NBA Draft Recap

My apologies for failing to report to my keyboard last night. After getting in late from basketball, I could not find the energy to write anything coherent. Here are my thoughts from last night: When Mario Chalmers, Chris Douglas-Roberts, DeAndre Jordan and Kyle Weaver were all available when the Celtics went on the clock, I thought that Ainge would grab one of those four to become a piece for the bench in 2008-09 or grab a foreign prospect (I was hoping for Croatia's Ante Tomic if that was the decision) to stash in Europe for the next two or three years. When the choice came up as swingman JR Giddens, I had some questions. This is a player who left Kansas for New Mexico because of his behavior issues in Lawrence and was even suspended in New Mexico for being a "bad teammate." His athleticism and size (6-6, 205) make him an ideal replacement for free agent Tony Allen but I wonder if Giddens' off-court issues will replace Allen's. Still, I trust Danny Ainge. Just like I trust Theo Epstein & Co. and just like I trust Bill Belichick and Scott Pioli. That's what happens when you are responsible for assembling championship teams, you earn the benefit of the doubt. Ainge admitted he has questions about Giddens' maturity but knowing that guys like Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, Kendrick Perkins, James Posey (he's coming back, I just know it), and Leon Powe will be teaching Giddens the right example, this should be a high reward pick for Boston... The C's were also active in the second round. They bought -- actually they stole -- Kansas State swingman Bill Walker from the Wizards and then invested in Turkish big man Semih Erden with the last pick of the night. Walker has the talent to be one of the best players in this draft. The only reason he slid into the second round were concerns about his knee. Walker tore ligaments in his knee as a freshman at K-State but returned last year to team with Michael Beasley and lead the Wildcats into the second round of the NCAA Tournament. A projected lottery pick, Walker tore the meniscus in the same knee while working out for the draft in the spring. When healthy he is a very good scorer and his athleticism is off the charts. By sending the Wizards a small bag of cash for Walker's rights, the C's may have found themselves a player who can contribute immediately next year off the bench. Erden is a player we may never see play in Boston. That is the reality when you get drafted with the last pick of the draft. Still, it can't hurt to invest in a 6-11, 245-pound inside player who will continue his development in Europe. A year or five from now, Erden might be someone who helps the C's. Who would have thought Manu Ginobili would have been an All-Star and key piece on three Spurs championship teams when they took him with the 57th pick (second to last) of the 1999 Draft? Erden is a long shot but at a time when the Celtics are designing championship rings, long shots are more than acceptable... Like most drafts, trades dominated the night. The biggest of the night involved Minnesota and Memphis. The T-Wolves packaged the rights to OJ Mayo along with Marko Jaric, Antoine Walker, and Greg Buckener and in return received the rights to Kevin Love, Mike Miller, Jason Collins and Brian Cardinal. Memphis adds a potential star in Mayo. They can try and pair up Mayo with Rudy Gay or try and deal Mayo to Miami, who did not hide their interest in the USC product, for a package that would probably be based around Michael Beasley. The Grizzlies also were successful in ridding themselves of the 2-years and $13-million owed to glorified towel boy Cardinal but in return they add point guard Jaric and his 3-years and $21-million to a team stocked with point guards. Minnesota gets a skilled big man in Love to team with 2009 All-Star -- write it down -- Al Jefferson and one of the NBA's best shooters in Miller. For this to really be a steal for the T-Wolves, guard Randy Foye needs to elevate his game so that people in the Twin Cities won't be too upset when Mayo starts to play at an All-Star level. Overall, this looks like a good trade for both teams. Whenever two non-playoff teams make a draft night trade involving top five picks, I think of Roseanne and Tom Arnold making happy in a twin bed. It can get that ugly. This deal has some risk on both sides but I think it does make both teams better than they were at the end of last season... The Heat made a quiet but potentially brilliant move in sending two future second round picks to Minnesota for the rights to Mario Chalmers. Chalmers is a very solid point guard who can shoot the ball and he should be a great fit in Miami's backcourt playing next to Dwayne Wade, if Miami doesn't try and make a play for Mayo. Not a wise move by the Timberwolves, who needed a point guard... Portland made too many trades to keep track of but overall, I like their night. The Blazers entered the night with a roster filled with talent and inexperience as well as five picks. They then traded all five picks and in return received the rights to Arizona point guard Jerryd Bayless, the rights to French forward Nicolas Batum and fourth-year forward Ike Diogu. When the Blazers feel they are truly ready to contend, a day that will come sooner than later, they will have a plethora of young talent to package to land a player that could put them over the top... I missed the first sixteen suits, I mean picks. All I know is that Bill Simmons wrote that Eric Gordon looked like a waiter from Johnny Rockets and Jerryd Bayless dressed like Mr. Roarke. There's always next year... The Nets made an interesting move as they prepare to clear money for a run at LeBron James in 2010. They sent Richard Jefferson to Milwaukee for Yi Jianlian and Bobby Simmons. The Nets add a player with a lot of potential in "Chairman" Yi and also clear $10-million for a potential run at LeBron when he becomes a free agent in two years. Milwaukee adds a very good player in Jefferson. When they drafted West Virginia forward Joe Alexander later in the night, they acquired another solid player. Other than drafting Andrew Bogut ahead of both Chris Paul and Deron Williams in 2005 and handing a $500-million contract to a one-dimensional shooter like Michael Redd, things are looking good in Wisconsin... The Nets also made some solid picks. They took center Robin Lopez with the 10th pick, grabbed shooting forward Ryan Anderson at 21 and stole Chris Douglas-Roberts with the 40th pick. Adding that kind of young talent to a roster that features Devin Harris, Sean Williams, Marcus Williams, the Chairman and Nenad Krstic makes New Jersey an intriguing team. If they would just trade Vince Carter already and put out a sign telling their fans that when they move to Brooklyn, they will be led by LeBron, I would really like the direction of the Nets... The Bulls were wise to take Derrick Rose. Rose is a gifted player who should be able to make life easier for the rest of the Chicago roster. He showed he can carry a team to a championship level while at Memphis and he seems to have a good head on his shoulders. The biggest concern for the Bulls now is to find a way to package Kirk Hinrich and/or Ben Gordon to land the team a big man who can score inside. Until that happens, this team is still not a contender in the East... That scoring big man might be on his way to Toronto. I think Larry Bird had a pretty good draft in securing both a good wing player in Brandon Rush and a decent center in Roy Hibbert but even though Jermaine O'Neal is considered expensive ($44-million by 2010) and damaged goods (knees), I bet Larry Legend could have landed Ben Gordon and Andres Nocioni for O'Neal. It would be better than TJ Ford and Rasho Nesterovic... The Knicks fans that hated the Danilo Gallinari pick last night will be lining up to buy his jersey by Christmas. Pairing Gallinari with my favorite Knick of all-time, David Lee, is a good start for Donnie Walsh and Mike D'Antoni in the Apple... I still don't get why NBA teams often draft on potential and upside, two things that almost never pan out, over proven production and solid basketball skills. Golden State, a team on the verge of making the playoffs last year, drafted a 195-pound power forward in Anthony Randolph -- a player brimming with athleticism and potential -- while passing on proven college players like Darrell Arthur, Kosta Koufos and Mario Chalmers. It makes no sense... In college football, Penn State is known as Linebacker University and USC is known as Tailback University. In college hoops, should LSU be known as Potential-Filled Power Forward University? Ask Stromile Swift, Tyrus Thomas and Anthony Randolph... I often wonder how the Jazz have been competitive for almost every season since the late 1980s and then I see that Kosta Koufos, a 7-1, 265-pound center with real offensive skills, fall to them at the 23rd pick and I realize that other teams (Warriors, 76ers, Wizards) are just plain stupid... Derrick Rose, Michael Beasley, Danilo Gallinari, OJ Mayo, Eric Gordon, and Kevin Love will probably be All-Stars at some point in their career, playing along with Kobe, KG and LeBron. Darrell Arthur, Mario Chalmers, Bill Walker and Chris Douglas-Roberts might make some teams rue the day they passed over them in this draft, in the mold of Dennis Rodman, Bill Laimbeer, Mark Price and Carlos Boozer. Gallinari, Serge Ibaka, Nicolas Batum, Ante Tomic, Nikola Pekovic, Semih Erden and Omer Asik are foreign players who could one day dominate the NBA Finals like Manu Ginobili, Tony Parker, and Dirk Nowitzki. Of course Rose, Beasley, Gallinari, Mayo, Gordon, and Love could join LaRue Martin, Chris Washburn, and Roy Hinson as draft busts. Arthur, Chalmers, Walker, and CDR could very easiy disappear from the NBA without many of us knowing or caring. The foreign guys could end up as, well, just foreign guys. It's why I watch four hours of draft coverage, read pages of analysis and type thousands of mostly unread words. The NBA Draft is the next step for all 30 teams. With the smallest rosters in any of the four major professional team sports, one or two players can make an immediate difference... With all the reality crap on television, wouldn't a show about the Lopez twins actually be worth watching? Add in Chuck Daly as their roomate and I'd be glued to the tube... I would trade my freedom in return for the U.S. government sending Stu Scott and Stephen A. Smith on a spaceship to Mars. If Skip Bayless and Woody Paige were added to that trip, I would give my life... Can someone please look into signing former Duke guard DeMarcus Nelson? I know Coach K is a Hall of Famer and is about to coach the U.S.A. to the gold but his inability to develop a winner in Nelson's tenure in Durham should not be taken out on such a talented player... Am I 6-1 in sneakers, socks or bare feet? What should my wingspan be? Am I long? What is my upside? Questions you ask yourself after the NBA Draft... Rose, Beasley, Gordon and Gallinari will be first team All-Rookie and they will be joined by the 2009 Rookie of the Year................. Enjoy Greg Oden next season....