2008 NBA Draft Diary - Part II

By Felipe Melecio

2008 NBA Draft:
4TH PICK-- Russell Westbrook

FELIPE: Kevin Durant is happy, so I'm happy (he's on my fantasy basketball keeper NBA team. EJ is jealous, I know he is!)
DONNY: They should've gotten Kevin Love. Love and Durant down on the boards! Are you kidding me?
FELIPE: Guess the Sonics got tired of Earl Watson and Luke Ridnour playing two-headed PG.
DONNY: I'm sure Oklahoma City is going to get sick of triple teams on Durant at the post.
FELIPE: Suddenly, I'm not so happy anymore

The Not-so-Stellar TV Personality known as Stephen A. Smith has an interview with Westbrook. He informs the rookie that Durant was smiling when he was selected (with those types of hard-ball questions and comments, we're kind of perplexed as to why he got demoted). Cut to Durant, with a mike in his face. He is being asked why he was smiling when Westbrook was picked. His reply; He's a great defensive player and he's great on offense (that's the best scouting report of the night thus far. I love Durant!).

5TH PICK—Kevin Love-- Stu let's us know that it is the first time that back-to-back UCLA Bruins are picked since 1969, when “some guy named Lew Alcindor was picked #1 overall.” (Nobody plays the role of dumb-founded sports-anchor better than Stu. People think his bread-and-butter is “Boo-yah!” but making me believe that he is dumber than a brick—it’s as if he wasn’t really acting at all. Vintage Stu. Vintage! He’ll be annoying me all night long).

Bilas has something to say, “Love doesn't run pretty,” but he is an accurate passer (wow, he sounds like a pocket QB. Maybe he should play in the NFL). ESPN shows footage of K-Love draining full court shots and Stu and Bilas are absolutely amazed. Shoot, even I’m starting to believe in the hype. I’m thinking if the Grizzles want to utilize Love to his full potential, they should amend the “3-point shot from full-court” into their playbook for the upcoming season. However, I’m worried that Love can only drain those shots from out-of-bounds AND if he gets a running start. I don’t think baskets made from out-of-bounds count in the NBA and a running start might get him a traveling violation [YES, I’m aware that he would later get traded that same night. We have all summer to discuss this and all other trades].

Bilas adds that Love has potential to be a double-double player. Does Bilas know that he would have to average over 10 rebounds per game (RPG) to be considered a double-double player? I believe he can get 10 points—wait, unless he means 10 assists. With his accurate passing, it just might happen!

The Easily Expendable Stephen A. Smith lets the TV audience know that he met up with Love’s family in the elevator. I’m sure the family felt that they were stuck with Smith in the elevator....

...apparently father, Stan Love, loved to show son, Kevin, the history of the NBA by showing him footage of players he used to play with and against as a player—especially of tall white guys who don’t “run pretty.” Hope springs eternal.

Okay, moving on... where’s Ol’ Dirty when I need him?

Oh, the Knick fans are getting rowdy. Their team (and I do use that term loosely) are getting ready to kick off the Donnie Walsh/Mike D’Antoni era with this selection. Coming to the podium is David Stern and I must say he doesn’t look very “Stern-like.” Usually Stern just walks to the podium like he owns the building and his farts don’t stink. Not this time, though. Stern looks too frightened to read the selection and is already looking for Russ Granik to read the selection for him—except that he’s retired now. Well a Commish has to do what a Commish has to do (just ask Michael Chiklis).

6th PICK—Danilo Gallinari and a cascade of boos come down from the stands. Some Knick fans are surprised at the pick, despite report after report saying that the Knicks would select the Italian player. And they call themselves the most knowledgeable NBA fans in the world. “Basketball Mecca” my.... anyway, Knick fans are very mad at this pick. Someone just mentioned that Gallinari is not even 20 years-old yet, but is a good player to build a program around. Really? What about an NBA team?

Let it be known that this officially marks the first (of many) appearances in tonight’s telecast of one Fran Fraschilla, the International players’ scout. His studies have shown the following (and I will count the number of strikes that Knick fans are tallying in their heads):

--Gallinari will be ready in 2-3 years (Strike 1)
--Can be as big as Tiki Barber or Derek Jeter in New York (Strike 2, that’s near blasphemy and I don’t think Gallinari will play in the NFL or MLB)
--His nickname, get ready ... The Rooster (Strike 3. A riot must have ensued somewhere). The Rooster? That’s way too easy, even for me.
Gallinari gets his first real test as an American pro basketball player as he undergoes his right of passage with the mandatory Stephen A. Smith interview. It really doesn’t matter as the overflow of boos from the Knick fans nearly mutes whatever Gallinari had to say (something about being a basketball player who just plays. At least I know he can put together an English sentence. Better than Stephon Marbury at least).

Jax makes his first appearance in this article and he wants the rookie to just ignore the boos and just play. Well, that’s easier said than done, especially when you’re 2-3 years from being ready and will probably be playing overseas anyway. I think Jax takes his toughness for granted. Nobody can be tough like Jax. That’s why his name is JAX.

ESPN reports before the draft from Chad Ford and the like mentioned that Gallinari was not the next “Darko” because unlike Milicic, who spent most of his time on the bench at the time he was drafted by the Pistons, Gallinari was playing heavy minutes in one of Italy’s toughest leagues. This also from http://nbadraft.net/ “Last year got some minutes in the tough 4th Italian division, this year will play much more against older and tougher players. Next year could go to play in Italy's 1st division and be acquired by a top level team.” So this kid is progressing. Just don’t try to explain to Knick fans. Before the next pick was selected, they have already given the Knicks’ an “F” on their “Draft Grade.” Such a hasty bunch, those Knick fans are.

7th PICK—So there’s this NBA draft going on and it involves other teams who reside outside of New York. Eric Gordon, who spurned the University of Illinois to go to Indiana, spurned the Hoosiers to enter the NBA (good luck Coach Crean indeed)—welcome to NBA purgatory, or as Stern calls them, the L.A. Clippers. Sports Illustrated considered Westbrook, Mayo, Gordon, and Bayless as the best point/combo guards in this year’s draft outside of Rose. Bayless is the last one left from the list. Stu chimes in saying Gordon “is a big guard.” (6’3” is a big guard? I always thought that Ron Harper was a pretty big guard at 6’6”. I just don’t know what represents a “big guard” anymore....).

Bilas has something to say: Gordon has an “elongated wingspan” (whoa, he went from describing every single player to being “long” or just having a “long wingspan” to “elongated wingspan!” The evolution of Bilas is a sight to see. I’m wondering if Gordon can actually fly with an “elongated wingspan.”). He adds that because he played in the Big 10 last season, he can definitely adjust to “grind-out games” (that’s why I don’t watch the Big 10). He can score from anywhere, but turns over the ball too much and he needs to work on his ball-handling skills (basically, he’s a glorified version of Ben Gordon).

Cut to Donnie Walsh, who’s being interviewed—by someone. The question: Why Danilo Gallinari? The response, “he has an unusual package.” Dear lord, how did he get through customs? Isn’t that an Orange to Red Level Terrorist Threat? I just came back from four different airports, and “unusual packages” are supposed to be reported to TSA or some other government authority figure. I asked my buddy Gabe (Donny’s roommate and also in attendance for the NBA draft, despite being in his own little world) if this “unusual package” could very well be a serious terrorist threat (and who better to ask than Gabe; part of the U.S. Marine Corps). He just kept shaking his head and giving me the “Gabe Look of Disapproval.” (Well it was either this or make connections to this “unusual package” and his nickname, The Rooster. After all, this is a family article).

Next: Picks 8-11