Tonight the NBA Draft will be held. This is one of the most important events on my calendar. For me, the draft combines the following:
- Christmas
- Miss America
- The Oscars
- The Independent Spirit Awards
- The National Spelling Bee
- Halloween
- A Wedding or two
Yes, it's that important to me. And this year, my beloved Minnesota Timberwolves have the Number 6 selection. It's been years since the Wolves picked this high. This is the most important decision General Manager Kevin McHale will have to make, at least since his decision to pose for the photograph on the left. Five months before this photo, he made the brilliant Kevin Garnett selection in the '95 draft. Eleven years later, he has to make a similarly prescient choice if KG will ever have another chance to win a championship.
So what will KM do? Does he go for the sure safe thing and choose the serviceable Randy Foye? Does he go for the risky pick and choose Rudy Gay? Does he get lucky and have Adam Morrison or Brandon Roy fall into his lap? Would you really want Adam Morrison in your lap?
As I've said before, I vote for Brandon Roy. But I'm just pretending to know what I'm talking about. At 4:00 PM Pacific, I'm just going to sit back on my couch, fire up ESPN, prepare my graph paper notebooks (no not really), and enjoy three hours of young men in stylish but somethimes ill-fitting suits being paraded onto an oddly creepy stage in New York's Madison Square Garden, having their hands grimly shaken by The Commissioner, and being interviewed by a glad-handing part-time journalist, while in "The Booth," Jay Bilas and the other commentators harshly criticize (over a loudspeaker!) the same young men on what should be their most special of days.
You ask... -"Blogger, don't you work until 5:00? How will you be home at 4:00?" I came in early. I'm skipping lunch. This only happens once a year.
And here are my predictions for the draft's first round, likely of interest to me and only me (well, maybe freedarko too)
(note: I have to do my mock draft without the use of my computer's "up arrow" key, a more difficult task than you'll ever know. The key is stuck and may never be repaired)
(note: I'm ennvisioning the man in the wedding photo below as the #20 pick, probably higher than he should be but I needed him in the Top 30 in order to make the picture relevant)
1. Toronto, Andrea Bargnani, Italy (Will he be the next Dirk Nowitzki? Or the next this guy?)
2. Chicago, Tyrus Thomas, LSU
3. Charlotte, Brandon Roy, Washington (I'd rather have him on the Wolves but...)
4. Portland, Adam Morrison, Gonzaga (here he is again, crying because he cares)
5. Atlanta, Shelden Williams, Duke (voted ugliest player in college basketball once. poor guy. I don't have the heart to link)
6. Minnesota, LaMarcus Aldridge, Texas (you can't teach size. did I just write that?)
7. Boston, Randy Foye, Villanova
8. Houston, Rodney Carney, Memphis
9. Golden State, Patrick O’Bryant, Bradley
10. Seattle, Rudy Gay, Connecticut
11. Orlando, Marcus Williams, Connecticut
12. New Orleans, Saer Sene, Senegal
13. Philadelphia, Hilton Armstrong, Connecticut
14. Utah, Cedric Simmons, North Carolina State
15. New Orleans, Shannon Brown, Michigan State
16. Chicago, Josh Boone, Connecticut
17. Indiana, Jordan Farmar, UCLA
18. Washington, Ronnie Brewer, Arkansas
19. Sacramento, J.J. Redick, Duke (DRUNK DRIVING. POLO SHIRT. MUGSHOT)
20. New York, Kevin Pittsnogle, West Virginia (more PHOTOS of his wedding!
21. Phoenix, Sergio Rodriguez, Spain (they call him Spanish Chocolate. Proof
22. New Jersey, Rajon Rondo, Kentucky
23. New Jersey, Oleg Pecherov, Ukraine
24. Memphis, Shawne Williams, Memphis
25. Cleveland, Steve Novak, Marquette (shout-out to Milwaukee!)
26. Los Angeles Lakers, Mike Gansey, West Virginia
27. Phoenix, Quincy Douby, Rutgers
28. Dallas, P.J. Tucker, Texas
29. New York, James White, Cincinnati (will be a better pro than 17 of the 28 guys selected ahead of him)
30. Portland, Louis Amundsen, UNLV (Runnin' Rebels Yo!)
BONUS...in the 2nd round, the Wolves have 3 picks. I think they'll be:
36. Ryan Hollins, UCLA
37. Pops Mensah-Bonsu, George Washington
57. Darius Washington, Memphis
1 comment:
correction:
I'm sorry. Jordan Farmar never went to Fairfax High.
This I now know.
I am contrite.
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