Draft Diary

The NBA’s biggest event in the off-season is the draft and for the first time in many years, I am watching tonight! So in the spirit of the Sports Guy here is a little Draft Diary:

7:15pm EDT We are 15 minutes away from coverage. We all know Oden and Durant go first and second respectively. After that, it might get interesting. Of course, every year there are heaps of rumors yet no big deals. So I am expecting nothing even though I just heard rumors of Ray Allen to the Celts and KG rumors are still in the air. Other storylines tonight involve the fine suits of the draft picks, who will be left in the Green Room last, and what kind of ice cream my wife will get me at the store since I am parking my rear in front of the TV tonight.

7:45 There went Oden and Durant. No surprises. Oden looks like it is his retirement, he looks so old. Durant looks like he is in Middle School. What a difference in their faces. Durant could score heaps of points in Seattle next year…he will get a lot of chances to shoot, especially if Ray Allen gets traded, which seems like it will happen. It also looks like they got rid of the Green room and let the draftees sit with their families in the crowd. Fine touch.

7:48 Atlanta takes Al Horford of Florida. They get another big man when they really need a point guard. Horford may be good but when are they getting a PG? They have passed on Deron Williams, Chris Paul, and now Mike Conley. Hmmm.

7:59 We actually have a big trade! Ray Allen to Boston and Jeff Green, Sczerbiak, and West to Seattle. Boston had to do something and this was better than them picking the Chinese guy. He would not have helped Pierce much. Now they have Allen, Pierce, and Jefferson against the Eastern Conf. Not bad. Better than before. Seattle is making their team over with Durant. Good deal. He will be the Man. They definitely are not resigning Rashard Lewis with Green and Durant as forwards and Sczerbiak as a shooter. Seattle will be fun.

8:04 Yi to Milwaukee. He is 6’11” so that is good. The Bucks need a 4. Fits pretty well but I am not sold on him yet. Besides, there are not a lot of Chinese restaurants in Milwaukee. Will he be happy with Milwaukee egg rolls? I wouldn’t.

8:07 There was some commercial about people trying out for the NBA. You just need to send in a video. Should I send in some videos from Bangladesh? Then they select 30 guys to compete for pro scouts or something. That could be interesting to see. Keep working, guys in Chittagong, maybe you will get your chance someday! (As long as all of you grow to 6’11’)

8:11 Minnesota takes Corey Brewer and I still don’t have my ice cream. All the suits so far have been very conservative but at least Joakim Noah is there. I caught a glimpse…bow tie, hair (a lot of it) brushed down, quite the look.

8:26 Noah sighting!! Great suit and bowtie. He goes to the Bulls. He has a lot of energy but can’t score a lot, which is what the Bulls need from their big pick here. They don’t need another Ben Wallace. Charlotte just picked too. Enough of the Michael Jordan emphasis. He stays in a luxury box, not on the court. But actually, if the Bobcats can sign Rashard Lewis, we could be watching them in the playoffs next year.

8:30 Great ad for the Espy’s with LeBron. I might actually have to watch. I never have. I still don’t have any ice cream.

8:33 Spencer Hawes to Sacramento. Fine pick for them since Brad Miller has absolutely fallen off the cliff. Besides, in the interview he said he has skills. Wow, he said he likes George Bush. He should get along very well with Ron Artest in the locker room.

8:41 Acie Law to Atlanta. They finally get their PG. I would love to hammer them for this pick but I actually like Acie Law a lot, so maybe the Hawks can turn things around. Then again, they are the Hawks.

9:00 OK, a bunch of random, average picks. The Clippers take Thornton, a guy who plays the same position as a bunch of their players, so they will probably be trading later. They just said 2 guys left in the Green Room, so there will be a guy left last. Gotta hate that. The Pistons pick next. I will be interested to see if Billups stays with them. If they pick a PG it will mean they think he is going. Otherwise they need a center (doesn’t everyone). Hey, I got my ice cream!

9:14 The KNICKS take Zach Randolph!! Actually, a great trade for them. Everyone knows I love Zach Randolph. I can’t pick him on my Fantasy team now that he is a Knick…but still. I will have to think about the new Portland team. But Steve Francis and Greg Oden could be a good pair, along with Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge. Very interesting. By the way, the Nets then pick a guy that ESPN had to explain the police report for. No highlights…just cop report. THAT’s not exactly what I would be looking for in a player. Also, the Pistons did take a guard, but not a PG.

9:28 GS took some Marco somethingNelli guy because he has the same name as their coach. Now we wait on LA. And the Lakers pick…Crittenton, a PG from Ga. Tech. Who knows what that means but I doubt he is enough to make Kobe want to stay in LA and play hard. They better get KG to keep Kobe happy.

10:03 Ok, I don’t know any of the guys left so that’s it. I am moving on in my TV viewing and will read about the rest of the picks later. It was a good night. A lot of these guys will be good pros. I will ponder the picks a few days and post more comments later.
Gotta love the draft. I’m outta here.