If they are important things (and I’m pretty sure blocking and rebounding are important for centers), then you can most certainly get caught up on them.

5:38 – Whoa. Atlanta just took Acie Law IV 11^th overall. I totally did not expect Law to go in the lottery. Don’t get me wrong, I think it’s a great pick. I absolutely love Law, and I’m absolutely shocked that Atlanta made a pick that makes sense. I still probably would have gone with Mike Conley 3^rd and someone like Julian Wright 11^th, but the Law pick makes the Horford pick at 3 make far more sense.

5:41 – The Atlanta Hawks’ new jerseys are horrible. Just horrible. Why, oh why, do teams do things like this?

5:46 – Philadelphia takes Thaddeus Young from Georgia Tech? What? Billy King is officially the worst GM in the NBA. I can’t wait to read what Bill Simmons writes about this.

6:00 – Had to be away for a bit…I come back to find New Orleans take Julian Wright 13^th (great pick) and the Clips take Al Thornton (great pick). So far only one truly atrocious pick has been made (Thaddeus Young) and, of course, the most atrocious GM of them all made the pick.

6:05 – STUCKEY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

6:05 – Detroit makes my favorite non-Seattle move of the draft so far, taking E. Washington’s Rodney Stuckey 15^th overall. Rodney Stuckey is a guy who can energize an old, tired Pistons team.

6:10 – The Wizards take Nick Young from USC 16^th overall. Not sure if this is a good pick. I think Young is wildly overrated.

6:14 – The Knicks have agreed to trade Steve Francis and Channing Frye to the Trailblazers for Zach Randolph, Dan Dickau, and Dan Jones. Let me just say…what a horrible trade for the Blazers. Why would they do this? Why would they want to put Stevie Franchise around Greg Oden? Why would you trade Randolph for…at most…50 cents on the dollar? I honestly don’t understand this at all. Easily the worst move in the draft so far. Great job by Isaiah Thomas though…wow never thought I would say that.

6:16 – The Nets take Sean Williams 17^th overall. Classic “guy with personal problems but great talent” pick. Definitely a risk to take at #17.

6:22 – Golden State takes Marco Belinelli 18^th overall. I don’t know much about Belinelli, who is from Italy, so I’m not sure whether or not he is a good pick at this slot.

6:27 – The draft has really begun to slow down…great entertainment for the first 2 hours or so, but now it’s really bogging up. I want Stephen A to stop speaking. Seriously.

6:28 – Mark Jackson just pulled a “you’ve got some ‘splaining to do” on the Los Angeles Lakers. High five very nice!

6:29 – The Lakers take Javaris Crittenton from Georgia Tech 19^th overall. Good pick for L.A.

6:35 – Miami takes Jason Smith out of Colorado State 20^th overall. Smith is a big, solid power forward. He has a nice 10 foot jumper and he’s very basketball smart. Oh, and he’s white. Gotta throw that in there right?

6:38 – Interview with GM Mitch Kupchak: “I have no power. Jerry Buss controls everything I do. Shoot me. Shoot me now.”

6:41 – Philadelphia’s 2^nd pick of the 1^st round – they take Daequan Cook from Ohio State…Rich Bucher is reporting that Philadelphia is trading Cook and cash to Miami for Jason Smith…umm this is weird. Why wouldn’t Miami just take Cook at 20? The owner needs the extra money or something? Very strange stuff. Oh…and of course…Billy King is an idiot.

6:45 – Yay! Charlotte’s on the clock! Another MJ pick! Gotta love the MJ picks! (Cut to Kwame Brown crying in a corner somewhere).

6:47 – The Charlotte MJ’s take Jared Dudley! Amazing! MJ makes a pick that doesn’t suck! Again! I’m stunned!

6:51 – According to Spike Lee, “Zeke knows what he’s doing.” Nuff said.

6:52 – The Knicks select Wilson Chandler from DePaul as the 23^rd pick. Spike was right.

6:58 – Phoenix drafts Rudy Fernandez from Spain as the 24^th pick. Once again, I don’t know much about European players. Bucher is reporting that Fernandez may go to Portland in a trade.

7:05 – The Jazz take Morris Almond from Rice as the 25^th pick. I like Almond a lot. A 6’6” 2 guard who can score. Not the best defensive player, but a guy who will be able to average 12 points per game right out of the gate.

7:06 – I’m kind of hoping that Josh McRoberts falls to #31 so Seattle can grab another big guy. I’m not a huge McRoberts fan, but he’ll be a solid backup, and he’s a name that anyone following basketball has heard of. Oh, and he’s white. I want either McRoberts or Afflalo for Seattle. Hopefully we can get one.

7:13 – Somehow I missed the 26^th pick. Shows how much I’m paying attention at this point. The Rockets drafted Aaron Brooks out of Oregon. I like the pick, as Brooks was very good in his years at Oregon.

7:17 – Reports of talks between Seattle and P.J. Carlesimo to be Seattle’s new head coach. Personally, I’d prefer Rick Carlisle.

7:19 – Detroit takes Aaron Afflalo with the 27^th pick. Damn…I was hoping he dropped to Seattle. Good pick by Detroit though (maybe a little high, but still a good pick).

7:30 – Alright I missed #28 too…don’t really care…Phoenix just picked Alondo Tucker at #29…I’m zoning out here. Probably won’t write too much more. Just the Seattle pick and then anything after that I find remotely interesting.

7:45 – Getting ready for Seattle’s 2^nd round pick. Seattle selects Carl Landry from Purdue. I’m very disappointed in this pick. We don’t need another undersized forward. With guys like McRoberts, “Big Baby” Davis and Nick Fazekas out there, I’m bummed that we went with Landry.

7:46 – YES!!!!! MJ makes the HORRIBLE move I’ve been waiting for!!!! Trading Brandan Wright for Jason Richardson???? WHAT IN THE HELL??? MJ is seriously making a run at Billy King and ‘Zeke to be the worst GM in the NBA…and he’s not even a GM!

8:08 – Alright I’m done. Nothing else interesting is happening. I’m going to play Zoo Tycoon 2 now, because I’m awesome like that.