Thoughts running through my head as I stand on the ledge...
Now I know what parents go through. The Orlando Magic are trying my patience as a fan, and I'm
almost to the point that I'm going to put them up for adoption. A couple more blunder moves similar to draft night, and I'm ripping my
fan contract to pieces. At this rate, I think I'll be getting out of a good situation before it gets worse. I'm telling you, once the
Kansas City arena is done in 2007, the Magic are going to announce their move.
I'm going on record right now, that if they move, I will no longer be a Magic fan. I'll become a Clippers fan before I go with
the Magic to Kansas City.
Anyway, this column isn't about the Magic; it's about the NBA draft. There were a lot of surprises on draft night as teams tried
to improve their teams with the new generation of players. Who hit the ball out of the park and who hit a slow grounder to the pitcher?
Well, that's what I'm here to tell you. So without any further ado, here are the winners and losers of the NBA draft:
Winners Charlotte – The clear winner on draft night. They got two reigning NCAA National Champions to go along with their other National
Champion (Emeka Okafor). They picked up their point guard of the future with Raymond Felton, and improved their frontline with Sean May.
I may have to take back everything I've ever said about Bernie Bickerstaff. The Bobcats clearly know what they're doing. They're one
shooting guard away from getting a whole lot better. If he Magic aren't careful, Charlotte just might pass us by them next season. And
you think I'm kidding.
Utah – The Jazz got their steady point guard. Not much else to say. Deron Williams is going to be a quality player for them. The
one thing the Jazz have lacked for the past two or three years is a floor general and Williams is just that. He's not flashy and he
doesn't really excite people; just what Jerry Sloan wanted.
Indiana – With the 17th pick, who would have thought they would have been a winner? With lottery players falling faster than
rain, the Pacers were smart enough to draft the best player available. Wish the Magic would have used that philosophy. Indiana has
several players in front of him, but if Danny Granger can come in and play defense, he'll definitely get minutes.
Boston – That Danny Ainge; I tell ya boy, he knows what he's doing. With Gerald Green quickly failing to the title contending
playoff teams, the Celtics couldn't pick him fast enough. This pick actually makes Paul Pierce expendable, and if the Celtics decide to
get rid of all their veterans and start over, they definitely have a solid foundation. With Al Jefferson, Delonte West, Tony Allen, and
now Green the core of your nucleus, you couldn't ask for a better future. Is there any way we can trade Dave Twardzik for Danny Ainge?
I mean he's making Doc Rivers look like a genius (and we all know that's not true).
Other winners: Minnesota (Rashad McCants), Memphis (Hakim Warrick), Sacramento (Francisco Garcia), Houston (Luther Head). The
Spurs are winners just because they won the NBA championship. When you win the championship, it doesn't matter who you select.
Nonetheless, I'm sure Ian Mahinmi ends up a pretty good player. I believe in Gregg Popovich.
Losers Orlando – What? You knew it was coming. With May, Granger, Green, and even Garcia still on the board, who do the Magic select? Fran
Vazquez. Can I have some Spanish rice with that? Watching his highlights reminded me of
I mean he's making Pat Garrity when he first got into the league; uncoordinated
and slow, with a three point shot. Come to think of it, that's Pat Garrity today!
(By the way, aren't player highlights on draft night supposed to show all the good things about the player? Well what happens
when you're disappointed with the highlights? I'm just curious.)
Toronto – Thank goodness for the Raptors. If it weren't for the fellas up North, the Magic might have had the worst draft. They
selected Charlie Villanueva at 7, essentially leaving about 6 or 7 better players on the board. Then they get a mulligan to select either
Granger or Green, and they elect to draft Joey Graham (whose highlights consisted of him shouting at his teammates...way to show his
personable skills) instead. Needless to say, Toronto police had to beef up security at Rob Babcock's house.
New York – Does ANYONE know what they're doing? The Knicks came away from draft night with a 5'8" point guard, their 30th
shooting guard/small forward, and their 50th power forward. On top of that, I think they lost their number one fan. After they took David
Lee at 30, Spike Lee had that "I wonder how much those courtside seats in New Jersey cost" look on his face. Not good times in the big
apple.
Los Angeles – Both of them. The Lakers drafted the youngest player EVER and the Clippers took a guy with so many vowels in his
name that he could end up being a phrase on "Wheel of Fortune."
Anyone think the Lakers chose Andrew Bynum so Kobe can take out all his frustrations of Shaq out on him? I can just picture Kobe
dunking on Bynum in practice and screaming things like, "Yeah Shaq, take that you piece of (expletive)," and "How's that Corvett looking
now fat man?"
Needless to say, things aren't looking good for 17-year-old Bynum. Umm...welcome to the NBA!
Milwaukee – I know they had the first pick, but how do you pass up Mr. Intangible Marvin Williams for a guy who never really
dominated in college? Did you see Andrew Bogut's highlights? He blocked the shot of a guy who was like a foot shorter than him. I could
do that. Heck, you could do that.
Think about it. At best, who could Bogut become? The next Jeff Foster? Brad Miller? Joel Przybilla? Meanwhile, a guy who's about
three inches shorter, but has a longer wingspan (you figure that one out) gets to play in Atlanta (in front of 10 fans) and team up with
Josh Smith (who might not have landed yet).
Oh well, good luck re-signing Michael Redd.
Other losers: Golden State (Ike Diogu with Chris Taft in the second round...ewww!), Phoenix (with Q leaving, why not fill his
role with Garcia?), Seattle (Johan Petro), and Denver (and only because Julius Hodge looks like he's actually 40 and could be Craig
Hodges' long lost twin brother)
All-in-all, not a bad draft. The way things went, it was actually better to have a mid-teen pick than to have a lottery pick
(unless of course, you're the Raptors). Charlotte had the best draft of anyone, and the Magic continued their head scratching moves.
Vazquez better become the next international sensations very quickly or they're going to lose one committed fan.
With all of the bone headed moves this organization makes, I don't know how much more I can take.
