7:08 - Because this is such a "weak" draft and the pending labor situation with the NBA, it should be an exciting one with controversial picks and trades...And we already have a trade involving the Kings, Bucks, and Bobcats. Interesting. The Kings move down to #10 while unloading Beno Udrih. It's Jimmer Time in Sacto. He won't get down to Utah at #12. If Jazz fans want him, then they better hope the Jazz management draft Jimmer at #3. Not going to happen.
7:11 - Does anyone else have their Utah Jazz shirt and BYU hat on, or is that just me?
7:14 - Who put Jimmer on the drums?! Seriously?! Doesn't he have agents to prevent him from doing stupid stunts like that on ESPN. Everything from the bad sweater to the terrible hat...fulfilling every "white-boy" stereotype he had coming into the Draft.
7:20 - Shhh! Jimmer is speaking...This is exactly why I wanted to watch the Draft on TV instead of crossing the river to New Jersey to watch the Draft from the nose-bleeds. Although once I realized Jay Bilas was at the main commentary table, I had to second-guess that decision. Rachel Nichols says that the Knicks will not trade up for Jimmer. That sounds way to sane to actually come from the Knicks' management team. We'll see if that actually holds. Knicks fans are rearing up for who their pick will be at #17.
7:22 - Now Enes Kanter is on the drums?! Who came up with this marketing idea? If this Draft wasn't so full of intrigue due to Jimmer and the Jazz, I would have turned over to watch the re-runs of the US/Panama soccer match from last night. Let's go ESPN! Get with it.
7:30 - Another musical montage to kickoff the official NBA Draft show. Here comes the commissioner and he receives a cascade of boos from the fans. "Let's hear it for New Jersey" he says in his classic Long Island accent. But of course, the NBA is moving the team from New Jersey to Brooklyn next year. Do you think he'll say the same thing then? Nah, "See ya, New Jersey!" Side note: I once walked by David Stern in Midtown Manhattan about 5 years ago and he is only about 5'9" tall. Small guy. Smart guy, though.
7:38 - Stuart Scott reminds poor Clipper fans everywhere that Cleveland's #1 pick is actually the Los Angeles Clippers' pick. Enjoy Blake Griffin...while you still have him. Analysts are now talking about if the #1 pick has to replace LeBron - come on, is that really necessary? The 2 picks at #1 and #4 will not replace the impact that LeBron had on that team. LeBron gave everyone in Cleveland fair warning about needing to give him other pieces after they got to the Finals in 2007. I don't feel bad for Cleveland. It's time for them and their crybaby owner to step up and build a franchise instead of having relied on LeBron for 7 years before he left them and went to South Beach.
7:42 - The pick is in - Kyrie Irving from Duke University! Look at all the strobe lights! Nice. Derrick Williams gives him a high-five and shows him some love as Irving makes his way to the stage. Nice gesture. How do these guys not know they are going to be picked? At the NFL Draft, the podium announcement is a foregone conclusion because the player is already on the phone or crying before the pick is in. I wonder if the NBA has a say in that to keep it somewhat dramatic. Here come the interviews with the families...apparently Kyrie Irving's dad was the best player he has ever played against? His Dad was a star at Boston University? Was the ACC really that bad this year?
7:47 - The Irving pick was easy to call. 'Wolves should be picking Williams unless there is already a trade done. Minnesota is so bad they even lost the Draft Lottery....Derrick Williams it is. He is a ridiculous player. Unless he and his Arizona Wildcats beat Duke in the NCAA Tournament, I don't think he would have gotten so much hype leading up to the draft. Jay Bilas is talking now...it's time to hit the "mute" button unless you want to hear an average college player criticize the talent of players that are sooo much better than he ever was. Andy Katz says that the Timberwolves are keeping Williams. Somewhat surprised. We'll see how that will work. But yet again, they're the Timberwolves so it's normal to do things the wrong way.
7:52 - It's Jazz time. This should be good...Enes Kanter! He will join his Turkish countryman, Mehmet Okur, in Utah. He is a monster! The Jazz worked him out well...so long Fesenko. Jazz have a strong frontline - Kanter joins Millsap, Jefferson, Okur, and Favors. I like it. That's a front line that should compete with the Lakers down low. Jazz could have gone to Knight or Kanter and I would have been happy either way. Stuart Scott says that Kanter wants to be a WWE wrestler after his NBA career? If Marc Jones doesn't ask about that, then he is not doing his job. Talk automatically goes to Jimmer now that the Jazz have taken a big guy. Jazz are probably hoping that Jimmer or Kemba drops to them at 12. Cavs are up again.
7:57 - I still don't understand why a European player would enter the draft if he is under contract for the next year? Rubio totally messed up the Timberwolves in 2009 and 2011. The Cavaliers select Tristan Thompson out of Texas. The Raptors could have done well with the local kid from Toronto. I guess they'll just have to wait for the next talented basketball player to come out of Canada...in 15 years (Nash - 1996, Thompson - 2011). Thompson is an athlete. ESPN just showed a list of Canadians drafted in the first round. Where's Nash?! How do you miss that? I just Wiki'd Steve Nash...born in South Africa?! Moved to Canada at 18 months. Also, who knew that Rick Fox was Canadian?! And the mic goes out on the interview with Thompson! Oh it's back...I hope we didn't miss a Canada joke.
8:05 - The Raptors get an extra 3 minutes of selection time and they select...Jonas Valanciunas, solidifying their position in the lottery for the next 8-10 years. Way to use those 3 minutes, Raptors! Now we'll see if he speaks English...kind of. He's asked if he plays like Chris Bosh?! Just what Toronto Raptor fans want to hear after Bosh killed their season and their franchise by going to Miami. That was a tough interview. Jonas doesn't speak English very well. At least he knows "I dunno". Someone needs to tell ESPN that the post-pick interviews are not working tonight. The mic cuts out and 2 of the 5 haven't spoken English very well.
8:08 - Wizards are picking...Jan Vesely! His girlfriend is as tall as he is! Sign her up! Good, he's off the board and takes away the potential for the Jazz to take him...Dang! (sarcastic) Maybe they'll draft his girlfriend?
8:14 - Because of the three-team trade, it is time for the Kings to pick for the Charlotte Bobcats. Let's see who will be Michael Jordan's 2011 version of Kwame Brown. Pick #7 is...Bismack Biyombo?! What a name and what a pick by Jordan's Bobcats? Did Jordan not learn anything after Brown's failed stint in Washington? My favorite part about all these international players is that Jay Bilas (who is the College hoops expert) is off the mic. The Kings hat looks good on him...and the English? Not bad...I give it a 6 (Kanter was a 5 and Valanciunas was a terrible 2). Best quote is that he is "allegedly 18 years old". How come nobody was saying that 8 years ago with LeBron or a few years later with Dwight Howard? Give me a break.
8:20 - The Jazz, by the way, will be on the clock for potential Jimmertime in about 25 minutes. I can't wait! Detroit is at #8...Stern is still getting booed...Brandon Knight from Kentucky. Supposedly Knight didn't want to move to and play in Utah...I wonder how he feels about the oasis of Detroit? Bilas is back...dang! Bilas says that he has "defensive potential" and he isn't "disruptive" defensively. In other words, he doesn't play good defense. No wonder Knight didn't want to play against anyone else in his pre-draft workouts...looks like that worked. No one that actually worked him out drafted him. In hindsight, I'm really glad the Jazz didn't draft him. I feel good about where the Jazz are right now. I can only imagine the Jimmer chants going on at the Draft Party at EnergySolutions Arena in UT. Don't get your hopes up, people. Sacramento!
8:27 - Kemba Walker goes off the board! The Bobcats are up again. Kemba is a stud. I think he will do well, but don't they already have a point guard like him in DJ Augustine in Charlotte. I wonder what it must feel like when your team drafts a guy like Kemba in the first round of the draft! The Bucks are up...picking for the Kings. I can't see why they wouldn't pick anyone but The Jimmer. If they happen to pass him up, then it will be a crazy scene leading up to the Jazz (Golden State won't take him). Kemba Walker and Jimmer Fredette are the exact kind of guys you want on your team. ESPN showing nice dance footage of a little Kembita.
8:32 - Kings take....Jimmer Fredette from Brigham Young University! A huge sigh of relief in the Utah Jazz draft room. No Jimmer = no pressure. Let's hear what Bilas has to say..."scorer...can hit jump shots...solid passer...not a true point guard...willing to pass it...good upper body strength...much better athlete than people give him credit for...but question is defensively." Here comes the contract story with TJ....I wonder when the gauntlet and the prison will be mentioned? Why doesn't somebody take off the Milwaukee Bucks hat if they're talking about the Kings so much. There's the gauntlet...and there's the prison. Well done, ESPN. Jon Barry is my new favorite announcer. He actually sounds intelligent...unlike Bilas. Barry loves the Jimmer. Does anyone else realize that everyone is saying what a great athlete Jimmer is yet they criticize his defense. Why the discrepancy?
8:39 - Warriors select Klay Thompson - Washington State. Jazz could go a bunch of different ways here. Sacramento is a great spot for Jimmer. Now I will be planning my visits to my in-laws in NorCal based upon when the Kings have home games. Long gone is my hatred for the Kings (Thanks to Vlade Divac and Doug Christie). Hilarious SportsCenter commercial about making fun of soccer players faking injuries as John Anderson gently bumped into another anchor and writhed on the ground screaming, "Ow, my ankle!" Love those. Perfect for why I hated the Kings and Vlade Divac so much. Comedic relief before anticipating what the Jazz will do here.
8:44 - Jazz select Alec Burks from the University of Colorado. Not a three-point shooter. He is a right-handed CJ Miles but without the three-point shot. Seems like the second coming of Kirk Snyder to me, and that didn't last too long or go too well. I'm a little stunned. Based on that pick, my guess is that although they may not admit this, the Jazz were primed to pick Jimmer. I think Jimmer is in a better place for him. Better draft for Jimmer than the Jazz. Love the Kanter pick, but I honestly don't know enough about him to form a definitive opinion.
8:51 - The first Morris is off the board! Suns select Markieff - he is gone. I think both of these guys are overrated, but, man, they are big boys. He is 7 minutes older than Marcus and he may go ahead of his brother in the draft by about 7 minutes as well. Very cool. It's gotta be hard to have to separate from your twin and now have to play in separate cities after 21 years. Best interview of the night with Markieff - talking about his brother and their relationship. "He's my boy, man." Says Markieff of his brother. Then Marcus jokes in a straight, monotone voice, "I'll send him some flowers or some fruit, we gonna be good."
8:57 - Rockets select Marcus Morris! Awesome. 6 minutes after his brother. Almost the exact time between their births. You can't make this stuff up. Marcus is the better player of the two. These hats the players are wearing are kind of funky...I wouldn't get caught dead in one. Seeing these Kansas highlights reminds me how much the Jayhawks underachieve in the NCAA Tournament every year - unless Mario Chalmers hits a last-second three in the Championship game (2008). I think I'll blog until the Knicks pick at #17 - Bilas is driving me crazy but at least I had Jimmer and the Jazz to get me through it. Now that I don't, I won't last much longer.
9:02 - The Indiana Pacers are on the clock. Kawhi Leonard...out of San Diego State. He will compliment Danny Granger well since he is a pretty good defender. He killed BYU on the offensive boards this year. He will be a good pro since he plays hard and he's athletic. I don't think he's as good defensively as Bilas thinks he is. Why does everyone care about his hands so much? Wow...those hands are pretty big. Dang. Kawhi easily has the worst suit of the night. Southern California kid has to go all the way out to Indiana. Mom is going to move out there with him? Okay.
9:08 - Nikola Vucevic is a 76er. He went to USC and I actually ran on the USC track with him a couple of years ago when I was living in LA. English was bad then and we'll see how he does in the interview...if they decide to do it. No interview. ESPN learned their lesson. Knicks fans going crazy. Spike Lee is in attendance, too. I don't know why the Knicks were so infatuated with Jimmer because they need so many more pieces than a 6'2" point guard. They've got to go big here to go get some boards for 'Melo and Amare. Kenneth Faried seems to be the popular pick by the experts. It would be cool since Faried is from Newark, where the Draft is being held this year. The Knick fans are getting loud. This is either going to be really good or really bad. Knick fans have the worst handwriting ever...I can't even make out what their signs are supposed to even say. Here is the commissioner - Iman Shumpert - Guard from Georgia Tech. No doubt the Knicks would have drafted Jimmer here, but I'm somewhat surprised they didn't pull a classic Knick move to trade up and get him. Knick fans boo the pick simply because they have no idea who he is. First guy to not be there and walk up on stage. Spike Lee just corrected the reporter when she asked about getting Carl Landry in last year's draft. Actually, Heather, they drafted Landry Fields. Good interview by Spike. He could have stirred the pot, but interesting that he gave credit to the GM, Donnie Walsh, even though Walsh is being shown the door by the Knicks owner.
9:17 - That was an interesting couple of hours. The Draft had its good moments and its not-so-good moments for me, Jimmer, the Jazz, and the rest of the NBA. Great result for Jimmer. It's even further from Glens Falls, New York than BYU, but I look forward to many late nights watching his games from the East Coast. The Jazz had a good (not great) draft. Kanter should be a beast and Burks shows potential and will have to step up especially if they lose CJ Miles to free agency. No huge trades after the three-time trade that positioned the Kings to take Jimmer from the Jazz. Stay posted - just because the picks are in doesn't mean the trades won't happen. Maybe the Jazz have a plan to trade Burks - or keep him - I just don't know. A lot of activity may take place between now and a potential lockout. Enjoy the NBA while we still have it. Lockout is scheduled to start on July 1 (next Friday).
Wow that was a GREAT overview. With tears, laughter, and very informative since I was at work and missed the beginning, then when we got to our apartment, we realized we only have ESPN news so we couldn't actually watch the draft. The way dad puts it, the only draft we had in our apartment was the one from the fan...haha. But reading this outloud to mom and dad made me feel funny, because they would laugh at my (your) comments. You helped put a picture in our minds to this historic moment for The Jimmer. The Kings didn't choose The Jimmer, The Jimmer chooses the the Kings.
ReplyDeleteand I mean chose :)
ReplyDeleteYou don't want to see a minutes by minute breakdown of my thoughts tonight. That would make your head spin.
ReplyDelete