2008 NBA Draft

The 2008 NBA Draft is here. Finally. The Chick-Fil-A is hot, the tea is sweet, and the #50 Emeka Okafor Bobcats jersey is on my back. Thoughts as we go:

1. Derrick Rose goes #1. Obvi.

2. Michael Beasley goes #2. Not a big surprise. I felt that Miami would trade the pick if they found good value. Obviously they did not, so they stayed put and took Beasley. I think that's the right move.

3. Ovinton J'Anthony Mayo (!) goes #3. I had no idea his real name. I figured Oscar Jr. or something. J'Anthony? At least Minnesota did the right thing and took the best guy. They'd have kicked themselves for taking Kevin Love here (and yes, I thought they would be that stupid).

4. Russell Westbrook goes to Seattle at #4. It is clear to me that the Supersonics franchise has no interest in being any good any time soon. These guys are going to be patient with this team so that once they move to Oklahoma City (which is going to happen at some point sooner or later), they'll be good enough to make the playoffs. But Westbrook is going to take a lot of time in my opinion. I personally do not like this pick or Westbrook at 4. Westbrook at 14? Sure. But not 4.

5. #5 is Kevin Love to hell...or Memphis. And he claims to be excited.

6. New York takes Gallinari. And Knicks fans boo. Shocking.

I pause to mention that Bill Simmons writes a "running diary" of the NBA Draft every year, which is always a hilarious read. I am predicting these things as being mentioned: A. The fact that Derrick Rose's high school title game footage had a final score of 31-29. B. The look on David Stern's face as he realized he had to say "Danilo Gallinari" on national TV. C. OJ Mayo's name. That's a lock. D. The fact that Gallinari apparently was advised to talk about "winning and New York City" in his interview.

7. Eric Gordon to the Clippers.

8. Joe Alexander to Milwaukee.

9. The Bobcats. Bayless is available. I want him. Gramps predicts we take Brook Lopez. And I agree. With the 9th pick, the Charlotte Bobcats select:

DJ Augustin.

*insert loud expletive of choice here*

(I choose the one that begins with "S" and ends with "hit")

Augustin: he's 5-10. He is inconsistent shooting the ball. He weighs 172 lbs. David Stern is almost as tall as him. He looks 15. Derrick Rose ate his lunch, dinner, and dessert in the NCAA Tournament. Value at 15, but not at 9. On a separate note, Augustin does have on a sharp gray three-piece suit with a magenta shirt and striped tie. So at least he's got that going for him.

So now, is Felton our point guard? Does this mean he might be traded? I doubt it. But maybe pushed for the position at least. I just do not understand how, if they wanted a point guard, the Bobcats passed on Bayless.

Text message conversation -
Gramps: Strange pick
Me: Hang on, I gotta finish my noose

10. Brook Lopez goes at #10 to New Jersey. A solid scoring big man, especially at this spot in the draft. He has to improve his defense and rebounding, but I like him ok. Then again, if the Bobcats had picked him, I'd be threatening to do harm to myself. What? I already did that? Oh yeah, cause we just drafted a dwarf.

Brook Lopez sounds exactly like WWE's The Big Show. Good grief. If he starts choke-slamming guys, then maybe I'll want him on the Bobcats after all. I'd pay him to choke slam our front office right now, that's for sure.

11. Ok, moving past this probable draft disaster, the Pacers take Jerryd Bayless at #11. He has on a white suit, shirt, tie, and shoes. And he's not a Charlotte Bobcat. I may have to take my jersey off. I'd buy an Augustin jersey, but I bet it only comes in kid's sizes.

12. Jason Thompson is taken at #12 by the Kings. Um, what? Jay Bilas says, "a bit of a surprise". I'm mad Stephen A. Smith is doing draftee interviews (and not too well I might add. All he asks is, "what is player's name going to bring to team's name next year?") instead of screaming about this selection. "Horrible!!!" he'd say. I'm befuddled by this pick honestly, even though the Kings do typically find good players in the draft. Looks to me like they may have over-thought this one though.

13. Portland takes Brandon Rush at #13. Terrific pick. Geez, Portland could be flat out sick in three years.
For your information, I have spent 15 minutes trying to research and rack my brain to remember an All-Star point guard who was shorter than 6-0. I can't. Even Nate "Tiny" Archibald was 6-1 according to basketballreference.com.

14. Anthony (not J'Anthony) Randolph at #14 to Golden State. He who weighs 53.4 lbs. The actual total combined weight of Golden State's frontline of the future (Randolph and former Tar Heel Brandan Wright) is 408 lbs, or the equivalent of Oliver Miller. They need to ensure an all-you-can-eat buffet for their team every day on the road.

Dickie V makes his first appearance. We agree on Russell Westbrook and Jason Thompson both being questionable selections.

15. Robin Lopez at #15 to Phoenix.

16. Philadelphia takes Marreese Speights at #16. Good potential here. Another season and he'd have been a mid-lottery pick in my opinion.

17. Toronto drafts Roy Hibbert for Indiana at #17 as part of the Jermaine O'Neal trade. Gramps and I had just finished discussing the Bobcats' upcoming pick at #20 and speculated that Hibbert would be the guy if he is available. I thought he'd go at #18 to Washington. I was off by one pick. And the night just got worse for the Bobcats. Unless they take Arthur or Greene. Knowing this, I'm expecting Alexis Ajinca instead. Go ahead and pull the car into the garage and turn it on for me. I'll close the garage door and stuff the tailpipe in a few minutes.

Fascinating "Miced Up" segment with The Big Show (aka Brook Lopez). He looked shocked when someone told him Lawrence Frank is the coach of the Nets. I do think, however, that Lawrence Frank could post DJ Augustin up though.
18. JaVale McGee goes 18 to Washington. No opinion.

I literally stopped in mid-pee to run back into my TV Lair to hear Ric Bucher's breaking report that Bayless and Diogu are being traded by Indiana to Portland for Jarrett Jack and Brandon Rush. Did I say Portland could be "flat out sick" earlier? How about "flat out mega-sick"? Rush would be a great fit on that team, but Bayless is a significant long-term upgrade over Jack.

The most impressive item in the above paragraph is that I have the bladder control to stop peeing in mid-stream. I said it.

19. Cleveland takes JJ Hickson from Moo U at #19. Good move on his behalf staying in the draft when others said he should wait a year. That means Arthur and Greene are both still available and...

With the Bobcats back on the clock and having finished my sweet tea 20 minutes ago, I am debating beer or liquor.

20. Liquor it is. And I swear on my love for our family dog, Pebbles, that I wrote the previous comment about taking Ajinca before this happened. If anyone needs me, I'll be in the garage.

Breaking news - Josh McRoberts is still in the NBA. He is to be included in the Portland/Indiana deal, going to the Pacers. I thought he was playing in Israel already. Further comment on this trade: I was confused as to why the Pacers would take Bayless when they are already getting TJ Ford and have Jamal Tinsley as well. It makes sense now.

21. New Jersey goes with Ryan Anderson at #21. I like this guy, I think he's going to be a good role player, especially stretching the floor at the 4-spot. It confused me how he was projected as a 2nd round player.

Darrell Arthur needs a hug.

22. Courtney Lee goes at #22 to Orlando. Apparently I am watching the WNBA draft, because Brook, Robin, and Courtney have all been drafted. I'm not surprised though, as I think this is actually the Charlotte Sting drafting instead of the Bobcats.

23. Kosta Koufos to Utah at #23. He looks like Mehmet Okur a bit, plays similarly, and will now be his teammate. A little confusing because Utah will be replicating the 5-spot with Okur and Koufos. However, if you find a successful player in your system, I don't guess it hurts to get a carbon copy of him to be a reserve.

We get a breakdown of the "Anatomy of Indiana's Pick". If this were the anatomy of the Bobcats' picks, they would say "Short" and "French". Sigh.

24. The Oklahoma City Not-Sonics select Serge Ibaka at #24. He is from Congo. Fran Fraschilla says "forget this name for about three or four years". Did I mention that the Sonics DO NOT CARE about winning right now AT ALL?!? This is like tanking over the course of four seasons. Unreal.

Doris Burke interviews a depressed Darrell Arthur. I think he messed up by wearing the green tie with the green shirt. U-G-L-Y you ain't got no alibi...

25. The Rockets take Nicolas Batum as the #25 selection. He was a supposed lottery pick last year had he come over, but waited, got diagnosed with a medical condition, and fell in the draft a bit.

Tarheelpwin weighs in via the phone on the Bobcats. He is none too happy either. It runs in the family apparently.

A note on the upcoming pick - earlier today, according to ESPN.com, the Spurs sent out a mass email to all NBA GM's stating that the 26th pick was for sale. I wonder now if the price for that pick has increased with Arthur still on the board.

26. The Spurs grab George Hill at #26. IUPUI in the house! I guess that answers my above question. Good for San Antonio, a good backup for Tony Parker. See, this is where you draft a good backup point guard. As opposed to 9th.

27. New Orleans finally ends the insanity and takes Darrell Arthur with the #27 pick. This pick is going to Portland, don't forget. So Portland has landed Ike Diogu, Jerryd Bayless, and Darrell Arthur tonight, along with getting rid of Josh McRoberts. Now that's a good draft night.

They show David Stern clapping as Darrell Arthur walks to the stage. Dad says he's clapping because he only has to do this for three more picks.

Darrell Arthur's mama, Sandra, weighs more than the new Bobcats' point guard and the Golden State frontline combined. But, she's relieved that her baby just got drafted. And I'm legitimately happy for her.

28. Memphis goes with Donte Greene at #28. I honestly forgot my boy was still around. Too bad he's going to Memphis to dwell in obscurity. He could be a great compliment to Rudy Gay in a few years.

29. De-troit Basket-ball selects DJ White with pick #29. Interesting selection considering his knee injuries. But, he's crafty and pretty tough; I'll admit coming around on him this past season.

30. Boston takes JR Giddens at #30, ending the first round. He is tremendously talented, but has some baggage. Stephen Jackson was my comparison earlier today, and not just on the floor. If he settles down, he'll be a terrific player to have gotten at 30.

Adam Silver takes the torch from David Stern and kicks off the lightning round. I'll summarize the first round quickly, then add a bit about the Bobcats' second-rounder and overall performance tonight. Might want to put the kids to bed for that one.

Winners - Portland, New Jersey, Minnesota, San Antonio, & Boston

Losers - Sacramento, Seattle (really, what the heck), The Golden State Welterweights, Darrell Arthur, and...the Bobcats.

Dickie V did just make me feel better by reminding us that North Carolina will have no players drafted tonight (barring Q being selected by the Bobcats. At this point, anything is possible). Rumor has it that the Tar Heels will be pretty good this coming season.

Value players in the second round - Mario Chalmers (I thought he'd be gone before the Cats picked again at #20. He's still around), Chris Douglas-Dash-Roberts, DeAndre Jordan. Think those guys are wishing they stayed in college after all? Seriously, other good values are Bill Walker & Kyle Weaver.

Larry Brown interview: "I'm satisfied I got a job". Great. Note that he did not say "I'm glad we drafted a midget and a foo-foo".

With the #38 pick, the Bobcats select Kyle Weaver. Finally, a good pick. I really like this guy. 6-6, versatile, solid defender and smart player. Good system fit for Larry Brown's system. Not really sure about the glut of shooting guards and small forwards, but he is a valuable asset and adds depth for now.

On a related Bobcats note, the Kings picked Sean Singletary at #42. Singletary is a 5-11.5 point guard. Sound familiar? Look at the stats:

Augustin: 19.2 points/gm, 5.8 assists/gm, 2.1/1 a/t ratio, 43.9 FG%
Singletary: 19.8 points/gm, 6.1 assists/gm, 1.6/1 a/t ratio, 42.6 FG%

So except for their assists-to-turnovers ratio, the numbers are quite similar. And remember Augustin played in an Elite Eight team while Singletary was blessed to play on a Final Four team...of the CBI Tournament. Thus, a talent difference exists. Somehow, one was the 9th pick, the other the 42nd pick.

Maybe I'll feel better tomorrow. But don't bet on it. I'm out of here now, got to go pick up a DJ Augustin jersey for Mini-Me. Holler if you hear me.