4:31 - Anyway, the first round is over. This was the first live blog I've done and I really enjoyed it. The time really flew by. I'm extremely intrigued by the Rubio/Flynn duo for Minnesota, highly enjoyed ripping on B.J. Mullens for no reason other than he looks goofy and went to Ohio State and love that Darko and Q got traded for each other. I look forward to doing this again soon, peace out!4:28 - Well, this would be the Michael Mitchell of the NBA Draft. (Mitchell was an unknown Safety out of Ohio U who inexplicably was drafted in the second round by the Raiders this year). Apparently, this Eyenga guy plays on Ricky Rubio's B-team. So, this would have been like drafting the best player on Lower Merion High School's 1996 JV squad. Chances are, we'll never see this guy again, but it'd be cool if we do!
4:23 - #30 Cleveland Cavaliers select Christian Eyenga - Spain
4:21 - Three weeks later, Hedo's still getting no love from the analysts, who claim Lewis and Howard beat Cleveland in the Eastern Conference Finals.
4:19 - Last pick, I can already feel that pillow! I hope it's Blair. Even though he played for a "Rival". (I use quotation marks, because Penn State and Pitt inexplicably never play anymore), he was still a wonderful player to watch in college.
4:17 - #29 New York Knicks select G Toney Douglas - Florida State
4:16 Oh yes, it happened. Darko Milicic and Q Richardson just got traded... for each other. In 2003 this would have been a borderline blockbuster.
4:14 - Well, Minnesota got their shooter. Ellington can absolutely shoot the ball. After trading Foye and Miller, Minny lost a lot of outside shooting, so I wonder if Ellington will get a fair deal of playing time as a rookie.
4:11 - #28 Minnesota Timberwolves select SG Wayne Ellington - North Carolina
4:08 - Mizzou was the best team that I didn't pay much attention to this past hoops season, so this is the first college guy that I really can't say i know much about. In any case, Minny's back on the clock, I think they need another Point Guard.
4:06 - #27 Memphis Grizzlies select F DeMarre Carroll - Missouri
4:04 - A guy people haven't talked about is Chase Budinger. He's a super-athletic player with a great jump shot.
4:03 - Yes, it is 4 AM right now for me. Me and Jeff Gundy have two things in common, and they're right under our eyes. This blog is done when the first round ends.
4:01 - Gibson has a 7'4 wingspan and is 24 years old. He's unique. Almost as unique as DeJuan Blair, who decided to test the waters to see where he's go, and must have gotten bad advice, because Blair still isn't off the board.
3:59 - #26 Chicago Bulls select PF Taj Gibson - Southern California
3:57 - Beaubois and Mullens just got traded. So Dallas gets Beaubois (who's from the same Caribbean island as French soccer star Lilian Thuram) and Oklahoma City get Mullens. Mullens and Robert Swift should have quite the heavyweight bout for that illustrious third string center spot.
3:54 - #25 Oklahoma City Thunder select PG Rodrigue Beaubois - France
3:52 - Only the second C drafted so far, I really wasn't terribly impressed by Mullens at OSU this past season. He just seems like another goofy, unathletic white Center who will stay in the league for a while, but never really amount to much. Basically, without NEARLY enough evidence to have a firm conclusion on Mullens, I've destined him to be the next Matt Geiger. Mind you, I go to Penn State... we don't like Ohio State.
3:49 - #24 Dallas Mavericks select C B.J. Mullens - Ohio State
3:48 - Fran Fraschilla is getting waaaaay too excited about these euro-projects drafted at the end of the round. But then again, that's essentially exactly what Manu Ginobili was, so I guess you never know. Still, you can tell it's a down year for European prospects, so Fraschilla has to make the most the air time he has.
3:45 - #23 Sacramento Kings select SF Omri Casspi - Israel
3:43 - Falling talents still on the board: Ohio State C B.J. Mullens, Pittsburgh Fs DeJuan Blair and Sam Young.
3:41 - #22 Portland Trailblazers select SF Victor Claver - Spain
3:40 - Portland is on the clock, since they traded up two spots with Dallas. The Mavericks apparenly like Nick Calathes and believed he would be available later, so they took the extra picks. Portland supposedly is interested in Omri Casspi, which would explain them jumping ahead of Sacramento, who also were interested.
3:37 - Collison is the 5ht straight PG taken. I always wondered how Collison was 6'1. He always seemed so small. Regardless, he's a great defender, exceptionally quick and has long arms. If he had come out last year or two years ago, he probably would have gone in the lottery, although his fall wasn't nearly as bad as his former teammate Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, who fell from top 10 to second round in just one season, where his play really didn't drop off at all.
3:34 - #21 New Orleans Hornets select PG Darren Collison - UCLA
3:33 - I'm noticing that the less and less important these picks are, the more I'm getting off-topic. I noticed the same thing when broadcasting the 6th and 7th rounds of the NFL draft. In part two of my NBA Draft/NFL Draft comparison, the Jeff Teague pick marked the beginning of the 4th round.
3:31 - True College Hoops nerds like myself know Maynor. I believe he outscored the entire country this past season. Kyle Korver probably wasn't a fan of this pick.
3:28 - #20 Utah Jazz select PG Eric Maynor - VCU
3:27 - Another Bibby back-up plan. Sounds like a decent band name actually: "Jeff Teague and the Bibby Back-Up Plan"...rolls off the tongue...soothes the voice box... Anyway, Teague is actually very similar to Jamal Crawford, whom Atlanta just traded for. He was simply unguardable at Wake.
3:24 - #19 Atlanta Hawks select PG Jeff Teague - Wake Forest
3:23 - Jeff Van Gundy gloomily reminiscing about regrettable personnel moves... priceless!
3:21 - Sure enough, Lawson will be dealt to Denver for a future pick.
3:20 - Well this felt familiar. David Stern's voice broke again, Knicks fans irrationally booed again and Minnesota picked another Point Guard. Um... how exactly is this going to work Minnesota? Rumor has it Denver wants Minny's pick, which would make sense, so look out for that.
3:19 - #18 Minnesota Timberwolves select PG Ty Lawson - North Carolina
3:18 - Again, Jack Black, nobody who's an NBA fan will go see "Year One". It looks terrible and the commercials have annoyed us for several weeks now.
3:16 - A lot of reports suggested Eric Maynor was Philly's guy, but Holiday was a top 10 talent and fell into the Sixers' lap. He's a great athlete and a guy who might get minutes earlier than other drafted around him because of Andre Miller's uncertain status.
3:14 - #17 Philadelphia 76ers select G Jrue Holiday - UCLA
3:13 - Steve Kerr being interviewed on ESPN now. I really don't envy the last three years of his life. He really tore apart the greatest show on hardwood and led them straight to the lottery, but it really wasn't all his fault. A lot of people suggested they should abandon the run-and-gun Mike D'Antoni style since it couldn't win championships, but in trying to keep Stoudamire and Nash in the process, they couldn't commit to either styke since both Nash and Amare are both up-tempo guys. What a mess in Phoenix.
3:11 - Chicago got a really athletic, talented Forward who could have gone #9 but slipped a little. I think this is a nice pick for a playoff team since he's still a little raw and needs time to develop.
3:08 - #16 Chicago Bulls select F James Johnson - Wake Forest
3:07 - I love Dick Vitale, but I understand where his critics come from. You hear about him raving about Hansbrough too much and sure enough, after about 1 hour, 10 picks and countless other newsworthy events worth talking about, Vitale rambles about Hansbrough for about 2 minutes.
3:05 - Speaking of Adam Morrison and the Detroit Pistons... kinda, Detroit goes with Daye, a really big, but not physical enough forward from Gonzaga. He'll enter a good situation with plenty of proven veterans ahead of him, giving him time to add weight and polish to his game.
3:02 - #15 Detroit Pistons select F Austin Daye - Gonzaga
3:00 - In actual Basketball news, the Amare to Golden State trade now can't be completed until free agency starts. But, wow, hasn't Phoenix had an Adam Morrison-like fall from grace in just 3 years? I seriously wonder what the worse NBA front office decision was in recent years: the Billups for Iverson trade, the Gasol for Kwame Brown and a lifetime supply of Tootsie Rolls trade or the Suns absolute dismantling of by far the most entertaining team of the decade.
2:58 - Aaaaaand... Brandon Jennings just decided to show up, and didn't look right... at all. The guy just seems like a character nightmare waiting to happen. He hasn't done anything yet, but it just seems inevitable.
2:57 - #14 Phoenix Suns select F Earl Clark - Louisville
2:56 - The NBA Draft is different from the NFL Draft because there's less players, less rounds and less job openings. Since the #6 pick, this draft became like the 2nd round of the NFL draft: solid starters with less upside or greater projects. With these last two picks, I can say that we've gone into the 3rd round of a NFL draft, in comparison.
2:54 - Very fitting that a Dukie and a Tarheel would get picked back-to-back. We've officially entered the roll player portion of the draft, as Hansbrough will probably back up Troy Murphy and compete with Josh McRoberts (another Dukie). Hansbrough works hard, is smart and does have ability. I think he'll be like Darius Songaila, a hustle guy who carved out a nice career as a backup PF.
2:51 - #13 Indiana Pacers select PF Tyler Hansbrough - North Carolina
2:50 - On a side note, Knicks fans are reaching new levels of ridiculous. First, they boo Stephen Curry ruthlessly when he got picked by Golden State, although we all know the roof would have been ripped off the building if he had gone to them one pick later. Second, there's a guy in the crowd with a custom-made LeBron James Knicks jersey.
2:48 - Sure enough, make it four straight. Charlotte loves drafting in state, and they may have picked their most athletic guy yet. He'll compete with Raja Bell to start, so I would expect him to come off the bench. If Charlotte stays healthy, they could be a surprise playoff team in '10. (And not necessarily because of this pick.)
2:45 - #12 Charlotte Bobcats select SG Gerald Henderson - Duke
2:45 - The name being mentioned with the Bobcats is Duke SG Gerald Henderson. The reports were right with New Jersey, Milwaukee and Toronto, so maybe it will be 4 straight.
2:42 - Terrence Williams's first comment on being drafted: "I'm in a great market in New Jersey!". Sounds like T-Will has his mind on the money and the money on his mind.
2:41 - This pick didn't surprise anyone who has followed the rumors and reports. Apparently, Chicago wanted Williams, but didn't have the fire power to trade up this far. Williams is the first senior taken.
2:39 - #11 New Jersey Nets select SF Terrence Williams - Louisville
2:37 - Jennings didn't show up to the draft, because he had no guarantee where he would be drafted. Uh... huh? Nobody knows! I wonder if it wasn't really because Jennings didn't get to be in the Green Room and got upset. I just really question his maturity
2:34 - Well, Jennings avoided what I thought could be a humongous slip. He doesn't seem very complete or mature to me, and he barely even played for his team in Italy, averaging only 5.5 ppg. I really don't know how well he'll turn out. I would guess they'll bring him on slowly and let Ramon Sessions mentor him at first.
2:33 - #10 Milwaukee Bucks select PG Brandon Jennings - Italy
2:33 - Milwaukee now on the clock. They've loved Holiday for a while, but apparenly Brandon Jennings has impressed, too.
2:31 - This was expected. All reports had him as their guy. (Jrue Holiday was #2). DeRozan improved a lot during the season and is super athletic. His shooting needs work, but he was a guy that a lot of teams showed interest in. If he starts over Anthony Parker, he'll start alongside Jose Calderon, Shawn Marion, Chris Bosh and the ever improving Andrea Bargnani. I like this pick.
2:27 - #9 Toronto Raptors select SG DeMar DeRozan - Southern California
2:25 - Aaaaand... Jordan Hill has no command of the English language. I know this has nothing to do with basketball, but it always raises a flag for me when a player sounds unintelligent... compared to other basketball players. It's like a geek standing out at a Sci-Fi conference. It means something.
2:24 - Hill reminds me of Channing Frye, who the Knicks know very well. David Lee and Al Harrington are the starters in the frontcourt for New York, so if no deal gets done, I would expect him to come off of the bench. That's fine, since Hill is still a little raw and isn't a finished product yet. But that's a big iff, and I think a deal is a very real possibility.
2:22 - #8 New York Knicks select PF Jordan Hill - Arizona
2:21 - I really wonder if Minnesota and New York have a deal in the works for Ricky Rubio. If New York drafts DeRozan, that could be a real possibility.
2:20 - Everyone knows what Curry can do, so I'll spare that. He fits Don Nelson's system because he's a great shooter who can handle, but I wonder who gets the bulk of the play at PG: Monta Ellis or Curry? The fact that Golden State didn't draft Hill makes me wonder if the trade for Amare Stoudamire isn't dead yet. Phoenix wanted this pick in that trade, but it's not over yet.
2:16 - #7 Golden State Warriors select G Stephen Curry - Davidson
2:15 - Most reports say Jordan Hill will pick Arizona PF Jordan Hill. But I that doesn't mean that much at this point. In other news, the Crawford to Atlanta trade is official.
2:13 - Ok, now I'm confused. Minnesota just picked two straight Point Guards. This could be a really exciting young backcourt or a really big playing time problem. Flynn improved drastically this past season and developed a nice jump shot. He's extremely quick, but is undersized at about 5'11. I have to wonder if Minnesota isn't done dealing yet.
2:10 - #6 Minnesota Timberwolves select PG Jonny Flynn - Syracuse
2:07 - WOW! I did not expect this. Not because Rubio is a reach, but because all reports said that Minny was more enamored with Jonny Flynn. Rubio is a pure PG with excellent passing ability and basketball IQ. His shooting and strength are his biggest weaknesses. He'll start at PG on a lineup with Corey Brewer, Kevin Love and Al Jefferson. I fully expect Minny to draft their starting SG with the next pick. I would guess either Stephen Curry or DeMar DeRozan.
2:04 - #5 Minnesota Timberwolves select PG Ricky Rubio - Spain
2:02 - It was between Jonny Flynn and Evans. The Kings went with the latter. Evans really only played PG for one year. He was an off-guard in High School. Sacramento only really has one good player (Kevin Martin), and he's a SG, so I would presume that Evans will play point for them. I really think Flynn fits better, but they clearly thought very highly of Evans, and with not a whole lot of talent on the roster, better pick the best player available than draft for need.
1:58 - #4 Sacramento Kings select G Tyreke Evans - Memphis
1:56 - The most recent report from draftexpress.com was correct. Harden is the pick and he really fits the Thunder best. A PG would have messed with Russell Westbrook's future, so this makes more sense to me. He is extremely polished and NBA ready, but I feel that he's a little awkward going right and isn't really an elite athlete by NBA standards. He'll be a decent pro, but I doubt he'll ever be a star in the league. He joins a really promising lineup of Russell Westbrook, Kevin Durant, Jeff Green and Nenad Krstic.
1:53 - #3 - Oklahoma City Thunder select SG James Harden - Arizona State
1:48 - a. David Stern squeaked like a pubescent Jewish boy during his Bar Mitzvah when announcing the pick. b. This pick was expected, as well. Memphis needed just about everything, and they believed Thabeet was the best player available. He could replace Marc Gasol at C early and would complete a lineup with Mike Conley, O.J. Mayo, Rudy Gay and either Marc Gasol, Hakim Warrick or Darrell Arthur. On Thabeet's suspect offensive game, just watch tape of Thabeet as a Freshman and then compare it to last season. He is such a quick learner it's unbelievable. Quality coaching could turn him into a really nice player, but he has to brought along slowly.
1:45 - #2 - Memphis Grizzlies select C Hasheem Thabeet - Connecticut
1:41 - No surprise here. By the far the best player in the draft. Their representative at the lottery had Griffin's number stitched into his jacket, after all. L.A. now has a lineup of Baron Davis-Eric Gordon-Al Thornton-Blake Griffin-Chris Kaman, with Zach Randolph, Marcus Camby and Ricky Davis off the bench. Really not that bad. Let's see if the Clips can mess this one up.
1:39 - #1 - Los Angeles Clippers select PF Blake Griffin - Oklahoma
1:34 - I'm also posting on boards.philadelphiaeagles.com. Worthy noting that a poster there thinks Ricky Rubio looks like Milhouse Van Houten from the Simpsons.
1:30 - Finally, starting time. This little preview show was pretty unnecessary.
1:28 - According to Draftexpress.com, word in the Green Room is James Harden will go #3 to Oklahoma City. If true, Ricky Rubio could be falling to New York, since both Sacramento and Minnesota reportedly prefer Jonny Flynn, while Golden State and Rubio really haven't been linked together much.
1:21 - Another trade I forgot to talk about: Minnesota getting Washington's #5 for Randy Foye and Mike Miller. I like it from Minnesota's side. They either get players 2 that fit the new management or can move up even higher. Washington gets two good scorers, but don't they already have one-dimensional scorers at the 2-guard? They must not have liked the players in this year's draft.
1:15 - A small trade just got done: Sergio Rodriguez and Portland's #38 pick traded to Sacramento for #31. Portland apparently really likes Victor Claver from Spain.
1:04 - Sick intro by ESPN with a puzzle themed background. Just funny to see them show a clip of the 2005 Spurs (arguably the weakest NBA champion in recent memory) as "great champions" and the 2009 Lakers as having "great chemistry".
12:57 - Also, doesn't Jennings's tattoo just scream "I'm the next Starbury! Pass first guards is the way to go! If you want to go back to the good old NBA days 1999-2005, pick me!!!" ?
12:53 - So on to the draft, at this point, only 3 things appear to be certain. Blake Griffin will be a Clipper (gulp), Hasheem Thabeet will play in Memphis (well, about 95% certain) and there's a ton of mediocrity to pick from. This draft is kinda like a gym class of decently athletic kids, with one player so much better than everyone else that he (Griffin) alone would stack one team. On a side note, it looks like Brandon Jennings is that cocky kid that thinks he's really great, but really isn't much better than any of the humble kids, but has the attitude and doesn't get picked until late. If Milwaukee doesn't take him at 10, Jennings could really fall. He actually won't even be in the green room.
12: 44 (Central European Time) - So I've been meaning to write a blog entry about the draft, but with so much unpredictability this year, I figured I would try live blogging for the first time.
Also, the draft is at 1 AM for me, so I need to stay awake and focused and this should help.
I won't talk about rumors until the draft starts, but I will touch on some trades that are official
1. Shaq traded to Cleveland for Ben Wallace, Sasha Pavlovic, a 2nd rounder and $500,000. Phoenix admits a mistake and is looking more and more like a rebuilder, while Cleveland hopes this will improve their interior defense. This one is really wait-and-see, I can't say that I have a strong opinion either way, but I doubt it makes as big of an impact as acquiring size and athleticism on the perimeter would.
2. Jamal Crawford traded from Golden State to Atlanta for Speedy Claxton and Acie Law. The Warriors get salary relief, while Atlanta gets an additional perimeter scorer. This is more interesting when it comes to Mike Bibby's free agency. Crawford could be a backup plan if Bibby isn't retained, but honestly I feel a player like Crawford is much better suited off the bench.
3. Knicks bought Lakers' 1st rounder for $3 million. That's a lot of money, considering cash deals usually are under $1 million, but there's a lot of depth in this year's draft and L.A. doesn't have a ton of space on their roster.
4. Vince Carter and Ryan Andersen traded to Orlando for Tony Battie, Courtney Lee and Rafer Alston. I love this deal for both sides. New Jersey manages to clear up an additional $15 million next off-season to spend in free-agency, while Orlando picks up exactly the kind of player they were missing this season. I love this deal.
