NBA Draft Recap

Early in the week, it looked like the NBA was going to be thrown into a whirlwind of chaotic trades during the draft. But when Mason Plumlee is the bombshell trade of the night, you know things ended up a little more bland than everyone was thinking. That's because the trade that would have set everything in motion never happened. If DeMarcus Cousins had ended up a Laker, players would've started moving back and forth across the NBA. But he didn't, and we ended up with a pretty boring draft night. Still, there were some highlights:

Karl-Anthony Towns went first, like expected. I'm not sure what to make of the Kentucky product. He could end up a special talent, he could be a Tyson Chandler clone, or he could end up an athletic big running around with no position. The idea is that in today's NBA, Towns can defend against smaller lineups and space the floor. And that's great in theory. What will be interesting is seeing if he can do that in the NBA. He'll take a while to develop, but he has high upside.

The Lakers surprised everyone by taking D'Angelo Russell. Leading up to the draft, all the talk was how LA was going to take Jahlil Okafor. Then, about 48 hours prior, word leaked that Russell was going to be the pick. Is this a sign that the shift to a wing-dominated NBA is complete? I don't know a lot about Russell, but he looks explosive from what I've seen. Learning from Kobe Bryant won't hurt, either.

Philly picked another big, giving them a surplus in the front court. Jahlil Okafor will step in and average 20 and 10 without hesitation, and I believe he'll win rookie of the year. The drafting of Okafor probably means either Nerlens Noel or Joel Embiid will be traded, but I don't think Philly is in a hurry to move either. They don't know what Embiid can do since he hasn't been able to get on the floor due to injury. I can't say which they should keep, because we haven't seen Embiid against NBA talent. I do think, however, that Okafor is the start of something for the Sixers. Whatever deficiencies he has on defense, his offensive skills can make up for. A few veterans and some shooters and Philly can challenge for a playoff spot in the East.

The New York Knicks picked Kris Porzingis. And their fans weren't happy. I don't blame them. Not because Porzingis will be bad. I don't know that. I think it's a bad move because they have Carmelo Anthony as the focus of their team, and they need to win now. Best case scenario, Porzingis is playing at an all-star level in five years. By then, Anthony will be 36 years old and close to retirement. You can't win a championship like that. Problems occur at any organization, basketball or otherwise, when they don't know who they are or what they want to be. Are the Knicks planning on being contenders in the five years? Then trade the pick or Porzingis for a player who can contribute right away. Are the Knicks planning on rebuilding? Then trade Anthony for a package of young players and picks and build for the future. Phil Jackson hasn't inspired confidence, and this pick didn't make sense to me.

Emmanuel Mudiay went to the Nuggets, which means Ty Lawson is on the move. Kenneth Faried will probably go, too. Just a good time to remind everyone that Denver hasn't made the playoffs since they fired George Karl the year he won Coach of the Year.

Nine teams passed on Justise Winslow, and they'll all regret it. I'm pissed that he ended up in Miami, because I hate Miami. I hope Dwyane Wade bails on them and ends up playing the rest of his career in Sacramento for six different coaches. Anyway, Winslow is my favorite player in this draft and at worst he'll be a solid role player on a championship team one day.

Everyone is down on Frank Kaminsky, but I think they'll be surprised by him. No, I don't think he'll ever make an all-star team, but he's more athletic than people think and he's smart on the court. He'll contribute to a playoff team one day, too, but probably not for Charlotte. Because they never go on deep playoff runs.

Myles Turner in, Roy Hibbert out in Indiana. Because Roy Hibbert got body snatched. Remember when everyone thought Hibbert was a defensive genius? That's long gone. Turner didn't impress me at Texas. He rarely stood out and I think he'll have to work hard to contribute to an NBA team.

Cameron Payne referred to himself in the third person, so I don't like his game.

Sam Dekker got drafted by the Rockets and then proceeded to mow his parents' yard. So that's nice. Maybe he doesn't know how much money he just made. Everyone keeps saying he's similar to Chandler Parsons, but I don't think so.

The Celtics drafted Marcus Thornton in the second round. I'm pretty sure there are already two Marcus Thorntons in the NBA. Is this the same guy getting drafted every few years? I want to see E:60 investigate this.

The Mavericks drafted the first Indian born player in the NBA so Mark Cuban could sell a crap ton of t-shirts in India. Or for basketball reasons. Whatever.

And that, ladies and gentleman, is how you turn an eagerly anticipated draft into a boring night of role calls by Adam Silver.