Keep your # 1+2 picks
Finally sitting down and watching a little bit of the Amateur Orange Roundie has given me chance to see a few of the collegians that are making everyone draft-crazy. Well, not the one I really wanted to see, because my region was not showing the Texas game. So Kevin Durant appeared in highlight form only. But I heard he stunk anyway. The other guys, however:
Acie Law IV - Owner of a deceptively awesome name and a good shooter to boot. No opinion on where he gets drafted.
Kevin Durant - It's been hard to read Bill Simmons the past few months because my computer screen doesn't have a SlobberGuard on it. The Sports Guy might retire if the Celtics don't end up with him. I don't really care though.
Greg Oden - I wish I could play basketball really well so that when I turn 45 I could too enter college as a freshman. This guy makes Orlando Hernandez look like a teenager even though he's supposedly almost 20 years younger than The Duke. That stuff everyone says about teenagers maturing faster over generations? They should have measured the median instead of the mean for Greg Oden's age group. His mom got a brazilian when she was carrying him - not so much for herself but it was 2-for-1 at the salon and Greg needed a shave anyway. Whoever picks him is going to get grief in the press for not getting younger through the draft. And yes, I do not have anything other than age jokes about Mr. Oden at this time.
But then there was one player I hadn't heard a ton about, except for this one little local connection he's got. DJ Strawberry; and whose kid could he be with a name like that? He plays for Maryland (whom I root for, if only because of their terrific totem, the Terrapin) and they got bounced. He didn't do particularly well but had a couple of good hustling plays that made me take notice. And then it hit me: He needs to play for Brooklyn!
If the Nets are moving here on the heels of Jason Kidd's eventual (and hopefully imminent) retirement, they might need some drawing power. Vince Carter is going to hit decline mode by the time the Atlantic Yard turnstiles open and this is always a tough time for any team (although it's probably easier in basketball, with a 12-man roster and impact players in college). Yeah, it's New York, so people will go to the games anyway. But if the Knicks have demonstrated anything in the past 3 years, it's that 8 million people WILL ignore something if they want to. The Nets (for whom I'd also recommend a name change when they arrive) should forestall that by getting Strawberry. People will love him. He seems like a really nice guy (which can occasionally happen when you have a famous crack-head dad), which would be reason enough to like him. But I think New Yorkers (Mets fans at least) never really got to say bye to Darryl and having him be involved in the city again, aside from old-timers-type events at Shea and Yankee Stadium, would be a kick too.
DJ seems like a good, if not blue-chip prospect. One draft-watcher has him going in the middle of the second round as of today's estimate. To the Bulls. Two slots AFTER the Nets closest pick. If this is an approximately accurate reflection of what's to come, I think the Nets should go ahead and just make the effort to draft him. It isn't like I'm advocating for them to pick up a dud as a favor to anyone; the guy is actually projected to be good!
It's the Nets' choice: Move a rebuilding team into a new neighborhood and act like an expansion team for a while, or get Strawberry and have the Mets sell Nets jerseys at the New Shea Stadium.
Plus, I'd be 200% more likely to attend basketball games. And I hate basketball. Okay not really.
Acie Law IV - Owner of a deceptively awesome name and a good shooter to boot. No opinion on where he gets drafted.
Kevin Durant - It's been hard to read Bill Simmons the past few months because my computer screen doesn't have a SlobberGuard on it. The Sports Guy might retire if the Celtics don't end up with him. I don't really care though.
Greg Oden - I wish I could play basketball really well so that when I turn 45 I could too enter college as a freshman. This guy makes Orlando Hernandez look like a teenager even though he's supposedly almost 20 years younger than The Duke. That stuff everyone says about teenagers maturing faster over generations? They should have measured the median instead of the mean for Greg Oden's age group. His mom got a brazilian when she was carrying him - not so much for herself but it was 2-for-1 at the salon and Greg needed a shave anyway. Whoever picks him is going to get grief in the press for not getting younger through the draft. And yes, I do not have anything other than age jokes about Mr. Oden at this time.
But then there was one player I hadn't heard a ton about, except for this one little local connection he's got. DJ Strawberry; and whose kid could he be with a name like that? He plays for Maryland (whom I root for, if only because of their terrific totem, the Terrapin) and they got bounced. He didn't do particularly well but had a couple of good hustling plays that made me take notice. And then it hit me: He needs to play for Brooklyn!
If the Nets are moving here on the heels of Jason Kidd's eventual (and hopefully imminent) retirement, they might need some drawing power. Vince Carter is going to hit decline mode by the time the Atlantic Yard turnstiles open and this is always a tough time for any team (although it's probably easier in basketball, with a 12-man roster and impact players in college). Yeah, it's New York, so people will go to the games anyway. But if the Knicks have demonstrated anything in the past 3 years, it's that 8 million people WILL ignore something if they want to. The Nets (for whom I'd also recommend a name change when they arrive) should forestall that by getting Strawberry. People will love him. He seems like a really nice guy (which can occasionally happen when you have a famous crack-head dad), which would be reason enough to like him. But I think New Yorkers (Mets fans at least) never really got to say bye to Darryl and having him be involved in the city again, aside from old-timers-type events at Shea and Yankee Stadium, would be a kick too.
DJ seems like a good, if not blue-chip prospect. One draft-watcher has him going in the middle of the second round as of today's estimate. To the Bulls. Two slots AFTER the Nets closest pick. If this is an approximately accurate reflection of what's to come, I think the Nets should go ahead and just make the effort to draft him. It isn't like I'm advocating for them to pick up a dud as a favor to anyone; the guy is actually projected to be good!
It's the Nets' choice: Move a rebuilding team into a new neighborhood and act like an expansion team for a while, or get Strawberry and have the Mets sell Nets jerseys at the New Shea Stadium.
Plus, I'd be 200% more likely to attend basketball games. And I hate basketball. Okay not really.