Live Blog – 2008 NBA Draft

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The 2008 NBA Draft is happening this evening in New York City. ESPN is televising the proceedings with their four man booth featuring the ever annoying Stuart Scott, the always confused looking Jeff Van Gundy, former NBA Scrub Mark Jackson and the happiest man in America, Jay Bilas as this is the one night of the year that he matters. Or thinks he matters.

The Bulls are on the clock and it’s been announced that they’ll be selecting Derrick Rose from Memphis.

ESPN has just confirmed that the Bucks and Nets have completed a trade. Richard Jefferson heads to the cheese state for the over payed Bobby Simmons and the Chair Man, Yi Jianlian.
Much like the Pacers and Raptors trade, this deal makes sense for both teams as it instantly improves the Bucks. Putting 5 guys on the floor such as Mo Williams, Michael Reed, Charlie V, RJ and Andrew Bogut isn’t too shabby. Not a great squad and not much of a bench, but a decent team.

As for the Nets they continue their three year courtship of Lebron James by acquiring a contract that expires in two seasons (Simmons) and the NBA’s biggest douche bag Yi Jianlian. I hate on Yi because he was the only NBA player of many that I met in New Orleans at All-Star weekend that wasn’t friendly and great with fans. I think if I was a chair he would have been nicer to me….

7:11 PM

Dickie V makes his first appearance on the show. His voice hurts me now as much as it ever has. I can hear him on mute.

7:12 PM

First shot of Beasley, Rose and Mayo all blinged out. Apparently you’re not allowed to be drafted unless you’re wearing 2 carats of diamonds on each ear. OJ looks like he thinks dressing up nice will have him being selected ahead of Beasley. He’s probably right.

Draft cuts away to Rose and Beasley trying to read a teleprompter and joke around. All this does is prove that kids who go to joke schools like Memphis or Kansas State don’t know how to read. Actually maybe this goes for all schools in the south.

7:16 PM

ESPN gets their resident gangsta employee, Stephen A. Smith, to speak with resident gangsta NBA Draft pick, Michael Beasley. The conversation if full of “You know what I’m sayin”. White people everywhere are confused.

7:17 PM

ESPN goes to my boy OJ “The Professor” Mayo. His suit is the best of the night. Thus he’ll be the best player in this draft. Book it right now. Sure his voice still sounds like puberty isn’t quite done, but the suit makes him # 1 in my book.

7:18 PM

Jay Bilas professes his love for Brook Lopez. Sure to be this years biggest draft bust. I’m keeping track of how often Bilas says “wingspan” tonight.

7:19 PM

ESPN shows Danilo Gallinari. The MSG crowd boos fearful that he could become a Knick. They see Andrea Bargnani often enough to know that they don’t want him on their team.

7:25 PM

ESPN is doing an extended piece on Danilo Gallinari. I’m not listening. I could care less. This clown has “Andrea Bargnani” written all over him. Maybe he and Bargnani will both turn out to be decent NBA players, but neither will end up being worthy of their high selections in the draft. I can’t wait to look back on this in a few years and see how correct I was. Although, I hope I’m wrong on Bargnani….cause I’m a Raptors fan.

7:27 PM

ESPN continues to head into commercial by forcing the lottery picks to film a terrible promo. Are they just trying to prove that these kids don’t belong in school? None of them can read or speak!
“Pick up a ball son! Go out and entertain me!”

7:30 PM

David Stern climbs out of his Jewish tower of money and is immediately booed. He ignores them and proceeds to pimp the league for a minute. He then thanks the fans who 90 seconds ago had booed him. Now they are cheering him. Oh no, back to booing.

7:33 PM

ESPN shows the Bulls struggles this past season ending with the hiring of Vinny Del Negro to be their new coach. I’m just going to say what everyone is thinking. How is that coach white with that name?

Mark Jackson continues to try and make his voice sound exactly like Charles Barkley in hopes of getting more respect.

7:35 PM

Jeff Van Gundy looks startled as he’s finally allowed to speak. But he’s quickly cut off by Sir Charles…err I mean Mark Jackson.

7:38 PM

The Bulls select Derrick Rose. Jay Bilas gets a boner.
No shocker here. Rose is a great looking PG who will end up being very similar to Deron Williams. I would have taken him # 1 as well.

Van Gundy makes sure he’s the awkward white guy by saying “ball pressure” and “penetration” in the same sentence.

ESPN has also made reference to Rose’s nickname of “Pooh” at least a dozen times now. I don’t see how this matters.

7:42 PM

Miami shocks us all briefly by selecting Michael Beasley. I’m sure he won’t be on the Heat roster 24 hours from now. Although if I’m Miami I’m keeping this kid. He’s a stud. But I just think Pat Riley isn’t finished destroying the Heat and will deal Beasley for something like Donyell Marshall and the rights to several locks of the Lopez twins hair.

7:45 PM

Beasley gets back up in his seat with Stephen A.
Once again white people everywhere have no idea what is being said between these two G Unit extras.

7:49 PM

Minnesota gets an absolute stud in OJ Mayo. I think when it’s all said and done, this kid will probably end up being the best choice from this draft. The “Professor” is looking sharp in his white suit and glasses. He will be the 2009 NBA Rookie Of The Year for Minnesota. How do I know this?

Minnesota is cold. Too cold to be outside causing trouble. Too cold to walk from your mansion to your Range Rover to even think about heading anywhere to cause trouble. He’ll be working out all day or freezing in his home. He won’t be a headcase in Minnesota. 2009 ROY.

Also we’re 3 for 3 with the picks wearing huge diamond earrings.

7:54 PM

The Sonices have taken UCLA’s Russell Westbrook.
Great athlete and excellent defender. He does have that “length” that gets guys like Jay Bilas all hot, so I guess that’s good.
I’m not sure how well he fits with Seattle though. I think he’ll help, but he might not be the answer at PG that Seattle needs. I would have taken Jerryd Bayless at the four spot as I think he’s a better overall player than Westbrook.

8:01 PM

The Memphis Grizzlies have selected Kevin Love. With things having not gone so well when the Grizzles selected Bryant “Big Country” Reeves back in the 90’s, the Grizz have decided to draft another big, lumbering white guy again. I’m wondering how many times I’ll hear Wes Unseld in the next few minutes.
Scouts love this guy though. I’m not sure why. I think he’ll only be a decent NBA player.
He doesn’t have the speed to keep up in the NBA. Guys are going to blow by him on defense and he won’t be able to keep up on offense. I’m calling this a bust right now.

They keep showing shots of him throwing chest passes the length of the court and into the net in college. The guys on ESPN’s desk know that NBA teams don’t employ this tactic often right? Maybe they can make him a specialist to come off the bench during the last few seconds of each half and toss up those prayers.

8:07 PM

The Knicks are on the clock. I’m giddy with excitement. They should take Bayless. But I bet they take Gallinari or Lopez. I can’t wait for the boos.

HAHAHAHA! They did it! They took Bargnani 2.0!

I can’t wait for the Atlantic Division battles now between the Raptors and Knicks. Gallinari and Bargnani both daring the other one to come inside the 3 point line or to grab a rebound. This is hilarious.
Somewhere Brian Devlin is having a hernia.
The ESPN guy that no one recognizes has claimed that “The Rooster” will be as well known as Derek Jeter or Tiki Barber in a few years….

8:09 PM

Knicks fans are booing the shit out of Gallinari as he sits with Stephen A Smith.
Neither Gallinari nor Stephen A. Smith know what the other is saying.

Jay Bilas explains to the rest of the panel how good that Gallinari is and will be. I keep getting the feeling that Bilas hates Van Gundy, Scott and Jackson. I feel like he thinks they are idiots…

8:12 PM

The Clippers fuck up another draft by taking Eric Gordon instead of Jerryd Bayless. He resembles dramatic chipmunk as he greets David Stern.
Jay Bilas is getting excited about wingspan again.
Eric Gordon also played college ball while wearing a T-Shirt under his jersey. This means that he’s not in shape. He won’t be anything special in the NBA.

8:15 PM

I’m reading Chad Ford’s blog on ESPN.com
Apparently he thinks that every pick so far is “perfect”. Seriously? Who wants a writer that is afraid to bash terrible picks.

8:18 PM

The Bucks are having a decent night. Adding Richard Jefferson earlier in the day was a great move. Now the Bucks have taken Joe Alexander from West Virgina.
I think this is an ok pick. He’s not good enough to create his own shot in the NBA. If he plays SF in the NBA he might produce some good numbers. I think with Mo Williams and Michael Reed in the Bucks backcourt that he’ll have plays created for him. So I think this is a solid pick for Milwaukee.

8:24 PM

I’m a little surprised here with Charlotte taking DJ Augustin.
I figured they would continue their trend of battling Atlanta for being the worst drafting team by taking Brook Lopez.
But yeah, I like this pick. Even though Charlotte already has Raymond Felton in the fold, I feel they can implement Augustin into their system quite well. Great choice for a Bobcat team that usually drafts like shit.

8:29 PM

Ok, so I think Lopez is finally going to go here. I think New Jersey will take Brook Lopez just to add to their interior. I’m a little worried though as the Nets do play in the same division as my Raptors, so my knocks on pretty boy Brook could come back to haunt me.
Bayless is the best player left, but I feel that Lopez fills the need in Jersey.

And I’m correct. Lopez is finally picked. Side Show Bob, I mean Robin Lopez looks on as his brother is finally selected.
Like I said, good pick for Jersey. This guy will be a solid starter in the NBA. But certainly not a franchise Center.
Bilas is going on again about wingspan though, so I dunno. He could be a stud.

8:32 PM

ESPN is now having their obligatory interview with Robin Lopez and his hair.
We now pan to Brook and Stephen A. Smith.

Wow! Lopez sounds like Big Foot! At least if Big Foot spoke, that’s what I imagine he would sound like.

8:35 PM

The Indiana Pacers absolutely STEAL Jerryd Bayless at the 11 spot. He will fit in fantastically with TJ Ford in the Pacers backcourt, if TJ passes him the ball that is.
But all of a sudden the Pacers are doing a great job of re-building.

8:41 PM

The Sacramento Kings make the worst choice of the draft so far.
They pick a senior. I mean, players who stay in college for all four years are obviously nothing special. And where is Rider? Is that a school? Really?
Anyway, they got a decent rotation or bench guy with this pick. Nothing special with this pick. Worst of the draft thus far.

8:47 PM

The Portland Trailblazers select Brandon Rush from the NCAA Champion Kansas Jayhawks.
Based on the fact that his brother wasn’t as nearly good as I thought he would be as well as the fact that Rush has a history of injuries, I’m saying this pick is a wasted pick. I would have taken Dorrell Arthur here.

8:52 PM

The Warriors of Golden State are on the clock. Could be a big draft for them as the Warriors are looking at some change with possible departures of guys like Baron Davis.
I think Golden State is a few years away from doing something, so why not take a project like Anthony Randolph. Let’s see who they take? Hopefully Randolph or Arthur for them.

And they take Anthony Randolph which is an excellent, excellent pick for them. Well done.

8:55 PM

The Phoenix Suns are on the clock and I’m fully expecting them to deal this pick as I can’t remember the last time, Phoenix did not trade a pick.

Dickie V is going on and on about his love for Kevin Love. Again, the scouts love the second coming of Big Country. Once again, I don’t have love for The Love. Bust with a capital B.
He is abusing Danilo Gallinari though, so I guess I agree with him.

But wow! Dickie V just finished. 81 seconds without pausing or taking a breath. Just 81 seconds of straight yelling and screaming…

8:57 PM

The Suns select Robin Lopez. So it’s just as well they traded the pick as he will be of no benefit to them at all. Although Phoenix may be the best fit for Side Show as he won’t be asked to score. I have nothing more to say other than I am glad Toronto ends the day with Jermaine O’Neal and not Robin Lopez as was initially the plan.

9:03 PM

Raptors division rival Philadelphia select Marreese Speights from Florida.
Jay Bilas’s kind words for this young man include “He wasn’t dominated in the SEC’. Always encouraging.
Apparently this kid was one of the worst in pre-draft workouts, so I’m not worried about him doing any damage to my Raptors.

9:08 PM

The Raptors are selecting for Indiana. The Raptors have selected Roy Hibbert for Indiana.
It’s too bad Hibbert was not in attendance as I would have really loved the comical moment when he got up on stage and put on the Raptors hat knowing full well he would not be playing in the world class city of Toronto, but would instead be playing in a boring, red-neck city.
Anyway, Hibbert doesn’t have the speed or athletic ability to be a factor in the NBA at all, so I have zero problems with this pick being dealt to Indiana.

9:12 PM

The Wizards have taken JaVale McGee with the 18th pick. Nothing wrong with this pick. He’s a project sure, but he has that “upside” and “wingspan” that the scouts love. No complaints here.

9:15 PM

Indiana has traded Bayless to Portland for Brandon Rush which seems to me to be an absolute coup for Portland.
I don’t know how Portland keeps getting these good young players like this. This is a win for Portland. Nicely done.

9:20 PM

The Cleveland Cavaliers are up and should absolutely take Darrell Arthur here. He will make an immediate impact with them. But I can also see them taking local Ohio boy, Kosta Koufos.

Wow! Cleveland takes JJ Hickson with an absolute reach. Somewhere Lebron is getting sick. I think maybe in the long run this could turn out to be an alright pick, but right now he can’t help. But sure, when you’re drafting this low, why not try and hit a homerun.

9:25 PM

Alright, Charlotte has obtained the 20th pick from Denver. They’re going to take Kofos. I know it. After this pick I’m going to bed because I don’t care about the last 10 picks of the first round. But year, Kofos would be a great pick this low in the draft on a team that needs help in the post.

Humm….Alexis Ajinca. They don’t know him in his own house. I’m shocked they didn’t take Kofos.

Also the ESPN guys have officially made “Freshman” and “Wingspan” the buzz words of the night.

Ok, I need to stay on this until Kofos gets picked. I’m curious as to where he ends up.

9:32 PM

The New Jersey Nets have selected yet another kid who didn’t want to show up for the draft. Who is Ryan Anderson? It might be the whitest name I’ve ever heard. He’s going to be terrible. And I’ve never seen him play nor heard of him. They passed on Kofos and Darrell Arthur here. Terrible mistake.

9:38 PM

The much hated Orlando Magic are up with the 22nd pick. They’ve taken Courtney Lee and once again he’s not there. Why is no one showing up? Who doesn’t want to go to New York City to be drafted into the NBA? What the hell else could you be doing?
Regardless, I don’t think Orlando is getting anything special here. He’s a senior guard (like I said, no good ballers stay in college four years) and he’s not that big or athletic.
They should have taken Darrell Arthur who is still sitting there for some reason.

9:42 PM

The Utah Jazz have to take Kofos here. I mean Utah is one of the whitest kids on the go. Utah loves white players. He has to go there.

And I am correct! And once again, the player selected is not in attendance.
But for a pick this low in the draft, I think this is a great choice by the jazz.

Anyway, as promised I’m calling it a night.

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Tags: "TJ Ford", "2008 NBA Draft", "Kosta Koufos", "Robin Lopez", "Javale McGee", "Kevin Love", "Richard Jefferson", "Jermaine O'Neal", "Live Blog", "Derrick Rose", "Michael Beasley", "OJ Mayo", "Brook Lopez", "Stuart Scott", "Dickie V", "Jay Bilas", "New York City", "ESPN", "Danilo Gallinari", "Russell Westbrook", "Eric Gordon", "Joe Alexander", "DJ Augustin", "Yi", "Jerryd Bayless", "Jeff Van Gundy", "Mark Jackson", "Stephen A. Smith", "Jason Thompson", "Brandon Rush", "Marresse Speights", "Roy Hibbert", "JJ Hicks", "Alexis Ajinca", "Ryan Anderson", "Courtney Lee"