Happy draft day! Also the one day a year when DVJS' supreme NBA knowledge and my supreme NCAA knowledge collide into one gigantic basketball-fest. After missing last year's draft due to Ike's wedding, we will be back together where we normally are on the last Thursday in June: on the couch, eating obscene amounts of pizza, and talking nonstop basketball for 5 hours straight.
Even though this year's draft is gonna suck in terms of talent, in some ways that makes it more fun, since teams will be trading up or down, and no one really knows who they're going to draft. Love it. Here are my thoughts on the teams picking in the lottery.
1. Los Angeles Clippers
Who they should take: Blake Griffin. The only can't-miss guy in the draft.
Who I hope they take: It's kind of a shame that Griffin is going to a franchise like the Clippers, who are so snakebitten it's scary. (This Simmons article was full of eye-opening facts, and here's the craziest one: since 1976, the Clips have drafted one player who made an all-star team for them. ONE.) Griffin almost single-handedly won us quite a bit of money last year, when we figured out that Oklahoma was a great team who covered every spread before Vegas did, and for that I'll be eternally grateful. But screw it, I don't like Blake enough to wish he ends up somewhere else. Good luck, dude.
2. Memphis Grizzlies
Who they should take: Ricky Rubio, or trade the pick. I think Rubio is awesome, and is gonna be a blast to watch also (hopefully a better, non-white-trash version of Jason Williams.) But they don't exactly need a point guard, with Mike Conley already in the fold; and Rubio doesn't want to play for Memphis anyway. But they seem to like Hasheem Thabeet, who I think is going to be a gigantic bust. You know you read about some of these foreigners who didn't start playing ball until they were like 17, and you're like wow, they're already this good and they just started playing a few years ago? Well if someone told me that Thabeet just picked up a ball for the first time like 4 months ago, I would believe him. I had more polished post moves when I was 10 years old, playing on the Jordan Jammer in Dunph's garage.
Who I hope they take: Thabeet. I don't like him, and I don't like Memphis, so it's a good match in my book.
3. Oklahoma City Thunder
Who they should take: Rubio. I admit that he and Russell Westbrook aren't the greatest fit in the same backcourt, but you just don't pass on a talent like Rubio. In case you can't tell, I have a rapidly increasing man-crush on the Spaniard with shaggy hair and eyes you can get lost in for days.
Who I hope they take: My two favorite players in the draft are Rubio and James Harden (aka Black Schultzy.) And OKC is quickly becoming one of my favorite teams, so if they end up with either one of these two, I'm happy.
4. Sacramento Kings
Who they should take: Here's where things get messy. I'm not totally sold on any of the point guards/pseudo point guards in this draft, of which there are many. Put a gun to my head, and I choose Tyreke Evans.
Who I hope they take: Either Evans or Jonny Flynn.
5 & 6. Minnesota Timberwolves
Who they should take: They need guards pretty badly now, after they traded away Randy Foye and Mike Miller, and they have two picks in a row. If Evans is gone, you have to take either Flynn or Stephen Curry, right? And James Harden for your shooting guard? Yuck, what a brutal draft to have back-to-back top 10 picks in.
Who I hope they take: I kinda like the T'Wolves. I always ended up cheering for them pretty hard when they made the playoffs back in the day. I love Harden, so I'd like them to get him for sure (unless he can somehow slip down to the Knicks at 8) and I like Steph Curry....but I don't think he's gonna be very good in the NBA. If he reinvents himself as a point guard, he has a chance, but he can't play the same '33 points off of 10-30 shooting, 6-19 from 3-point, 4 assist 8 turnover' games he played at Davidson. I don't mean to rag on Curry, like I said I enjoy watching him, and he had a nice little stretch in the 2008 tournament, but for the most part, those were his stats when he played good teams.
7. Golden State Warriors
Who they should take: Jordan Hill. They desperately need a body up front to grab offensive rebounds after another rushed, off-balance three pointer.
Who I hope they take: Hill, I guess. Whatever. I'm still bitter that they broke up their team from that awesome 2007 playoff run with the greatest crowds I have ever seen in the NBA. I know they played over their heads that year, but still.
8. New York Knicks (my boys)
Who they should take: Like I said, I'm not sold on Evans, Curry, Flynn, Jrue Holiday, DeMar DeRozan, any of these guards that are supposed to go in the 4-12 range. So you know what I'd do? Either take a flier on one of these Louisville forwards, Earl Clark or Terrence Williams, or trade down a couple spots and get a little something for their trouble, since both Clark and Williams should be around a few more picks.
Who I hope they take: Clark or Williams. If they take a guard, I hope it would be either Brandon Jennings or Eric Maynor, I like both of them more than anyone in the aforementioned group of guards who are more highly rated. If you put Maynor in D'Antoni's system....look out. Supposedly the Knicks are hot for Curry, which wouldn't be so bad, even though I think he'll bust. He'll be entertaining, anyway. And he could pan out, who knows. Definitely NOT Tyler Hansbrough or Gerald Henderson. I hate both of them. One juuuuust a little bit more than the other.
9. Toronto Raptors
Who they should take: DeMar DeRozan. They could use a little athleticism on the wing, and DeRozan showed signs of promise late last season, as opposed to Holiday, who didn't do shit (granted he barely touched the ball at UCLA playing alongside seniors Darren Collison and Josh Shipp.)
Who I hope they take: I honestly could not care less. I don't think there's a player on the Toronto roster that I have an opinion about. I am completely neutral about them in every way. If I watch a Toronto game, I probably don't make a facial expression or express a single opinion the entire game.
10. Milwaukee Bucks
Who they should take: Depends on if they re-sign Ramon Sessions. If they do, then they don't really need a point guard, and should trade down and take someone like DeJuan Blair or Hansbrough. If Jordan Hill slides this far, he's the pick. I just don't see how Sessions and Jonny Flynn play in the same backcourt. He's probably not sliding this far anyway, but I feel the same about Holiday, Jennings, etc.
Who I hope they take: Someone like James Johnson or Clark or Williams, just for comedy purposes. They just had to give Richard Jefferson up for literally nothing because they were so stupid last year, drafting Joe Alexander and immediately trading for Jefferson. So let's draft them another small forward for shits and giggles.
11. New Jersey Nets
Who they should take: If either Clark or Williams is left, one of them. If they are both available, then I'd go with Williams, probably my favorite non-KU player last year. I think he's gonna be a solid pro.
Who I hope they take: Hansbrough. The Nets have pretty much always been one of my least favorite teams. Hopefully they take on my new least favorite player.
12. Charlotte Bobcats
Who they should take: Best available non-point guard at this point. James Johnson? Gerald Henderson? Rumor has it they're hot for my boy Williams.
Who I hope they take: Brandon Jennings, for two reasons: One, they already have Raymond Felton and DJ Augustin battling for point guard minutes. Two, Jennings is going to be one of the most combustible rookies in recent memory, and the thought of him playing for notorious rookie-hater Larry Brown has me giddy. We'd have a PJ Carlesimo/Latrell Sprewell situation by the All-Star Break.
13. Indiana Pacers
Who they should take: Best available. They have minor needs everywhere, and no position where they're dying for help.
Who I hope they take: Indiana is another one of my favorite random teams; even when they were battling the Knicks in the late 90's I didn't hate them as much as I should. Now that I'm officially a casual fan of the NBA, who enjoys different teams from year to year depending on the players (my 12-year-old self just cringed) the Pacers have become one of my favorites. I'd love to see them with Clark or Williams. Eric Maynor would be sweet too. My only hope is they don't take any swingmen like Gerald Henderson who would cut into my boy Brandon Rush's minutes. Word on the streets is that he is penciled in to be the starter next year.
14. Phoenix Suns
Who they should take: A point guard for the future, since Nash is old/leaving for New York as soon as his contract is up. Jennings, Ty Lawson, Jeff Teague?
Who I hope they take: My love for the Suns is fading out. They rarely play the style of ball anymore that made them so fun to watch, their owner refuses to spend money to improve them, Shaq is gone, Amare Stoudamire is kind of a bitch, Nash is old.....they are in for a long, long rebuilding process. So basically I don't care who they take. I am officially off the Phoenix bandwagon. It's been a fun 4 years though.
