The Commish: 2007 Draft Reactions

Nothing serious here, just my reactions to each pick from the 1st round of Thursday's NBA Draft. One thing I will say is that, as was the case last year, I was underwhlemed with talent of this Draft. My nigga Tony, however, was excited as usual. No, he has a particular man-crush for any young ballers that show even glimpses of talent...he's an extreme optimist with these things. And his common refrain around Draft time is that many teams are a few moves or pieces away from crashing the playoof/contender party and the Draft can ead to a squad makin a power move. My thinking going in was that none of these rubes available had that capacity. My favorite player in college, far above everyone else, was Randy Foye. i LOVE that niggas game, similar to how I loved Chris Paul's game last year and maybe even more. But outside of him, I was short on the rest of the dudes. But then Draft started progressing and I found myself continuing to think, "Woa, that was good pick up for that squad, they're looking interesting next year." Unlike this past Draft-class, which sucked, I think that this class, although underwhelming, has a chance to make some noise next season. Anyways, let's get at it...


1 Toronto -- Andrea Bargnani - PF: I like the pick, I guess. More than anything, though, Toronto seems soft and this perimiter drifting euro big man aint gettin at no toughness. But he looks like he has a lot of game, a ton of it even and Colangelo has a track record when it comes to talent-eyeing that I won't questions.

But what I'm saying is: tru, Bargnani/Bosh/Charlie front court sounds hype. But them dudes ain't strong. If I can guess, Colangelo's next move is to get some shooters and distributing point guard and build a team similar to Phoenix. Based on what his teams tend to look like, Bargnani was a better pick that kats like Aldridge or Thomas.

2 Chicago (Traded to Portland) -- LaMarcus Aldridge - PF: Not only is Adam Morrisson gonna be a better pro than Aldridge, but he's also a huge star in the Pacific Northwest. So if Portland is gonna use this Chi pick via a trade, why not pick Morrisson? I see Morrisson ending his career averaging 18 points and 6 or 7 boards a game, a few clutch playoff performances and a even 2 or 3 All-Star games. I see Aldridge more closely resembling Stromile Swift than Chris Bosh. But that's just what I see. I know, that Morrisson is gonna have a solid career, though. So why make this trade with the Bulls and kop Aldridge. I don't necessarily like Aldridge and I don't like this pick.

3 Charlotte -- Adam Morrison - SF: You already know what I think about Morrisson. He won't be a superstar and he won't ever be a top 10 or even top 15 pro. But I think he'll be real solid -- and this is coming from a dude that doesn't even get down with Morrisson too tough. His crying episode was corny, doing things like banging the ball against your head after rebounds is wack and the gait on his running stride hurts my penis. But the dude balls. Him and Ray-Ray will do their thing. Good pick for the Bobcats.

4 Portland (Traded to Chicago) -- Tyrus Thomas - PF: Chicago is effin loaded. John Paxson is doing his thing with that squad. I didnt see Ty too much during college season and I'm too high on him. But I think he'll be one of those game-changin dudes, like Marcus Camby, except Ty actually has a sweet looking jumper. Plus this gives Chicago some latitude to deal Chandler. I'm feeling this pick.

5 Atlanta -- Shelden Williams - PF: Everyone was screaming before the draft about how stupid Billy Knight was to pick Shelden this high. My nigga Tony even called the prspect of Shelden going No. 5 "gross". But here's the gist of the matter: Yes Dumars, Paxson, Colangelo, Riles, Walsh, Bass and a few other prescient and skilled GMs would have brokered a deal where they would have moved down a few spots, still got Shelden and aquired a player, future pick or cash in a trade with another squad. Knight is not that nigga. But he still did what he had to do. Moreso than anyone left in this Draft, Shelden was the dude for the Hawks. They got enough swingman to fill an arena. This squad needs a mature anchor and Shelden is that dude. I think he'll be every bit as good as Boozer, maybe better, because he's slightly more athletic. I like this pick.

6 Minnesota(Traded to Portland) -- Brandon Roy - SG: Everyone is really, really high on Roy. Some said he was the best in the draft, others said he was most ready. I think his game is real slick. He's got a lot of heady moves. Always seems under control. To me, he plays like a right-handed Jalen Rose, but with slightly less ability to run a squad. So that's what Portland is getting, a right-handed J-Rose (and JRose just so happened to be my second favorite collegiate player of all-time (1. kenny Anderson, 2. J Rose, 3. Alonzo Mourning, 4. Larry Johnson, 5. Chris Jackson)). I can't see Roy being a top 15 player ever in his career, but like Rose, he'll be one of those dudes in that next ring of players, I think. And his career might turn out to be a little consistent, too. On the other hand, I can see him gettin bottled up, too, and turning into a 6th or7th man. Ultimately, good pick for Portland. It's hard to know where this team is going with all the trades and the likelihood they are still trying to deal Zach and Miles, but Roy is a good pick.

7 Boston (Traded to Portland, then Minnesota) -- Randy Foye - SG: Foye on Minny is an excellent look. You already know I'm in love with his game. Plus that nigga hails from The Bricks. You think he bumps Redman? Foye and Gangsta Rick is an ill backcourt, but not the most patient. And with Casey runnin the show on the sidelines, that could be a problem. To tell you the truth, Marcus Williams is probably a better look at this spot, but still you pick Foye because he's a stunna and u never know if Gangsta Rick or KG is staying. Put it like this: anyone that picked Foye made a good pick.

8 Houston (Traded to Memphis) -- Rudy Gay - SF: I was hoping upon hope that Foye would slide to Houston at 8. That wouldve been the dopest trio if he teamed up with Tracy and Yao. But when they called Gay's name, I'm thinkin "hecky yeah!". I don't think Gay is necessairly a franchise player, because I don't think he's wired that way, but in a situation like Yao-Tracy-then Gay, you're looking at lights out. The Houston Chronicle said that the crowd, watching the Draft on the jumbotron at Houston's arena, were chanting "Rudy, Rudy, Rudy." They knew that, maybe Gay had a few questions about his motivation and heart, and that those questions make him a questionable pick at No. 1 (which is where he was predicted at the begginning of the season); but getting dude at No. 8 was a steal. But then Carroll Dawson goes and makes a trade where he send Gay (a real threat to be a top 10 nigga in 5 years) and Stromile (a bit of dissapointment in Houston, but still a viable option at the 4) to Memphis for FRIGGIN Shane Battier. I don't use this expression often, but WTF?!?!?!!!

You know why none of you have ever heard about Carroll Dawson? Because he's not a managing genius. He's not especially great at his job. But Jerry West is. What kind of face do you think he was making while on the phone with Dawson when this deal was goin down? I guarantee he put his hand over the receiver and whispered to the rest of his staff in war-room "Guess what, this nigga Dawson is about to give Gay and throw in Stromile, just for Shane!!!!" Don't forget, Stromile had good seasons in Memphis. So West and Fratello are getting a potential superstar and a serviceable big man for a pedestrian small forward.

Now granted. Shane can knock down some threes. He plays very heady ball and excellent defense. He's just the ype of player that Van Gundy likes and utilizes well. So, in essence and in theory, it's a great pick-up for the Rockets...especially since Houston might be lookin at Tracy's back and sayin "let's try to get this championship within 3 years" And, yes, I think Shane brings you closer to that point (right now) then maybe Gay would. But how do u get duped in to offering Gay and Swift just for Shane. Unless Houston wins a championship, I think it'll go down as one of the worse Draft-day trades ever. Put it like this: If Carroll has Battier and West drafted Gay, West wouldve gotten Shane and next year's first round pick for Gay...instead it was the other way around. A classic dupe move.

9 Golden State -- Patrick O'Bryant - C: Bryant looks like a softy. He also looks like he was an oreo in high school and college. I can't stand oreos. I'd have taken Hilton Armstrong over him. Or used some of their assets to move up and get a Ty Thomas or something. Or maybe address the 3-spot, since they seemed to have soured on Dunleavy. Like draft Carney or somethin. This is where the fact that the talent in this drafts sux makes G State's job difficult. But this O'Bryant dude looked unathletic and meek. I can;t stand oreos and I can't stand meek big men. Not meek in a noble sort of way like David Robinson..and even then, the Admiral was so explosive, it made up for his meekness. Nope, this oreo with a white dude's name was meek in a "I'm a softie that grew up always feeling awkward about being tall, so i'm an introverted pansy" kind of way. He'll drift along for 10-15 years in the league, solely because he's tall...maybe average a doble-double like (10-10) a couple years. I can;t stand oreos, though.

10 Seattle -- Mouhamed Saer Sene - C: What killed me about this pick was the raction it got from the sports-writers I was watching it with. Mind you, these are men that cover the NBA full-time, instead of part-time like I do (although, like it is for my nigga Gee, "it's a full-time job" regardless of whether I cover it or not)....anyways when Stern calls this african's name, they all erupt and start saying things like, "What. Where did he come from? Who is he?" blah, blah, blah. They acted like that came out of nowhere, even though EVERY draftnik had him going to Seatlle on the various draft boards. All throughout the evening I found myself thinking, "Do these men know about the sport they cover?" Nother story for another day.

This pick says or does nothing for me. What is this saying about Robert Swift, though? Are they done with him? Either way, Seatle just picked another project-big man...way to go, u pack of doofeses.

11 Orlando -- J.J. Redick - SG: I like this pick. Make teams pay for doubling down on Dwight. Get lots of kickouts from Jameer. Redick is the best shooter I've ever seen coming out college. Yeah, I said. He won't be a star, but if Hill can implement a defense to make up for Redick and Jameer's deficiencies, this was great pick up for Orlando. At the press conference that night, Otis Smith said the Magic didn't have their eye on anyone else.

In other news, my nigga Andrew or as I like to call him, The Carter, hates his guts. The Carter, if you remember, hated McCants' guts as well. Well after the Draft I headed to the Noble Palace to join former co-workers as we celebrated Young Seph's college graduation (Young Seph is kid brother to star columnist Cardo Maese). The Carter was there, drinking Miller Lite and excoriating Redick. He thinks Redick is a-hole. And he might be. I, on the other hand, think a lot of Redick's actions were the only thing a human being could do if he were to survive under the waves of wrath Redick was subjected to. His actions were reactions and appropriate reactions, in my estimation. I like athletes with chips on their shoulders. What I don't like, however, is to hear other sportswriters say they like Redick's chip and cockiness (like they were saying Thursday night) when I know that same fondness would not be bestowed upon a brown player (The Carter was obviously was not one of these guys).

The Carter's problem always stems from some encounter he had with such players when he was covering NC State for the school paper. Redick probably asked The Carter to stop staring at his package or McCants probably refused to answer a question like, "So Rashaad I wanna know...I mean, the women of NC State wanna know: How's It Hangin...I mean Boxers or Briefs." And based on some finite encounters, The Carter draws sweeping character assessments and relegates them to the box labeled "Bad Human Beings". Now, I'm not even gonna dispute if The Carter's assessment is correct or not, it probably is, actually. My thing is this, if dude can ball, he can ball. I don't care if I like your attitude or not. My favorite player in the league is Kobe and I think he's one of the corniest human beings on earth. In this case, Redick can shoot ridiculously well and has abit of a game to go with it. Good pick for the Magic.

12 NO/Oklahoma City -- Hilton Armstrong - C: I really like this pick. If Byron can find some way to get through to J.R. or get past whatever it was that had J.R. ridin pine last year..then that means you have a nucleus of Lil Chrissy -- the illest point guard in league other than Nash and old-man Ason 'No J' Kidd -- J.R., David West and Hilton. You start adding vets and this team gets scary. They almost made the playoffs last year. Greg Anthony made a very good point when he went through the list of players from UCONN and basically said: Calhoun sends legit niggas to the L. I agree. I'm expecting a solid and productive career from Armstrong.

13 Philadelphia (Traded to Chicago) -- Thabo Sefolosha - SF: I have no idea who this nigga is. I just know that he's from France. But did anyone see his highlights? this nigga's game is friggin sick. It was explosive, slick. Nigga was catchin the ball dipping his shoulder, driving to the paint, then corssing back to the wing and doing that good stuff. Once again, Paxson and the Bulls pick a good one. He may not crack the ritation next year, but I could easily see him being instant offense in 5 minute spurts off the bench and, at this point, Chicago is so deep that thats all they need (especially since one of their problems is scoring droughts).

14 Utah -- Ronnie Brewer - SG: Uhhh. Don't really acre about the Jazz and I'll never care about the Jazz. I think Brewer can be a Marquis Daniels and thats it. Now, I love Marquis, as one of those dudes that aren't stars, but you like their game and like to see them do well. I think Brewer has that potential. Problem is that he plays for the Jazz and I will never give an F about that squad.

15 NO/Oklahoma City (via Bucks) -- Cedric Simmons - PF: I like this pick for NO too. Another big body down low. If he pans out, the Hornets are looking really good for the future. He won't be a star by any stretch, just like most in this draft. But I think he has the potential to be a solid "rotation-guy" and thats what well-built teams are made of.

16 Chicago (Traded to Philadelphia) -- Rodney Carney - SF: Unless Philly plans on running Dre at the 2 spot, I don't understand this pick. I like Carney and all, but not necessarily for Philly. And Philly, by the way, is in a shambles. They wasted AI's career.

17 Indiana -- Shawne Williams - SF: Bird and Walsh are apparently intent on blowing up this franchise. They reportedly wanna trade O'Neal. Pedja opted out of his contract. They don't want Tinsley anymore. It's sad...because if they couldve made Ron-Ron work, they'd have had a champ contender every year. Now, they look to be starting from scratch. I'm a Walsh fan, he does well with personnell decisions. Let's see how this turns out. As far as the pick, don't have much to say about dude, since I've never seen him play.

18 Washington -- Olexsiy Pecherov - PF: As you know, the Wizards -- my hometown team -- play a close second to the Lakers for my hearts affection. Leading up to the Draft I had several convos with the DC crew about how we'd use this pick. I always said, trade it. Noone this deep in the draft made sense for us. We're a piece away from contending and this draft was talented enough to address that problem at No. 18. Tony liked Boone and I did too. So I wouldnt have balked at that pick. All of them liked Marcus Williams here, since we all thought he'd be a steal if he dropped this low, but I'm not a fan of moving Gil off the ball or starting an undersized, soft defensive backcout like Gil and Marcus. But picking another project-big man is just unnacceptable.

But, Grunfield has a track record that I respect. In each of his stops, he's built formidable teams and he showed considerable patience and insight with his moves last summer, namely: letting Hughes walk and bringing in Caron and Daniels. Here's what I think he's doing here: getting a younger version of Twain. If you looked at the highlights, this euro-dude can do alo of the things Jamison does now. And next year, if Jamison wants to walk because we won't pay him more than 8 mil/year, well we have a semi-clone we can insert for a quarter of that price and use the remaining millions to go after a pricey big-man. Thats speculation, though, but I'm more apt to trust Ernie and his decisions than immediately start questioning them.

19 Sacramento -- Quincy Douby - SG: Sac has a loaded squad, especially if they can resign Bonz. They werent gonna do too much to improve with this pick anyway...so why, not right? Not necessarily. Boone is still out there, but GMs are sound asleep. Ultimately, i dont care either way about this pick, Sac is still hurtin niggas next year.

20 New York (via Nuggets) -- Renaldo Balkman - SF: I didn't see this guy play. But I'm definitely not up in arms about the pick. Do people understand how talented the Knicks are? Who were they gonna pick up that was as good as the guys they already have? My nigga Chuck, a lifelong Knicks fan, said it best that night when he talked about Balkman being a hardnose competitor that the Kicks lack. I'll roll with that logic. I think people just have this corny knee-jerk reaction to everything that Zeke does and it annoys me. I hope my nigga steps out of the office and onto the sidelines and wins 45-50 next year. Think it won't happen? I'm callin it now. That squad is loaded. Last year's problem was Larry Brown was a complaining bish and though he could tank the season as a "told you so" to Isaiah and get the squad revamped to his liking. Dolan told that cornball what the deal was, though. Them niggas oin that squad like Zeke. He's an idol to them. I think they want him to succeed now that pressure's on. I can't wait till it's May and the Knicks are looking in the playoof hunt.

21 Phoenix (Traded to Boston) -- Rajon Rondo - PG: Don't exactly know what Boston is doing. Rondo and Bassy? I like the Bassy trade, but then why select Rondo? I'm also not a huge Rondo fan. Although I think he'll be a solid pro, but in a 25-minute player kinda way, maybe a solid starter. But I'd love it if he proves me wrong. But he won't do it on a squad with Bassy and Delonte already holding things down. Where are u goin with this one Danny?

22 New Jersey (via Clippers) -- Marcus Williams - PG: The best point guard in the draft studying under the best point guard of the last decade and one of the 6 or 7 greatest point guards of all-time? Rod Thorn did his thing with this pick. And I can't believe Marcus fell this far. Greg Anthony said this might be another 1988 when Mark Jackson fell to the late first round because of weight-athleticism issue and ended up winning rookie of the year and becoming one of the greatest floor leaders of his generation. I'm not gonna argue that Marcus' career can mirror that.

23 New Jersey -- Josh Boone - C: I'm so happy I get to see Boone and Marcus at the summer league in a couple weeks in Orlando. I think Boone is gonna surprise al ot niggas and step in and be a real force for Jersey...and I mean this year. He won't be vying for a spot on the All-Star team...but come playoff time I bet this dude is a valuable piece of the Nets rotation.

24 Memphis -- Kyle Lowry - PG: I was tellin Chuck that I wouldve much rather seen Lowry go to NJ than Marcus, because Marcus is ready right now and doesnt need the tutoring that Lowry does. But, oh well. West knows how to pick em. Lowry is built like an ox, a full-back almost, I like how he'd bully other guards on defense as sophomore. And his O-game was coming along. I don't know if Fratello's offense is the best for him..but Lowry-Gay is a sick tandem, i theory, for the next 10 years.

25 Cleveland -- Shannon Brown - SG: We enetered the sleepy stage of the draft long ago. I'm very invested in the Cavaliers, because Bronny means so much to the league. I couldnt care less about Shannon Brown, because Cleveland's progression will hinge upon LeBron's continued maturation and whatever Ferry does of the free-agent front./ This pick means nothing.

26 LA Lakers (via Heat) -- Jordan Farmar - PG: So the Heat get a title and we get Farmar? haha. Its all good though, the Heat have lots of pressing matters when their squad is coughing dust, Wade is nearing free agency and they'll be paying Shaq 20 mil for 25 minutes on the floor and periodic double-doubles. That's why getting that championship this year was so urgent for them. And that's why I still think that the trade was a logical move. Miami will find that out when theyre hamstrung next year. LA already won 3 titles, they were looking at trying to be in this position 5 years from now and I think we will. I like where we're headed and I really like this pick. Smush had flashes, but he was too erratic, too foten. Which is why Kupchak picked a point guard. If nothing else, Farmar is poised and smart. I think he'll fit in well and I'm looking forward to welcoming him to the squad. I think he's in the starting lineup by All-Star break, at he latest.

27 Phoenix (Traded to Portland) -- Sergio Rodriguez - PG: Have no idea what this does for Portland and I don't care either.

28 Dallas -- Maurice Ager - SG: I don't think Dallas needs another SG, but thats what u do at this point. U go for the best available player and Ager has some game with him.

29 New York (via Spurs) -- Mardy Collins - PG: I doubt he cracks the Knicks rotation this season. But Collins is a good ball player. Plus, Zeke may still have some wheelin and dealin to be done this summer, so it never hurts to have assets. Good pick this late in the draft.

30 Portland (via Pistons) -- Joel Freeland - PF: Have no clue about this dudes game and couldnt care less what this does for the Blazers.