My 2011 NBA Draft Running Diary

I know last week I said that I was done with the NBA for awhile but... I lied. Believe it or not, I was in the process of writing a piece on Derek Jeter but due to his DL stint I figured I could hold off a week. So after deciding against my half written Jeter piece I really didn't have much time to think up another gem. I had pretty much chalked up this week as being postless. But then, as I was setting up to watch the first round of the NBA Draft, I thought a Bill Simmons inspired running diary would be fun. So I sat down on the couch, grabbed some popcorn and mountain dew, and prepared myself to share my personal thoughts of the draft with you the moment they popped into my head. I tried to cut out some of the boring junk and just kept what I though were quality thoughts. So let's start this thing. Hopefully you don't find being in my head too strange..

Bring yourself to 7pm, the start of the draft coverage on ESPN. And in my head I'm saying...

7:01: Adelle, Yes! I love this song

7:04: Jeff Van Gundy is a funny little man

7:11: It's very awkward if the prospects can hear the ESPN analysts right now...

7:12: Kyrie is definitely a good guy, wherever he goes I'm rooting for him

7:13: Jimmer doesn't even try to hide his whiteness..

7:17: Well, that was awkward Jon Barry.. (Prematurely saying Rambis is fired)

7:32: WE COULD OF HAD IT ALLLLLLLLL! ROLLING IN THE DEEEEEEEEEEEP

Finally! The pre-draft bs is over and we've arrived at the moment of judgement. At this point I had already downed two cans of mountain dew, a hot pocket, and half a bag of popcorn. (Surprisingly, a impressive 0 bathroom trips had been taken! HOOOORAHHH)

7:33: Here we go!  NEW JOISEEEEEEEEY!!!!!!!!

7:35: If Cleveland is reading this they should take Derek Williams and put all the pressure on the KAHHHHHHHN!

7:39: Would have liked to see how Kahn would have reacted to seeing Irving on the board with the 2 pick. Oh well, soild pick for the Cavs

7:43: Did the Cavs draft Kyrie or his dad?

7:45: Williams to the T-Wolves, not a suprise.

7:52: I love listening to foreign players take interviews.

7:56: Get'em Jeff Van Gundy!

7:57: Woah! Didn't expect Tristen Thompson here... I like him on his potential.

8:06: I have no idea who the Wizards take here...

8:07: Yes! More awkward foreign interviews!

8:08: Vesely seems like a poor man's Euro version of Blake Griffin...

8:09: "I like the John Wall game.." - Vesely (classic)

8:11: BISMACK BIYOMBO!!!!! 4 of the last 5 picks will give us irresistibly awkward interviews! Gotta love the NBA draft.

For me, this was the high point of the draft. We've gotten to see 4 awkward interviews with guys who barely speak English in the last 5 picks. Quality TV if you ask me. This is where interviewers maker their money.

8:15: (My girlfriend on trying to pronounce Bismack's name) "Why don't we just call him BB?"

8:18: I think Brandon Knight goes down as the steal of this draft. You'll see. Think Russell Westbrook.

8:24: I'm a HUGE Kemba fan. All this guys does is win. He will automatically become the leader for the Bobcats.

8:28: Jimmer..?

8:29: JIMMERRRRRRRRRR!

8:31: Any chance Jimmer converts DeMarcus Cousins and Tyreke Evans to Mormons and turn their lives around?

8:42: Am I the only one afraid of drafting a 2 guard who can't shoot?

8:46: Stu Scott might just be the coolest guy in sports.

8:48: One Morris down, one to go. On DraftExpress his best case scenario player comp says "Rasheed Wallace, without the crazy". Can't beat that.

8:53: Is that a Morris brother in the Coors Light commercial? Oh wait.. That's Ice Cube

8:55: Two Morris' down, none to go. That was adorable.

9:01: My best dressed award goes to.. Kawhi Leonard!

9:04: Schools should teach a mandatory public speaking class to potential NBA prospects.

9:09: Can the Knicks draft Jeff Van Gundy? #wewantdefense

9:12: Who did the Knicks just draft? Am I missing something? Is this an Isaiah pick? Did David Kahn just take over the New York Knicks? Is this real life?

9:16: Can Glen Grunwald, "future interim GM" of the Knicks, please look at the camera?

9:18: Jan Vesely now Chris Singleton, I'm loving the Wizards draft so far.

This was the part of the draft where I stopped knowing much about the players being taken.  That is probably what influenced my next entry..

9:20: THERE'S A FIRE STARTING IN MY HEART, REACHING A FEVER PITCH AND IT'S BRINGING ME OUT THE DARK...

9:23: Didn't they say after Chris Singleton the green room was empty? Whoops..

9:26: My girlfriend has officially abandoned me on the couch... For people who bet the under on if she'd leave by the 25th pick, congratulations.

9:27: Leonard for Hill, only the 2nd trade tonight. That's very disappointing. As Van Gundy would say,  I double hate that.

9:29: KAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHN.

9:36: Every year somebody get's drafted who looks like the could use a good meal, this year it's Nolan Smith.

9:40: Was kinda hoping Faried would be a Knick, damn...

9:58: I love MarShon Brooks for the Celtics, they automatically get younger at he guard position. He doesn't have any pressure right away, can learn from some of the best.

10:04: In an attempt to seem like I'm smarter than I am I'll say that I'm surprised Hamilton dropped that far, good pick.

10:05: Apparently the Nets are getting Brooks? That makes me look stupid...

10:08:  Drafted JuJuan Johnson with the Wizards in my NBA 2k11 chise last night. He had a solid first game against the Suns. That's the completely unrealistic reason I like this pick.

10:13: At 10:13 pm we finally have a high top fade off the board!

10:23: There goes the best story in the draft, Jimmy Butler.

10:27: Kinda was hoping for some more drama in this draft, Kahn you let me down.

10:31: Best tweet of the night: (On being called Carl Landry by ESPN reporter) Adopting the nickname "Carl" and and changing my last name to "Landry".. #alterego" -Landry Fields

10:33: Is David Kahn is trying to make up for his boring draft by making completely irrelevant moves before the end of the first round?

Overall, it was a fairly entertaining draft. I have to admit I was looking forward to a little more drama and trades but, oh well. I'll probably spend the rest of the night trying to figure out who the hell Iman Shumpert is. (OK, I know he is an athletic combo guard from Georgia Tech. But really? The Knicks took him with the 17th pick? Seems like a reach..) I think a lot of teams did a lot of good things, mostly the Cavs and Wizards but from what I can tell there were no Darko Milicic caliber fails. But, I guess time will be the ultimate judge of the draft and that's the way it always has been. You can fill your mind with all sorts of draft expertise but it all is just about as valuable as what the hot pockets, mountain dew, and excessive amounts of popcorn just made me do. (Oh yes! I went there.)  Time, like in all things, will be the end all, be all in this draft. Who knows? Maybe the next Kobe Bryant was just taken and nobody knows it, or maybe the next Dirk Nowitzki, or Kevin Garnet? Who knows? I'd be lying to you if I pretended like I had the slightest idea. I guess we'll just have to wait and see...

Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed my running diary. In case you are wondering the final tallies were; 2 hot pockets, 2 bags of popcorn, 4 cans of mountain dew, and an amazing 1 bathroom break! (I have a bladder of steal!) If you really liked this and hope I do it more let me know! Feedback is always greatly appreciated. Have a great night and I hope you're happy with what your team selected.

Class Dismissed,

The Sports Undergrad

SoS

8 Reasons Why the NBA NEEDS to Come Back Next Year

Now I know, Saturday night is a really strange time to publish a post, but believe me, I had my reasons. First off, although I am recovering quite nicely (thanks for all the good wishes), the surgery has crippled my ability to go out and keep myself busy on a night such as this. Second, my girlfriend is at a wedding so if I wanted to watch a movie or something I have nobody to do so with. And finally, chising (For the definition of 'chising' check out my post on Plaxico Burress and Randy Moss.) in MLB 2k11 can only occupy so much of my day. So, what better way to spend my Saturday night than to vent on some of the reasons I think the NBA NEEDS to come back next year? And by the way, I know 8 is an odd number to chose but I chose because I legitimately thought there were 8 great reasons, no more, no less. Sorry Ricky Rubio..

(Quick side note: I promise this will be my last NBA post for awhile.. Just needed a way of wrapping up this truly sensational season. Expect a heavy dose of baseball after this post.)

So! Without further interruption.. The long awaiting official STUDENT OF SPORTS list for why the NBA NEEDS to come back next year. (OK, I'll admit this post probably did not deserve the hyping I just gave it.. 'long awaited'? really? ...I wish)

8. Blake Griffin - This is an easy one. Who doesn't want to see how Blakey Blake will follow up his insane rookie season? This guy is an absolute athletic freak and if there is a season next year, he'll be fun to watch. By the way, he'd be higher on this list if the Clippers didn't suck. (Another interesting story will be if Blake can beat the rookie of the year curse. Very funny video)

7. Dirk Nowitzki - After his all-time great playoff performance it'll be fun to see how Dirk follows it up in year two. This isn't as high on the list as maybe it should be because I think age will finally overtake the Mavericks next year and they won't be able to repeat. You gotta figure the Grim Reaper has been just sitting on Jason Kidd's porch for a year or two now waiting for his game to answer the door.

6. The Oklahoma City Thunder - This is a great story and possibly underrated by me. It'll be a great test to see how this young team matures after a tough defeat in the western conference finals. I'll be looking for two major things, Russel Westbrook's development as a point guard and Kevin Durant's growth as a leader. 

5. The Lakers - How will Kobe and the gang respond to being bounced out early in this years playoffs? How huge will the loss of Phil Jackson be? Will new head coach Mike Brown be able to earn the respect of Kobe and other veterans on the team? Will they land Dwight Howard? All extremely relevant questions. Absolutely captivating story.

4. Basketball is Back in MSG - After acquiring Carmelo Anthony at the trade deadline last season the Knicks became a legit playoff team, not a title contender yet, but a playoff team. You cannot under value the impact of meaningful basketball in MSG on the NBA. It'll be cool to see if the Knicks can find some sort of defense (preferably in the form a legitimate big man) and take the next step as a team. Hopefully the loss of Donnie Walsh doesn't slow down the momentum they've gained.

3. Derrick Rose - Last season's regular season MVP got bounced out of the playoffs in the eastern conference finals but the good news is, he's still 22! Unfortunately the bad news is that Carlos Boozer's contract is going to make it tough for the Bulls to give Rose a better supporting cast but hopefully he can overcome that. After proving he is one of the best players in the NBA this past season, if we have a season next year he'll be out to prove he's even better. No other way of putting it, I cannot wait to see more of D-Rose.

2. Where Will Dwight Howard Go? - This one wins the award for "Most Likely to Get Annoying if Dragged out". That aside you can't underestimate how important Howard picking a new destination will be for the league. In an era where there is only one elite center, where that player goes is a HUGE deal for the league. Let's just hope this all goes smoother than last season's Melo Drama.

1. Ricky Rubio Coming to the NBA! - (just kidding.. but I got your attention didn't I?)

The real number 1..
The Miami Heat - Believe it or not the Heat losing in the NBA Finals this year was great for the NBA. This pretty much means Miami's version of Two and a Half Men got renewed for a second season and all the scrutiny, media, and craziness that surrounded this years squad will be back for year 2! Love'em or hate'em you can't deny the Heat made this year an awesomely entertaining season of professional baskatball. Should make for a great 2012

Hopefully..

This is pretty much me, an NBA fan, pleading with the league to solve the labor situation and come back! This past season was sick and it would be torture to go a year without it. The NBA is more popular right now than it has been at any time since Michael Jordan. Taking a year off and killing that momentum would be terrible, not to mention the negative impact it would have on the careers of some promising young players. I've said it once and I'll say it again, the NBA NEEDS to come back.

I hope you guys enjoyed the list and if you think there is something I missed, or if you don't like the order, feel free to let me know in the comments!

Class Dismissed,
The Sports Undergrad

SoS

P.S. For predicting that the Mavericks winning the NBA Finals in 6 games (Nostradamus has nothing on me!) SportShouting.com was kind enough to send me this awesome shirt. This picture will be up permanently in the bottom left corner of this page and will start a Student of Sports corner of Fame.

Kobe vs. Jordan

Not that there was ever a realistic debate, but I found this pretty interesting. Thanks, Ray!