Tag: NBA (Page 6 of 8)

My first blog post, on the first version of this site, ten years ago was a Bill Simmons-like breakdown of the 2003 NBA Draft. Now, as I watch the 2013 draft, Bill Simmons is manning the ESPN table with Reece Davis, Jalen Rose, and Jay Bilas. Does that qualify as coming full circle?

I won’t mince words: this is a shitty draft. I’m biased about one of these guys, but I think there are two safe picks in this draft: Ben McLemore and Otto Porter. I don’t know that either of them will be superstars, but each will be very solid pros with a ceiling of an All-Star. Beyond them, there are some nice players who can fill roles, but there aren’t a bunch of stars.

So here goes. As has happened most years since I became a father, I was not able to watch the entire draft. But thanks to an incident I’ll share details of later in this post, I had a solid 45 minute window to watch the beginning of the draft.

1 – Anthony Bennett, Cleveland. WHOA! I mean, holy shit! Who saw this coming? I think Nerlens Noel is a bust waiting to happen, so good move to avoid that disaster. And Bennett has some serious upside, although I don’t see him as ever being a big star. But with Kyrie Irving already in the fold, and the dream of re-signing LeBron next summer simmering, Bennett feels like a nice piece to add. And let’s not forget, building for the future isn’t just about getting LBJ. I think the odds are maybe 10% that LeBron decides to go home next year. If that 90% comes to pass, there will still be plenty of other free agent talent that can look at Cleveland’s roster and think, “That’s a nice team that I can make a difference with.”

Highest drafted Canadian ever, stealing Andrew Wiggins’ thunder. Nice of Bennett to throw the shout out to Wiggs, though.

2 – Victor Oladipo, Orlando. Officially the most fun draft ever after only two picks! Great energy in the crowd as the New Yorkers realize something crazy is going on. I love Victor, but I think people are giving him too much love. That said, if anyone in this draft surprises people by blowing away their expectations, it’s him. Even when he’s picked second. I think his odds of being a bust are ~20%, but his odds of being a breakout star are ~10%. That in-between leaves you a defensive stopper who can guard all three perimeter positions and will get better offensively as he rounds out his game. He’s going to be a Bruce Bowen-type player who learns how to spot up on one end of the court and plays manic D on the other.

3 – Otto Porter, Washington. Very good pick and the (semi)-local player they wanted. Long, athletic, can shoot and defend. A nice piece for a team that suddenly has a decent core of perimeter players.

4 – Cody Zeller, Charlotte. WHAT?!?! What the hell is going on here? Wasn’t he supposed to go like #15 or something? Seriously, Cody got a bad rap late in the season when Big 10 coaches, who had seen him for two years, knew how to attack his weaknesses. I think he’ll be a decent player, provided they keep him out of the low post where he’ll get eaten up in the NBA.

More importantly, McLemore avoids Charlotte! And with two Hoosiers in the top five, Tom Crean immediately begins texting recruits making sure they know how he turned them into lottery picks.¹

Worth noting: ninth-straight draft a former Indiana high school player has been picked in the first round.

5 – Alex Len, Phoenix. Man, Noel must have pissed some people off in his interviews and workouts. Shitty draft, so I can’t say this is a shitty pick. Seems kinda stretchy, though.

LeBron and Aaron Rogers just told people on Twitter to wake up on McLemore. I’m trying to tell you…

6 – Nerlens Noel, New Orleans. He had to go at some point, right? Like I said, I think he’s a bust. I’m not holding his freak injury against him. But I look at him and I don’t see a toolsy guy who is going to develop into a franchise cornerstone. He’s a more athletic Jeff Withey, someone who will block a few shots, grab a few rebounds, and that’s it. Perhaps suffering the indignity of sitting through six whole picks before he heard his name will light a fire under him and he’ll prove me wrong. I’ll start the rumors: the inevitable happens and something naughty comes up at Kentucky, Calipari takes the New Orleans job to avoid NCAA sanctions, and gets to coach Noel and Anthony Davis. (Aww, Noel’s rights traded to Philly, so my dream scenario of Cal’s triumphant return to the NBA won’t work out.)

7 – Ben McLemore, Sacramento. There it is! GREAT pick! Well, except for the reality that the Kings have been a mess for years and the first question for any draft pick that goes there is, “Will the idiots who are already there ruin him?” Perhaps things are changing in Sacto, though, with the new ownership and recommitment from the city. I sure hope so because Ben needs a steady, mature mentor.

As I’ve written all year, B-Mac never has been, and never will, be an alpha dog. But he’s so skilled and level-headed that he’s the ideal player to compliment a star. Unfortunately for Sacramento, they don’t have that other star right now. The bigger question about Ben is can he grow his offensive game so that he can put the ball on the deck and create his own shot. The good thing is that is something that can be taught/learned through practice. And he seems like a guy who is willing to put the time in to please those around him. Plus he has that beautiful, perfect jump shot, which is something you can not teach. A pretty solid base to work with. At worst he’s a shooting specialist for 10 years. But if it works out, he’s a second-tier star for just as long.

(So here’s where I stopped watching. Just before the draft began there was a big parental meltdown that ended with all three girls being sent to their rooms and dad opening an early beer and heading to the basement to watch the draft. That was about 45 minutes or so before McLemore got picked and I hadn’t heard a peep out of them. So I went upstairs to check on them. Each one was sitting quietly in their room, waiting to be dismissed from their (extended) time outs. First damn time all day they listened to me, but they picked the right spot to do it. Even better, C. and L. made cards for me saying they were “sorre fore being bad.” Awwwwww. Almost made up for the day of mayhem unleashed on me and the Father Of The Year clinching tirade I launched on them at about 7:20.)

Sadly I missed Boston’s pick of Lucas Nogueira, which was one of the great moments in draft history.

23 – Solomon Hill, Indiana. In a very shallow draft, there’s not much value left. Seems like a solid “take a flyer” pick. Maybe he pans out, but there’s no real loss if he doesn’t. Certainly no worse than their first pick last year, Miles Plumlee. Or Ben Fucking Hansbrough, who somehow kept a roster spot all last season. Speaking of the Hansbrough brothers, I bet the Pacers were pissed Brooklyn took Mason Plumlee at 22. They were so close to having both the Hansbrough and Plumlee brothers on one NBA roster!

I was kind of hoping they would take Rudy Gobert, the 7’2” Frenchman, here. They don’t need another big to back up Roy Hibbert right now. But if Gobert spends a couple more years in Europe, he can develop then come play a year or two behind Hibbert and be ready to take over for him when his contract runs out. Plus it’s fun to say Hibbert and Gobert together, even if Gobert is pronounced go-BEAR. Or Tony Mitchell would have been nice as an athletic body behind David West. But, again, shitty draft. You can’t complain much about who get selected here.

39 – Jeff Withey, Portland. Shame he fell and now has to work for that multi-year deal. But as limited as he is, it makes sense that no one wanted to commit three years to him without seeing him in the summer leagues, training camp, and even the regular season before extending him.

There are the important picks. Other thoughts on the night:

Other than his five-minute outburst against KU, I love Trey Burke. I know he’s small and not super athletic. But I was surprised he fell as far as he did.

David Stern’s final draft was full of laughs and silly moments. It was funny as he egged the crowd on to boo him more, but it got a little old when he did it before every pick. I guess when it’s your final draft, and you’re the commish, you’re allowed to milk it. Bringing Hakeem Olajuwon² out to honor his final draft announcement was kind of cool, but also took away from the draft a little. Why not do that before the draft officially began? Maybe it was just because pick Nemanja Nedovic wasn’t there and they went into Stern’s valedictory right away, but the timing seemed a little disrespectful to the current draftees.

Shane Battier is a smart guy, and will no doubt do well in TV when he retires. But his turn as the first interviewer of new picks was pretty awkward. He seemed stiff, overly reliant on the same questions for each draftee³, and just out of his element. But Stuart Scott and others asked shitty questions in this same role for years, so it’s not like this is a moment of great journalism or deep conversations that Battier sullied with his newness.

On the other hand, I thought Simmons and Rose were great. They have a great rapport together from their podcasting exploits and had no reservations about bringing that chemistry and style to the draft studio. They kept it light while offering good insight. The loser in the deal was Jay Bilas, who for some reason seemed grumpy as the night went on. Perhaps it was because Reece Davis kept throwing questions to Simmons and Rose first and they would eat up all the time, leaving Bilas just a few seconds to get his comments in. But, for the most part, a pretty entertaining broadcast.

I loved Simmons honest reaction to the biggest news of the night, the massive Boston-New Jersey trade. While it had been rumored all day, when the first confirmations came through, he put on a stunned face for TV. And he did not fail to rip it, as he had done on Twitter all day, just because he was on TV or in an official NBA event. Sure, he was doing it all as a Boston fan, but it was good, honest TV.

I missed his little pissing match with Doc Rivers later in the night. But good for him for not backing off, although it’s easy to do that when he and Rivers aren’t actually speaking to each other but reacting to each other through an interviewer.

That C’s trade is huge. I’m bummed that Paul Pierce will not retire as a Celtic, but his legacy there is intact. It’s tough to imagine the Nets being good enough to knock off the Heat in 2014, but if LeBron leaves after next season, the complexion of the Eastern Conference changes and then you never know. So I’m pleased The Truth will have a couple more shots at another Finals appearance. As Simmons said, if Jason Kidd can limit Pierce’s minutes, he still has several good years left.

We don’t know who will be on the clock first next June, but the countdown to grab Andrew Wiggins has officially begin.

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I’m sure this will suffer a bit for having waited through the weekend to put them together, but some thoughts about LeBron and the Miami Heat winning the NBA title thursday night.

It was a lot to ask but still slightly disappointing that Game Seven didn’t live up to the standard set by Game Six. It wasn’t a blowout, but neither was it two heavyweights trading punches for 48 (or 53) minutes. There was tension, runs by both teams, and LeBron being huge as usual. But it seemed like the team that screwed up least would come out on top.

I was neutral through the series¹, thus my thorough enjoyment of Game Six. But I do not get all the LeBron hate. I know, The Decision, blah blah blah. That was three years ago, he’s owned up to it being a dumb idea that what poorly executed, and the basketball gods served up some karma when they let they weaker Dallas Mavericks knock off the Heat in the Finals two years ago. I think he’s paid his bill, if one was even due.

I don’t understand why people let a poor public relations decision taint their view of LBJ so much. He has been about as close to model citizen as you can hope from a professional athlete/entertainer for his entire professional career. He is, by far, the best basketball player in the world right now. And he’s doing so in a way that no one has ever played the game before. You forget how ridiculous it is for a man his size to do the things he does on the court. Then ABC/ESPN shows a camera angle that puts his size in better perspective and I would be shocked that a guy as big as him was ripping around the court like a 6-foot point guard. Or jumping around/over other freakish athletes like they’re little kids. He’s equal parts Magic Johnson, Karl Malone, and Dennis Rodman. He is just on a completely different level than any elite player in the history of the game.

What makes LeBron truly special, though, is that you would absolutely want your kid to be like him. At least on the court². Compare him to Michael Jordan, whose pathological need to win made him respected and feared but never loved by those around him³. Or Kobe Bryant, who was generally decent off-the-court⁴; but often a dick on it without any of MJ’s saving graces. LeBron manages to be both the best player and a great teammate. He gets slagged for not being selfish in crunch time, especially early in his career. But his game has always been about creating the best shot for his team. And if that means he passes to a guy with a better shot who is capable of hitting it, he will make that pass.

He has adjusted his game a little in recent years, cranking up the alpha dog elements a little. But he’s still a far better teammate than MJ or Kobe ever were. Sure, he’ll whine about calls from time-to-time, but show me an NBA superstar who doesn’t/hasn’t done the same. If those are the only flaws we’re finding in his game/makeup, we’re trying too damn hard to tear a man down instead of enjoying his sublime play.

It’s still too early to say whether LeBron will challenge Jordan as the greatest of All-Time. But he’s well on his way to at least getting his name in the conversation and has done so in a manner that is dramatically different than how MJ did it.

The other winter sport wrapped up last night as the Chicago Blackhawks scored two goals in 17 seconds to come back and beat the Boston Bruins for their second Stanley Cup in four years. I didn’t stay up to watch the end of the game but watched the highlights this morning. That ending was absolutely, utterly, completely insane. Hockey, when at its best, is an amazing sport. How about this nugget: since 2000, the Cup Finals have failed to go at least six games only twice. Well, not counting the year there were no Finals because of the dreaded labor dispute.

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I’m dragging a little but this morning thanks to that epic Game Six of the NBA Finals last night.

In case you missed it, San Antonio controlled the first 36 minutes of the game wonderfully. They stretched out leads, responded to Miami runs, and seemed to be utterly in control of the game as it went to the final quarter. Late in the third period Tony Parker missed an open baseline jumper from about 18 feet that would have put the Spurs up 14. As his ball arced through the air, it felt like the game was in the balance. It rimmed out and Miami had life.

They took advantage of it.

The Heat flipped the script and dominated the first five-plus minutes of the fourth quarter, building a five-point lead with about 90 seconds to play. Then Parker hit a ridiculous, step-back three and a soft shot in the lane to tie it up. Miami now looked cooked, as they proceeded to cough the ball up on two straight possessions and let the Spurs build their own five-point lead.

A couple missed free throws left the door open for Miami,¹ and Ray Allen drilled a magnificent, difficult, corner three to send the game to overtime.

Wow, what a finish to regulation.

Overtime got sloppy and ugly as both teams did their best to not win until Ray Ray knocked down the clinching free throws.

But it was a hell of a game.

Tim Duncan turned back the clock for the first three quarters, dominating the game through his scoring and board work. Kawhi Leonard was fantastic, including his epic dunk over Mike Miller in the first half. Boris Diaw did as good a job frustrating LeBron James as any defender has done this year. But Ginobili sucked all night after being brilliant in game five, and Parker was shaky in some big moments.

LeBron was far from his best, but kicked it into a higher gear to fuel the fourth quarter comeback. Aside from Mario Chalmers’ big night, LBJ got very little help until the fourth quarter. Then D-Wade hit a few big shots, Ray Ray got clutch, and Chris Bosh of all people, came up huge on several key possessions.

It hasn’t been a great series. Game One went down to the last seconds and was won on a ridiculous² shot by Parker. Last night was a hell of a lot of fun for the casual fan. In between were four games that weren’t close late. But the craziness of Game Six sets us up for a Game Seven that is full of promise. Can the Spurs rebound after being so close and get Timmy and Pop their fifth titles? Can LeBron get help from more than one teammate to claim his second-straight ring?

For sports writers, the ideal outcome is San Antonio winning a hard-fought game. Then they can write about both the understated, oft ignored genius of Duncan and another failure by LeBron. But for us unaligned fans, I’m just hoping for another game that goes down to the final seconds in which both Duncan and James have the game in their hands at the end.

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To start, a link back to the beginnings of my blogging life and my 2003 draft breakdown. I just reread it and it’s fun, especially my panning of Miami drafting D. Wade. I actually have a few decent observations in there. And a lot of inside stuff that makes no sense A) nine years later and B) without watching the draft.

Last night I only watched bits and pieces of the draft, so this year’s summary will have less snarky comments about suits, crying mothers, bad commercials, etc.

As I’ve documented, I paid less attention to college basketball this year than in the past.¹ But I have to say I’m not impressed with this year’s draft class. I think there are a few solid players in there, but I don’t see guys that have a clear path to becoming stars. Sure, a Michael Kidd-Gilchrist could blow up, but it’s far from a sure thing with him or anyone else.

I’m even less optimistic about Anthony Davis than most. People keep throwing around the Tim Duncan comparison, but Duncan was a much better offensive player in college. I think Davis will be a defensive force, but I’m not convinced he’s going to become the cornerstone player New Orleans is hoping for. One of my NBA buddies told me I was crazy for thinking that, but I’ll throw it out there anyway so we can make fun of it in nine years.

I’ve been a fan of the Sacramento Kings twice in my life. They were my first favorite team when still playing in Kansas City. I remember watching them play on weekends before we even moved to KC, and once we arrived there, my mom snatched up any free tickets she could find to games at Kemper Arena. My favorite was a game against the Celtics in 1981. Larry Bird hit a long jumper with a couple seconds left to give the C’s the lead. After a time out, Phil Ford took the inbounds pass, one dribble, and drilled a long three to win the game. That was back when NBA players took like 20 threes a year, so it was a big deal.

I readopted them once they got good in the C-Webb years and thanks to some prodding by my boy E-bro who lived in Sacramento. But that didn’t really last.

Now I suppose I’m back on the bandwagon with the Kings taking Thomas Robinson. Thus officially ends the college career of one of the most beloved Jayhawks ever. I loved watching T-Rob grow up, learn the game, and turn into an absolute beast. At his peak, from late December to early February, he was the best player in college. He faded a bit, partially because his teammates picked up their games, and Anthony Davis blew up to take the player of the year honors, but T-Rob grew as much as any player who played at KU. And, of course, he dealt with a lot of stuff that had nothing to do with basketball. I think he’s going to be a solid NBA player, assuming Demarcus Cousins and Tyreke Evans don’t ruin him, and am very proud of what he’s accomplished.

Also very happy that Tyshawn Taylor is going home to play in Brooklyn. We all know what Ty brings to the table, both positive and negative. If he can play under control, I think he’ll be a solid rotation guy for many years.

I know John Calipari has to self-promote at all times, but I get tired of his draft night act. It’s not like he took a bunch of scrubs and turned them into one-and-doners. The expectation was that Davis, Kidd-Gilchrist, and Teague would all be gone after one year in Lexington. Yes, he coached them well and won a title. But this whole meme that he’s some kind of guru who can get you to the NBA faster than any other coach is nonsense.

Larry Bird’s goodbye gift to Pacers fans? A first round pick that is, at best, intriguing, and at worst totally insane. Miles freaking Plumlee? The two texts I got after the pick were “He was supposed to go late in the second round” from a Pacers fan and “Terrible” from an astute NBA observer. Yes, it was a weak draft and perhaps Bird looked at Plumlee as a low-risk pick. But why not take a shot at Perry Jones III or Arnett Moultrie? You’re picking 26th, it’s ok to take a flyer.

Afterward the organization kept comparing Plumlee to Jeff Foster, who retired during this past season. Foster was a freak, a longish guy with solid hops and a tireless motor who somehow stuck around in the league for a long time until his back gave out. He was kind of a white Dennis Rodman. They keep throwing around Plumlee’s size, motor, and huge hops. But if he was that freakish, wouldn’t he have dominated in college?

This pick also points to the Pacers being committed to overpaying to keep Roy Hibbert around. I’m not sure Kevin Pritchard is stepping into the best situation.

Best pick of the draft: OKC taking Perry Jones III. Maybe he’s never going to get it, but what a terrific situation to step into. No pressure, he can learn from Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. He can provide energy off the bench while he’s learning the pro game and getting bigger. And when the time comes, in another year or two, for the Thunder to move one of their second-tier players who is getting expensive, he could be ready to step right in. But only if his attitude is right and if that mysterious knee issue doesn’t get worse.

Most likely lottery bust: It would be easy to go with one of the three, flawed big men: Andre Drummond, Meyers Leonard, or John Henson. I would be surprised if any of them have significant NBA careers. Terrance Ross is another candidate, having been drafted too high and possessing a body that isn’t ready for the NBA. But I’m going to go with Dion Walters, the Syracuse guard who went #4 to Cleveland. I’m always suspicious of the guys who jump up the draft charts the way Walters did. And I’m also suspicious of Syracuse players once they get out of Jim Boeheim’s system.

Most likely star: Kidd-Gilchrist.

Most likely first rounder that, in five years, we’ll wonder why he went so low: No one jumps out at me, so I’ll go with everyone’s favorite pick, Royce White, with one caveat. Houston either needs to trade him or move some of their other 83 forwards so he has space to play.

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Thank goodness, LeBron has made his decision and the world can get back to important things, like whether the economy will ever recover, what the hell to do in the Gulf of Mexico, and how soon Lady Gaga’s 15 minutes will run out.

I don’t begrudge LeBron milking the process. He’s perhaps the most interesting free agent ever, and his move will affect the futures of more than just the teams he joins and leaves. While I feel a little sorry for Cleveland fans, their anger should be directed at the team’s ownership and management, who screwed up pretty much every chance to improve the team and make LeBron happy over the last four years. Hell, I don’t even have much hate for ESPN. They just did what they do better than anyone: over-promote an event, put their logo all over it, and generally suck the life out of it.

As for the move, it certainly is interesting. LeBron and Chris Bosh join D-Wade, Mario Chalmers, and, um, no one else in Miami once Michael Beasley is officially traded. LeBron and Wade are a heck of a nucleus, and Bosh is a nice, if overrated, compliment. But after Mario, if I understand things correctly, they now have to fill the roster with league-minimum contracts. I think that might be asking a lot of the other 11 guys on the roster. I imagine this move will pay off, but it’s higher risk than most people understand.

For the record, I think going to Chicago was the better move, but whatever. I don’t watch the NBA much anymore, so that’s an uninformed opinion.

What was far more interesting to me was how I followed the saga. I didn’t watch a minute of ESPN coverage. I barely read any ESPN, Yahoo, or Sports Illustrated articles on the selection. I got 80% of my news about what was going to happen from Twitter. Another 10% from Bill Simmons’ podcast. And the final 10% from non-traditional sports blogs.

The Twitter angle was especially fascinating. Consensus, at least in the slice of the Twittersphere that I follow, was that this was a big sham, a travesty, an affront to all that is right about sports. The contrarian in me wanted to go along with that school of thought. After all, I was avoiding almost all traditional media coverage. It should follow that I would go along with all the writers/bloggers/insiders on Twitter who were slamming the wall-to-wall drama.

But the reaction was so pronounced that it pushed me to reevaluate how I felt about the whole thing. Unlike others, I don’t think LeBron has tarnished his legacy terribly by last night’s event. It will be a footnote to everything else he does before he retires, but nothing more.

Following the LeBron saga on Twitter was not a conscious choice. That’s pretty much how I follow everything now. It’s far more convenient to get these immediate blasts of opinion from people I choose when something happens than sitting through the talking heads on ESPN, CNN, etc. More often than not, people on Twitter are sending links directly to articles with their Tweets. If I’m interested in learning more, I click the link and go read up on it. If not, I move on.

It changes, ever so slightly, the dynamic of following news online. The gatekeepers are people I select, not just for their opinions, but for the context they add to the news. Writer Buzz Bissinger was a must-follow this week, as he lambasted everyone involved in the LeBron affair. Bill Simmons offered his educated guesses. “Insiders” like Chad Ford constantly pushed out what they were learning. Twitter reinserts opinion and humor into news by adding a layer of real people on top of the stories. It’s a little like getting a hint of conversations that would normally take place in barbershops, bars, and backyard barbecues at the beginning of the news cycle.

Twitter might just be another Internet fad that peaked in 2010 and soon begins to fade away. But for now, at least, it’s changed the way I learn about what’s going on in the world.

Oh, and at least he didn’t pick the Knicks!

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Normally this time of year I’m busting out my NBA Draft review, Bill Simmons style. In fact, that was how version 1.0 of site began.

I’ll mix things up a bit this year. I’ll admit I’m not nearly as interested in this year’s draft as in the ’08 selections. Some of that has to do with the fact there are no Jayhawks in this year’s draft where there were at least 50 in last year’s.* But also because I believe I watched a grand total of 15 minutes of the NBA this past year, and very little non-KU college ball. So I’m lacking some of the background that I usually have.

• I think someone even draft the rights to Wilt late in the second round, just in case.

I am interested in one pick, though. I’m eager to see what Larry Bird does with the Pacers’ #13 pick. Once again the Pacers weren’t good enough to make the playoffs but not bad enough to get into the lottery. That’s not necessarily a bad thing in this, an epically weak draft year. But being stuck in this same spot two straight years with no first round pick the year before that is not the way to rebuild the organization.

Looking back, Bird gets a B-/C+ for last year’s draft. Late in the season, once he got minutes and confidence, Brandon Rush proved he’s an NBA player and a perfect compliment to Danny Granger*. No one expected Roy Hibbert to be great, and his first year play affirmed the fact he’s not going to be much more than a big body that can maybe grab a few boards and offer six fouls to burn through.

• 18.3 ppg over his last ten games, with two 29 point efforts.

It’s a team in need of size, a franchise point guard, and another shooter. Perhaps most of all, they need a player that is going to step in and contribute. The Pacers are hemorrhaging money, Conseco Fieldhouse is facing its own financial issues, and there are persistent rumors that the Simon brothers, who own the team, may be looking to sell if things don’t turnaround soon. There is allegedly an interested party in Vancouver and both Kansas City and Seattle would love to grab a team. The Pacers’ future in Indianapolis may rest more on getting a solid if unspectacular player who can play 80 games than on drafting a talent with potential that may not develop for 3-4 years.

With that in mind, here is my ranking of the players the Pacers should consider.

1 – Jordan Hill, F Arizona.
2 – Jonny Flynn, G Syracuse.

Neither of these guys are going to be available, but if by some miracle either slipped to 13, they would be my top choices. Hill is tough, can rebound, and is athletic. Flynn is the same thing, just packed into a guard’s body. Either player would make the Pacers better.

3 – Eric Maynor, G VCU. This is who I think the Pacers should take. He’ll step in and play from day one, is good on both ends of the court, and will turn into a solid point guard. He’ll never be an All NBA first teamer, but neither will be a bust.

4 – Jeff Teague, G Wake Forest. Feel good story, the local kid ends up playing for his hometown NBA team. Teague still needs to develop, but he can do it on the court. Perhaps as important as his NBA readiness is the feel-good angle he gives a franchise that is still trying to win the city back after the Artest/Jackson/Tinsley era.

5 – Earl Clark, F Lousiville. Not a true big at this point, but he fits well with the Pacers’ current offensive style, and certainly has room to gain weight and strength to turn into a more traditional NBA big.

6 – Brandon Jennings, G Italy. This is the tipping point. No one doubts Jennings’ raw ability. But he didn’t exactly light things up in his year in Europe, and there are questions about his maturity and work ethic. If the Pacers were stocked with talented veterans and had time to break in a raw talent like Jennings, he would be the easy pick. But given their current state, I don’t see them taking him.

7 – DeJuan Blair, F Pittsburgh. There was a lot of Blair buzz for awhile, but it has faded a bit. He’s wide, strong, has a huge wing span, and a good chemistry guy from what I understand. But he’s not that big (6’7ish”) and allegedly lacks ACLs. Another guy they can’t risk taking.

8 – Tyler Hansborough, F UNC. I’ve been anti-Ty for a long time, for many reasons. And I’ve always maintained he was going to be an awful pro. We saw on April 5, 2008 what happens when he plays against guys who are bigger, stronger, and more athletic than he is.

But apparently he’s worked out well and GMs are falling in love with him. The more I think about it, the more I see him having a Nick Collison type career. Nick averaged nine and nine a season ago and is a 8.2, 6.9 player for his career. That’s solid and offers a lot of flexibility. But the Pacers don’t need to waste a first round pick on a guy who’s going to be a back-up for most of his career. They’ve done that enough this decade.

There are a few other options, Ty Lawson for example, but I expect the Pacers to pick one of these players. If they get Hill, Flynn, Maynor, or Teague I’ll be pleased. Clark and Jennings are intriguing, Blair and Hansborough concerning. The clock’s ticking, Larry.

I feel comfortable saying the Celtics have this thing wrapped up, since they have a 31 point lead three minutes into the fourth quarter. I believe that’s what you call a comprehensive ass-kicking. So much for my Lakers in five pick.

Paul Pierce proves he’s one of the best players in the NBA, officially ascends as the second best NBA player to come out of KU, and puts a nice wrapper on the year of the Jayhawk (Bonus: Scot Pollard gets a ring as well!).

KG finally shakes his Great Guy, Not A Winner label with a huge game six. The Kid was a monster tonight.

And perhaps best, Ray Allen found his shot for the Finals. It was sad watching one of the most beautiful shots in the game desert him in the early rounds. Another nice guy who is worthy of a ring.

And where was Kobe? He had some nice moments but he completely disappeared for long stretches as well. If he gets credit for nothing else, Doc Rivers deserves credit for figuring out how to contain Kobe.

Ray Allen has hit three more threes since I started typing this. Amazing. I could watch that shot all day. The only thing that could ruin this is if Lamar Odom throws a punch, which he seems like he’s poised to do.

One final point: all this Boston sports success started after my brother-in-law moved to Boston to attend Boston University seven years ago. The Patriots winning three Super Bowls. Defeating The Curse. And now the Celtics win their first title in over 20 years. The kid has some karma, apparently. He needs to start going to some Bruins games, I guess.