2009 NBA Draft Review

Here are a few comments from last week's draft:

1. NBA Deputy Commissioner Adam Silver must have a running clock in his office counting off the hours each year until the draft. I don't think that there is anyone else who could show that kind of enthusiasm for the second round.

2. Johnny Flynn introduced us to a new region of the US that gets very little publicity stating that the Syracuse - UCONN overtime game allowed both the "mid coast" and west coast to see Big East basketball. Geography is tougher than you think.

3. Sure sign that you are not headed for a long NBA career. . . when Adam Silver announces your name and then says, ". . . who is ACTUALLY here with us tonight." The way he emphasizes "actually" is his way of saying have a nice flight back to Europe.

4. Wing spans were mentioned more during the draft than ever before. Bilas is a big believer in using wing span as a predictor of NBA success. I am waiting for the first under six foot guard to have a wing span over seven feet. It is a matter of time.

5. Adam Silver announced the Wizards trade of Jermaine Taylor to the Rockets for cash. He had the look of someone saying, "The Wizards, being the pathetic franchise that they are, are actually trading their early second round pick for money!" This was the first of three separate moves made by the Rockets in picking up second round picks for cash.

6. Tyreke Evans will be a better pro than James Harden.

7. The Minnesota Timberwolves appeared to have spent about five minutes preparing for the draft. Why draft Rubio if you are not absolutely certain he would sign? Their president (David Kahn) called him "transformational". I call him "not playing in Minnesota".

8. Curry will be a better pro than Flynn.

9. Glad to see that David Stern finally gave up on hyping the WNBA. He didn't mention the WNBA during this year's draft for the first time since its inception.

10. Toronto, Milwaukee, and New Jersey made a mistake by not selecting Gerald Henderson.

11. Sam Young (Mem) and Dujuan Blair (SA) went at 36 and 37 in the draft. Every draft ranking had them much higher. Blair is a steal. I doubt Young's head fake will have much success in the NBA.

12. The Lakers will regret taking the wrong Patrick (Beverley; instead of Mills). Mills will be an NBA starter within three years. The Lakers must have realized this 30 minutes later when they traded Beverley to Miami. Mills will have a better career than Collison (who was selected at 21 to the Hornets). Mills made a huge financial mistake by not returning to St. Mary's.

13. Doris Burke should take over for Stuart Scott next year. Scott adds nothing to the telecast other than crooked glasses. Doris Burke remains the most underrated announcer in sports.

14. San Antonio got a steal with Jack McClinton as the 51st pick. Adding Richard Jefferson, Blair, and McClinton makes San Antonio the second best team in the West.

15. Denver made a great trade in picking up Ty Lawson; his overall game significantly improved last year.

16. Taylor Griffin should not have been selected. Second year in a row that Phoenix made a bad pick by taking a brother of a star player (Robin Lopez).

17. Grevis Vasquez will be a lottery pick in next year's draft.

18. So will Manny Harris.

19. The moves made by Orlando (Vince Carter) and Cleveland (Shaq) put them significantly ahead of all other teams in the East. Ryan Anderson (also included in the Carter trade) will contribute next year for the Magic.

20. If the Warriors trade Biedrins, Wright, and Belinelli for Amare Stoudamire, they will be back in the playoffs next year. If they also trade Maggette for a big man, they will make it to the second round.