I Love the NBA Draft
“Darko is really one of a kind. He runs the floor, handles the ball, shoots an NBA three and plays with his back to the basket. So you can slot him at the 3, 4 or 5. Okay, a few other guys can do that, too, but what sets Darko apart is his toughness in the post … Fact is, Darko plays in attack mode at both ends of the floor. The more you push, the more he pushes back.”
– ESPN analyst Chad Ford, before the 2003 draft
I will read more about the NBA this week than I do the rest of the year. Watching live transactions is very exciting to me. Greg Oden and Kevin Durant, who will be going to Portland and Seattle, respectively, have made us consider relocating to the Pacific Northwest. Ellen still needs some convincing. But Bailey and I have discussed this at length.
Here’s hoping the Nets don’t pick a 19-year-old seven-foot-eight Kurdish project who won’t be NBA-ready until the franchise has moved to Brooklyn. I will be opting out of my NBA fan contract once “New Jersey” is stripped from the logo. This is a subject we’ll tackle in greater detail later this year.
(Darko Milicic, who was drafted by Detroit #2 that year – ahead of Dwayne Wade, Carmelo Anthony and Chris Bosh – has not panned out.)
Keith Said,
June 29, 2007 @ 2:35 pm
No Dukies in the first round and only 1 in the 2nd, is Coach K slipping? Predictions: Joakim Noah will be a complete bust and Kevin Durant will not live up to the hype. Also, did you hear an interview Oden did last week when he was asked what he thinks about living in the Pacific Northwest? His response was that the only thing he knows about the Pacific Northwest is that it’s near LA.
jasonenglish1 Said,
June 29, 2007 @ 3:11 pm
I can’t see any situation where Josh McRoberts contributes. I might just be prejudiced against tall white guys from Duke. A few other predictions:
• Greg Oden ends up firing his agent, who is Mike Conley’s dad, before his rookie contract is up, creating an Oden/Conley media feud.
• Seattle redesigns their uniforms and Durant sells more jerseys than anyone next year.
• Yi will not be good, but the Bucks will have traded him before anyone realizes this.
• The Celtics will squeak into the playoffs next year, getting bounced in round one.
What’s wrong with the guy the Nets picked, Sean Williams? I kept hearing “character issues.” That’s always fun.