My first complaint was that ESPN's coverage was god-awful. I won't beat up on the 'analysis' (others have done that better), but the layout and presentation where horrible. If I stepped away for a fresh Jameson or to tinkle, I had no idea what happened in my absence. I couldn't tell who was picking, who was just picked, the past few picks. And, they kept throwing up past trades and picks, which confused the hell out of me. When they put up the Denver / Philly trade that brought AI to the Nuggets, there were about 3 seconds where I thought it was a current trade, not some review.
My draft analysis:
- Portland Trailblazers: obviously had a plan going in. They knew they were going to take Oden, and got a fair trade for Randolph, getting cap relief and Channing Frye back.
- Seattle Supersonics: Got to love Killer Durant! I can't bring myself to cheer for Seattle, but they'll be in the hunt for 10 years. Trading Ray Allen for the rights to pick Jeff Green is great, also. Allen has 1 or 2 years left in him, and this gives Seattle a core to grow together without having to rebuild half-way through Durant's career.
- Boston Celtics: As many others have said – this makes no sense. The #5 pick was valuable (Jeff Green), why give that up for a guy whose got 1 or 2 years left, coming off double ankle surgery, who plays the same position as Paul Pierce? What are they going to do, back each other up?
- Chicago Bulls: Love the suit, hated the pick. Just what they need, another long, athletic, energy guy with very few basketball skills. At some point, they need someone who can score, right?
- Phoenix Suns: As Chad Ford said, Phoenix should just shut down its scouting department. Fourth year and a row they've traded or sold their draft picks. There was value on the board that they wouldn't have had to pay right away. I don't get what the team is doing right now.
The real news for me, though, was what didn't happen. Zach Randolph and Ray Allen were the two biggest moves of the draft, and they weren't really a surprise. For all the noise, I was surprised to see KG not going somewhere. They still don't have anything that can help them win this year or next, and then KG's career is over. Why not take what you can and start the rebuilding sooner? Alternatively, you can wait until the trade deadline and get $.50 on the dollar instead of $.75. Also, someone needs to fold the Atlanta Hawks. Their ownership debacle has made doing business in the NBA difficult for 2 years now. I thought the Commish had some sort of power or something?
Comments