NBA Draft Results

The 2009 NBA Draft has come and gone. As expected the Los Angeles Clippers selected Blake Griffin with the #1 overall pick. Here are the results of the top 10 picks.

1. Los Angeles Clippers: Blake Griffin- No surprise here, even the Clippers weren't dumb enough to pass on him.

2. Memphis Grizzlies: Hasheem Thabeet- He may not be the best offensive player, but Thabeet is a monster on defense and will immediately help a Grizzlies team that was in need of a dominant big man.

3. Oklahoma City Thunder: James Harden- I was surprised Harden went this high, but I'm very happy for him. He's a great player with a great IQ for the game. The Thunder now have a great shooting guard to complement Russell Westbrook.

4. Sacramento Kings: Tyreke Evans- Evans is a very physical player. I'm surprised the Kings didn't pick Ricky Rubio, but nonetheless Evans will have a positive impact for Sac town.

5. Minnesota Timberwolves: Ricky Rubio- Fantastic pick for Minnesota, and quite the steal at #5. They are a rebuilding team, and now they have a great young point guard. It will take some time for Rubio to develop, but in four or five years he could be one of the best point guards in the game.

6. Minnesota Timberwolves: Johnny Flynn- I was surprised that Minnesota took two point guards back-to-back, but nonetheless Flynn is a great player with great defensive skills and great leadership skills.

7. Golden State Warriors: Stephen Curry- Great pick for Golden State, even though they already have Monta Ellis as a point guard. Curry is a small guy, but he's a great scorer and should fit in well with Don Nelson's up-tempo style of play.

8. New York Knicks: Jordan Hill- Solid pick for the Knicks. All the fans at Madison Square Garden were booing because they wanted Stephen Curry, but Hill is a great big man that could thrive in Mike D'Antoni's offensive game. 

9. Toronto Raptors: DeMar DeRozan- He could be the most athletic player that was taken. DeRozan has a ton of upside and could be a great scorer. Look for the Raptors to build around him since Chris Bosh will probably leave the team next summer.

10. Milwaukee Bucks: Brandon Jennings- Interesting pick since I thought the Bucks were going to take Jrue Holiday. Jennings is somewhat of a risk since he didn't play in college and went to Europe instead. He needs to work on his jump shot, but this could be a great pick for Milwaukee down the line.

Former Arizona State Sun Devil Jeff Pendergraph was taken with the first pick in the second round by the Sacramento Kings. I'm very happy for both Harden and Pendergraph. They represented ASU Basketball very well, and hopefully they will do great things in the NBA. I hope Coach Herb Sendek can use Harden and Pendergraph as examples that players who come to ASU can be just as successful in getting drafted as players that go to powerhouses like North Carolina, Duke, and UCLA.

I said in my previous post that the NBA world had been changed with the Shaquille O'Neal trade, but that was only the beginning. The Orlando Magic traded Rafer Alston, Tony Battie, and Courtney Lee to the New Jersey Nets for eight-time NBA All-Star Vince Carter and former California Golden Bear Ryan Anderson. All I have to say is WOW. What a great move for the Magic. In my opinion this trade makes Orlando the clear cut favorites to win the Eastern Conference and get back to the NBA Finals next year. If they can re-sign Hedo Turkoglu, then the Magic's starting lineup will be as follows: Jameer Nelson, Vince Carter, Hedo Turkoglu, Rashard Lewis, and Dwight Howard. That would by far be the best starting five in the NBA. Carter averaged 20.8 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists in 80 games with New Jersey last season. I sure hope the Lakers re-sign Trevor Ariza and Lamar Odom, because the biggest competitors in the NBA are only getting better.

There are still plenty of NBA Trade rumors that are surfacing, but my oh my what an incredible 24 hours it has been for the NBA. Only four more months until the beginning of the regular season!

NBA Frenzy

The NBA world has changed a lot in the past 12+ hours. Last night the Cleveland Cavaliers acquired Shaquille O'Neal from the Phoenix Suns in exchange for Ben Wallace, Sasha Pavlovic, and $500,000. Apparently Cleveland thinks the answer to winning a championship is bringing in a 38-year-old who is way past his prime. I'm sure David Stern is already dreaming of a Cavaliers-Lakers Finals matchup next year. As if the comparisons with Kobe and LeBron weren't enough, now you throw Shaq in the mix, and you've got quite the dramatic matchup.

The NBA Draft is tonight and Blake Griffin's promising career will be cursed as soon as he is drafted by the Clippers. The Lakers sold their first round pick to the New York Knicks for $3 million. That money will be used to attempt to re-sign Trevor Ariza, Lamar Odom, and Shannon Brown. The draft begins at 4:30 Pacific time. Here is my mock top 10 picks. I'll post tonight or tomorrow about the actual results.

1. Los Angeles Clippers- Blake Griffin

2. Memphis Grizzlies- Hasheem Thabeet

3. Oklahoma City Thunder- Tyreke Evans

4. Sacramento Kings- Stephen Curry

5. Minnesota Timberwolves- Ricky Rubio

6. Minnesota Timberwolves- James Harden

7. Golden State Warriors- Jordan Hill

8. New York Knicks- Johnny Flynn

9. Toronto Raptors- DeMar DeRozan

10. Milwaukee Bucks- Jrue Holiday

Summer Spending

It's been over a week since the Lakers won their 15th NBA Championship, yet I'm still on a high. I still get pretty fired up every time I watch youtube videos from Game 5 or when I look at pictures from the parade. 

So now that the Lakers have a couple months off, what's next? Well they need to make sure that they bring everyone back for next year. There are two unrestricted free agents on the team that the Lakers NEED to make sure they re-sign: Trevor Ariza, Lamar Odom. Both Ariza and Odom have made it clear that they want to return to the Lakers next year. Odom even went as far as to say that he would take a pay cut to come back (Yeah like that'll really happen). Lakers General Manager Mitch Kupchak said that he intends to do whatever he has to do to make sure both guys are back next year.

The Lakers may be able to re-sign both players simply because the economy is horrible and teams aren't willing to spend as much money on players as they would in years past. The Lakers really have no excuse not to bring back Odom and Ariza. They have the money to do it, it's just a matter of how much Lakers Owner Jerry Buss is willing to spend. In my opinion, you cannot break up a championship team. The Lakers MUST re-sign both if they want to have a chance to repeat, they cannot settle for one. Odom and Ariza officially become free agents on July 1st, at which then other teams can start making offers. Odom and Ariza will be certainly getting big offers from other teams, but I've got faith in the Lakers management that they will re-sign both.

Another big question mark is whether or not Phil Jackson will return to coach the team next season. Jackson, who is the all-time winningest coach in NBA History with 10 championships, said his health will be the determining factor in whether or not he comes back. Jackson plans on going through a series of medical tests, after which he will make his decision. 

It will be an interesting off-season for the World Champions, but we Laker fans can only hope for nothing but the best in the next couple of months.

Lakers Championship Parade!

Today was truly a remarkable day, and one that I will never forget. Five of my friends and I went to the Lakers Championship Parade to celebrate the 15th NBA Championship of the Lake Show's glorious franchise history. It really was an experience unlike any other and is one that every Laker fan should partake in at least once in his or her lifetime.

The ceremony was held at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, home to many historic moments in sports, now including a moment in Laker Basketball. The gates opened at 9:00 am, yet people started lining up as early as 3:30 in the morning. My friends and I got down there at 6:45 am, and there were already at least 20,000 screaming Laker fans waiting to get in. There were many gates for fans to enter through, but this was the gate I came through. As you can tell it was just a huge mob trying to get in as quickly as possible.

The stage setup was awesome. They actually brought in the court from the Staples Center and used it for the platform from which the players spoke. 

This was one of the many signs that were given to Laker fans prior to entering the Coliseum. I was in Laker heaven today. As a die-hard fan, I couldn't think of anything better than being with 95,000 other die-hard fans cheering for arguably the greatest franchise in sports. An hour before the Lakers even arrived at the Coliseum, there were thunderous chants of "Let's Go Lakers", "MVP" (referring to Kobe Bryant of course), and "Boston Sucks". It was great.
As mentioned there were close to 100,000 people in attendance. I should note that almost 50% of the stadium had been filled by the time I had entered. It was crazy. Today really proved that the die-hard Laker fans are the best fans in the NBA, hands down.
In the end, the Lakers gathered at the center of the stage and jumped around. The team is in the white, you can't see them too well, but I tried my best to get a picture with the zoom on my camera. Purple and gold confetti fell onto the fans of the city and franchise that had been hungry for a championship for the past seven years. Dreams became a reality, as the championship season was complete. What a way to end such a memorable year for the Los Angeles Lakers. A year ago they were embarrassed by the hated Boston Celtics, and now they are NBA Champions. The past few days have been the happiest days of the year for me. It's going to be a long few months until next season, but with another season comes the hopes of another championship and another parade. I tried finding the youtube video of "I Love LA", but I was unsuccessful. You should all know it, it's the song for the best fans in the world that honors the best city in the world. Right now there are four words that I can say in honor of the Lakers: REPEAT and I LOVE LA!!!

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!!!

I apologize for the break between posts, I've been too busy rioting in Downtown Los Angeles because the Lakers are NBA CHAMPIONS! By the way I was kidding about the whole rioting part, I was actually up in the Bay Area for my sister's graduation from Stanford. Anyways, the dream of every Laker fan at the beginning of the season has become a reality. With a 99-86 win over the Orlando Magic Sunday night, the Lakers became NBA Champions for the 15th time in their glorious franchise history. With the win, Phil Jackson became the all-time winningest head coach in NBA History, as he won his 10th championship as a coach, passing the great Red Auerbach. Everyone on the Lakers not named Derek Fisher and Kobe Bryant became champions for the first time in their careers, while Bryant and Fisher became 4-time NBA Champions. In winning the championship, Kobe finally silenced his critics by winning one without Shaquille O'Neal. Kobe also became the Finals MVP for the first time in his great career.

Listen I'm not going to sit here and say that I saw it coming all along, but I just had a feeling from the beginning of this season that the Lakers would end up winning it all. I have said all year long that when the Lakers play at their very best on a consistent basis, there is NO team in the NBA that can beat them....I mean NO ONE. I will say this now: if the Lakers bring everyone back next year, they will repeat. They are only going to get better since their nucleus is very young, and with a couple more championships, Kobe could potentially become the greatest player to ever play the game. Nonetheless the Lakers are World Champions and will have a target on their backs next season.

It's been a long seven years, but I can finally rejoice that my beloved Lakers are champions once again. I have not been this happy in God knows how long. People might think it's sad that my mood depends on how the Lakers do, but you know I really don't care. I'm a die-hard fan and there absolutely nothing that will make me to support any other NBA team more than I support the Lakers. So when occasions such as winning championships happen, I'm going to be in a good mood for a long time. 

So for the next year all the Laker haters can shut up, and all the Kobe haters can shut up. Because Kobe and the Lakers are Champions!!! I will be going to the Championship Parade tomorrow, so I will try my best to post tomorrow night about it.

Game 4 Preview

The Orlando Magic saved their season last night by defeating the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 3 of the NBA Finals. If the Magic had lost, the Lakers would have had a 3-0 series lead and would have essentially won the NBA Championship since no team in the history of the NBA has come back from an 0-3 deficit. Instead the Lakers now have a 2-1 series lead, with the all important Game 4 being tomorrow night in Orlando. 

Usually my mood for a Laker Gameday depends on whether or not the Lakers win. As sad as that may sound, it's true. If the Lakers win, I'm usually very happy, and if they lose, I'm usually sulking in my room wishing I could drink away my sorrows. However after the Game 3 loss I wasn't upset to be honest. The Lakers played a great game, it's just the Magic played a little bit better. The Magic shot an NBA Finals record 63% from the field in Game 3, yet only managed to win by four points. The Lakers were in the game and had their chances to win, they just did not execute down the stretch. Kobe Bryant played uncharacteristically bad in the final few minutes, which is something that probably will not happen again the rest of the series. Orlando also had huge games from Rafer Alston and Mickael Pietrus, as the two combined for 38 points, which again is something that probably will not happen again.

So even though the Lakers lost Game 3, I'm still very confident they will win the series and the championship. I expect the Lakers to win Game 4, then lose Game 5, and then win it all in Game 6. I knew the Lakers would not sweep Orlando, simply because the Magic are too good of a team to have been swept. The fact that Orlando played a near perfect game last night and only won by four is something to be very encouraged about if you are a Laker fan. 

Now that this series is now going to at least five games now all but guarantees the fact that I will be able to go to the Lakers Championship Parade if they do indeed win it all. If the Lakers win in five games, the parade would likely be next Tuesday, which is a day I have off of work. Similarly if the Lakers win in six games, the parade would probably be next Thursday, which is another off day for me. 

The song "All The Above" by Maino & T-Pain has been stuck in my head for a few days now. So, here is a video montage I found with the song combined with some of the best plays of the amazing career of Kobe Bryant. Enjoy, and let's go Lakers!

Weekend Wrap

Work has kept me from posting over the past few days. So for those of you who might have been living in a hole this past weekend, I've got some news for you. The Los Angeles Lakers are two wins away from winning their 15th NBA Championship! The Lake Show defeated the Orlando Magic 101-96 in overtime yesterday, and now have a 2-0 series lead. The Lakers will look to take a commanding 3-0 series lead in Game 3, which is tomorrow night in Orlando.

In Game 1 the Magic shot a dismal 29% from the floor and ended up losing 100-75. Kobe Bryant, who is making his sixth NBA Finals appearance, had 40 points, 8 rebounds, and 8 assists. Some other noteworthy stats from Game 1: Orlando's star center Dwight Howard took SIX shots from the floor, and the big trio of Howard, Rashard Lewis, and Hedo Turkoglu combined to shoot 6-of-27 from the floor, good for 33 points. I knew coming into Game 2 that there was no way Orlando would play as poorly as they did in Game 1, and I also knew that Orlando would not shoot 29% from the field again.

In all honesty, the Lakers got pretty lucky to win Game 2. I felt like the refs bailed out the Lakers on a few plays down the stretch, and after a stellar Game 1 performance, Kobe Bryant came out and played "subpar" to his standards. Orlando could have easily won this game in regulation if Courtney Lee had made a layup with .06 seconds left. For those of you who may not have seen the play, Lee came off of a pick set by Dwight Howard and was driving to the hoop with nobody near him. Rashard Lewis threw a lob pass to Lee, which he caught in midair and attempted to lay the ball in at the same time. Lee was unsuccessful, and the game went into overtime, where the Lakers eventually won. In Lee's defense, the angle on the layup was pretty bad, and I don't know how many people would have been able to convert that play. 

Even though I'm a Lakers fan, it really annoys me when people say the Magic lost the game because Lee didn't make the layup. First of all, the dude is a rookie, cut him some slack. Second of all, if anyone is to blame because of Orlando losing, it's either the entire team or head coach Stan Van Gundy. Orlando still could have won the game in overtime, but they didn't. Also, Lee shouldn't have even been in the game! He played a whopping 12 minutes prior to that play, yet Stan Van Gundy put him in why? Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that JJ REDICK PLAYED 27 MINUTES!!!! How retarded is Van Gundy, I mean really? Why the hell would you play a guy who played maybe a game or two in the Eastern Conference Finals at all, let alone 27 minutes??? Does Van Gundy know this is the NBA Finals? Maybe he's just trying to get his brother Jeff to make fun of him on national television.

So Game 3 is tomorrow night in Orlando, and I'm picking the Magic to win because there is NO way the Lakers are sweeping them.  Everyone usually plays much better when they are at home, a team usually execute much better when they are at home, and a team usually get more calls from the refs when they are at home. If the Magic lose, the series is over, so I expect them to play with a lot of desperation. I expect the game to be close, but I'm still picking the Magic to win.

By the way the Dodgers still have the best record in baseball at 39-20. 

On a sad note, I had to say goodbye to one of my best friends who is enlisted in the armed services. He leaves next week for Georgia, where he will receive his basic training. I remember when he told me he was going to enlist a few months ago, and how quickly the time has gone. I'm going to miss the guy a lot, but it's because of the selfless people like him that I do not have to enlist. May God bless Ben Guido, he truly is a hero and one of the best human beings I have ever met.