Friday, October 10th, 2008

2008 NBA Draft LIVE Blog

Case Closed breaks down the draft as it's happening

June 26, 2008

By Case Keefer

9:31- Talk about a plot twist - this one would be considered genius if a movie director came up with it. But this isn't Hollywood, it's just the NBA Draft. With the last pick of the first round, the Boston Celtics picked former KU player J.R. Giddens, who transferred to New Mexico after two years in Lawrence over Mario Chalmers. Chalmers will likely be picked in the second round but if a player isn't picked in the first round, he won't receive any guaranteed money. With the first round completed, I'm signing off on the live blog. Turns out history wasn't set with three KU players being picked in the first round but there's still a chance five could be taken overall.

9:24- The tension is mounting. The Boston Celtics have the only remaining pick in the first round and Mario Chalmers is still on the board. The Celtics may be forced to chose between Chalmers or Memphis guard Chris Douglas-Roberts. If you haven't tuned into the NBA Draft yet, now is the time to do so.

9:11- Darrell Arthur is victim to one of the stupidest NBA Draft protocols. He had to wear a New Orleans Hornets hat although the team had already traded the pick to the Portland Trailblazers. He went 27th overall. With two selections left in the first round, Mario Chalmers must be sweating it out. If he doesn't go in the first round, he won't get guaranteed money.

9:02- NBA rumor enthusiasts thought San Antonio promised Mario Chalmers it would take him if he was still available. They were wrong. The Spurs picked another combo guard - IUPI's George Hill. Four picks left in the first round and two Jayhawks who were thought to be going in it.

8:58- ESPN's Ric Bucher just reported Arthur may be slipping because of a kidney issue. Bucher said Arthur declined to have a physical for some teams who were interested in finding out if he was healthy enough to play. Meanwhile, Stuart Scott says that Arthur's mom quit her job to follow Arthur around in his NBA career. This just keeps getting more depressing for the Kansas forward.

8:49- For Darrell Arthur's sake, he hopefully didn't lease a new car or house because he's not going to be able to pay it off. Arthur continues to slip as the Seattle SuperSonics select Serge Ibaka, a forward from Congo with 17 siblings.

Doris Burke just interviewed Arthur about slipping and he seems lifeless: "Just waiting to see what team I'm going to go to," he said. Arthur is the last player invited by the NBA left in Madison Square Garden.

8:39- "This is just like Bucknell and Bradley," Kansan reporter Asher Fusco says. "The mid-majors are beating KU." The Magic picked Courtney Lee, a Western Kentucky guard. Two mid-major players and two international players have been picked but only one Jayhawk. It seemed inconceivable that Chalmers or Arthur would fall out of the first round. At this point, however, it could very well happen.

8:34- New Jersey selects California forward Ryan Anderson. Darrell Arthur and his family look like they went to a double-feature at the drive-in movie theater and the second movie was so horrible that they just wanted to go home. I'm talking M. Night Shyamalan bad. The Orlando Magic are the next team choosing. The Magic are supposedly interested in Mario Chalmers. Orlando would be a good fit for him.

8:27- Darrell Arthur's fall is becoming the predominant storyline of the NBA Draft. Larry Brown and the Charlotte Bobcats just picked 7-footer Alexis Ajinca from France. The New Jersey Nets have the next pick and if they pass on Arthur, he will not make $1 million next season. It's the last pick that guarantees a million dollar salary.

Jerryd Bayless was just interviewed by Andy Katz and he seems less than thrilled about being moved to Portland for Brandon Rush. I don't understand it. Portland is a much better team and Bayless is the newest part of a college dream team in the Northwest.

8:21- Darrell Arthur looks like someone just stole millions of dollars from him. Maybe that's because it's exactly what's happening. Because the money players make in their first contract is based on when they're taken, Arthur loses money every time someone is picked. The Cleveland Cavaliers just picked North Carolina State forward J.J. Hickson. Arthur was probably smiling at the prospect of playing with LeBron James but at this point, there's nothing left to smile about.

8:14- JaVale McGee - are you kidding me? Yeah, that rhymed. The Wizards just picked Nevada's McGee with the 18th pick. Look, Arthur might not be a great NBA player. He needs to work on his strength and isn't a great defender but JaVale McGee? Certainly, Arthur is a better prospect than him. Looks like Arthur is well on his way to being the last player picked that the NBA invited to attend the draft. Always an embarrassing title to own.

8:11- Roy Hibbert to the Indiana Pacers via the Toronto Raptors pick. Arthur is going to Washington Wizards with the next pick. I'm one-for-one with KU predictions. Let's see if I can stay perfect.

8:04- Another pick, another big man not named Darrell Arthur. The Philadelphia 76ers just chose Marreese Speights from Florida, which brings an interesting scenario for the next pick. The Toronto Raptors posses the 17th pick and were interested in Arthur but the former Kansas forward never worked out for the team. The general manager of the Raptors even called Arthur deceptive. But the Raptors will be drafting for the Indiana Pacers to complete a trade that sent Jermaine O'Neal to Toronto.

Chad Ford is also reporting a trade that would send Brandon Rush to the Indiana Pacers for Jerryd Bayless and another player. If Rush played in Indiana, he would join his brother Kareem Rush.

7:57- Darrell Arthur is getting dissed. The Phoenix Suns opted for Robin Lopez - the second-straight post player taken over Arthur. Most scouts ranked Arthur much higher than Lopez - except apparently the Suns and their general manager Steve Kerr.

7:52- With the final lottery selection, the Golden State Warriors pass on Darrell Arthur and go for LSU's Anthony Randolph. Jay Bilas has Arthur listed as his best player available. Randolph has bust written all over him. He'll spend two years in the league and then go to Europe.

7:50- Brandon Rush is going to be a champion again. The Portland Trailblazers picked Rush with the 13th pick. Portland is stocked with young players and will be a championship contender within the next five years. Rush couldn't have fallen into a better situation.

7:41- I was convinced the Kings were picking a KU guy. I just didn't know which one. Apparently, I was wrong. Sacramento just picked forward Jason Thompson of Rider, the first senior taken and the first player who isn't in New York. Thompson could be an under-rated pick. Here come the Trailblazers...I still think they're taking Brandon Rush.

7:38- Bayless has the best suit of the night so far. He's wearing white from head to toe and acts sincere in his interview with Smith. This guy should definitely help the Pacers with their lingering image problem as a result of guys like Jamaal Tinsley.

7:34- Brook Lopez's interview with Stephen A. Smith is easily the most bizzare so far. Lopez says he's lately trying to emulate his brother Robin's game. Robin is widely considered to be the inferior twin. Kansan sports reporter Jesse Temple responds by yelling out: "Why would he want to emulate HIS game?" I want to know too, Jesse.

Arizona's Jerryd Bayless is picked by the Indiana Pacers. Some people call Lopez a steal. I'll call Bayless one. Three years from now, he'll be a very good NBA player.

7:30- Stanford center Brook Lopez was beginning to look like a sad puppy. A week ago, it was rumored that Lopez would go number three to the Minnesota Timberwolves. But he fell all the way to 10 for the New Jersey Nets. It was a pick the Nets had to make. If it doesn't work out, no one will blame the organization for trying. If Lopez does excel, the Nets got a great deal.

7:25- For a while, it looked like former Kansas coach Larry Brown might coach collegiately once again. He spoke about wanting to coach amateurs during the NCAA Tournament before signing with the NBA's Charlotte Bobcats. The consensus coming into the draft was that Brown needed a big man for the Bobcats but they just picked D.J. Augustin. The Texas guard has an opportunity to be an above-averaged NBA point guard.

Augustin on playing for Larry Brown: "I'm used to tough coaches and I'm ready to play for Coach Brown."

7:16- The first five words out of Knicks general manger Donnie Walsh defending the Galinari pick to Wendi Nix are, "he has an unusual package." Good thing to have for a dude with the nickname of 'the Cock'. OK, maybe I went too far but come on Walsh, you set yourself up for that one. The Bucks pick West Virginia's Joe Alexander.

7:13- Hutton reports that extra security is brought to protect Galinari as he walks by the crowd. The Clippers select Eric Gordon and no one seems to notice. As funny as it is, it's hard not to feel bad for Galinari. He probably should have stayed at home in Italy and watched the draft instead of going through this nightmare.

7:06- Mike D'Antoni's first pick as the Knicks head coach is.....Danillo Galinari. Galinari is greeted by thousands of fans booing. Welcome to America, Danillo. Tom Hutton, our Madison Square Garden correspondent, reports that Knicks fans are planning to throw things at the Italian big man.

He looks like he is about to cry in the interview with Smith. This is truly hysterical. "I like to win and be good teammate," he says, over chants of 'You Suck.' Did I mention his nickname translates to 'The Cock' in English? That's some ridicule-laden headlines waiting to happen.

6:59- According to our New York correspondent, the Knicks fans are heckling Danilo Gallinari by yelling 'go play soccer' and 'go back to Europe.' Let's hope the Knicks select Gallinari with the sixth pick. I have a feeling the boos would register on a Richter scale.

The Grizzlies pick Kevin Love. Solid pick. I'm a big fan of Love but it seems like he'll be hit-or-miss professionally. If he was on a team like Kansas State last season, his statistics would have been Beasley-esque. He's a great passer, rebounder and shooter but is he athletic and big enough to be an NBA frontcourt player? We'll find out.

6:55- When your franchise player looks like he's only clapping because he has to, you know there's a problem. That's exactly what Kevin Durant did when the Seattle SuperSonics selected UCLA guard Russell Westbrook.

Sure, Westbrook has some upside and obvious talent. But pick number four? Really? What is this? Stuart Scott announces Westbrook was 'third-team All Pac 10'. Nuff said. That means at least 10 players in Westbrook's own conference were better than him last year. Kansan reporters Jesse Temple and Asher Fusco are equally outraged.

6:50- An update from our Madison Square Garden correspondent: The New York fans are unhappy with the Timberwolves' selection of O.J. Mayo. Apparently the Knicks faithful thought they still had a chance at the USC combo guard.

Secretly, Mayo must be fuming as well. Patty Riles played with his heart like the Backstreet Boys song by acting like the Heat might draft him. Visions of palm trees and pina coladas filled Mayo's head but now he's set to spend at least the next few years in Minnesota freezing. Sorry, O.J.

6:46- Beasley's interview with Stephen A. Smith is uneventful. He answers the questions with cliches but seems generally relieved. The Miami Heat draft night hats are god-awful. They look a high school baseball team's caps with a two-toned 'MH' in the middle. Montpeiler Heights?

6:43- Thank God. The Heat take Beasley. He could still be traded. I expect him or Shawn Marion to be gone by the end of the night. Either way, I'm extremely relieved. I never doubted you, Patty Riles. Yes, that's Pat Riley's new name.

6:38- Derrick Rose said he might faint if the Bulls select him with the first pick. He lied. Instead, he just calmly shakes Stern's hand and tries to act surprised.

I'm not going to lie. I'll lay my bias out there for everyone - I'm a Miami Heat fan. My fingers are crossed that Miami will select Beasley. If not, it's a huge mistake. We'll find out in less than two minutes. I'm sporting my Dwyane Wade jersey tonight by the way.

6:31- Stern takes the podium cloaked in a plain suit and a light blue tie. He receives primarily boos from the Madison Square Garden crowd, especially when he refers to the venue as 'home of the New York Liberty'. Never heard of them. Oh, it's a shameless WNBA plug. Nevermind.

6:24 - "Wendi Nix is looking a little more slim these days," a fellow Kansan reporter says. "She must have gone on Kanye's work-out plan." Kansan business reporter Asher Fusco is admiring Danilo Gallinari's bowl-cut simultaneously.

6:16- ESPN's Doris Burke just interviewed O.J. Mayo for the first time tonight. I didn't listen to what he said. I was too distracted with his outfit. Apparently, he took fashion tips from Morgan Freeman because he looks exactly like him.

6:00- Kansas basketball history is going to be made tonight. Brandon Rush, Darrell Arthur and Mario Chalmers will all be selected in the first round - the first time in Jayhawk history three players will be taken that early. Sasha Kaun and Darnell Jackson are likely to be taken in the second round, which again would be a school record with five total players taken. So why not add one more monumental occasion to the night? That's where the Kansan live blog comes in. For the first time ever, Kansan.com will be right with you throughout the night's festivities.

It might be an hour or longer before the first time NBA commissioner David Stern says 'from the University of Kansas' but there's still plenty of Big 12-centered intrigue. Correct that - Michael Beasley-centered intrigue.

Former Memphis point guard Derrick Rose is widely believed to be the first selection by the Chicago Bulls, which leaves Beasley right in the lap of Miami Heat General Manager Pat Riley, right? Maybe not. Apparently, Riley isn't sold on Beasley and might select O.J. Mayo. Riley could, however, just simply be bluffing to try to get the best offer for the second pick. Not too long until we find out.

As for the KU players, it looks like the first one will be taken somewhere in between the 10-13 range. I have a feeling that if the Portland Trailblazers don't trade away pick No. 13, they will pick Brandon Rush. Yesterday at the media session in New York, Rush talked a lot about Portland. Julian Wright, who went No. 14 to the New Orleans Hornets in last year's draft, said that players have a lot better idea of where they will end up than they let on because of individual workouts. Seems like Rush thinks he's going to Portland - so he probably will. Don't forget the Kevin Pritchard, the Trailblazers GM who played at Kansas, factor, either. Surely he'd like to select a Jayhawk.

Chalmers has shot up Chad Ford's mock draft in the last few days, all the way up to number 12 to the Sacramento Kings. I'm not buying it. I'd expect him to go around pick 20 and if he falls to 22, the Orlando Magic will certainly gobble him up. Arthur should go somewhere in between the two.

I failed to mention that a Case Closed correspondent is at Madison Square Garden tonight - my former high school buddy Tom Hutton. Hutton has already contributed one great piece of information.

"Kevin Durant is here," our correspondent said via text message. "I just touched him."

More dire information to come from Mr. Hutton. Meanwhile, Andy Katz just confirmed the Bulls will take Derrick Rose. Big surprise. And oh no, here comes Dick Vitale. Save me. This could be a long night. I need some Coca Cola Cherry Zero.

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