It's one of
my favorite nights of the year: The NBA Draft!
I love
everything about this event: the anticipation, the hope, the wingspan
discussion, the awkward tension in the green room...and THE CLOTHES! Lots of
upside potential in the building tonight.
For the
first time in 30 years, first-round draftees will be strolling across the stage
to shake Commissioner Adam Silver's hand. (The draft was first televised in
1980, David Stern was named NBA Commissioner in 1984.) Will the Barclays Center
fans boo him like they did to Stern?
Prospective
#1 pick Joel Embiid (Center, Kansas) threw GMs a curve ball this week, by
heading into surgery to repair a broken right foot. So we're all waiting to see what the
Cleveland Cavs do with the top pick. Roll the dice with Embiid? Switch to Embiid's
college teammate Andrew Wiggins (Guard, Kansas)? Or maybe take Jabari Parker (Forward, Duke)
even though he allegedly tanked his tryout and doesn't seem to want to play in
Cleveland? Owner Dan Gilbert tried to squash the rumors on Wednesday that they are arguing internally
about which player to pick, but no one really knows what they will do.
7:00pm
It is T-minus
30 minutes before the show starts--are you ready??
(For those
of you who enjoy the "wingspan" drinking game...Bilas is ready!)
Jay Bilas
@JayBilas
7:08pm
Let's kick
this Draft Night LiveBlog off with some sage advice from a draft day veteran,
Jalen Rose:
YouTube:
Jalen Rose's Draftee Draft Night Kit
7:12pm
DA is the
truth, people--don't mess with him. Especially on Draft Night
Just making my annual pre-Draft announcement: when I
know the picks, I'm Tweeting them. Period. Don't bother arguing w/me.
7:15pm
In the
spirit of upside potential--let's just admire Wiggins's draft day suit. Hat tip
to SB Nation for securing a Vine to capture the shoes and glasses (See Jalen's
tip in the YouTube clip above)
http://www.sbnation.com/lookit/2014/6/26/5846908/andrew-wiggins-nba-draft-suit
7:18pm
Wizards beat
writer Michael Lee agrees:
Andrew
Wiggins should go No. 1 overall based on his suit selection. Any kid with the
confidence to pull that off will be a star in the NBA
7:26pm
The stage is set--the
board is ready--LET'S DO THIS!
We're just minutes away
from names starting to appear next to team logos on this board.
7:31pm
Mostly cheers and a smattering of boos for
Silver as he kicks off the draft. (They like him! Or at least they like him
better than Stern, who relished the role of the villain on draft night.)
Definitely boos as Silver acknowledges the Championship Spurs.
7:32pm
Silver's brief speech at the open is a nice
touch. He's helping to craft the narrative for the evening by naming
"hidden gems" from past drafts. Like Kawhi Leonard: a bargain at #15
(drafted in 2011 by the Spurs...they do an amazing job with player development:
Robinson, Duncan, Ginobili Leonard). MVP, MVP!
7:33pm
Cavs on the clock--this is the third time
they've had the #1 pick in the last 4 years
7:36pm
Jalen calls back to his infamous 1994 red draft
day suit with the bright red tie and lapel rose tonight in the ESPN analyst
chair.
7:39pm
Already running late on
the first pick---is there a trade brewing, or did Adam Silver's watch stop
working?
7:40pm
Cavs take
Wiggins--another #1 Canadian! (Anthony Bennett, also picked #1 by the Cavs in
2013 hails from Toronto).
Plus, more prime airtime
for THAT SUIT!!!
7:41pm
Wiggins should feel at
home--they have Canadian-like weather in Cleveland
Dr. Naismith is smiling
in heaven (He's a Canadian too...)
7:43pm
I love that we've
progressed to "Who are you wearing?" at the NBA Draft
#fashionforward
UPDATE: Fun fact from Elias
Sports Bureau:
Sidebar on the fun
fact: The Dannys were both drafted by the LA Clippers.
Danny Manning was
drafted after winning the 1988 NCAA Championship with Kansas (defeating Ferry's
Duke Blue Devils in the Final Four.) He played six seasons with the Clippers
and 16 total in the NBA. Manning is now the head coach of Wake Forest, the
college of current Clips All-Star PG Chris Paul.
Danny Ferry spurned the
Clippers after they drafted him at #2 and spent his first pro season playing
for Il Messaggero in Rome, Italy. He never suited up for the Clips, but there's
still a photo in the NBA archives with him in the Clips hat, and a very
disappointed look on his face. Ferry is now GM of the Atlanta Hawks, and is
making decisions about the #15 and #43 picks tonight.
7:46pm
New Milwaukee Bucks
owners Marc Lasry and Wesley Edens got the guy they wanted at #2: Jabari
Parker. This is Duke's 8th top three draft pick since 1985.
Remember the buzz about
Edens's daughter Mallory on lottery day?
http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/basketball/daughter-bucks-owner-stars-nba-draft-lottery-article-1.1800500
7:46pm
TRUTH!
Now the Draft begins
for real.
7:52pm
The post-surgery
pain-killers seem to be working on Embiid...he could not be more nonplussed
about being selected #3 by the Philadelphia 76ers as he sits in his recovery
room (H/T to SB Nation for the excellent Vine).
Joel, you’re a Philadelphia 76er! Joel!
Joel? JOEL?!?!?!?!?!
https://vine.co/v/Mt9ujqDJqBJ
7:54pm
OK, so it was a DELAYED
REACTION, not the drugs...(gotta love the SB Nation GIFs to capture
EVERYTHING!)
SB Nation GIF @SBNationGIF
Wait nevermind, Joel is
happy.
7:58pm
Aaron Gordon (PF from
Arizona) to the Orlando Magic at #4--that's a surprise.
They were making
maneuvers earlier today....this might not stick.
But, if Orlando does
keep him, they likely won't be disappointed--this kid had more than 300
rebounds as a freshman!
8:01pm
WE HAVE OUR FIRST "WINGSPAN"
MENTION FROM BILAS!!
Followed by an
"upside potential" by Jalen....it took these guys 30 minutes to
settle in.
Drink up, fans.
8:05pm
The Utah Jazz take
Australian prep school guard Dante Exum to round out the top five. We now have another Aussie in the Western
Conference to join the Spurs Patty Mills. He may be an ex-pat, but he's no stranger
to the NBA. Exum's dad played college basketball at North Carolina in the 80s
with Michael Jordan, then in the NBA and finally as a pro in Australia, where
the Exum family settled.
Also of note--Exum's
pre-draft Foot Locker commercials are really clever. Crafty work by the NBA and
his agent to get pre-draft marketing deals going before the guy even has a
contract.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?annotation_id=annotation_4099876395&feature=iv&src_vid=L3Gv02P6Yl4&v=mZaZKjwX7Ts
8:09pm
Wiggins's jacket must
come with an extra dose of confidence. He had some interesting comments in his
press conference:
Wiggins asked for his
pitch to free agent LeBron: "I want to win. If he wants to win, we'd be
good together."
8:10pm
Sounds like Parker wants
to be the next Tim Duncan, based on his press conference comments, courtesy of
Wizards beat writer Michael Lee:
Jabari Parker, very
emotional about going to MIL. “I’m trying to be a throwback player & stick
with one team.” #NBAdraft
8:11pm
Marcus Smart flashes
his bespoke jacket lining with a flourish to celebrate being picked #6 by the Boston
Celtics. The Sporting News got the
backstory about the special design, which calls back to his hometown and high
school:
http://www.sportingnews.com/nba/story/2014-06-26/nba-draft-2014-marcus-smart-suit-lottery-pick-rumors
8:17pm
Lakers work on their
re-build by picking a strong offensive rebounder (with a seven-foot wingspan!) at
the seventh spot. They draft PF Julius Randle out of Kentucky.
8:19pm
"Its not where you
start, its where you finish."
Randle, coming out
strong in the post-pick interview with ESPN's Jay Williams, right after he
shakes hands with Commissioner Silver. Kobe is either going to love this kid or
hate him...
8:20pm
Kentucky Wildcat legend
(and former NBA GM) Rex Champan likes this pick!
8:21pm
More Canadians!! The Sacramento
Kings take Michigan guard Nik Stauskas with the eighth pick. And we get to
enjoy another excellent suit selection.
The @NStauskas11 Green Room party including family &
@umichbball coach Beilein! @NBADraft on @ESPN
8:23pm
C-Webb endorses the
pick (the Michigan-Sacto connections are strong in these two)
Yeah- ok! Welcome to
Sac Town!!!!!
8:25pm
OK, so Kobe is on board
with the Randle pick--that's good for Randle and Laker Nation
8:26pm
Everyone loves Draft
Night...and more importantly, everyone loves COMMENTING about Draft Night. Like
this from Golden State Warriors forward Andre Igoudala:
Is Adam Silver really
dappin' dudes up on stage?
8:28pm
Noah Vonleh, a PF from
Indiana was drafted at #9 and dons the Charlotte HORNETS hat. Glad Charlotte
has their mascot back. I never got used to Charlotte Bobcats and New Orleans
Hornets.
Speaking of the
Hornets, did you see the new honeycomb court in the hive??
http://ftw.usatoday.com/2014/06/charlotte-hornets-new-court
8:35pm
Silver flubs the name
"Sixers." Is he getting tired already??? We have HOURS to go...
Oh, and the Sixers get
PG Elfrid Payton from Louisiana-Lafayette at #10, and his "profound"
hairdo (according to Bilas). That hat is not working for Payton...and it's
covering his fab hair!
Payton is more than
great hair...he was the Sun Belt Conference defensive player of the year and
averaged 19.2 points per game and 5.9 assist per game last season.
8:40pm
Payton may need to swap
out that Sixers hat for anther team's...hopefully it fits better.
Elfrid Payton could be
on the move, sources tell Yahoo Sports.
8:43pm
Creighton's Doug McDermott
shouldn't get comfortable with that Denver hat either, after being selected at
#11 by the Nuggets
I'm told Doug McDermott
will head to Chicago via trade with Denver. Getting more details now
8:47pm
McDermott lands in Chicago
for the #16 and #19 pick in the Bulls-Nuggets trade.
8:49pm
And now the trading
frenzy begins...hold on to your hats people!
The Magic will take
Dario Saric at 12, but are likely to trade him to the Sixers for the rights to
Elfrid Payton, per league source.
8:51pm
Dario Saric, from
Croatia, is technically drafted by the Magic at #12, but will not even be able
to enjoy it, since he's heading to the Sixers. Will be interesting to see if
Saric stays in Croatia until the SIxers improve. He currently has a three-year
deal in the EuroLeague.
Between Embiid who's
laid up in recovery for months and Saric who's under contract in another league...are
Philly fans patient enough for a long-term rebuild?
UPDATE: Based on this
post-presser photo, Saric looks excited to play in Philly--hopefully this will
make the Sixers fans keep hope alive for the future...
NBA @NBA
8:53pm
Fun fact about Croatia
basketball: Former Duke and Trailblazers guard Nolan Smith played against Saric
on Cibona Zagreb in Croatia last season. Smith is playing on the OKC Thunder
summer league team in Orlando. Summer League play starts on July 5th.
http://www.nba.com/news/2014-orlando-summer-league-schedule/index.html
9:06pm
And the Saric trade is
official, according to ESPN's Andy Katz. He needs to switch hats with Payton
and they both should re-take their hand-shake photos with Silver now.
Here is the trade:
Orlando sends rights to Dario Saric and will return Sixers pick in '15 and a
2nd in '15 for rights for Elfrid Payton.
These draft night
trades always make great trivia questions. Like in the 1993 draft--Chris Webber
was drafted #1 by the Orlando Magic, and then was traded shortly thereafter to
the Golden State Warriors. Most people believe that he was drafted by the
Warriors, but he only walked away from that deal with a hat.
9:15pm
Zach LaVine, a PG from
UCLA, is selected by the Timberwolves at #13. The drawback to having all of
these cameras in your face to catch your reaction is they catch any disappointing
looks you give (see: Danny Ferry, 1989 draft) and expletives you blurt out. The
Twitter-verse seems convinced that this statement ended in "me" even
if SB Nation isn't:
Hey, maybe no one has a
real clue what Zach LaVine said in this Vine. http://sbn.to/1izKOX7 https://vine.co/v/Mt9XBmjAhnO
According to NBA
insider DA, LaVine should forget about the SoCal sun and stock up on wool socks
and down jackets. I bet Kevin Love has some good advice for him...
Despite Zach LaVine's
seeming unhappiness at being drafted by Minnesota, the Wolves will keep him,
per league source.
9:25pm
For the final lottery
pick the Phoenix Suns take NC State forward TJ Warren at the 14th spot. Warren
was ACC Player of the Year last season, averaging 24.9 points and 7.1 rebounds
per game. This isn't a complete surprise, as Yahoo! reported earlier today that Warren sat in the green room
tonight because the Suns promised they would pick him.
9:35pm
We're ending this NBA LiveBlog
on a high note and the feel-good moment of the night.
Last week, Baylor
center Isaiah Austin was diagnosed with Marfan
syndrome, a genetic disorder that affects the body’s connective
tissue, and had to withdraw from the draft. Some abnormalities were discovered
during his physical at pre-draft camp in Chicago last month, which led to further
tests and the decision to end his playing career. He was expected to be a late
first round pick.
Austin was in the
Barclays Center tonight, and following the 15th pick (Adreian Payne, a PF from
Michigan State to the Atlanta Hawks), Adam Silver announced that the NBA drafts
Austin.
He walked to the stage,
accepted an NBA-logo hat and a hug from Commissioner Silver while the crowd at
Barclays gave him a standing ovation. It was a dream come true for Austin, and
an emotional moment for everyone watching.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3RAmHBWVVQo
Houston Rockets beat
writer Jenny Dial Creech reports that Austin has jobs waiting for him at Baylor
and the NBA once he graduates:
Baylor has offered Isaiah Austin a
coaching job and Adam Silver has offered him a job with the NBA after he earns
his degree.
NBA MVP Kevin Durant
loved it too:
Adam silver is such a classy man! That's love right there. I'm emotional
for him. Damn I love that
Between his handling of
the Donald Sterling debacle and this classy move, Silver is swiftly becoming
the "players commissioner."
Posts
23 comments:
Congrats if you made it to the end of this post! And I like the tags Teej
this might be the longest post in gtb history, as measured in column inches.
That's never how I've measured myself. Nice work, Shlara.
Shlara, you'll have to let us know what grade you get on this assignment (it sure as hell better be an "A").
Ugh:
http://www.si.com/nfl/2014/06/25/darren-sharper
I watched the first half of the US-Ghana game while on the elliptical. So today I'm skipping the bar and going home to the elliptical.
Bar for the 2nd half.
How do you measure Clarence?
This match has not been the most fun to watch. Howard has been under attack for basically all of the second half. Only chance for US is likely to get to PK's.
Wondo's chance was it for USMNT. Unfortunate for Howard was tremendous tonight.
Damn Yanks.
you measure clarence with a livestock scale, mr kq
Bittersweet day - US lost but I played Congressional with clients then watched in bar overlooking 18.
The Australian kid who beat Nadal today appears to be an extra from Jersey Shore--goofy haircut, rope chain with multiple pendants, diamond stud earring. He also appears to have zero muscle tone and a preposterously smooth and confident game.
Mr. KQ's last comment reminds me of the words of a lot of D-Day vets.
Heartbreaking loss today, but we were outclassed and lucky to be able to extend the game into extra time. We may have seen the end of Dempsey, Howard, Beasley and Bradley in the World Cup. Let's hope Bedoya, Green and Yedlin can be tomorrow's leaders.
At this point, I'm rooting for a "Big Four" semis of Brazil, Argentina, Germany and Holland. Hard to see how that would be dull.
I was prepared to have disdain for Louisa Thomas's Grantland article on Nadal's loss but it's spot on. If you're too disinterested to read it or click the links therein, you should check this out a minimum.
http://clips.wimbledon.com/g/v/k5mnfPTSaQt
This is exactly how I would expect Paulie D to play tennis.
Cleveland, what are you doing??
RT @WindhorstESPN Cavs believed to be preparing a max offer sheet for restricted free agent Gordon Hayward, sources said.
And the corpse of Ben Gordon apparently now receiving money for services via the Orlando basketball franchise.
Gordon's alive?
N I C E
T R
Dave didn't like "Ted" but the Sam J. Jones scene was enough for me to dig it.
Someone post something new & knock this down the page.
But, before then, I can't believe that none of you called me out for getting a Danny Ferry reference in this post.
I was hoping somebody would get that one. Teej served it up pretty nicely.
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