Live Blog: 2009 NBA Draft

7:30 pm - Welcome to my live-blog effort for the 2009 NBA Draft. The NBA Draft is infinitely more interesting to me than the NFL Draft because of the immediate impact the players chosen can have. It's going to take Matthew Stafford 3 years (at least) to develop. Blake Griffin? He might come out with 15 ppg next season, helping the Clippers seem relatively respectable. Ok, so that's not quite possible, but you know what I mean. Anyway, it appears to me (and many others) that this draft is short on stars, but long on depth. There should be a lot of NBA rotation players that come out of this draft who play many minutes for many years to come. If you're lucky, your team will actually pick a guy who produces for your team, not another team several years down the road.

7:34 pm - David Stern is talking some jibber-jabber right now, so I'll go ahead and give you two cents:
-- Griffin is going #1, but then it gets interesting.
-- It appears Memphis will draft UConn center Hasheem Thabeet second, even though he cancelled his workout with them and has no interest in going there (the NBA, where a lowly team drafting a player who doesn't want to play for them happens!).
-- This is where things really get cranked up. Oklahoma City is picking 3rd, and I've heard everyone from Stephen Curry to James Harden to Ricky Rubio being selected. If I'm OKC, I pick up Curry, who plays well of the ball, because his skills complement last year's rookie sensation Russell Westbrook remarkably well in the backcourt. A nucleus of Kevin Durant, Jeff Green, Nenad Krstic, Russell Westbrook, Stephen Curry, Thabo Sefolosha, and the other guy you draft at #25? Don't mind if I do.
-- If Rubio is available at 4, Sacramento will select him. Maybe maybe maybe Tyreke Evans, but most likely Rubio.
-- Since Minnesota has the next two choices, they need to take Tyreke Evans and James Harden. If Harden goes to OKC at 3, they need to select Curry instead. Either way, they need to fix their backcourt to go along with their decent frontcourt staples Kevin Love and Al Jefferson.

7:39 pm - The Clippers take Oklahoma forward Blake Griffin with the first pick. Shocker.

7:41 pm - HE CAN TALK! Even though he got more press than anyone during the 2008-2009 college basketball season, I probably only heard (at most) one interview of his. And I watch a lot of sports. So it's relieving for me to see that he, in fact, does speak, and speaks well.

7:45 pm - "Next up on the clock is a Memphis Grizzlies team that needs...pretty much everything." Well said, Stuart Scott; well said. The Grizzlies are terrible and they need to trade this pick in order to get some more assets. I like a lot of their roster, but they need a good veteran to really make them better. Not another project.

7:46 pm - Memphis take Hasheem Thabeet at #2. This is just a bad pick. Yes, he can block shots, but that's about it. The comparisons to Dikembe Mutombo are dumb, because at least Mutombo had some semblance of an offensive game coming out of Georgetown. Thabeet doesn't. And was the only one who saw DeJuan Blair kill him twice last season? You know, the only other good low post player he played all year? Dumb pick. There are reasons why the Grizzlies are the Grizzlies. This is one of them.

7:52 pm - And Harden is the pick for OKC. Not a bad move. He's a great scorer and should complement the abilities of Westbrook and Durant well. The only thing that concerns me is that he liked to dominate the ball at Arizona State, whether it was scoring or passing. With Westbrook also needing the ball (and playing point guard), Harden will need to find a way to be just as effective with less touches.

7:55 pm - Mark Jones, while interviewing Harden after the pick, asks him about shaving his facial hair because his mother doesn't like it much. Weird, I get those same questions...usually from my own mom, though, not a guy from ESPN.

7:57 pm - Hmm, interesting. Sacramento just took Tyreke Evans. I thought they'd take Rubio for the "long-term upside" and all of that, but apparently I was wrong. Now, the draft just got my attention, because I have no idea what Minnesota is going to do with these next two picks. I'm thinking Curry is one of them, but I'm not sure Minnesota wants Rubio. I guess we'll see.

8:03 pm - Ricky Rubio goes 5th to Minnesota. His face seemed somewhat reserved. It's almost like he knows how cold Minnesota is from October to April. Oh, and that it's one of the smallest markets in the NBA. How's that gonna go over for his marketing team? At least he's getting big time dollars for his "troubles".

8:07 pm - Can we put the kibosh on the "Ricky Rubio-Pete Maravich" comparisons right now? I mean, it's just ridiculous. Maravich was one of the more prolific scorers in college history, and scored at will in the NBA. You know what people say Rubio's biggest question mark is? Scoring. It's just silly to compare the two. Please stop.

8:08 pm - Jeff Van Gundy is talking about Rubio needing a mentor, someone who will support him as his backup. Minnesota's current backup? Sebastian Telfair. Yep, there's a mentor.

8:10 pm - With the 6th pick, Minnesota takes Jonny Flynn from Syracuse. They have to trade him, right? There's no sense in taking two point guards who are identical. I think they may already have a deal in place. This just doesn't feel right to me.

8:16 pm - Wow. Golden State just took Stephen Curry at #7. They just traded Jamal Crawford to Atlanta, so that lessens the crowd in the backcourt somewhat, but they still have a ton of guards. I'm not quite sure why they didn't pick Jordan Hill to play down low alongside Andris Biedrins. I'm intrigued to see how this will work out.

8:21 pm - Jordan Hill, forward from Arizona, goes 8th to the Knicks. He's a big boy with mobility, so I think he's gonna do well in coach Mike D'Antoni's frenetic system. He and David Lee could form a nice duo down low. Poor Jordan. He's getting booed by the New York crowd because he's not Steph Curry. Really, that's the only reason. And Curry wasn't even on the board. I know New York City is a tough town, but sheesh.

8:27 pm - Toronto picks DeMar DeRozan, wing from USC, 9th. This is a pretty good pick. Toronto needs athleticism and a scorer on the wing. DeRozan started slowly for the Trojans, but came on like a freight train at the end, leading USC to the Pac-10 championship. If he continues his development at such a steep curve, he'll be one of Toronto's best players by the end of the season. Unfortunately for DeRozan, Toronto is still in Canada, and going from LA to Toronto to play a winter sport just doesn't seem that enticing.

8:32 pm - Surprise, surprise. Milwaukee selects Brandon Jennings with the #10 pick. He's sort of an unknown because he didn't play college ball and had sporadic playing time in Europe. If he thought he was off the grid in Europe, he ain't seen nothin' yet. Milwaukee is like another planet. There aren't 10 guys in the NBA who would choose Milwaukee as a free agent destination, no matter the money. Chances of Jennings opting out of his contract the first chance he gets? 100%.

8:39 pm - New Jersey just took Terrence Williams at #11. I'd heard earlier that he had been given a guarantee by the Nets, so not a big surprise. Charlotte, however, really wanted him at 12, so now they are probably wondering what to do. And when Michael Jordan wonders whom to draft, hilarity ensues. Kwame Brown and Adam Morrison aren't available this year, so maybe they'll stumble into a decent pick. Is it a good thing or a bad thing that they're likely wondering which Tar Heel to take with the pick? You decide.

8:45 pm - Uh oh. This isn't good. Charlotte just made a solid draft pick by taking Gerald Henderson. This might mean bad things in the grand scheme of the world. Add in the fact that he's a Blue Devil, and hell might be seeing a temperature drop right about now. I like the pick. The Bobcats have needed more scoring from the wing for a couple of seasons now, and Henderson should provide that. I'm a little concerned that he was essentially a "one-year wonder" in college, but hopefully last season was a harbinger of things to come as opposed to a fluke statistical increase.

8:51 pm - For everybody wondering where Tyler Hansbrough would go, there's your answer. Indiana takes him at 13, hoping that he'll provide the muscle and intensity down low that they've been sorely lacking for two seasons now. I'm a bit skeptical of his defense and face-up game, but he should be a productive player for the Pacers for years to come. Tyler, you're a lucky man. Indianapolis is my favorite city in the world, and I'm envious of your relocation there. Tell Peyton I said hello.

8:56 pm - Uh, this is awkward. Phoenix (who apparently is working on a deal to trade Amare' Stoudemire) selects Earl Clark from Louisville at #14. Clark is a tremendous talent who can do a number of things on the floor. He's a remarkably talented player, whose only draw back is his reticence. If he gets a bit more aggressive, we're gonna look back on this pick as a steal. However, the weird part happened afterward when it was announced that Clark wasn't present...but Brandon Jennings was. He was late coming to the Draft, so they decided to bring him out after the #14 pick despite the fact that he was chosen 10th. It's probably not a good thing when your draft pick shows up late. Maybe he heard that he was drafted by Milwaukee and tried to go into hiding. Yeah, that was probably it.

9:02 pm - BAD PICK ALERT. It's Joe Dumars selecting, so we shouldn't be surprised, but I still don't like him picking Austin Daye, forward from Gonzaga, at #15. I mean, this guy is 6'11" 190 lbs. How, exactly, is he supposed to contribute right away? Detroit made the playoffs this year, yes, but they also were the 8-seed in a terrible East. Are they getting better with this pick? Nope. Daye, by all accounts, has a good work ethic so he'll be able to put on weight. But when? 2011? 2012? Will Rasheed Wallace even be alive then? I just don't get it. The point of the draft is to get better, and I honestly don't see how this improves the Pistons. For the record, I felt the same way about the Darko Milicic pick in 2003. Sorry, Austin, it's nothing personal, but I had to go there.

9:06 pm - "Daye makes (Tayshaun) Prince look like 'The Hulk'." Great line, Van Gundy. That's funny.

9:08 pm - Chicago selects James Johnson, forward from Wake Forest, 16th. I like this pick. He's not a household name, but he has a lot of skill and can contribute to the Bulls in a lot of ways. With the way Chicago played down the stretch last season, they're already pointed in the right direction, so he won't have a lot of pressure to produce right away. By easing him into the rotation, he'll be able to progress at his own pace, and I think by the 2010-2011 season, he'll be a very good contributor for the Bulls. Wow, I can't believe I just spent that much space typing about James Johnson. I think the 419 Starbursts I just ate in 10 minutes are starting to kick in.

9:13 pm - You know, as a human (providing the "humanity" element that our fine blog promises), I'm glad to see that the green room is now empty. It's sort of awkward/uncomfortable when guys are sitting there for hours and hours waiting for their name to be called. But if I'm a fan of the 76ers, I'm a little let down. Jrue Holiday was the pick at #17, and I'm not as high on him as others. He has no defined position, he didn't wow anyone at UCLA, and isn't overly explosive for a guard. I'm not saying he isn't going to be good, I just haven't yet seen anything to tell me that he'll be a productive NBA player. Oh, that, and Stuart Scott just informed us that Holiday was the team manager of the women's tennis team in high school. Do you really want that on your draftee's resume? Yeah, me neither.

9:18 pm - Minnesota is picking again, and since they took two point guards earlier, why not take a third? I hear Lawson is still available.

9:19 pm - Wait, Timberwolves, that was a joke. I was kidding. No, really, why did you just take Lawson with the 18th pick? What is going on here? They took Rubio at 5, Flynn at 6, and now Lawson at 18. I have no idea what to say. I want to hate on them, but there has to be some logic here...and there it is. ESPN's Ric Bucher just said that Lawson will be moved to Denver for a future pick. But I can still hate because that leaves them with two point guards under 6'4" who can't shoot. Nicely done, Minnesota.

9:23 pm - Atlanta takes Jeff Teague at 19. He's a talented player, but he's nowhere near ready to play point guard at the NBA level, considering he wasn't really ready to play it in college. He's a 2-guard without the size, so I'm not sure how this helps the Hawks. If Teague can't help his team beat Cleveland State in the NCAA Tournament, how's he supposed to help his team beat Cleveland in the NBA playoffs?

9:28 pm - Utah takes Eric Maynor, point guard from Virginia Commonwealth, with the 20th pick. He's a good player. He'll be able to take some minutes from Deron Williams so that Williams isn't playing 40 minutes per game. He's got a composed demeanor, a great handle, and a good jumper. I like the pick for the Jazz. For Maynor? Not really. I hear Salt Lake City's nightlife is about as energetic as Mehmet Okur in the 4th quarter of a close game (tip of the cap to whomever gets that joke). However, going from a small school the NBA is a great accomplishment, so I'm not sure if Maynor actually cares what I think.

9:30 pm - Stuart Scott and Larry Brown, two UNC grads, make some bad jokes about selecting a Duke player with the pick. You knew it was coming, but it still made you shake your head. That's how bad the humor was.

9:32 pm - With the 21st pick in the 2009 NBA Draft, the New Orleans (don't call us Charlotte) Hornets select...Darren Collison, point guard from UCLA. The Hornets desperately needed a backup point guard in order to save Chris Paul from spontaneously combusting on the court from too many minutes played. Collison is very quick and has a better-than-average jumper. I think he's entering a great situation and should thrive in this spot. Good call, Hornets.

9:38 pm - The Trail Blazers are on the clock. They gave away three picks to Dallas to move up two spots from 24 to 22, so they must have someone in mind here. I've heard rumblings that they really liked Israeli Omri Casspi, as did Sacramento at 23, so they moved up to get him. The pick is in...and it's a European player, but not Casspi. Victor Claver (pronounced Cluh-vair), a Spanish wunderkind, is the choice. At 6'9" and 224 lbs, Claver provides a lot of size and scoring on the wing. However, he's only 20 years old, so he'll probably stay in Europe for a year or two to develop. Rudy Fernandez and Sergio Rodriguez are already in Portland, so maybe their entire team will be Spaniards in a few years. Speaking of Spain, did you guys hear that their men's soccer team lost to the United States yesterday? Man, what a performance.

9:40 pm - ESPN has a phone interview with Shaquille O'Neal, who was traded to Cleveland this morning. A classy start by the big fella, sending his condolences to Michael Jackson's family and saluting all of the draftees. He says the usual stuff about wanting to win and having a lot of fun with LeBron. Which he always says until a team gets rid of him, and then he tells everyone how it's the worst franchise he's ever played for. Seriously, look it up.

9:44 pm - Well, I was half-right earlier. Sacramento really did like Omri Casspi; enough to draft him at 23. He'll become the first Israeli to play in the NBA. I have no idea what Omri Casspi can or cannot do on the court, so I'll just wish him luck. Omri, you know those dreams of being rich and famous and enjoying the glitz and glamor of the NBA? Yeah, Sacramento can provide you with one out of four. So, uh, enjoy that.

9:47 pm - Speaking of Sacramento, their new mayor is Kevin Johnson. Do you think he could come out of retirement to play for the Kings and chalk it up as a public works project? I mean, seriously, are you telling me that he's not better than Beno Udrih right now? I know they just drafted Tyreke Evans, too, and he'd start; but KJ could come off the bench to slide Evans to the 2-guard spot and you wouldn't miss a beat. I really think this could work, and since he's mayor, he wouldn't even need a contract. I'm gonna research this and get back to you (no, not really).

9:49 pm - At pick 24, Dallas takes B.J. Mullens from Ohio State. He didn't play a whole lot at Ohio State his freshman year, but he's been in and out of homeless shelters during his childhood, so there was no doubt he was a one-and-done player. He's very athletic and showed some offensive skills during his limited minutes in college, so I think this is a good pick for Dallas. Especially at #24. Develop him for a couple years while you're still telling yourself that you're a contender, and then he'll be ready to go for your rebuilding project. Where is Dirk Nowitzki right now? Looking for a girlfriend? Shopping for a baby crib? Sorry, I had to do it.

9:53 pm - With the 25th pick, Oklahoma City takes Rodrigue Beaubois from France. The best part about this pick is that David Stern almost had a coronary just trying to say his name and hometown. That was quality stuff. I don't really know why the Thunder took him; they drafted Russell Westbrook last year, and he's not going anywhere. Did you just take a backup in the first round? Wait, hold the phones...Beaubois is going to Dallas for Mullens. That, I like. OKC now has a center prospect to develop along with all of their other young players and Dallas has their point guard of the future, who they might even leave in Europe for a year or two to mature. Why these two teams didn't just draft their respective new players with their own picks I don't know; but maybe something else was involved in the trade that we've yet to hear about. Whatever, I just want to see "Public Enemies".

9:59 pm - After selecting James Johnson at #16, the Bulls take Taj Gibson from USC with the 26th pick. This gives the Bulls some defense and rebounding down low. Considering Luol Deng and Tyrus Thomas also play down low for Chicago, they need to provide Joakim Noah help defending and rebounding. Gibson is a very solid player, but at 24 years old, he's basically a finished product. He'll get better, sure, but he's not likely to drastically improve over the years. It's a safe pick by the Bulls.

10:05 pm - Remember earlier when I was complaining about Memphis taking Thabeet and I said picks like that are the reason the Grizzlies are the Grizzlies? Well, it happened again. With the 27th pick, they took Missouri forward DeMarre Carroll. I like DeMarre; he's a really energetic player and his teammates enjoy playing with him, but I don't see him translating well to the NBA. He looks like another Renaldo Balkman, and no that isn't a dreadlocks joke. Well, not entirely. He's an energy guy and a good reserve, but he's not exactly making Memphis a team to watch out for next season.

10:10 pm - ESPN's Andy Katz reports that the Lawson deal is imminent, so Minnesota looks somewhat better for taking three point guards in the first round...until you realize that they still have two point guards, taken back-to-back. Weird.

10:11 pm - At pick #28, the Timberwolves take Wayne Ellington from North Carolina. He's a great shooter and has shown improvement in each of his three years in college. I like what he gives the T'Wolves on the wing, and I think he'll play well for them. Good value on the pick as well, since you get him at pick 28. I like it, Minnesota, I do. You still butchered the 5-6 combo earlier, but you nailed 28. Wait, is that a compliment? I don't know, either.

10:15 pm - After trading Quentin Richardson to Memphis for Darko Milicic (there's that man again), the New York Knicks select Toney Douglas from FLORIDA STATE. Go 'Noles. Technically, the Lakers made the pick, but they're selling it to the Knicks as soon as its legal to do so. Douglas is my boy. He was a warrior all year for my Seminoles and led them to their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1998. I love his game and love that he's going to New York to play for a coach that will absolutely know how to utilize his talents.

10:21 pm - Should I make a joke here about Jeff Van Gundy preaching that Cleveland should be proud of their season despite a postseason flameout? Nah, that's too easy. I'm better than that.

10:22 pm - Stuart Scott mumbles something about the Cavs' soon-to-be draft pick not getting "top billing" and then David Stern comes out, seemingly drunk, and calls the name of a player I've never heard of. And I've been reading all sorts of draft reports. Christian Eyenga from Congo (don't call it Zaire). Now, there's an awkward silence on the broadcast as these guys can't find any info on Eyenga. After cueing up some grainy high-school-like highlights, ESPN's Fran Fraschilla talks some gibberish about Eyenga's athleticism. Yes, he's African; he's going to be a good athlete, we get that. That also means he's probably not very skilled, so we'll never hear from again. So let me be the first to say, Christian Eyenga, it's been real. Have a great life.

10:28 pm - Now that we're into Round 2, I'm a little confused. DeJuan Blair, Chase Budinger, and DaJuan Summers are all still available. Coming into tonight, I thought these guys were all first round locks. I'd even seen some of them projected to go in the lottery. I know finances play into it (sending guys overseas to develop before you have to pay them), but I'm still surprised to see such talented guys fall into the second round.

10:31 pm - I enjoy the love that Adam Silver, Deputy Commissioner of the NBA, gets every year he comes out to do the second round. It's just funny to me to see the awkward assistant get some love. Reminds me of "Revenge of the Nerds".

10:32 pm - The Sacramento Kings begin Round 2 by taking Jeff Pendergraph, forward from Arizona State, at #31. Pendergraph won't be staying there long (or at all), as Ric Bucher reports that he's being sent north to Portland for Sergio Rodriguez and the 38th overall pick. The Blazers are looking for some muscle down low, and Pendergraph fits into that. I'm not sure why Sacramento added Rodriguez. By drafting Tyreke Evans, and having already signed Beno Udrih to a long-term deal, you now have three point guards, none of whom are all that good. Whatever, I'm not spending any more time on the Kings' point guard situation.

10:36 pm - Washington makes their first pick of the night, taking Jermaine Taylor, guard from Central Florida, with pick #32. I've seen this guy play a couple times and I like him. He just scores. He's a pretty good shooter, but nothing special, yet he scores all the time. He'll fit right in with the Wizards. Especially since he doesn't play much defense.

10:38 pm - Portland takes Dante Cunningham, Villanova forward, at 33. I'm happy for him. He had somewhat underachieved his first three years with the Wildcats before exploding his senior year. Leading Villanova to the Final Four, he improved his draft stock the old-fashioned way...by playing well. Congrats to Dante on being drafted.

10:42 pm - Denver takes Sergio Llull while ESPN is gone at a commercial. He's a Spanish guard with good size, but I suspect he'll stay in Europe for a year or two prior to making his way over here. Think Rudy Fernandez in Portland.

10:45 pm - Finally, DaJuan Summers is selected. Detroit got him at #35. He's a very good athlete, defends well, and can provide some scoring punch on the wing. I think the Pistons made a good move here, which sort of makes up for the Daye pick earlier. Let me put it like this, if I'd heard Summers went 15th and Daye went 35th, I'd consider that a successful draft. So I'll take it easy on them from here on out. No, really, I will.

10:49 pm - At #36, Memphis takes Sam Young, the forward from Pitt. Good pick. He's a solid player an should help them out. That's all I'm saying about the Grizzlies.

10:51 pm - With the 37th pick, San Antonio drafts DeJuan Blair, big man from Pitt. As a Spurs fan, I like this a lot. Having given away all of our big men to Milwaukee, we needed rebounding. And Blair does that...in abundance. Great pick.

10:52 pm - Quote of the night: "I don't care how many ACLs he has or doesn't have, this guy can get the ball." -- Jay Bilas, commenting on DeJuan Blair's multiple knee surgeries in high schoo.

10:54 pm - At pick 38, Portland selects Jon Brockman from Washington. That's a big, big man who goes hard down low (that's what she said). Anyway, the Blazers are trying to get more physical by taking Pendergraph and, now, Brockman. Mission accomplished.

10:58 pm - The Pistons take Jonas Jerekbo at #39, "the Swedish Rasheed Wallace" as my homeboy/roommate Uncle Matt tells me. I trust that guy, so from now on, I will only refer to him as the Swedish Rasheed Wallace. By the way, Jerekbo looks extremely dapper in his suit. If he hits the town after the Draft, he'll kill it. His accent, coupled with his height, thrown in with his sartorial splendor? Ladies will love Jonas. Oh, and he's now an NBA player. That always helps.

11:00 pm - With the 40th pick in the 2009 NBA Draft, the Charlotte Bobcats select...Derrick Brown, forward from Xavier. He's a good all-around player and will probably crack the rotation, but I don't see why the Bobcats passed up on Chase Budinger. It's almost like they didn't realize he's still available. He'd give them plenty of scoring off the wing, and coming from a guy who went to several Bobcats games last year, that's exactly what they need. Brown is a good player, but Budinger has lottery-type talent. He'd have been a steal at #40.

11:04 pm - At 41, the Milwaukee Bucks take Jodie Meeks, shooting guard from Kentucky. He's a volume scorer and can fill it up when he gets his shots, but he's not very efficient with his shots. However, he can get hot quickly, and should be a good backup option whenever Michael Redd needs a rest. Unfortunately for Jodie, playing for the Bucks means that you'll be playing in Milwaukee. I'd make another joke here, but the people of Milwaukee have suffered enough already. And no, that wasn't my joke.

11:11 pm - While ESPN was gone at a commercial, the Lakers took Patrick Beverley at #42, a guard from Arkansas who went to Ukraine to play professionally last season. He's a good combo guard, but I suspect he'll stay in Europe for another year while the Lakers pay other guys. At #43, Miami gets Marcus Thornton from LSU. This guy is a great scorer and should be a great backup for Mario Chalmers. Thornton is in great shape and a hard-worker, so a good idea for guard-depleted Miami to take him.

11:14 pm - Detroit is trying to make me look silly all of a sudden. With the 44th pick, they take Chase Budinger, a wing from Arizona. He's superb and should be a very good rotation player for Detroit. Having drafted Summers, Jerekbo, and Budinger after the mistake of taking Daye at #15, I like what the Pistons have done. No more Dumars hate from me tonight.

11:17 pm - Minnesota takes Nick Calathes at #45. He's a great guard from Florida, but he comes with a catch. Having already signed a contract with a team in Greece (he has dual-citizenship there, as well as being an American), he will play overseas for a season before coming back. For those of you keeping score at home, the Timberwolves have now drafted FOUR point guards tonight. No, really, they have.

11:19 pm - Danny Green is off the board. Cleveland takes him with the 46th pick. I like Danny Green's game. He's pretty good at everything, and doesn't really have any negative aspects on the court. He'll get limited minutes with such a deep team, but I could easily see him still being in the League in 10 years.

11:25 pm - I am now a charter member of the Henk Norel Fan Club. This guy is the man. Wow. Apparently, he's a 6'10" 230-lb. forward from Netherlands who must improve his "low post moves" according to ESPN. Whatever, they're just haters. Minnesota knows what's up, that's why they drafted him at #47. My goodness, his highlight tape is all about him throwing it down. Hard. What a guy.

11:28 pm - Phoenix drafts Taylor Griffin, Blake's brother, at #48. Apparently, they saw "Griffin, F, Oklahoma" on their board and thought Blake was available. After getting Robin Lopez last year, I'm convinced that the Suns are on a mission to draft every "not quite as good as his brother" player.

11:31 pm - At #49, Atlanta takes Sergiy Gladyr from Ukraine. I know nothing about him. Moving on...

11:34 pm - With the 50th pick, Utah takes Michigan State's Goran Suton. Utah is on a quest to have a completely white roster (yes, Deron William counts), so this helps them there. That, and he's a very low-maintenance player.

11:35 pm - San Antonio takes Jack McClinton with the 51st pick. He's a deadeye shooter from Miami, and I'm sure the Spurs will ask him to do nothing more. Post up in the corner and hit 3s...if you make the team, that is.

11:39 pm - Indiana selects A.J. Price, the point guard from UConn, with the 52nd pick. He's a very good scorer and a solid point guard option, especially this late in the draft. With an unsettled point guard position, the Pacers did well to find such an adequate option in the later rounds.

11:42 pm - The Spurs select a French point guard (Nando De Colo) with the 53rd pick. Sadly, he doesn't really compare to Tony Parker. He's more of a distributor type, though he's got good size at 6'5". We'll stash him in Europe for a little while and then bring him back if/when he's ready.

11:43 pm - Charlotte takes Robert Vaden, wing from UAB, with at #54. He's a solid choice this late. He has unlimited range and can score in a number of ways. I look forward to seeing his progress with the Bobcats. Good pick.

11:45 pm - Wow, I almost forgot that Patrick (Patty) Mills was still around. The point guard form St. Mary's sunk like a rock in the past few weeks. He'd been rumored to be a late first round pick earlier, but was taken at #55 by Portland. He looked very good in the Olympics for Australia and could possibly be an impact player down the road. He's very, very quick and if he improves his jump shot, look out. This guy is talented.

11:50 pm - While ESPN is at a commercial break, Dallas takes Ahmad Nivins from St. Joseph's at #56. He's got good size and a good motor, so I could see him getting some "energy" minutes for the Mavs.

11:52 pm - Adam Silver just delivered the moment of the night. After announcing that Emir Preldzic from Bosnia and Herzegovina was drafted by Phoenix with the 57th pick, he attempted to announce Preldzic's club team's name. It sounded like "Jrjshhrpsvic Lruqsxatic". No really, it did. And afterward, Silver's eyes got as big as silver dollars (pun semi-intended). Man, that was some awkward humor. Considering Phoenix drafted him, I'm assuming he has a brother somewhere that's better at basketball than he is.

11:56 pm - Boston takes Lester Hudson with the 58th pick. A guard from UT-Martin, Hudson was one of my favorite "small school" players to watch in college. He's small in stature, but he can fill it up. The guy just rolls out of bed and scores 25. I really hope he sticks somewhere, maybe even in Boston, spelling Rajon Rondo (assuming he's not traded for some reason that only Danny Ainge can explain).

11:58 pm - Danny Ferry, a Duke grad, makes some more awkward jokes by saying that he drafted Danny Green, a Carolina guy, because Larry Brown, a Carolina guy, drafted Gerald Henderson, a Duke guy. What I really want to know, though, is if Danny Ferry were put to a lie detector test and asked if he's ever seen Christian Eyenga (his first round pick) play, would he pass? I say no, without hesitation.

12:00 am - Chinemelu Elonu is taken at #59 by the Lakers. He was a decent low post player for Texas A&M in his college days, but I don't really expect to see him in a Lakers uniform any time soon. Luckily for him, LA also has a D-League franchise (the D-Fenders), so he'll be able to live in Los Angeles regardless. Fun.

12:06 am - With the final pick in the 2009 NBA Draft, the Miami Heat select...Robert "SAT" Dozier. Maybe Robert "4th Percentile" Dozier. Whatever works for you, use it. He's a pretty good basketball player, so I hope he sticks with Miami, but read the articles about him and his SAT caper in order to really enjoy his existence.

12:09 am - Alright, I'm tired. I've watched every single draft pick of the evening and have had to try to come up with something witty for all of them. I know that I've failed on many counts, but hopefully you laughed at least four times while reading this. And if anyone actually read the entire thing, God bless you. I would tell you who I think the draft winners and losers are, but I don't really remember any of the picks all that well (they're all running together at this point), and my brain isn't working properly right now. I think it's the combination of Starbursts and computer monitor-watching.

I love you all; peace, love, and hair grease.

~~ Lank