 "Photo: Seth Wenig/The Associated Press")
I like to think of the NBA as a permanent campaign. As soon as one team is crowned the world champion, everyone else is sent scurrying to reload and revamp their own teams.
In comparison to the NFL draft, the NBA draft produces drama, excitement and an array of wardrobe amusement. You won’t see too many blockbuster trades in the NFL that shake up the league in one instant.
The NBA draft also consists of only two rounds, with a short amount of time on the clock. The teams are forced to pick quicker, the draft is shorter and it all adds up to better TV. The first round of the NBA draft can take about two hours, while the NFL draft’s first round can take a whole afternoon — no thanks.
Let’s recap. Over the course of a few days we saw: Richard Jefferson going to the Spurs, Phoenix shipping Shaquille O’Neal to Cleveland and high-riser Vince Carter being sent to Orlando. New teams, new jerseys for superstars; excitement abounds.
You won’t see millions of dollars wasted in the first three picks on players who haven’t proven themselves. The NBA draft is all about immediate impact for teams.
If that isn’t enough, in the NBA, there is additional international flavor, which adds intrigue to the NBA draft. Imagine NFL commissioner Roger Goodell trying to pronounce the name of a rising Romanian offensive line prospect.
While international players receive criticism for delaying their NBA career to receive more playing time in their respective country, they are well worth the wait. They always bring a unique playing style to the States that can lead to a big hit or a big whiff. Does your team have the next Dirk Nowitzki or Darko Milicic?
The Los Angeles Clippers, who won the coveted lottery for the first pick, think they hit a home run.
The Clippers drafted former Oklahoma star Blake Griffin, sworn enemy of the Longhorns. Griffin was the indisputable top player in the draft, and will look to make an immediate impact for the struggling Clippers franchise. His athleticism and size were too difficult for the Clippers to pass up. With the Lakers on top of the NBA again, and LA’s focus squarely on Kobe Bryant and company, Griffin and the Clippers might be able to become a dark horse in the west.
After Griffin’s selection, the whole draft seemed to be a toss-up in the “Jackson” draft.
With the second pick, the Memphis Grizzlies chose Connecticut center Hasheem Thabeet. The 7-foot-3-inch Tanzanian native will look to anchor the Grizzlies defense, while trying to improve his low-post game.
Kevin Durant will receive a nice addition to his team, as Oklahoma City selected Arizona State freshman James Harden, giving the Thunder a polished offensive player to play alongside Durant.
Minnesota’s selections raised some eyebrows. With the fifth and sixth picks, they chose two point guards, Spain’s Ricky Rubio and Syracuse’s Jonny Flynn. It’s suspected that the Timberwolves will move Rubio elsewhere, as his camp has already stirred up rumors saying other NBA and European teams have expressed interest in the 18-year old Spaniard. But this is the drama that makes the NBA’s draft great theater. There was no threat that Mark Sanchez might go play in Spain.
Madison Square Garden turned into a frenzy, with many New York fans on hand, when Davidson’s Stephen Curry was chosen by Golden State with the seventh pick. Many Knicks fans were hoping for Curry to be available during their selection, which followed the Warriors. Instead, the Knicks chose Arizona forward Jordan Hill, who was greeted by boos by the Knick faithful — what a warm welcome.
The 2009 NCAA Tournament champions, North Carolina, had four players selected in the draft. Former National Player of the Year Tyler Hansborugh was selected by the Indiana Pacers with the 13th pick, while teammate Ty Lawson will play for the Denver Nuggets. The Timberwolves chose Wayne Ellington, and Danny Green will take his dancing moves to Cleveland.
For local fans, there were a lot of moves going on for franchises among the three Texas teams.
Arguably the biggest winner of the draft was the San Antonio Spurs. With the biggest steal of the draft, they chose Pittsburgh’s DeJuan Blair. The former first team All-American fell on a lot of teams’ draft boards due to injury concerns, allowing the Spurs to scoop him up. The Spurs also selected Miami sharpshooter Jack McClinton, who should provide some much needed offense.
The Houston Rockets didn’t have a single pick in this year’s draft, but still managed to come away with three rookies through trades. Houston picked up Central Florida’s Jermaine Taylor, Spain’s Sergio Llull, and Arizona’s Chase Budinger. All picks will likely stay with the team, and make a contribution off the bench next season.
The Dallas Mavericks turned some heads obtaining French speedster Rodrigue Beaubois, looking to the future to be a possible replacement for the aging Jason Kidd. The team also selected Florida’s Nick Calathes, and St. Joesph’s Ahmad Nivins in the second round.
Former Longhorns A.J. Abrams and Connor Atchley were not chosen during the draft, leaving their NBA futures uncertain. Both players will probably look to start their professional career overseas on a European team as many undrafted American college players do.
