NBA Draft - Recap

The 2008 NBA Draft was held last night, and like I predicted in my previous article, freshmen were the keys to this draft.

First off, I just want to commend - myself. I had a summer basketball game last night at 7:45, and managed to not only play the game, but had dinner afterwards and made it all the way home without hearing a single word on what was happening during the draft. So, I am pretty proud of myself - and somewhat surprised. I thought for sure someone would let it slip who Chicago picked at #1.

So, I got home late last night and fast-forwarded through the insanely annoying Stuart Scott, who was the host of the draft for ESPN, and caught up on the picks.

No real surprises in the top three picks: Derrick Rose (Memphis) goes #1 to Chicago; Michael Beasley (Kansas State) goes #2 to Miami; O.J. Mayo (USC) heads to Minnesota at #3.

There were some concerns that Miami was planning on not selecting Beasley at #2, but you have to take him when he is considered one of the best two players in this draft.

Some highlights throughout the night:

• Darrell Arthur of Kansas slips to #27, despite being asked to attend. He sat in the Green Room for a long time before finally being selected by New Orleans. His roller-coaster ride was just beginning, however, as he was traded to Portland - then to Houston - and finally to Memphis (so far).
• Brook Lopez of Stanford appeared to have tears in his eyes as he fell to the Nets at #10. He was projected to possibly go at #3, but no way the Bobcats pass over him at #9 - which they did.
• Trades galore: the biggest coming after I finally went to bed. Memphis traded Kevin Love (#5 pick), Mike Miller, Jason Collins and Brian Cardinal to Minnesota for Mayo (#3 pick), Antoine Walker, Greg Buckner and Marko Jaric. Another huge trade for these two franchise - remember the Garnett trade? How about the Gasol trade?
• Knicks fans will boo anyone. Especially a poor kid from Italy named Danilo Gallinari. But, according to experts, he is a player - they did say the same about Darko Milicic a few years ago though.
• Robin Lopez (twin brother of Brook) has the best hair of the draft. Looking a little like Sideshow Bob from The Simpsons, only at 7'0" tall. He was drafted at #15 by Phoenix and it was absolutely comical as he tried to stuff his hair into his new team's hat.

The major point of last night's draft is the amazing job, again, that the Portland Trailblazers have done. They are truly building something special in Portland - look out for the Blazers.

Last night they picked up some major pieces to fill in some spots for their up-and-coming squad via trades. They landed Ike Diogu and Jerryd Bayless (#11 pick) from the Pacers. Bayless was considered to be the second best point guard (behind Rose) coming into the draft, but fell to the Pacers at #11. Diogu and Bayless will fit in perfectly with the young team.

They also picked up a couple of foreign players that will most likely stay overseas for a few years, and landed four more draft picks for the coming years. They seriously have figured this draft thing out.

I am not much for picking a winner and a loser for the draft, because it takes so long for some of these players to truly develop and get used to the league. I felt Portland did a nice job. The Rose pick for Chicago was automatic, but leaves them with a crowded backcourt. And I feel Beasley to the Heat gives them a solid 3 punch (including Dwyane Wade and Shawn Marion) for at least a few years.

As for a loser, I would have to say the Atlanta Hawks, and for only one reason - they didn't have a single pick. The Hawks have been on the cusp of something special with so much young talent on their roster. This season, they even snuck into the playoffs as the #8 seed, before falling to the eventual NBA Champion Boston Celtics. So, they are still a few players away - and not having a pick could hurt them as other teams appear to be getting better.

All-in-all a respectable draft, but of course we'll have to wait a few years to see how it really panned out.

NOTE: I also played my second summer basketball league game last night, and our team again rolled to a victory (our second in as many games). I again felt pretty good, scored four points again, but was 2-for-5 from the field (both made shots were layups), so my field goal percentage is now 50%, horrific.

NBA Draft

The 2008 NBA Draft will be held tonight. For the second straight year the top two picks appear to be locks, and appear to be freshmen.

This year, freshmen will be dominating the draft boards as a record 12 are projected to go in the first round. Every year there is always a few surprises that have you shaking your head. Every year a guaranteed lock doesn't work out, while a player no one expected to pan out becomes a star.

I thought I would go through the past eight drafts (2000-2007) and select a player that was picked in the second round (or a late first rounder) that has developed faster than a few of those guaranteed first rounders.

2000 - Michael Redd, Milwaukee Bucks
Redd was selected by the Milwaukee Bucks with the 43rd pick in the 2000 draft. He has since been an all-star and was named to the 2008 Olympic Basketball Team.

Other notable second rounders in 2000: Eddie House, Brian Cardinal, Jason Hart and Marko Jaric.

2001 - Gilbert Arenas, Golden State Warriors
Arenas was selected by the Warriors with the 31st pick in the 2001 draft. He has since been an all-star. He now plays for the Washington Wizards.

Other notable second rounders in 2001: Mehmet Okur and Earl Watson.

2002 - Carlos Boozer, Cleveland Cavaliers
Boozer was drafted 34th overall in the 2002 draft by the Cavaliers. He made a name for himself, and has since become an all-star for the Utah Jazz. He recently was named to the 2008 Olympic Basketball Team.

Other notable second rounders in 2002: Ronald 'Flip' Murray and Luis Scola.

2003 - Luke Walton, Los Angeles Lakers
Walton was selected 32nd by the Lakers in the 2003 draft. He has been both a starter and a notable reserve for the 2007 Western Conference champions.

Other notable second rounders in 2003: Jason Kapono, Willie Green, Steve Blake, Keith Bogans and Kyle Korver.

2004 - Anderson Varejao, Cleveland Cavaliers
Varejao was picked 30th overall by the Cavaliers in the 2004 draft. He is known mostly for his outstanding hairstyle, but is also high energy off the bench - providing defense and rebounding. He was the only notable second round selection in this draft.

2005 - Monta Ellis, Golden State Warriors
Ellis was selected 40th overall by the Warriors. He has developed into a full-fledged star for Golden State over the past two season's, combining with Baron Davis as a powerful duo in the backcourt.

Other notable second rounders in 2005: Ryan Gomes, Ronny Turiaf and Brandon Bass.

2006 - Daniel Gibson, Cleveland Cavaliers
Gibson was selected 42nd overall by the Cavaliers in 2006. Despite injuries, he has developed into a strong outside shooter for Cleveland. He captured the MVP in last season's Rookie/Sophomore Challenge during the All-Star Weekend.

Other notable second rounders in 2006: Craig Smith, Leon Powe and Paul Milsap.

2007 - Carl Landry, Houston Rockets
Landry was selected 31st overall in the 2007 draft by Houston. Landry is just getting his feet wet, but he helped a Rockets team off the bench make the playoffs after Yao Ming went down to injury.

Other notable second rounders in 2007: Glen 'Big Baby' Davis, Aaron Gray and D.J. Strawberry.

The NBA Draft begins tonight at 7 p.m. on ESPN. More of a wrapup tomorrow on all of the picks.