Post-Draft Pondering
The NBA Draft is now a few days in the past, so we have had a chance to let things percolate in our minds for a few days. Here are ten thoughts I’ve had about the events at this point:
1. Ricky Rubio is a jackass. I am so incredibly tired of 18 year old guys who think they rule the world. Rubio has never been to Minneapolis, so how does he know that he doesn’t want to play there. Idiot. I hope he festers in Spain forever. What a terrible way for a young guy to set a tone. The saddest thing is that in the end he’ll get exactly what he wants.
2. I am very skeptical about Hasheem Thabeet. I seriously suspect that he’ll eventually turn into one of those punchlines – ‘can you believe a team drafted Thabeet when they could have picked X?!?’ He won’t quite be Sam Bowie, but Darko Milicic is a real possibility.
3. Picking Tyreke Evans over Rubio was a risk for Sacramento, but I think I like it. Evans won’t be a disaster, and there is a decent chance that he could be a very good player. Besides, if Rubio won’t be happy in Minnesota than do you believe for a second that he would go to Sacramento? No chance, and I suspect that the Kings had a sense of that.
4. I still think that the T-Wolves made a mess of the draft – too many point guards, and not enough value in exchange for them.
5. The chances seem to be fading, but I desperately hope that Curry ends up in Phoenix. The thought of seeing Steve Nash pass to him 20 or 30 times a night for a couple of years is enough to make a guy giddy.
6. Jordan Hill is going to be a flop. His skills aren’t developed enough in any aspect, and he’s not an intelligent player. He is overrun with potential, but I give him very little chance of realizing that potential. He reminds me in many ways of Stromile Swift, and that is far from a compliment. The commentators were gushing about it on draft day, but I’m not drinking the kool-aid.
7. Tyler Hansbrough is a guy I kinda like. Tyler Hansbrough as the 13th pick in the draft is terrible value. He’ll be a positive influence, and he’ll try hard all the time, and he’ll be a handy bench player, but none of that signifies a lottery player. The only way that the Pacers can justify it is that this was such a weak draft that it would have been hard for them to do much better.
8. Most insulted school – Pitt. DeJuan Blair went into freefall, and Sam Young fell right with him. Better players from lesser schools got much more credit.
9. Eric Maynor as the backup to Deron Williams in Utah – a fit like a glove. I’m a big, big fan of that pairing.
10. Chase Budinger is very fine value for the Rockets late in the second round. He won’t be a superstar, but the guy has two things going for him – he’s an incredible athlete, and a very good shooter. If he can get his head together and learn to focus through a whole game then he could be very functional.
Related posts:
- The NBA Draft, and Other Stuff I want to
- Guys I Wouldn’t Draft I’m
- Quarterbacking the NFL Draft Arguably n
Tags: Chase Budinger, Eric Maynor, Hasheem Thabeet, Jordan Hill, NBA Draft, Pitt Panthers, Ricky Rubio, Stephen Curry, Tyler Hansbrough, Tyreke Evans
June 29th, 2009 at 3:48 am
jajaja
Ricky has not obligation to play in Usa. NBA is only a competition, but there are other competitions where to play. If Rubio find the team who is looking for, he’ll play in NBA, else, he can play where ever he wants. There is life out of NBA.
PD. It seems you have a pain with this.
June 29th, 2009 at 12:07 pm
I agree that he can play anywhere he wants – that’s not my issue. What frustrates me so much is that he decided to enter the draft when he didn’t have to, he said leading up to the draft that he was ready and willing to come play here, he was all positive and encouraging on draft day, but now that Minnesota has picked him he has totally changed his tune. If Minnesota had a true sense that he was going to be this difficult then they probably wouldn’t have chosen him, so his attitude has caused a team that picked him in good faith to potentially wind up in a very bad situation. Vancouver never really recovered from the Steve Francis debacle, and this isn’t much different. A player can decide whether he wants to come to the NBA or not, but once he has made that decision I have a real problem with him trying to dictate where he is going to play.