NBA Draft Live Blog

-Some pre-draft notes to get us going...

-The Bucks-Nets trade was a nice splash prior to the draft. Richard Jefferson is on the move to the Nets in exchange for Yi Jianlian and Bobby Simmons. A couple of things here: I like the deal for both sides, probably less so for the Bucks. The Bucks get a nice player in Jefferson, if he stays healthy. Yi gets the big market he coveted so much when he came overseas last year. Simmons, again, if healthy, would be a good plus for the Nets. I heard Rod Thorn on the radio just now, he apparently likes Yi at the 4, because he is 7-feet tall. I am not so sure, because he is so skinny and hates defense and rebounding. Either way, the Nets clear out some cap room to sign a big free agent in 2010 for the move to Brooklyn. The team might stink for the remainder of their time in East Rutherford, but that's okay, they need to contend in Brooklyn.

It is mildly amazing how many trades there are around the draft, like the Nets-Bucks deal, that don't even involve picks. The NBA draft is to the NBA what the winter meetings are to MLB.

-It seems that Courtney Lee has been promised to fall no further than #22 to the Magic. He's a good fit there. I would have liked to have seen him in Celtics green, but the Celtics won't hesitate to pick Memphis' Chris Douglas-Roberts, who can also help get the pressure off of Ray Allen. But, you could see Douglas-Roberts go to the Pistons right before the Celtics pick, another good spot for him. I guess I am just getting more nervous that the Celtics will end up picking another big.

-The Sonics (#4) and the Clippers (#7) might be swapping picks, with the Sonics picking up a 2009 lottery-protected pick. This gives the Clippers pretty much guaranteed shot at Indiana's Eric Gordon. I hate Gordon's game, he just looks like a loser. So yeah, he'll look great in a Clippers uniform.

-Be back for the draft. Maybe more before.

-First live post: 7:03pm: None of the top picks seem to be wearing ridiculous outfits/suits. O.J. Mayo's spectacles caught me by surprise.

-7:09pm: Giving a huge Mike Francesca-style hand-wave to ESPN and their 30 minutes of pre-show that I was not warned about. I am not quite irate, but this night will be long enough without a half hour of Stu Scott/Van Gundy/Bilas/Jackson banter. I am trying to find the ESPN.com Video page where Bilas "analyzes" the top 20-or-so prospects. He just seems to believe every player to be "explosive," "rangy," "incredible strength," etc. I know it's been written a lot. I jut had to change the time stamp on this post because I was searching for the videos to no avail.

-7:33pm: The WNBA plug was inexcusable by David Stern. When will it end? What does the NBA stand to gain by plugging the WNBA non-stop. Begin the five minute deliberation before selecting Derrick Rose. Stern mentions the Celtics and gets booed by the Knicks/Nets fans in attendance for a minute straight. It's almost embarrassing how much this guy is getting booed these days.

-7:40pm: I guess Derrick Rose didn't pass out after being selected by the hometown Bulls. The whole five minutes were used. At the bottom crawl on ESPN, after every run-through of the draft order, the league/ESPN (blame should go around) works in a plug for the Phoenix-Atlanta WNBA matchup. I don't know when its on. I'm sure by the end of the night I'll know the day and time.

-7:42pm: Apparently Rose has a "Poohdini" tattoo on his shoulder. ESPN explains that it is because his grandmother nicknamed him "Pooh." I'm glad I got an explanation. This is the first explanation I have ever received regarding an NBA player's tattoo. I hope it's not the last. I got more info: He was nicknamed "Pooh," because he loves sweets, candy, etc. Love the info from my friend Joe...

-7:43pm: After all the smoke and mirrors, Beasley is selected second overall. O.J. Mayo looks a little disappointed, so maybe Miami deliberated well into the afternoon.

-7:48pm: According to Beasley, the Heat are getting a "great player." Apparently they are getting a modest one too. A great stat from ESPN on Beasley: 6 schools between grades 8-12. That's a great stat if you're going to talk about character issues for Beasley.

-7:52pm: O.J. Mayo is selected by the Minnesota Timberwolves. I guess Sebastian Telfair's days as a starter are over. Brook Lopez could slide a little bit in the draft. The picture of Mayo makes him look a fifty year old. Even in person, with the glasses, the five-piece suit. He looks like Bill Russell. This is not a compliment, because Mayo is 21 years old and Russell is 74.

-7:58pm: I thought the Sonic were going to trade down, and allow the Clippers to select choke-job/definite bust Eric Gordon. Andy Katz just said that the Clippers coveted O.J. Mayo, not Gordon. Russell Westbrook is the fourth pick. No one thought even three weeks ago he would be selected this high. This makes me think he'll be a bust, but I'm not so sure. Memphis and New York coming up after the first break. Over to the Yankees game!

-8:05pm: Kevin Love has a great basketball IQ. I just don't think his athleticism warrants a pick this high. He'll be in the league for 10-12 years, as a serviceable player. I think we'll look back on Love and say, "We like him, but he really was drafted fifth overall?" The Knicks are up next. Bayless or Danilo? Love does seems like a well-spoken fellow during his Stephen A. Smith interview. Not a lot of "y'knows" in his interview.

-8:09pm: The Knicks select Danilo Gallinari the Garden goes nuts... with boos. I think the room wanted to see Bayless here. I really can't remember the last time I saw the Knicks fans cheer about a Knicks pick in a draft. Fran Fraschilla promises that Danilo won't be a "superstar," its a good thing because the Knicks don't need that. The fan grade is in! "F." God, it must be great to be a Knicks fan.

-8:16pm: Jay Bilas said Danilo needs to improve his athleticism. No one in the history of the world has ever improved their athleticism! It's physically impossible. Eric Gordon goes seventh to the Clippers. Hey, the Clippers get their next great bust. There is a reason this team has picked in the lottery more times than any other team in the NBA. Stephen A. Smith asks the tough questions. Not one question about Gordon and quitting on one of the best teams in the NCAA in Indiana. Smith defends the puff questions, Gordon, after all, is "a bad man."

-8:21pm: Joe Alexander goes 8th to the Bucks. Jerryd Bayless is the slider of this year's draft. Charlotte (Raymond Felton), New Jersey (Devin Harris), and Indiana (T.J. Ford) are all going to pass on him. I think Bayless now goes to Sacramento at twelve. Meanwhile, two white guys in the top 8... Bizarro world.

-8:29pm: Big surprise with D.J. Augustin to Charlotte at number nine. Stanford's Brook Lopez can't believe it. He buries his head in his hands. Raymond Felton cannot be happy about this pick. Maybe Larry Brown doesn't like Felton, and he is notoriously hard on his point guards. Big shock, no other way to say it. I love Augustin's game, but he is only 6 feet tall, and that's being generous. I guess I still like Bayless for the Kings, but I thought he'd go before Augustin. The Nets are up next, Lopez could be the pick.

-8:34pm: A solid pick by the Nets, picking Brook Lopez. They had a need in size, and got good value with the pick. I guess when the pick makes total sense, I don't have a ton to say. Robin Lopez sounds kind of dumb being interviewed by an unreasonably unattractive sideline reporter in Doris Burke. Wow, in the Stephen A. interview Brook sounds just as dumb as his brother. That is twins for you. Indiana is up next, they'll probably look at one of the Kansas players, either Brandon Rush or Darrell Arthur.

-8:42pm: The Pacers selected Jerryd Bayless with their first 11th overall selection since Reggie Miller. He's got a classy white suit on. Bird must be loving his Ford-Bayless backcourt. I mean, Jim O'Brien (Obie) has to start both of them together, right? Its an insanely athletic back court for Indiana. Obie loves to run, press, and shoot threes, Bayless is a great fit there. I thought the Pacers would look for size to replace O'Neal, but its a nice fit. 11 picks in, and five Pac-10 players selected. I'm sure ESPN/ABC wishes they had a real TV contract with that contract as it may be the best conference in the NCAA. Certainly the most marketable conference. NBA alumni=marketability of college programs.

-8:44pm: I should complete the formula. Greater marketability=higher visibility=more TV dollars=more TV viewers=better recruits=better basketball teams. It's not a perfect formula. I just made it up right now. But the Pac-10 commissioner must be doing the waltz. The Kings selected Jason Thompson out of Rider. I know nothing about him. A rare admission of ignorance by me. Don't get used to it.

-8:49pm: Brandon Rush, I think, rounds out a Portland starting lineup that also includes Brandon Roy, LaMarcus Aldridge, Greg Oden, and Sergio Rodriguez. I think this team should make the playoffs. Should be a 4-6 seed in the Western Conference. Nate MacMillan will be a contender for Coach of the Year. I really like the pick. And Blazers fans like it too, giving it an "A."

-8:58pm: Marc Jackson thinks the Warriors are going to go "big" and "versatile," but didn't want to make a prediction. Gotta love sports journalism, don't say anything definitive. Anthony Randolph is the last lottery pick to the Warriors. I think the Warriors continue their string of busts, shades of Patrick O'Bryant. 6'10'', 197 lbs. That is just atrocious. Inexcusable. I don't care about how long and athletic he is, his body is going to get thrown around like a rag doll. Hate the pick. Dick Vitale is in! I honestly had no idea what he was talking about for thirty seconds. He doesn't like the Danilo pick. He talked about the Jason Thompson pick for forty-five seconds. I can't tell you whether or not he liked the pick.

The Sun selected Lopez. He's an energy guy who looks to push the ball off steals and swats. What do the Suns need him for? Steve Kerr, I thought, wanted to slow the game down to a snail's pace.

-9:26pm: It's always good to see that the NBA Cares. Mareese Speights goes 16th, the first player not to be at the Garden. "The Big Stiff" Roy Hibbert goes 17th, technically to Toronto, but they were picking for Indiana as part of the O'Neal trade. I thought Indiana was going to take Brook Lopez to fill the gap in size, I guess they felt Hibbert was going to do just fine. I don't agree. The Charlotte Bobcats traded for the 20th pick from Denver to try to get Roy Hibbert. They have to be disappointed.

The Indiana/Portland trade is weird to me. Indiana still has a dynamic new back court in Ford and Rush. Jarrett Jack is an interesting fit. I guess Jack is a career backup now. Officially. Bayless and Roy will start in Portland. My new Portland starting lineup: Roy, Bayless, Aldridge, Oden, and Rodriguez. Bayless and Rodriguez are both 6'3'', so that is good size for the 1 and the 2. Brandon Roy, I guess, is the 3 at 6'6'', which isn't tiny, but he plays a guard's game. I still thnk this is a good team. I am curious to see how MacMillan makes all the pieces fit.

The J.J. Hickson pick for Cleveland feels kind of like a "meh" pick for me. I thought Hickson should have stayed in school. He's a impressive talent, but he seemed over-matched at times in college, because he is undersized at the power forward position. He figures only to be more over-matched in the NBA. If I am a Cleveland fan, I am not inspired by this pick. Then again, when you're drafting this late every year, its hard to feel inspired by an acquisition through the draft. I guess I would have liked to have seen Darrell Arthur get picked there.

The massive gap in time stamp/updates on the blog was due to me enjoying some delicious wings. I'm back now.

-9:31pm: The Bobcats selected Alexis Ajinca at twenty. The Bobcats have a need inside, but I thought Koufas would have been a better pick here. The Bobcats have a roster that is close to making the playoffs for the first time in franchise history, and they draft a player that can't help them for at least few years. It absolutely does not make sense to me.

Stuart Scott cuts right to Ric Bucher for an update on the Portland/Indiana trade. I guess Josh McRoberts was also shipped to Indiana. None of the on-air talent wants to comment. You can hear a pin drop over the air for 10-15 seconds. The NBA Draft. Very Funny.

-9:33pm: I hate to do the Simmons thing. But, Carty is here and had a great comment after seeing the Lopez twins' gargantuan mother: "I think we should stay in for the second round, someone should take a flyer on that mom."

-9:39pm: Ryan Anderson goes to the Nets. I like it for the Nets. A scoring forward, and scoring is the biggest need for the Nets. Good pick. So far, I am loving the draft for the Nets. ESPN will be taking a commercial break before the Magic selected Courtney Lee 22nd overall, maybe the worst kept secret of the draft after Rose going first overall.

I am not sure why David Stern keeps mentioning to the audience when a draftee is not present. I think Darrell Arthur is the last one still in the building. A real awkward job by Stern. But, that's what he does well. Darrell Arthur to the Celtics at #30? I can dream still...

Courtney Lee was the pick, of course. And Stern again reminds us that he is not there. I love the pick. He was huge for WKU in the tournament. Love it.

-9:45pm: The Nets. You really cannot say enough about their day. The starting lineup should be: Devin Harris, Vince Carter... Okay, I am not sure after that. They've got a lot of players that they can give some burn to, and try out. Boone, Krstic, Lopez, Yi, and Anderson should all get a chance to step up and prove they can start if the league.

I loved the awkward silence after Jeff Van Gundy ripped on his brother with the "buffet" comment. I can imagine the next commercial break, Van Gundy turned to the other guys and say something like, "Come on guy, my brother's a huge fatso. Don't look at me like I'm a monster. The man cannot put the fork down."

-9:54pm: My lap is sweaty. Can I get something for that? My laptop has been on my... lap for four hours.

The Sonic continue the tradition started by Charlotte earlier in the evening of bad teams desperate to sell tickets drafting international projects with the selection of Serge Ibaka out of Congo. Fran Fraschilla knows about him, and all the other international players. Does Franny like being shipped overseas? Does he miss his family? Is he dragged kicking and screaming out of Bristol onto planes to anywhere an international project may be playing?

-10:00pm: The Rockets pick Nicholas Batum. Franny compares him to Rudy Gay. He is going to be staying overseas. The Rockets still look like a team losing in the first round of the playoffs.

Poor Darrell Arthur is still falling in the draft. The kid is just sitting there in green room. Apparently he has a kidney issue that has been keeping teams away. How could this information not be released prior to the draft? It seems like all the rumors/trades that actually affect the flow of draft day are kept wrapped up. I spent 0 minutes reading about Arthur's health concerns that made him fall. I spent 1000000 minutes reading about trade rumors involving Miami in the #2 pick. Much ado about nothing.

-10:11pm: Darrell Arthur and Chris Douglas-Roberts still on the board. I am always amazed at how many good, college players are passed up for foreign guys. I know, its not an original observation. But, year in and year out, I can never shake that thought.

The Spurs drafted George Hill out of IUPUI. The Spurs continue their tradition of drafting a player that ESPN didn't see coming with the pick at all. But, just like the Patriots, the Spurs have proved to be very successful drafting the guys they like, not the guys other people liked for them. But, on the other side of the coin, check out the Spurs' draft history: http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/SAS/draft.html . Not a ton of success since drafting Barbosa in 2003. Remember, they expected big things out of Beno Udrih. A big disappointment for them.

Portland just bought the 27th pick from New Orleans. And Darrell Arthur finally gets drafted. I don't know where he fits in with Trailblazers. I have a headache from trying to project starting lineups. Good for him.

-10:19pm: Can the Memphis Grizzlies draft a player worth Pau Gasol? Because the other players in the Pau Gasol trade probably aren't worth much. Donte' Green could be a nice player down the line, he's a pure scorer. But, he could have used more seasoning in college, he really doesn't seem to have a position yet. I am slowing down. Two more picks to go. Chris Douglas-Roberts seems to be a lock for Detroit. It'd be nice if he'd fall to the Celtics, but I don't see it happening.

-10:25pm: If you ask Mark Jackson, he seems to think everyone needs a big guy. Has he recommended that a single team draft a guard? I guess the Celtics can draft Chris Douglas-Roberts if they want because the Pistons just took D.J. White. I love D.J. White, should be a good fit for Detroit. A workhorse power forward who loves to grab boards and run the floor. He could be a good fit in the second and third units with Amir Johnson and Jason Maxiell. I think the Celtics are debating between DeVon Hardin and Chris Douglas-Roberts.

-10:39pm: J.R. Giddens closes out of the first round going to the Celtics out of New Mexico. I had three names in mind for the Celtics: DeAndre Jordan, Chris Douglas-Roberts and Mario Chalmers. I don't know much about Giddens, so I'll read up on him, and put forth a more articulate thought tomorrow.

My last comment tonight: Chris Douglas Roberts not going to Detroit seem to be an indication to me that Chauncey Billups might be done in Detroit. I know, it seems crazy. I could see Douglas-Roberts and Rodney Stuckey paired together as a dynamic second string back court. But, I think Detroit couldn't see Douglas-Roberts playing well on the second squad without Stuckey, if Stuckey is starting. Of course, there is a good chance I am just creating a conspiracy theory in my head.

I know, it lack finality. But that should be it for me tonight. Thanks for reading. Much more tomorrow and this weekend.