NBA: Why I'm More Excited About Tonight's Draft Than Any Draft Ever
Well, the MAIN reason is Bill Simmons. I haven't missed a column in months, and the NBA draft has been his number one focus. I even followed yesterday's Mock Draft with Chad Ford live for a couple hours. So not only am I excited about the draft, I also feel more knowledgeable about the draft pool than ever before.
Having said that, here's the top few things I'm looking forward to tonight.
1. Watching the draft with my brother. I think it says something about a person if they watch an entire draft alone, even the 2 round NBA draft. I don't want that said about me.
2. Finding out where Demetris Nichols will be drafted. According to John Hollinger's fascinating statistical ranking method for collegiate players, guys who make a ton of threes and shoot a high percentage translate well to the pros. Nichols' 41.7% wasn't quite high enough to warrant mentioning by Hollinger, but couple that with his outstanding draft workouts and he seems like a lock at this point to get drafted, though perhaps not as much a lock as the Orange were to make the NCAA tournament this year. Too bad the 2007 NCAAs never happened.
3. Seeing if the Hawks blow the draft and take anyone other than Horford or Conley with the third pick. Chad Ford says GM Billy Knight likes Horford, so that probably means Horford is going to be a bust. I completely buy into Simmons' take on Yi Jianlian, which is quite negative, and Ford notes that Hawks ownership wants to grab him. So if they do reach past Conley for Yi, it won't be Knight's fault.
4. Seeing where Conley goes. Hollinger's ranking loves him. Simmons loves him. I think everyone loves him. I hope he goes to Memphis at 4 to throw alley-oops to Hak Warrick.
5. Seeing who the Celtics pick. I think they'll trade this between now and the draft, despite what Ainge is saying. If not, I'm rooting for Simmons to get the guy he wants in Corey Brewer who I buy into as a defensive whiz if not an all-star.
6. Seeing who the Bulls take. If I had to pick a favorite NBA team, it would be the Bulls, from following MJ growing up. I like them now with ex-Dukies as well as the likable Kirk Heinrich. The right pick tonight could boost their championship chances. A trade might help them even more.
Having said that, here's the top few things I'm looking forward to tonight.
1. Watching the draft with my brother. I think it says something about a person if they watch an entire draft alone, even the 2 round NBA draft. I don't want that said about me.
2. Finding out where Demetris Nichols will be drafted. According to John Hollinger's fascinating statistical ranking method for collegiate players, guys who make a ton of threes and shoot a high percentage translate well to the pros. Nichols' 41.7% wasn't quite high enough to warrant mentioning by Hollinger, but couple that with his outstanding draft workouts and he seems like a lock at this point to get drafted, though perhaps not as much a lock as the Orange were to make the NCAA tournament this year. Too bad the 2007 NCAAs never happened.
3. Seeing if the Hawks blow the draft and take anyone other than Horford or Conley with the third pick. Chad Ford says GM Billy Knight likes Horford, so that probably means Horford is going to be a bust. I completely buy into Simmons' take on Yi Jianlian, which is quite negative, and Ford notes that Hawks ownership wants to grab him. So if they do reach past Conley for Yi, it won't be Knight's fault.
4. Seeing where Conley goes. Hollinger's ranking loves him. Simmons loves him. I think everyone loves him. I hope he goes to Memphis at 4 to throw alley-oops to Hak Warrick.
5. Seeing who the Celtics pick. I think they'll trade this between now and the draft, despite what Ainge is saying. If not, I'm rooting for Simmons to get the guy he wants in Corey Brewer who I buy into as a defensive whiz if not an all-star.
6. Seeing who the Bulls take. If I had to pick a favorite NBA team, it would be the Bulls, from following MJ growing up. I like them now with ex-Dukies as well as the likable Kirk Heinrich. The right pick tonight could boost their championship chances. A trade might help them even more.
Labels: 2007 draft, NBA
posted by Prof. A at 10:55 AM
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