The NBA Draft

Instead of doing a mock draft for the NBA, I am going to analyze each pick by each team for the first round. The NBA draft is the most unpredictable draft of all sports because of all the trades and the penchant for huge busts.

Here we go:

With the first overall selection in the 2008 NBA draft, the Chicago Bulls select Derrick Rose. I think this is a great pick. Rose is supremely talented and has all of the tools to be a terrific point guard. He has speed, quickness and passing ability. He will make everyone on the floor better. Now, if they trade Hinrich and someone else to the Heat for Shawn Marion, they will have another player to create havoc both defensively and offensively.

2. Miami Heat - The Heat take Michael Beasley. This is a great choice. He provides interior toughness that the Heat need. He provides the inside to Dwayne Wade's outside. Beasley can shoot, catch inside passes and can rebound. He is exactly what they need. The Heat have a solid swing man, power forward and small forward.

3. Minnesota Timberwolves - The Wolves take O.J. Mayo. While Mayo may be the most NBA ready player, I would have gone elsewhere with the pick. The Wolves have two combo guards in Foye and McCants. I think that they should have taken Brook Lopez. He would be a center that can score and give Al Jefferson a break from guarding other teams centers. O.J. will bring scoring and play making ability and defense, so while I would have gone elsewhere, he is still going to be a good player.

4. Seattle SuperSonics - The Sonics take Russell Westbrook. Westbrook is a defensive machine and has the ability to be a play maker. I kind of like this pick. Westbrook is a great kid and can finish. They also could have gone with Lopez to provide a post presence to go along with Durant outside.

5. Memphis Grizzlies - The Grizzlies take Kevin Love. This gives the Grizzlies a player that can rebound and stretch the court. He can shot and has the ability to play inside. He is also strong and can hold his own on the inside. He can also pass the ball from the post and can throw an outlet pass.

6. New York Knicks - The Knicks take Danilo Gallinari. He can stretch the floor. He will fit well in D'Antoni's running system. He can handle the ball, shot and play inside. He is tough and has a good body. The Knicks also could have gone with Augustin but I like this pick.

7. Los Angeles Clippers - The Clippers select Eric Gordon. Gordon will add a scoring touch to a team that needs it. Maggette and Brand are probably gone so they need a scorer to play along Livingston and Kaman. Gordon also has character which is never a bad thing.

8. Milwaukee Bucks - The Bucks take Joe Alexander. Alexander is a tough guy, he can shot and he has great athleticism. He can be a scorer to go along well with the newly acquired Richard Jefferson. Needs to be better defensively. This is another team that could have taken Augustin.

9. Charlotte Bobcats - The Bobcats take D.J. Augustin. The Bobcats needed a true point guard and that is what Augustin is. Ray Felton is more of a scorer and Augustin will allow Felton to be more of a scorer. Augustin can also shot extremely well and can create shots for someone else.

10. New Jersey Nets - The Nets take Brook Lopez. This fits a need for the Nets. Lopez is a great

inside scorer. He has to get tougher and rebound more for his height. The Nets now have an inside presence to go along with Devin Harris and Vince Carter.

11. Indiana Pacers - The Pacers take Jerryd Bayless. Bayless is a scorer. He is one of the many combo guards out there. He can be a point guard and the Pacers are taking him so they can get rid of Jamaal Tinsley. He has been compared to Chauncey Billups which is a good player to be compared to.
12. Sacramento Kings - The Kings take Jason Thompson. He is a big man. He is a versatile big man and he can play right away. He can rebound. He may need to improve conditioning and his post play. He is real solid and is experienced.

13. Portland Trail Blazers - The Blazers take Brandon Rush. He is a great defensive player and can really shot the ball. He is a great fit for the Blazers. He brings defense to a team that needs it and will be great to team with Roy and Oden. He needs to be assertive.

14. Golden State Warriors - The Warriors take Anthony Randolph. He is young, versatile and big. Needs to get stronger and bigger to play up to his height. He can score and block shots as well as rebound. He fits the Golden State way of playing.

15. Phoenix Suns - The Suns take Robin Lopez. He brings something the Suns really need and that is defense. He blocks shots and really plays defense. He also can use his offense more without his brother. He is going to bring some much needed intensity to a team that can score but can't defend.

16. Philadelphia 76ers - The 76ers take Marreese Speights. He has size and mobility. He has good post presence. He needs to be more conditioned and push himself more. Other than that, he has great potential and can really shot the ball.

17. Toronto Raptors - The Raptors take Roy Hibbert. He is likely going to the Pacer in a trade. He has decent post moves and can pass a little. He needs to get better foot work and he needs to get up and down the court. He needs to provide the Pacers with low post scoring.

18. Washington Wizards - The Wizards take JaVale McGee. He is big and can score. Another potential pick. He needs to work on strength and footwork.

19. Cleveland Cavaliers - The Cavs take J.J. Hickson. He is a small to power forward. Has a good body and has lots of strength. Can back down people and can rebound. Needs to work harder. Could help the post game for Cavs, but they need someone who will spread the floor.

20. Charlotte Bobcats - The Bobcats take Alexis Ajinca. He is big and has been shooting up the boards. He can play defense and he can make shots. Needs to put on weight. He could help Emeka Okafor. But he needs more polishing and could be a few years away from playing in the US.

21. New Jersey Nets - The Nets take Ryan Anderson. He can score. He can shoot. He can pass. He is gifted offensively. He needs to add strength and work on his defense, especially his footwork.

22. Orlando Magic - The Magic take Courtney Lee. Lee adds scoring, and major shooting ability. He provides another guard for the Magic. He will be an impact player off the bench.

23. Utah Jazz - The Jazz take Kosta Koufos. He needs to work on his defense and his ability to

change hands. He also needs to be more athletic. He brings size and shot making ability to the Jazz. He is like Okur and will provide a rest for him and Boozer without that much of a drop off in production.

24. Seattle SuperSonics - The Sonics take Serge Ibaka. He is big and raw. He does have great potential. He will stay in Spain for a while. He is one of the most athletic players in the draft. He can block shots and rebound. Needs to work on shooting.

25. Houston Rockets - The Rockets take Nicolas Batum. Supremely athletic. He can shoot well. Needs to work on ball handling. Will stay overseas for a bit to work on toughness and consistency.

26. San Antonio Spurs - The Spurs take George Hill. He is a scorer and can rebound well for his smaller stature. He can also pass the ball. Can help out Parker and Ginobili in the back court. He is a good defender too. He fits well with the San Antonio style of play.

27. New Orleans Hornets - The Hornets take Darrell Arthur. This pick is probably going to the Trail Blazers. Can play inside. A good pairing with Oden. He can be the offense to Oden's defense. Mobile and can move. Great footwork. Forces defenders to do what he wants. He can also shoot

a little.

28. Memphis Grizzlies - The Grizzlies take Donte Greene. He can shoot from the perimeter. Needs to work on shot selection and needs to learn the game more. He has good skills but is not mature enough yet.

29. Detroit Pistons - The Pistons take D.J. White. He is a big body who can post up. That is what the Pistons need. Real good in the low post. Great rebounder. He will be a consistent player and he is a hard worker. Needs to work on conditioning so that he doesn't get injured as much.

With the 3oth and final pick in the first round of the 2008 NBA Draft, the NBA Champion Boston Celtics take J.R. Giddens. He can score a lot and has a lot of offensive talent. He needs to work on his professionalism. I would have liked them to take Chris Douglas-Roberts, but they got the same type of player; a scorer.

**Pending league approval, Portland sends Jarrett Jack, Josh McRoberts and rights to Brandon Rush to Indiana for Ike Diogu and rights to Jerryd Bayless. This gives Portland a post presence and a scoring guard and gives Indiana a proven point guard and a defensive player who can shoot.

Is Schilling Done?

This could be it for Curt Schilling. He had shoulder surgery the other day, and some speculate that it could end his career. The surgery happened because Curt hit a plateau in his rehab. Now, many say that he should have had this surgery before spring training. However, if that happened, he would have been out for the whole year as well and that would have been after he signed a contract with the Sox. The Sox made an investment in him and would lose the money if he had season-ending surgery. They thought it best that he try to rehab his shoulder and see if he could come back late in the year. All the Sox were trying to do was protect their investment. For anyone to say that the Sox were wrong in making him rehab, think of it this way. You hire someone to work for you. A couple weeks after hiring that person, the person says that they are going to have to come in late everyday because they have kids. You try to accommodate them but they want to get paid for time that they aren't putting in. Are you as a boss going to let that happen or are you going to try and protect the business. All I can say is that I wish Curt the best and I hope that it isn't the end of his career because he still has gas left in the tank.

If Curt's career is over, he should go into the Hall of Fame. Even though he may not have the wins like some others. He is one of the most dominating pitchers of his era. He has all of the other numbers except for those wins. You also have to factor in his post season accolades. He is one of the best post season pitchers ever. Also, Curt was directly responsible for getting his teams to the post season. Although he doesn't have the wins, he has everything else.

SEVENTEEN!!!!!!!

While the Celtics were mopping the floor with the Lakers, I was in the land of the elderly, Florida. I was unable to get to a computer to write about the Celtics victory. So now it is time to make up for the lateness. I don't even know where to start with this. The Celtics thoroughly outplayed the Lakers in the series. If you look at each game, the Celtics either won the game or were within striking distance of winning the game. There was no game where the Celtics, as a team, got thoroughly outplayed. The Celtics won this series because of a couple of major differences between them and the Lakers. The Celtics played defense, were more physically intense and they seemed like they wanted it more.

In every game of the series, except for game 3, the Celtics were able to shut down Kobe and limit his supporting cast. Kobe is the catalyst of the Lakers and if he isn't hitting shots or getting others involved in the game, then the Lakers won't win. The Celtics were able to stay on his shooting hand and prevent him from getting great looks at the basket. They also clogged the lane, so when Kobe tried to drive, he got impeded. This is a testament to the team defense that coach Tom Thibodeau instituted upon his arrival to the Celtics. They weren't going to let players get great looks at the basket or get into the lane. The Celtics were going to rotate and communicate and that was how they were going to succeed. The defense they played against the Lakers was textbook. They out-physicalled the Laker's big men. This got them out of their comfort zone and turned them into even softer players than they are. Also, they rotated on the perimeter, so none of the Laker shooters would have great looks. Kobe shot poorly and wasn't able to establish a rhythm. That is partially to do with the team defense, but more so with the singular efforts of the players that guarded him; Ray Allen, Paul Pierce and James Posey.

When the Celtics signed James Posey, I was relieved. I knew, unlike most pundits on TV, that the Celtic bench would be OK. Posey is a great role player; he is a great defensive player and he can hit open shots. Going into the series, most thought that Posey would guard Kobe a majority of the time. But, when the series started Ray-Ray and Paul guarded him the most. Both of them weren't considered as defensive players, but this year, they sacrificed some of their offense in order to fulfill the team's goal, which was win the championship. They made sure that every shot Kobe took was contested and funneled him into the help defense. All of their defense prowess culminated in one of the most memorable clinching games ever.

While all of the Celtic wins were exciting, they were nothing like the clincher. It was the epitome of satisfying. They absolutely crushed the Lakers not only on the scoreboard, but mentally as well. Once the Celtics started their run in the second, there was no chance for the Lakers. They gave up. To thoroughly demoralize an opponent in a game they needed to win was just the sweetest cherry on top of the sundae that was the Celtics championship. The Celtics played physically from the outset and that set the tone. They never let their foot of the throttle.

**For all of the Laker fans who can't take the thought of loosing to the Celtics, again, and think that Andrew Bynum would have put them over the top, think again. Bynum would have helped on the boards and with some inside presence, but he would not have been as a big of a factor as people think. He is young, so how do we know he would have been consistent? Also, he hadn't played since before Gasol, so the Laker playoff run was done completely without Bynum. He had no effect on any of the games leading up to the Finals or in the Finals. If he was lost in the playoffs, then Laker fans have some ammunition, but he never played in the playoffs. Also, if he was healthy, would the Lakers have gone out and traded for Gasol? Probably not. Then the Lakers would not have even been the number one seed.

Beating the Lakers wasn't only satisfying because it brought Boston its seventeenth banner, or its first title in 22 years, but because it prevented the Zen Master, Phil Jackson, from passing Red on the most titles won as a coach list. According to my uncle, Phil is a whiny piece of crap who picked the teams with the talent to coach. Red built his team from the ground up and turned it into a long, successful franchise. Phil takes franchises on the rise, wins, leaves and they turn into crap.

Another great feature of this championship is that Kobe didn't win and still has that "Can't win without Shaq" stigma. Shaq was right in his rap. Kobe can't win without him. I hope Kobe never wins. He is a selfish, whiny player who isn't man enough to take blame. Him winning would be a travesty. Also, Vujacic is another whiny player. He sucks and that is another reason why they lost.

Lastly, the Celtics need to resign Posey and House. They were instrumental in the championship. They hit open shots and spread the Laker defense. I was happy to see management light up a cigar in honor of Red. That is class. Also, I thought the Gatorade shower was cool. So what if it stained the floor. It was spur of the moment and refreshing.

Congrats Celtics, do it again next year.

Stunning Comeback

Last night, the Celtics overcame a deficit that was, at one time, 24 points, to beat the Lakers. There are a few words that describe the game; stunning and choke are the first ones to come to mind. In the first half, it looked like the Lakers were going to blow out the Celtics. They were up by 21 at the end of the first quarter. In that quarter, the Lakers showed how explosive their offense can be. They routinely got to the rim and Kobe facilitated the whole offense. Lamar Odom finally showed up and was intent on driving to the hoop. The Lakers were hitting on all cylinders. The triangle offense was finally working, and the Lakers were creating open looks and high percentage shots. Their defense was also suffocating. They held the Celtics to 14 points in the quarter and made them take a lot of contested shots. Kobe was helping double Pierce and Garnett and was causing a lot of havoc. In the second quarter, the Celtics started to wake up a little. They were able to hit some more shots and cut into the Laker lead. But, the Lakers followed Celtic runs with runs of their own and held an 18 point lead at half time.

At half time, the Celtics made a conscious effort to play defense and play with the heart and intensity expected of a championship-caliber Celtic team. They came out on a little run but the Lakers followed it up and pushed the lead back to 20. It was at that point that the Celtics started to pressure the Lakers, causing turnovers and leading to fast break opportunities. They forced the Lakers into bad shots and were able to cut the deficit to 2 points at the end of the quarter. In the fourth, the Celtics continued pressuring the Lakers. The Celtic defense led to their offense. The Celtics finally took the lead for good with just over 4 minutes remaining. They kept the pressure on by making some key baskets. Ray Allen sealed the victory with an uncontested drive to the hoop. When the Celtics decided to man up and play the defense that they had all year, they were able to hold the Lakers to 33% shooting.

The reasons the Celtics were able to pull off what could be the greatest comeback in Finals history were because they played with heart and intensity on defense and they got major contributions from Eddie House and James Posey. The age old adage of defense wins championships rang true in game 4. The Celtics clamped down and forced turnovers and bad shots. This gave them fast break chances and sparked their running game. The Celtics showed their heart and intensity by not giving up and pushing themselves to the limit to try and pull the game out. The Lakers showed their true colors in this game. They showed that they lacked intensity and heart. They should have won the game. They got complacent and scared and when it came to crunch time, they did as Kobe said, which is wet the bed.

You can't say enough about the play of Eddie House and James Posey. They brought energy to the team and they hit some tough shots to help drag the Celtics out of their hole. House hit the jumper that gave the Celtics their first lead and Posey hit a clutch three to push the lead to 5 points late in the game. These two players should get credit for helping the team turn it around. They re-energized the team and were integral parts in the victory. Now it is time for the Celtics to give no hope to the Lakers. They have to come out strong and stay aggressive and win game 5.

Interleague Play

I am in the minority when it comes to Interleague Play. I am one of the very few who actually like it. Most people dislike it because of the advantages gained and lost by both teams due to playing against another league. The AL loses the DH when they go to and NL park and the NL has to adjust to a different style of play when they go to the AL. There are many reasons that I like playing Interleague games. It breaks up the monotony of playing the same teams over and over. It is fun to see fresh faces and different teams. It makes it harder for both teams because of the lack of familiarity. Also, it is a tune up for the World Series. Teams from both leagues will have to adjust and it prepares them for the adjustments that have to be made in the World Series. Interleague Play forces managers and hitters to adapt to situations that are strange to them. It makes the fans see if the players are actually as good as they seem. Only the best players are able to adapt to situations like going from first to third or dropping down a squeeze bunt. It doesn't hurt that the team I root for, the Boston Red Sox have one of the top records in Interleague Play over the last couple of years.

Most don't like Interleague Play because it gives advantages to some teams over others. That is why I like it. It forces the contenders to have to play harder to win. Interleague forces teams to adapt and that is why it is a necessary component of the schedule.

Big Brown loses Triple Crown

Another long overdue article. I am not that big a fan of horse racing. I never have found an interest in it. That being said, it is always interesting when a horse has the chance to win the triple crown. Big Brown had that chance going into the Belmont Stakes. The last horse to win the triple crown was Affirmed in 1978. But, Big Brown was unable to pull out the win. Big Brown won both the Preakness and the Kentucky Derby going away. The horse was the heavy favorite to be the first triple crown winner since Affirmed. Going into the Belmont, the longest race of the three, Big Brown sustained a hoof injury. Also, it was revealed that Trainer Rick Dutrow gave the horse winstrol, which are steroids. Even though it is legal to give horses steroids in the states that host the three races, many thought that it was still fishy.

After Big Brown finished last in the Belmont, many questions were thrown at the trainer and at the jockey. Some speculated that the horse was feeling the effects of its cracked hoof. Others said that because Dutrow didn't inject the horse with its dose of winstrol. Some chalked the loss up to a bad day. We have to remember that these horses are animals and if they don't want to race then they aren't going to try. Unfortunately, Big Browns huge odds of winning has put pressure on Dutrow for answers. He resorted to blaming the jockey who pulled back on the reigns. The jockey felt like the horse didn't have it and wasn't going to risk injury to the horse. The triple crown has turned into an almost unattainable goal. Whenever a horse gets close something happens that results in a loss. It is unfortunate that the trainer is blaming the jockey. He should just suck it up and deal with the fact that his horse lost. Only one more year until the hype of the triple crown starts all over again.

Ken Griffey Jr.

This post is long overdue. Ken Griffey Jr. hit his 600th home run earlier this week. This is a monumental milestone. Griffey is only the 6th player to reach 600. On one hand, this is a joyous occasion and on the other, it is one where everyone will wonder "what if?" It is great that Griffey hit the plateau. It is a testament to his natural ability, hitting prowess and his raw power. But, we all wonder what could have been if Griffey wasn't oft-injured earlier in the decade. Griffey has missed over 400 games due to several injuries he sustained at the beginning of his tenure as a Red. There is no doubt that Griffey would have at least 700 homers if he played in most of those games. He probably would be closing in on Bonds' record.

Even though Griffey lost more than one hundred home runs due to injury, many believe that he is only behind Ruth in the power category. The lasting legacy of Griffey will be that he has never been mentioned in the same conversation as steroids. The two recent inductees in the 600 club, Bonds and Sosa, have both been linked to steroids and it is safe to assume that they both juiced. Griffey's homers are a result of his skill not the enhancement of it with steroids. His pretty swing and relentless style of play led to all of the home runs. Everyone forgets that Griffey was a member of the all-century team. He only played 11 seasons in the century therefore he must be special. Griffey will be remembered not only for the what could have been but also for his hard style of play, his great personality and his amazing baseball prowess. Thank you Griffey for being an inspiration for all players.

Brawl

Everyone expected it and it happened. Coco Crisp was intentionally thrown at in the second inning of today's game against the Rays. Last night Crisp slid into second on a steal attempt and up ended Aki Iwamura. Joe Maddon took exception to this and started barking at Crisp. Crisp's reason for the hard slide was that Jason Bartlett blocked the plate with his leg when Crisp slid head first. Now, for the record, both dropping the leg and Crisp's hard slide were uncalled for. It was an eye for an eye situation and that is why Crisp slid hard. Dropping the leg is dangerous because it shows an intent to injure. Most of the time, players straddle the bag on a steal attempt. By putting his leg down, Bartlett could have seriously injured Crisp's hand, wrist, arm or shoulder. Crisp felt it was uncalled for and went in hard on Iwamura.

Today, Crisp was beaned and charged the mound. He dodged a punch and then threw a couple at the Ray's pitcher, James Shields. The catcher, Navarro then tackled Crisp. That is OK with me. Crisp wasn't going to take any crap so he charged the mound. Shields defended himself and Navarro did his job which is to try and restrain the batter. What was inexcusable was when Jonny Gomes came in and started to punch Crisp and when Carl Crawford came in and did the same. There was no need for that. The situation was under control until those two boneheads came into the play. In my opinion, Crisp should get a suspension around 5-10 games, Gomes should get the same, Shields should get 5 so he misses one start and Crawford should get a couple.

Lakers vs. Celtics

What could be any better than what is going to happen in just a couple of hours. The Lakers and the Celtics are about to renew one of the most heated rivalries ever. Now, it wasn't a rivalry until the 80's when the Lakers started to beat the Celtics in the playoffs, but that's beside the point. After this series, these two teams will have combined to win exactly half of all the NBA championships. This series has a significant meaning to the league and fans everywhere. It is a return to passion, excitement, intensity and just great basketball. I am so happy this is happening. My uncles, aunts and parents can remember all of the games in the 80's. I wasn't even born until the Pistons overtook the Celtics as the beast of the East. I want to see some old school basketball and want to experience the intensity of the previous series.

Now, on to some analysis. This should be a very competitive series. The Lakers have the athleticism while the Celtics have the toughness. It will be a match-up of the Celtic's defense against the Laker's offense. These two teams match up very well. Kobe is clearly the best player, but Garnett and Pierce are better than the Laker's next best player. I think the X-factors in this series will be Ray Allen and Lamar Odom. If Allen can hit shots, he will open the floor for Pierce and Garnett. Odom is an athletic mix of a small and power forward. He could lead Garnett out of the paint, opening it up for Kobe and Gasol. Odom can also hit shots and run the point. The winner of the series will be the team who is able to come up with some clutch defensive plays.

I think that the Celtics will win in 6 games. I have been hearing a lot of people taking the Lakers in 5 which I think is absurd. The Celtics play defense. How come the Lakers can beat the Celtics in Boston but the Celtics can't win in LA? The Celtics did win twice in Detroit, which is probably the most hostile environment in the league. I don't think you can justify either team winning in less than 6 games. I think the Celtics will win because they will be able to shut down the supporting cast of the Lakers and Garnett will abuse Gasol, who isn't that great a defender.