Details From The Less Common Version Of The Dream Where I Win The Lottery

When the NBA draft lottery was announced, I told myself that I'd resist the temptation to join the masses with a mock draft. But like Charles Barkley saying he wouldn't gamble, I knew it wouldn't last long.

Rather than an actual prediction, which would be just as inaccurate as any of the other online experts, here instead are my selections, as I would make them if I were the GM of each team.

1. Chicago, Derrick Rose, PG
Looking at what Chris Paul has done for New Orleans, it would be tough to resist an electric, game-changing point guard like Rose. Giving the ball to Rose is like having another coach on the team. Or in Chicago's case, it's like actually having a coach on the team. Now if only they could find a team desperate enough to take Kirk Hinrich's contract.

2. Miami, Michael Beasley, PF
If Shawn Marion elects to stay- and I think he will once he realizes nobody will give him a big contract- then the triumvirate of Wade, Marion, and Beasley might be able to replace the Phoenix Suns as the team that can score a ton of points but not defend a soul. At least for two or three weeks until Wade is injured again, at which time, they'll just stink.

3. Minnesota, Jerryd Bayless, PG
The TWolves already have Randy Foye at point, but I don't think you can afford to pass up on a guy that can fill the statsheet like Bayless does. He caught a bit of the injury bug at Arizona, and you hope it doesn't follow him to the pros. Bayless will remind Minnesota fans of the Stephon Marbury days. That may not sound great, but these days, they'll take it.

4. Oklahoma City, OJ Mayo, PG/SG
It's awfully tempting to go with Brook Lopez here. Afterall, someone's got to get the rebound while Durant keeps chucking up shots. Lopez would look great next to Robert Swift, Saer Sene, and Johan Petro. But Mayo would be an interesting addition, as Mayo, Durant, and Green would be a very athletic nucleus to build on. Now if only someone could find a way to get Durant to play closer to the basket.

5. Memphis, Kevin Love, PF
Love is a bit of a reach here, but I'm making this pick solely for the entertainment value. Imagine all of the tv highlights and blog features your team would get everytime a tandem of fans was spotted in the stands wearing these jerseys:



It beats the current state of anonymity.

6. New York, Anthony Randolph, PF
Mike D'Antoni says he'll adjust his offense to his personnel, but I'm not buyin' it. Looking at the remaing players for the best player to fit his high octane, high energy system and the guys that stand out to me are Randolph, Chase Budinger and Russell Westbrook. Since Randolph has the size, I'll give the edge to him. He's not as strong as Amare Stoudamire, but he could fill that role, while Eddy Curry takes the Shaq role of oversized stiff clogging up the lane.

7. Los Angeles Clippers, Eric Gordon, PG/SG
With Shaun Levingston having more question marks than The Riddler, the Clippers need to address their backcourt. Gordon may not be a true point guard, but with Maggette's status an uncertainty, I'd pick someone with Gordon's range over the next best true point guard, DJ Augustin.

8. Milwaukee Bucks, Danilo Gallinari, PF
If I'm the GM for Milwaukee, my main goal is to try to get my team relocated, hopefully to Seattle to replace the displaced Sonics. What better way to accomplish that than to follow up a 1st rd pick of a player from China that none of my fans had seen before with a player from Italy that none of my fans have seen before? I'll be able to print up those travel plans to Seattle by the All-Star break.

9. Charlotte Bobcats, Brook Lopez, C
The Lopez slide finally comes to an end, and Charlotte gets a relative steal at #9 and a viable replacement for Okafor should the Bobcats decide to let him go. Now I just have to talk Michael Jordan into letting the team keep Lopez...assuming I'm able to find Jordan anywhere near team headquarters this summer.

10. New Jersey Nets, DJ Augustin, PG
Devin Harris is a decent player, but Augustin is a far more electric point guard. He's already played with a big time scorer in Kevin Durant, so he should adjust easily to playing alongside Vince Carter and Richard Jefferson. (Note: I'm making this pick assuming that Marreese Speights is available at #21, but if Speights starts climbing other teams' boards, I consider pulling the trigger for him early at this slot.)

11. Indiana Pacers, Chase Budinger, SG/SF
With the city still reeling from the Ron Artest incident, I have to go with the best white player available. Then I can print out my season ticket forms with a photo of Dunleavy, Troy Murphy, and Budinger and the message, "It's safe to come back now." I'm not saying it's right, but well...it is Indiana.

12. Sacramento Kings, Russell Westbrook PG/SG
Ok, if I were really the GM for the Kings, I'd probably be blitzed out of my mind at The Palms and forget that draft day had even arrived. But assuming someone dragged me away from the casino or Playboy club long enough to call in my pick, it would be for the super athletic, but inconsistent shooting Westbrook. Lucky for me, my fans had six years of Mike Bibby, so they're used to a point guard hitting around 37% from 3 pt land.

13. Portland Trailblazers, Donte Green- TRADE
The only player that could make this roster is point guard, and they are all gone. So I package this pick with a player or three and try to pry Jose Calderon from Toronto. Otherwise, I might have to pull a Phoenix and just sell the pick for cash.

14. Golden State, DeAndre Jordan, C
Value pick here. Besides, I know I might be losing Don Nelson, Baron Davis, Matt Barnes, Mickael Pietrus, or Monta Ellis soon, so the style might change. The new coach might actually want a big man on the floor at some point, and right now, my only option is Adonal Foyle. That's not going to work. Koufos is another option here, but Jordan has more upside. Oh how we GMs love the upside.

I'm going to stop here. As you can see by my picks, I would most likely only be a GM of a team that was in the lottery. Any readers can feel free to leave their thoughts in the comments section. Any owners looking for someone to hire as a fall guy can email me directly.

Love Was Only Here For A Quickie

Kevin Love took his time and waited for OJ Mayo, Derrick Rose, and Michael Beasley to make their announcements so he could have a day for himself. Fair enough, we all like to have a day in the sun every now and then. Now that day has come, and Kevin Love's brief college career is over. Fans of each of these schools must now ask themselves- was it worth it?

For USC, Memphis, and Kansas State, I think the answer is a resounding "yes." Mayo and Beasley helped put schools that have traditionally been minor players in college basketball on the map. Rose elevated Memphis to being within a few minutes of a national championship. If the trade-off for these new prominent roles in the basketball world is that the university serves as a half-way house between high school and the NBA, I think most fans will be willing to make that exchange. Obviously, their coaches are fine with the arrangement, as USC has Demar Derozan coming in and Tyreke Evans is going to Memphis. Both players are expected to be one-and-done next season.

For UCLA fans, the experience is a little bit different. (I should apologize for the elitist tone of this post. It wasn't my intent, but I can already feel it's headed that way.) UCLA is a school which holds on very dearly to its basketball tradition. The John Wooden legacy ended 30 years ago and yet it's still part of virtually every discussion about UCLA basketball. But where is the tradition in attending school for a grand total of six classes and then bolting? As has been stated ad nauseum, UCLA is about legacies. What kind of legacy did Kevin Love leave behind?

Of course, this would all have been moot had Kevin Love brought the team a championship. But that obviously didn't happen. (And history shows that it usually doesn't happen. Other than Carmelo's Syracuse team, no school has won a basketball championship while being centered around a freshman.) In fact, from a tournament standpoint, the Bruins were no better this year than they were a year before, despite their only loss being Arron Afflalo. Certainly, Love doesn't bear all the responsibility for that stagnancy- in fact, there were a few games which he won almost single-handedly. But at the same time, there's just a feeling of incompleteness about his stay at UCLA.

Unfortunately, it's the players that actually dedicate themselves to the school that have to make the biggest sacrifices to accomodate a one-and-done type player. A year ago at this time, Lorenzo Mata-Real was projected by some as being a tenuous second round pick if he continued his improvement in college. Instead, he spent his senior year as a cheerleader on the bench where he watched Kevin Love pursue his NBA dream while his own quietly faded away. Alfred Aboya was also a senior (scholastically- he still has one year of eligibility remaining if he opts for grad school) and he too spent what may ultimately be his final year in a role that became more and more reduced as the season went on and Love's endurance improved. One could also argue that the dip in Josh Shipp's confidence coincided with Kevin Love's rise to prominence. It may have been just that- a coincidence- but it would be understandable if asking Shipp to subjugate himself to the freshman was a blow to his psyche.

I don't blame Kevin Love one bit for leaving early. The NBA is his dream, and his stock is at its peak. He should leave. My question is if schools such as UCLA, UNC, Kansas, Duke, etc. should be taking players like Kevin Love in the first place. It just feels like selling out. Perhaps I'm naive for not thinking that all major schools have been selling out all along.

Ultimately, I feel like someone who's just been told by their mistress that the affair is over (umm..or so I would imagine). I knew it was just going to be a fling that would have to end eventually, but still, it's hard to hear it's over. I just wish the good times could last a little bit longer. So hey, Kevin...how about a quick pick-up game for old times sake?

The Search For Young Talent Never Ends

With the NBA draft starting in a few hours, it's a little late for me to put a mock draft up. My only prediction is that when everything is over, Arron Afflalo may wish he'd stayed for his senior year at UCLA. If you need more picks, I'm pretty sure you can find one or two mocks somewhere on the internet. One of the more entertaining mocks was posted yesterday by Chad Ford and Bill Simmons on ESPN.com. They combined logical picks with some pretty good banter to make for a very enjoyable column. Maybe that's what Simmons needs now to keep things fresh- someone to volley with who will also call him on some of his recycled material.

One of the draft evaluations that stood out to me was this analysis of Greg Oden by Ford:

"Taking Oden is like marrying the girl you don't want to date, but the girl you want to spend the rest of your life with. She's responsible. She looks out for you. She helps you be the best person you can be. She's not hot on the outside. But inside she makes your life worth living."

My first thought was that I hope his wife doesn't read his columns. One also has to wonder if his logic for draft evaluations extends to other areas of his life. Perhaps he'll also scout potential dating prospects for his son:

"Only measured out as a B cup, but with that frame, has the potential to develop into a full C."

"A sexy pick, although real age remains a concern."

"Lacks experience, but shows early signs of promise and is very coachable."

"Very impressive ball handling skills."

"Foreign exchange student, so the data on her is limited, but I'm always intrigued by Czech girls."

"Lacks ideal looks, but is willing to do all the dirty work."

"Drug history and family issues have caused her to already make the rounds with many different suitors, but she might still be attractive for someone looking to fill a need."

"Willingness to take on the double-team is both intriguing and concerning at same time."

"The consensus #1 on campus, but will cost too much to keep for the long haul if you have salary cap issues."

Joakim Noah's Life Does Not Suck

Joakim Noah, deep down in my stomach, with every inch of me, I pure, straight hate you. But god dammit, do I respect you.

After his workout for the Boston Celtics, Joakim Noah sat down with the Boston Herald and reflected on his college career:

"I might have had the best college experience ever," Noah said. "I had a blast. You want to talk off the record, I’ll tell you stories. I just feel that I had a great time. It’s something I’ll never forget. It’s made me even hungrier."

It's always refreshing for a player to basically say - 'I've had five coeds at the same time my freshman year, and by my sophomore season, I basically was the initiation ceremony for three different sororities. But now I've made a list of seventeen celebrities I want to nail, and I think I'm ready to give it a shot.'

Recent mock drafts have Joakim Noah going to the Bobcats at #8 overall. Since his competition for the ladies would include guys like Adam Morrison, Primoz Brezec, and Brevin Knight, he should be able to fare reasonably well. Women of Charlotte: you've been warned.

Oh, and No, No, Yes.

Is the Pac-10 Player of the Year Ready for the NBA Afterall?

Heading into this season, it was generally assumed that Arron Afflalo would use this year to work on his jumper and solidify his status as a first round draft pick. For the first 29 games of the season, it looked like the plan was coming to fruition and Afflalo was as good as gone to the NBA. But GMs have a tendency to pay more attention to players during postseason play, and that hasn't gone so well for Afflalo. While he has still been a great leader for the team- playing solid defense and rebounding aggressively- what scouts really wanted to see from him was a reliable outside shot, and that has deserted him lately. Discounting the Weber State game, which never really had the pressure of a tournament game, here are Afflalo's numbers from the field this postseason:

vs Cal: 1-7
vs Ind: 2-11
vs Pit: 3-11

That's just 20.7% over three games. For a player that lacks the explosion and one on one moves of the other two guards he'll be competing with in the draft (ex. Nick Young), this cold streak couldn't have come at a worse time. As things currently stand, Afflalo has likely slipped to the second round of a very deep draft, where only one year of his NBA contract would be guaranteed. Would it really be worth the risk for Afflalo to leave early to be a second round pick? Big Baby Davis has already announced that he'll be taking that chance, but his situation is a little different. Davis realizes that his star is fading fast and he needs to make the leap while he's still worthy of being drafted at all.

Fortunately, Afflalo still has another game left to right the ship. If UCLA has any hopes of beating Kansas, they are going to need Afflalo to return to form. If he can give them a big game on Saturday and get the Bruins into the Final Four, then he should be able to re-emerge as a late first round pick; and he would be well advised to declare for the draft. However if his cold streak continues, then UCLA fans may get their wish of "one more year," afterall.

(As for Darren Collison, however, I think he's on his way to the NBA. He might not be completely ready for the NBA yet, but he'll be one of the top two point guards if he declares, so it's probably in his best interest to declare now while his name is hot.)