Gheorghe loves the Draft...

Finally, the NBA Draft is upon us. Unlike many of today's sports fans I am an unabashed NBA lover and therefore an enormous fan of the NBA Draft. Around this time last year, TJ said to me that though the NFL Draft is the far more publicized and glamorized event, it was the NBA Draft which he really, truly loved. I could not agree more with that sentiment.

Has any NFL Draft pick sauntered on stage in an ensemble to rival that of Jalen Rose's famous pinstripe suit? Has the NFL ever given us two collegiate teammates picked back to back only to be swapped for each other five minutes later as once happened with Vince Carter and Antawn Jamison? The answers to these questions are, of course, NO. The NBA Draft has always been a special evening of franchise changing decisions, horrible fashion choices and loads of comedy. Honestly, I still get weak when I watch the videos of the Stephen A. Smith Heckling Society of Gentleman.



So with that in mind, I've decided to get tonight's festivities started with a G:TB NBA Draft Preview.

Guys I like (ngs):

Jerryd Bayless: I don't think he should be drafted in the top 2 or 3, but I am a big fan of Skip's bastard son. He's a combo guard who may or may not be able to make the transition to a full time NBA PG. However, he already possesses a good handle, terrific athleticism and a dynamite jumpshot off the dribble. Personally, I think he's better than Ben Gordon within a year or so with a shot at being an All-Star down the road. Comparison: Monta Ellis

Danilo Gallinari: I know Euro's drafted in the top ten haven't exactly set the league on fire but this guy is different (I think). He's a proven player in both the Italian and Euroleague where he led his team in scoring at almost 15 per game. He handles it well, gets the FT line and has good size for the SF position. As always, lateral quickness is a question but he feels like a guy who could be a nice point forward in the right situation. One more thing: His nickname is, apparently...Big Cock. Seriously. Comparison: Toni Kukoc

Brandon Rush: He's the classic fifth banana. He'll play great D, knock down open shots, he's a proven winner and he can play two positions. Plus, he's not a drunk like JaRon. He was never aggressive enough at Kansas but that will be an asset for him in the NBA because he'll be content to blend and do the little things on a successful team. I had hoped he would slip to Orlando but there's no chance that happens now. Comparison: Tayshaun Prince/Josh Howard

Chris Douglas-Roberts: His unorthodox game and average long range jumper will result in him falling farther than he should tonight. He's a scorer who will find ways to get 15+ per game over the course of his NBA career. He also provides a lot of length on the perimeter defensively. He doesn't do anything great, just does everything well. He'll end up being one of the ten best players in this draft as well as the best player ever to have the Magna Carta tattooed on his arm. Comparison: ?

Courtney Lee: The most underrated player in the draft. Trainer David Thorpe compares him favorably to Kevin Martin (who Thorpe also trained for the draft). He's a great shooter (over 35% from 3 every season at WKU) who can create his own shot and also plays great D. Apparently he's also as good a citizen as you'll find in this draft. If I had my way, this is who the Magic would take. (Which of course means they won't). Comparison: Kevin Martin (I'll fucking kill myself if he's anywhere close to Martin and the Magic pass on him.)

Guys I Hate (other than Burr)

Deandre Jordan: 6'10", athletic and still couldn't manage to average double figures on a mediocre Texas A&M team. Steven Hunter reincarnated basically.

Russell Westbrook: Keyon Dooling 2.0. He's more athlete than basketball player and he has no true position. He's too small for the 2 and doesn't handle it well enough to be a full time point. Have I mentioned that he can't shoot? Yeah, well, that too.

Joe Alexander: Maybe the first ever white guy who's flying up draft boards because of his athleticism. He had about 10 good games at the end of last year and now he's a top 10 pick? If you want to know why the Bucks are consistently awful, consider this: One of the reasons they're considering drafting him is that he speaks Mandarin and that would make Yi Jianlian more comfortable. Here's an idea, get a rub and tug installed in the back of the trainer's room at the Bradley Center. Not only will that make Yi more comfortable, you won't have to waste yet another top 10 pick.

Anthony Randolph: Why would anybody draft a raw, athletic forward from LSU at this point? Isn't that like giving a record/TV deal to the youngest Spears daughter? I mean, we already know how this story ends, right? Anyway, he's 6'10", 197 lbs. and its gonna be at least 3 years before he contributes. Well then, I can see why he's being hailed as a lottery pick.

Mareese Speights: The Magic are reportedly seriously considering him. Fuck. Me. Listen, I watched this guy at UF. He's got a ton of offensive skills. What he doesn't have is heart, a motor or any desire to play physical under the boards. He's exactly the kind of guy who gets to the league and packs on 25 lbs before his rookie season. Have I mentioned he's soft as fucking cotton? I wouldn't draft him anywhere before 25.

Donte Greene: He's a "great shooter". Oh really, is that why he shot under 40% at Syracuse this year? In fairness, he's not an awful shooter, just a gunner. And, though he shoots it well "for his size" I never saw a single other thing that he did well or even really attempted to do. If you're lucky, he's a poor man's Rashard Lewis. If not, he's the black Matt Bullard. If somehow you could give his jumpshot to TJ's boy Paul Harris, well, then you'd have a player worth drafting in the top 15.

Kosta Koufos: He's American but you wouldn't know by the way he plays or his name. Far softer than Speights, which is quite an accomplishment. If I had to guess, I'd say he's Primoz Brezec. I really wish he would've stayed another year so we could've watched the Timberwolves take him in the top 5. We've all been robbed of a magical moment because this damn kid didn't want to spend another year staring at Thad Matta's pockmarked face.

Concerns (aka: Players I like but have reservations about)

Derrick Rose: Am I the only person who doesn't think he's a surefire pereniall All-Star PG? I feel like a lot of people have been seduced by his athletic gifts and aren't remembering that he only averaged 5 assists a game in an offense that was tailored to his strengths. He's a great penetrator (though he's no Greg) and a terrific defender but that jumpshot is clunky and he hasn't displayed Kidd/Paul/Williams level court vision in my opinion. I think he's a lot closer to
Tony Parker than anybody is realizing. Now, Parker's no slouch but most of us would have a different opinion of him if he were expected to be one of the league's best pure point guards.

Michael Beasley: I could honestly care less about his "character issues". I think they're overblown. Most of them were immature pranks. He's never been arrested or fought with his teammates (that we know of). I guess what I'm saying is this isn't Eddie Griffin we're talking about. My concerns arise from the fact that he's only 6'8". More than likely he's going to have to play SF in the NBA. Does he have the perimeter skills off the dribble to play out on the wing? If so, I've yet to see it. Furthermore, how's he going to defend NBA athletes on the wing? He's already known as a below average defender and that's without venturing to the perimeter and matching up against the world's best athletes. I don't think his skills translate as seamlessly to the NBA as most people assume. He may be successful but it will be a very rough transition for him. There have been a ton of player comparisons made with Beasley. Guys such as DC, Carmelo & Glenn Robinson and there's some truth in all of those. However, the one I've seen since early last year is Wayman Tisdale. Seriously, look at the size and the collegiate stats. If I find out Beasley plays the bass I'm asking for Chad Ford's job.

Eric Gordon: He's an undersized 2 who can't play anywhere else due to his below average handle. He's also a terrific athlete but I have trouble seeing him being able to take full advantage of that athleticism because of his inability to create his own shot. In order to be highly effective in the NBA he's going to have to have an offense tailored to his strengths ala Rip Hamilton or Reggie Miller. Will a team be willing to do that for a 19/20 year old?

Darrell Arthur: He's one of the most skilled big men in the draft. Unfortunately, he's not as big as once thought. He measured out at 6'7" at the predraft camp in Orlando. For a guy who has always been a 4, its tough to see him being extremely effective down low at 6'7" and with a frame as thin as his. Additionally, he's often been criticized for not going 100% all the time. Some GM is going to have to really be sold on him to pull the trigger on a guy with this many questions in the middle of the first round.

Mario Chalmers: I liked Chalmers a lot coming into the draft process. He's shoots it very well and was probably the best defensive guard in the country over the past two seasons. However, he has somehow jumped from a late 1st/early 2nd round pick all the way up to the late lottery in many projections. Hold the phone...how is this possible? He never played the point at Kansas and now he's a top 15 pick as a PG? I know being a PG in the NBA isn't as complex as it once was but don't NBA GMs want to try and get themselves a natural point? Chalmers could be very effective on a team like Cleveland where he'll share ballhandling duties and do a lot of spotting up around the arc, but there are only a few teams where he'll be able to fill a role like that. Unless he goes to a perfect situation I can see him struggling mightily to even see the floor for a year or so.

Players most likely to emerge from the stands like our hero:

1. Jason Thompson: Local kid. He has unexpectedly shot up draft boards and now looks like a mid to late first round pick. I've got a good feeling here.

2. Ante Tomic: He's 7'2", Croatian and likely to go in the last 5 picks of the first. Sounds good to me.

3. Joey Dorsey: I wouldn't bet against Joey Dorsey doing anything tonight, including getting arrested at a club somewhere in either NY or Baltimore after the draft.

So, thats it. I'm sure you're bored to tears by now so take a break, grab a nap and meet me in the comments tonight for some hot draft action...