1) Blake Griffin, LA Clippers.

So much has been said about this kid and this team that I almost feel like I should just say “Meh” and move on, but I must add that I think this is so overhyped. First of all, this kid is good but he has slim to no personality. Why waste media time on talking to him when he has nothing interesting to contribute to the discussion about himself. I don’t want to say I think he’s overrated because what he did at OU last year is pretty undeniable, but at the same time, I still find myself underwhelmed by him. And all the words Bill Simmons spent on explaining the curse of the Clippers, I won’t even go there. They do seem to be injury prone though and that concerns me for a kid who would really benefit from being on a solid team with a solid coach. I’d love to see him end up in… I don’t know, Orlando or Miami. Get some coaching and have some veteran players to learn from and feed off of. Yeah there’s a plan for you Blake.

2) Hasheem Thabeet, Memphis Grizzlies

Don’t know or care much about the team–due primarily to the fact that I care about the NBA draft only inasmuch as it effects college basketball players that I know and love and spend 5 months of my following–but I do have Hasheem thoughts. He’s a definite NBA player. Hands down. His athleticism concerns me a bit, but he is a shot-blocking stud no matter what. I like the way he plays, and he is going to have a defensive effect on this team immediately. I know there are shot blockers in the NBA already–holla Superman!–but this is his thing. As a volleyball player, blocking was my favorite part of the game, and it seems like he gets the same rush and the same motivation from swatting the shit out of the opposing team. I like him, he’ll be cool to watch in the NBA, but as with most (note: not all) of the members of this year’s draft, I’m pretty underwhelmed… even by the so-called super stars.

3) James Harden, The City That Shall Not Be Named

I was very surprised to see him go so high, but he is a badass and, from what I’ve read, a very good fit for this City of Highjackers team. Loved watching him at ASU and his toughness will definitely transfer to the hacking and grabing and other such bullshit that goes on under the rim in the NBA. I’m not quite sure how refs rationalize the calls they make versus the calls that they let go, but that’s a whole other rant. Reall fun guy to watch from the Pac-10 and he’s got heart. Steps up when he needs to and in the games I watched him in, I never once saw him mail it in. Course now that he’s playing in the NBA that becomes astronomically more likely, but he can’t really help that. Even my favorite college player who will be brought up later, I fear will fall subject to the fucked up work ethic that permeates the NBA. Playing the schedules that they play and having to deal with all the egos on the court, on the bench, and in the front office, it’s no wonder we see so many players with heart cut it out of their chests and let the GM’s eat it for breakfast. But hey, at least they make a lot of money, right? And lastly, I could see this kid having shoes of his own one day.

4) Tyreke Evans, Sacramento Kings

Kid’s from Memphis, yes he’s good, yes he’s fast, and yes… he’s a damn thug. I really don’t like Memphis and I don’t like the style of play that Memphis puts on the floor each year. Worst free throw shooting team in Div I… consistently. That’s coaching style and a huge pet peeve of mine. That said, Derrick Rose is clearly a star and a great NBA player. So Tyreke probably will too. Memphis is the king of the one-and-done kids who probably should have just gone to the NBA straight out of high school and let the college game be. My heart goes out to KY where one of the great college programs is about to be Caliparized.

5) Ricky Rubio, Minnesota Timberwolves

Watched some highlights from this kid and I think as long as he gets a good coach, a good nutritionist, and a good weight trainer/ program, he’s got all kinds of potential. Really young, makes all kind of great plays. Something tells me he’ll be in a lot of SportsCenter top tens in no time at all. But again, I’m bored by this draft class.

6) Jonny Flynn, Minnesota Timberwolves

Now this one I love, not for anything to do with Minnesota because they clearly were getting a kick out of drafting only point guards today which aggravated me to no end, but I just LOVE this kid. Ever since the epic Big East showdown vs. UConn, I’ve loved him. Talk about heart. He willed that team to victory every time he stepped on the floor. Love the Big East, love the Orange, love Jim Boeheim, and Jonny is just incredible to watch. Not a huge key scorer, but he’s got all kinds of moves in the paint and he’ll be valuable as a drive and dish and a drive and score kind of guy. Don’t know what the T-Wolves have to offer him, but I’d pretty much shit myself to get to see him and K-Love on the floor at the same time once they both mature. As long as the NBA hasn’t sucked the life out of two key very motivated and dedicated players.

7) Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors

If I get a chance to see him in action at a nearby game, I think I will. His shooting ability is uncanny but I personally think the transition from Davidson to the NBA is going to be much harder than everyone seems to think. I understand that a natural scorer is pretty much born for the NBA, but I think they style of play and the completely different defensive tactics will throw him for a loop for a while. Oh, and he needs to bulk up too. But anyways, one of the prettiest jump shots from a fundamental perspective in the game and he’ll be fun to watch. Saw him on PTI the other day and he seemed like a really down-to-earth guy. Answered questions thoughtfully and engagingly, and never really stumbled. Seems like his parents raised him well and with a good appreciation and respect for the game.

8) Jordan Hill, New York Knicks

To be honest, I don’t remember much about Jordan Hill, but his stats look good. New York is, well, New York and I just don’t care. So I’m not going to waste my fingers. Moving on…

9) DeMar DeRosan, Toronto Raptors

Meh, maybe I just don’t like USC but I feel like this kid is overrated. Prove me wrong, DeDe. Such a weak draft.

10) Brandon Jennings, Milwaukee Bucks

Don’t remember him either, but he strikes me as someone who would have played for USC. And don’t get me wrong, those asses seem to translate pretty well into the NBA, but that doesn’t mean I have to like them

And now I’m done with the top 10. I’m g0ing to kind of jump around now just to the ones I want to talk about.

11) Terrence Williams, New Jersey Nets

Love this guy too. Played a really interesting position at Louisville for Pitino known as the point foward. Read a really neat article about that position and the strategy behind it in ESPN The Magazine that really made me appreciate Coach P even more. I love college coaches that do something different from a fundamental perspective. He really made use of Terrence’s specific skills and abilities and again, that will translate well into the NBA because he has such a wide range of moves and ways to create oppotunities for his teammates.

13) Tyler Hanbrough, Indiana Pacers

Now that we got that damn Duke pain in the ass out of the way (Gerald Henderson to Charlotte, and actually I think he was one of the most clutch shooters in the country last year, but he’s a Duke crybaby, he busted my boy’s nose two years ago, and therefore I will hate him forever and ever) we can finally move onto my favorite college player for the past four years. Psycho-T, also known to my friends as the future father of my children, is pure heart and very talented to boot. To a degree, I will go along with the haters who claim he’s not going to translate into any kind of a worthwhile NBA player, but with one HUGE caveat. His CURRENT game. This boy will learn faster than anyone else in this draft. He will do whatever it takes to succeed, to win in the NBA. I cannot wait to see how a good coach will mold him. He’s not stuck with the moves that made him the ACC’s leading all-time scorer, but I guarantee you that the basketball IQ that he has along with the supreme heart and effort that he brings to his game, he will NOT be “overrated” as the fuckers in New York chanted at him. That just fuels his fire. And I’d certainly like to feel some of that heat.

After that, I don’t really care a flying rat fornication about the rest of the picks. I have a lot of love for the following players, but for their own reasons, I don’t think they’re going to see a lot of playing time right away, and at this point they’re mostly just potential on the bench: Ty Lawson (18th), Darren Collison (21), and Wayne Ellington (28), and no one will ever talk about this draft without mentioning the following insane fact. DeJuan Blair was drafted 7th… IN THE SECOND ROUND. So effectually 37th. After Sam Young (who by the way is an excellent player and if I were a GM who needed scoring I would have taken him over a lot of the shooting guards that went before). After Jeff Pendergraph. After Dante Cunningham. Now no offense to these excellent players, but I thought Blair was a lock for the first round even with the rumors about his knees and other injury potentials, he would be a great NBA player right away. He’s a stud. He’s a monster. If he looked at me and then started walking toward me, about 90% of me would want to run away at full speed (random aside: I also feel the same about Snoop Dog).  Chalk this up to Greg Oden being a bust, Yao getting hurt all the time and not recovering, and all the other big men that just breakdown with the grueling schedule and their general enormity. Or maybe he worked out poorly. But I still say, ouch DB. But maybe he’ll shock everyone.

Well that was fun. Just wait till the college season starts up again, then this 2000 word blog will quickly turn into 5000. And again, I’m not going to apologize.