NBA DRAFT NOTES

Thursday night marks my second favorite sports day of the year. The NBA draft. This night falls just behind the NFL Draft.

Not exactly the LeBron, Wade, Melo draft of years ago. But Thursday night includes plenty of good players. Guys who can potentially make a big impact on good teams in a couple seasons.

I am going to do a mock lottery either tonight or sometime tomorrow, but here's a look at some of the guys.

STEPHEN CURRY--A high scoring 2 guard who will try to be morphed into scoring point. I love him. I think he's special. He's the best shooter in the draft. He can really get space and creates shot in college. So, although it will be much tougher to get space in the pros, I think he is good enough to do it on most players. You have heard for 2 months how much the Knicks love him at 8. I'm not convinced he'll be around at 8. If nothing else, you can put him in a corner and he can stretch a defense for you for 20 minutes a night. Think about how many open shots you see in an NBA game. There are plenty out there. Might as well have him getting the looks.

JOHNNY FLYNN-Another one of my favorite guys. I love Syracuse. And Flynn really played strong this season. He is a vocal leader, who can run an NBA team. He demands some respect with the way he knows where the ball should go at different points in a game. Doesn't have a problem getting and living in the key. Jumper getting better. In a league where it's 75% screen and roll, Flynn isn't a bad guy to have navigating the ball. I can think of worse guys. As good as he is and as cool as he plays, he for all intents and purposes will get eaten alive on defense. Huge question marks there. He got to sit in a 2-3 zone for 2 years. He's 5'9. A guy like Rafer Alston, whose 6'2 and skinny could put him on the box and eat him alive. But Flynn COMPETES. And he's a WINNER. And I love him in the lottery.

JEFF TEAGUE-This is a guy that Steve Lavin loved in the Pre-Draft Workouts on ESPNU. I tend to have to agree. He's young. And I haven't seen one guy stay in front of this kid. He has a machine like jumper when he's in rhythm. When Wake was #1 in the country and playing well, he was a force. He's big and smooth, and can be a dominant scoring point. That whole team checked out and started playing very shitty at the end of the season. He was a big contributor to that. He missed a ton of shots and played poorly. But he's smooth and explosive and can score at will when he's playing with confidence. Got a lot of Devin Harris in him. But is a pussy and doesn't play hard yet. In a draft like this, you grab a guy like Teague and hope he learns what the game is all about.

HASHEEM THABEET--Gotta give equal time to retarded pussies. Jokes aside. This guy has monster upside. His strength and coordination will improve, as well as his offensive game. This guy has only been playing hoops for like 8 years, maybe less. He protects the rim like the man. Gotta improve in the feel of the game department. Must learn to pass out of double teams. Has he ever been involved in the screen and roll game? But, we live in a world where if you have a dominant center who can protect the rim and give you some offense, you can win. The Grizz are probably gonna scoop him at 2. It sounds crummy. It might be crummy. But it's just one of those things you might have to do.

GUYS I HATE--Austin Daye(stay in school and ask where the weightroom is), Earl Clarke(doesn't get it yet, no heart), James Johnson (See Clarke), DeMar DeRozen(high risk/high reward)

RICKY RUBIO--This is a slam dunk for the Thunder at 3 right? Come on now, Sam Presti. This guy is a guy scouts are a little puzzled with. They are not sure about his impact in the NBA. His buyout is a big question mark, and is scaring NBA execs. I think his transition will be a little harder than we expect. But here's a scenario that will make it easier: A guy by the name of Kevin Durant filling the left lane hard, a guy named Russell Westbrook filling the right lane hardm, Jeff Greene trailing--I'll take my chances with that. Rubio just seems to be just a sensational athlete. Long, fast twitch muscle, quick on defense. Gritty--been playing against older men since he was 14. Jumper is a question mark. Screen and roll intelligence is a question mark. I dunno, I think I would take him.

TYREKE EVANS--Not crazy about him, but hey its the NBA--and he'll be tough. Great size and speed. Good in one on one situations. I hated him because I thought he was so inefficient when he had the ball. It takes him 8 dribbles and two spin moves to get where he wants to go. And his jumper is so bad. While I am writing this, I am beginning to hate him again. This guy is gonna shoot 25% on jumpers for the next 5 years, but he'll be a tough pro? Doesn't make sense. O well. We'll see.

JRUE HOLIDAY--The Russ Westbrook of this draft, except he didn't have 10 of the top 12 dunks of the NCAA season like Russ did two years ago. 8.3 ppg this season at UCLA. Limited role. Never got acclamated to anything they tried to do this year. I was reading or watching something about this. And UCLA coaches were kind of the opinion that "hey, we thought Darren Collison was gonna be gone, and he didn't go, and that fucked us up." So Holiday never really got a fair shake. Anyway, this guy is not a point guard. I'm sorry. He can defend point guards. But to ask this kid to play point guard in the NBA is silly. Someone is gonna take him in the top 8, and try to teach him the position. I think he's fine. But I would have much rather seen Ben Howland say hey--come back and run the show and take every shot and make every decision for another year.

DAJUAN BLAIR--JC's sentimental favorite guy in the draft. Unbelievable rebounder. Sensational timing and nose for ball. Will be a natural in the pick a roll/pop game. A poor man's Carlos Boozer if he learns to shoot that midrange J. Solid passer. Is a special kid, and needs to continue to be special to play in the league. Weight issues a problem. Not a gifted leaper.