Old School live blog

I am going to do an old school NBA draft live blog, and basically just write down my thoughts periodically throughout the night.

7:10- The draft is roughly 20 minutes away, and obviously everyone is at least talking about Michael Jackson. I'm not going to touch on all of his personal issues (we all know about those). But, he was a once-a-generation talent and an absolute musical genius. There will not be another star like him, for both the good and the bad.

7:30- I already addressed the Shaq trade below. The even bigger pre-draft trade was Orlando picking up Vince Carter for Alston, Lee and Battie. Jameer Nelson will just take over for Alston, and Carter will take Lee's spot at SG. If the Magic are willing to go over the luxury tax threshold to keep Turkoglu, they will be the favorites in the East. Their starting 5 of Nelson, Carter, Turkoglu, Lewis and Howard would be far and away the best in the game. They still will be thin in the front court if they don't re-sign Gortat, and they will be thin at guard with the loss of Lee and Alston. They probably will lean heavily on their top 6 ( their 5 starters plus Pietrus) a la the Pistons in 2005.

7:35- San Antonio also pulled off a sick deal. Parker, Ginobili, Jefferson and Duncan is probably a better top 4 than Orlando can throw there. The big thing with them will be staying healthy. And, look out if Rasheed Wallace signs with them. He is exactly what they need. A 6'11" guy who can stretch the D, hit the 3, and provide a post presence when he wants too. They have never been able to replace David Robinson, and it is time that they do.

7:39- Clippers just ruined Blake Griffin's career. And, either Kaman or Randolph is officially on the trading block.

7:46-Hasheem Thabeet drafted by Memphis. He should provide an instant contribution defensively with his size and athleticism. But, he is going to struggle offensively. This draft is so weak, so he probably had to be picked here. But, he is a very, very weak #2 pick. A safe pick, to be sure. But, he will not be a future star in this league. If anything, he and Marc Gasol will be two 7 footers on the front line. Conley, Gay and Mayo make up a pretty good, and young Big 3.

7:55- Oklahoma City drafts James Harden. So, they have Westbrook at PG, Harden at SG, Durant at SF, and Green at PF. They still need a lot of talent up front, but this is another good, young team. Durant will be a top 5 to top 10 player in the game very soon.

7:57- Kings select Tyreke Evans. Imo, this is the second best player in the draft ( I have never seen Rubio play). Not sure he is a true PG, but he has an incredible wingspan of 6'11" and a lot of talent. Overall, the Kings will be one of the worst teams in the league next year, but this is a good move in the right direction. But, they still have a long, long way to go.

8:01- The T Wolves are now on the clock. They are going on a complete rebuilding project after dealing Foye and Miller, and have 4 first round picks. I think the take Rubio here.

8:03- Yep, they took Rubio. He played in the Olympics last year at age 17, so I have seen him play a game or two, but not enough to get a good feel for him. He is small, and need s to bulk up. He also is a very good passer and that helps with Jefferson and Love down low. The T Wolves, like the Kings, will also be dreadful next year. They really need to improve on the perimeter. The T Wolves are supposed to pick next, as well.

8:10- And now, they take Johnny Flynn? The T Wolves took two PG's in a row? A trade has to be coming. Otherwise, this makes zero sense. At this point, after the top 5, this draft is a complete unknown. Teams can go a lot of different directions now.

8:15- Flynn is a hell of an interview. I will give him that much. And, he is a very exciting player. But, I see no way he and Rubio can play together.

8:15-The Warriors select Stephen Curry. Their past 4 first round picks were Ike Diogu, Patrick O-Bryant, Marco Belinelli and Anthony Randolph. Umm, yeah. Curry is a one-dimensional player who can shoot the lights out of the gym but he is too small and will not be able to guard high-level NBA point guards. He'll be a pretty good role player, but that is it. The Warriors, like the T Wolves and Kings, will also not be any good next year. Shocking, I know.

8:21- And, the Knicks select Jordan Hill. Big body, big wingspan, great athlete and very raw. I like this pick for the Knicks. Hill has a chance to be a good player. In this draft, at this point, that is basically all you can hope for.

8:27- Raptors take DeRozan. High risk-high reward pick. He was a big recruit in high school and only played one year at USC before going pro. With Bosh probably leaving next season, and them basically going into a rebuilding mode, they will be able to be patient with this kid. And, they will have to be.

8:33- Bucks select the famous Brandon Jennings. He was the recruit who left America to play overseas instead of playing in college. The Bucks are also in full rebuild mode so they are taking a chance on him. All reports on him are that he is a raw, raw talent. Like a couple other guys in the top 10, the Bucks will need to be patient with him.

8:38- The Nets with the 11th pick, and another team in rebuilding mode, take Terrance Williams from Louisville. First senior taken. Super athletic, and can guard people all over the floor. He has a lower ceiling than Earl Clark, but he is a safer pick.

8:45- The Bobcats take Gerald Henderson with the 12th pick. So, two NC guys (Brown and Jordan) take a Duke guy. He is another super athletic player. The Bobcats have a long way to go, so I like this pick. Not going to be a star and he is small, but he has a shot to be a good contributor.

8:50- Pacers select Psycho T, Tyler Hansborough. One of the greatest college players of all time. A low ceiling, high floor player. No post game to speak of, and he is short and not incredibly strong. But, he works hard, is a great competitor and should be a good guy off the bench to have. He should be in the NBA for awhile. Again, no chance of being a star. And, probably not a starter, either. But, he should be a good backup and provide hustle and heart like Noah does for the Bulls.

8:55- The Suns, who have already traded Shaq, are apparently in talks with Golden State to trade Stoudamire. If that is true, they are another team in a complete rebuilding mode. Nash will be gone next year, as well. And, the Suns just took Earl Clark, a potential Piston pick. He will fit well with the Suns style if they wish to stick to the run and gun style of play. He has great athleticism.

8:58- Pistons up next. Look out for an Austin Daye pick.

9:02- And, the Pistons select Austin Daye. A long blog post will be up at some point tomorrow. But, he fits the Pistons bill of having a long wing span, and can stretch the floor with his shot. Provides no help defensively, though, at this point in his career. He really needs to bulk up.

9:09- Bulls select James Johnson from Wake Forest. Safe, solid pick. He'll fit in well with their ball club.

9:12- The 76ers need a PG, and they get in with Jrue Holliday from UCLA. A top flight high school prospect who has a world of talent. Eric Maynor would have been the safe pick. This kid is high risk, high reward. It will be interesting comparing Maynor vs. Holliday as their careers develop.

9:19- And, the T Wolves take another PG with Ty Lawson. Ok. A trade has to be coming now.

9:24- Yeah, the T Wolves are trading the Lawson pick to Denver. And, Jeff Teague was just picked by Atlanta. Another guard, and I imagine that this is insurance if/when Bibby leaves.

9:27- Another PG, Eric Maynor, is drafted by Utah. Kind of surprised Utah did not go after a low post guy here with one of Boozer or Milsap probably leaving. But, I think he could be a very good backup to Deron Williams.

9:33- The Hornets select a guard (guard-heavy draft, huh?) in Darren Collison. He should fit pretty well as Chris Paul's backup. Of the two, I think Maynor will have a better career but Collison has better potential.

9:39- The Blazers take Claver, a forward from Spain. Never seen him play. Not even going to act like I know anything about him. I do know he will stay in Spain for a year or two, but other than that, lets just move on to the next pick.

9:40- Shaq is on the phone. Sends his condolences to the Jackson family. And, Lisa Salters asks if he would be willing to come off the bench. Lisa, he is starting over Big Z.

9:45- Kings select Casspi from Isarel. No player from Isarel has ever played in the NBA. Again, never seen him play, and I'm not going to act like I have.

9:49- With the 24th pick, the Mavs pick B.J. Mullens from Ohio State. Huge, huge project. Lots of talent. At pick #24, its worth a shot. Good pick by the Mavs.

9:53- Oklahoma City picks Beaubois from Guadalupe. Again, never seen him play.

9:57- Oklahoma City and Dallas swap picks. I like Mullens going to Oklahoma City. They have a real talented, young team.

10:00- The Bulls select Taj Gibson. Another veteran college player (like James Johnson). Tough, defensive player. Not much upside. Could fill a role with them down low, though.

10:03- Just 4 more picks in the 1st round and then I am wrapping up this live blog. I speculated that the Pistons might acquire a first round pick after trading Amir Johnson. This is the spot in the first round where they would get it.

10:06- The Grizzlies select Carroll from Missouri. Kind of a reach and a meh pick. Not too impressed with this pick.

10:06- T Wolves up next. Pistons could probably get pick if they want it. This would be the T Wolves 3rd pick and I doubt they keep all of them.

10:12- T Wolves select Wayne Ellington. I like this pick. Good value pick. 3 Tar Heels drafted in the first round (Ellington, Psycho T and Lawson).

10:13- Lakers are probably trading this next pick to the Knicks. The Knicks bought this pick, so we could have done so if we wanted too. Dumars probably thinks he can get his guys in the second round. Have to trust him on this one.

10:15- Darko is going to the Knicks. Oh what could have been in the 2003 draft.

10:16- Knicks just picked Douglass. This was a guy Dumars was rumored to have wanted. He is a 6'2" guard and a pretty good defender. Just for future reference, we could have had this pick if we wanted it.

10:21- Cavs up next with the last pick of the 1st round. Live blog stops after this pick. A full summary of the Pistons picks will be up by tomorrow night. And, there will be a lot of Tigers and Wings and Lions posts over the weekend.

10:22- Cavs select Eyenga from Congo. I've heard of him in draft reports but never seen him play. Probably has no impact on their team next year.

So, Live Blog is over. I probably will now just periodically update in the second round. Pistons have 3 second round picks. I'd expect a trade somewhere down the line.

-Pistons take DaJuan Summers, from Georgetown. He is a SF but he could play in the low post. They basically chose him over Sam Young and Blair. Again, it will now be interesting to see how their careers play out. Much, much more later on Summers.

-Ken Holland drafts Jorebko from Sweden. Oh, I mean Joe D. picked Jorebko from Sweded. Probably a 3/4. A lot of Google Stalking on him will have to be done.

-Final pick for the Pistons and we select Chase Budinger. A 4th SF type. High profile recruit in HS, and has NBA talent. Interesting pick. One of these 4 SF types will probably be traded.

Update: We are trading Budinger to the Rockets for cash and a future pick. More dealing may still come.

That's it for tonight... probably. In depth review of each player tomorrow.