NBA Draft Wrap

It is amazing how superior the NBA Draft is to the NFL equivalent. It probably has a lot to do with team's only having five minutes in-between picks in the first round and two minutes in the second round. Also, only two rounds instead of seven helps. Most importantly is the fact that Chris Berman is not on the stage. This is not to say that the NBA Draft is perfect. There is still the Stuart Scott and Steven A. Smith problems and there is always Jay Bilas' overuse of his newest favorite phrase to describe players that no one has heard of. It appears that wingspan is the new upside. All in all, it was a draft that provided few surprises.

The Bulls made the smart pick at #1, bringing Rose back home to play. Now they will be able to move either Heinrich or Gordon and finally have some potential excitement on the offensive end. The Heat also did the right thing by drafting arguably the best player in the draft. Beasley is Al Horford amplified and with him, Wade, and Marion, the Heat will win more than 15 games next season. O.J. Mayo to Minnesota made sense, but I am not sure about this guy. He will either be Deron Williams or Shaun Livingston. But Minnesota subsequently trading him to Memphis for Kevin Love is questionable (did they forget that drafted Mike Conley to be the point guard of the future in last year's draft?). Love will be nothing more than an 8 rpg guy for Minnesota, if that. I thought Seattle should have taken Jerryd Bayless instead of Russell Westbrook at #4 and thought it a major coup for Portland to land Bayless (via trade with Indiana), who could end up being the best player in this draft. The Knick's selection of Danilo Gallinari at # 6 does nothing for a very bad team (needed to go guard here). I did like Milwaukee picking up Joe Alexander, who could be an integral part of an up-tempo offense alongside newly acquired Richard Jefferson. The Clippers needed a point guard and took a shooting guard (Eric Gordon) and the Bobcats needed a center and took a point guard (D.J. Augustin), meaning the Nets got a steal in Brook Lopez (the one who can play offense, not defense) at #10. Some good players were acquired in the second round, as the Heat were able to get a much needed point guard in Mario Chalmers via trade with Minnesota and New Jersey again got a steal in getting Chris Douglas Roberts at #40. The Mighty C's drafted high potential guys who have major character issues in J.R. Giddens and Bill Walker. They also drafted a guy from Turkey who will never play in the NBA (he is the backup to the guy from Turkey who was drafted earlier in the second round, his name is both inconsequential and difficult to spell).