On the Fly NBA Draft Diary
Deep Thoughts on Draft Day
June 27, 02

7:34 -- Ernie throws it to Heather Cox who details the Rocket's finalizing a deal with the Chinese government to allow 7'5" Chinese giant Yao Ming to play in the US. And this is probably the most uninteresting storyline of the night.

7:36 -- YAO! Ming it is for Houston as the Garden faithful boo for no apparent reason. You get the feeling Steve Francis, Cuttino Mobley and Moochie Norris are chilling at Stevie's crib and shaking their heads right now at the prospect of having Yao cramp their style on and off the court.

7:41 -- The Bulls waste no time in selecting Jay Williams. Another no-brainer pick here and thank god Jerry Krause didn't milk the full amount of time they were allotted. Hubie is spewing the time-honored draft cliches of upside, explosiveness and tweener that make you think he does his analysis with the help of MadLibs.

7:45 -- The crew sings the praises of Mike Dunleavy who's just been selected by "GST" and who will no doubt continue the storied history of Duke busts in the NBA.

7:47 -- Dunleavy distances himself from his father's quest for a job by saying, "That's not my problem." The elder Dunleavy unleashes a Dr. Evil-like glower for the cameras.

7:49 -- My dad asks if he can say something for the column. I agree and he comes back with, "I, uh, (three-second pause) I don't know." He seems about as prepared tonight as Quinn Snyder.

7:51 -- The draft is proceeding at a record speed as Drew Gooden goes to the Grizzlies and fills none of their needs in the process. Nice college talent but his game won't translate in the pros. Don't get comfy Drew -- you ain't staying in Memphis.

7:53 -- We're told Gooden is nicknamed "The Truth" -- "The Fraud" would be more accurate as the only Truth is Paul Pierce.

7:55 -- Nickolas TSKivsh*)Q#liv is selected by Denver. My mock draft is five-for-five right now and if the rumor that Antonio McDyess will be dealt to my Knicks for Mark Jackson, Marcus Camby and the No. 7 pick, I will be batting 1.000! Just an unthinkably stupid move for the Nuggets if they sign on for that one. Denver GM KiKi Vandeweghe should be investigated for being in cahoots with his old team.

8:01 -- The first shocking move of the night occurs when Cleveland opts for Dajuan Wagner. Clearly this signals that Andre Miller is on his way out of Purgatory, to where, we don't know. My mock draft is officially screwed at this point. Wagner looks the part but he'll need to grow up real quick. But how good would a backcourt of Wagner and Lebron James be? Scary thought.

8:03 -- The Knicks are on the clock and I am giddy. The crowd's chant sounds like "We Want Butler" -- I'm chanting "We Want Hilario" but it doesn't sound nearly as good. Truth is, New York is probably making this pick for Denver.

8:05 -- Sir Charles eggs the Knicks fans on and Hubie raises the fact that Kurt Thomas would be the Knicks only center if the McDyess trade goes through. I get the shakes as I envision Curtis Borchardt in a Knicks uniform.

8:07 -- NENE! The crowd hates it but I love it. Tremendous upside here, although he doesn't look that big next to David Stern. But who cares ... there's no way Hilario stays in New York given the McDyess rumor. One of the more bittersweet Draft night experiences I've had.

8:09 -- "Fire Layden! Fire Layden! Fire Layden!" The crowd is ferocious in drowning out Hilario's interpreted interview. I'm officially cringing in embarrassment. Think MSG will want the Draft back next year?

8:10 -- Much needed commercial break. Boy, these NBA Live ads have gotten real old, real quick.

8:11 -- I think Scott Layden is ready to funk somebody.

8:13 -- Peter Vecsey details the deal as Nene goes away along with Jackson and Camby for McDyess and the 25th pick. The crowd boos the idea of getting an All-Star power forward for nothing.

8:14 -- The Clipps get even more athletic at the forward spot with Chris Wilcox. Great talent, but where is he gonna play on L.A.? Me thinks Wilcox or even Darius Miles are headed to Cleveland for Andre Miller. Charles agrees.

8:16 -- Caron Butler anyone?

8:19 -- Amare Stoudemire heads to the Suns in somewhat of a surprise. Sure the Suns need size, but how can they pass on Butler, maybe the best player in the draft? If I'm an NBA GM, I'm offering the Heat the World for their 10th pick so I can steal Butler. Stoudemire seems unusually focused and business-like for a high schooler, too bad he'll never get to use those AP credits he's been piling up.

8:23 -- Are Chris Jeffries and Troy Bell the same person? Needless to say, I'll be submitting this to Page2's "Here's Looking at You" section tomorrow.

8:25 -- Pat Riley has to be jumping out of his hair right now to be getting Butler at No. 10. Nasty rumors about Butler's knees are rumored to be the reason he's dropped, but regardless, he fills this team's need like no other player drafted so far does. Big-time scorer with a nasty streak will fit perfectly with Miami. Charles correctly compares this pick to Paul Pierce slipping to 10 a few years ago.

8:27 -- Considered a shady character by some, Butler shows some heart by crying in his post-pick interview and predictably vows revenge against all the teams that passed him up. The Heat are still waiting for Harold Miner to get his.

8:31 -- No surprise here as MJ selects Jared Jeffries at No. 11 to play the 3/4 spot and put some points on the board for Washington. Look for the Wiz to tab either Dan Dickau or Jiri Welsch with the 17th pick they got from New Orleans for Courtney Alexander.

8:36 -- In one of the oddist Draft Day spectacles, Kiki Vandeweghe announces the McDyess deal in a Denver ski lodge whose crowd humors him with cheers despite their better judgment. Order up another maximum contract extension for the Knickerbockers and the free agent-to-be McDyess.

8:38 -- The Clippers screw the Bucks over by taking the bigger-than-advertised Melvin Ely. Ely would've helped Milwaukee immensely, but now he's a Clipper. Charles chimes in that the Clipps are definitely up to something with Elton Brand, Miles, Wilcox and Ely all on their roster.

8:40 -- The Fresno St. alum brandishes not a single samurai swords in his interview with Craig Sager.

8:42 -- With slim pickings available, the Bucks drop the ball by taking Marcus Haislip, an athlete with potential who is nowhere ready to contribute this season for win-now Milwaukee. This pick had "Best Big White Guy Available" written all over it and still Curtis Borchardt can't get drafted.

8:45 -- TNT's "Man on the Street" segment in Chinatown about Yao Ming falls horribly short of its potential. Despite what's gone on, there hasn't been too much zing in this year's broadcast. Suggested location for the 2003 Draft: Chinatown's Wing Fat Shopping Arcade.

8:48 -- There's your zing! Fred Jones gets inexplicably taken by the Pacers with Qyntel Woods and Kareem Rush still on the board. Isiah must've made this one as Jones could have been easily had much later in the draft. Even David Stern seems flabbergasted.

8:51 -- Bostjan Nachbar lands on the multi-cultural Rockets. Not that surprising a pick, but do you think he's gonna be better than Woods? And what's the over/under on Woods firing his agent? How about 12 minutes?

8:53 -- Did your ballot for the Slovenian All-Star Game get lost in the mail like mind did?

8:54 -- Just 41 minutes of juice left in my laptop battery and I couldn't be happier. This diary sounded like a good idea at the time but I'll admit it: I'm just not enjoying my second-favorite night of the year ... the NFL draft being No. 1 of course.

8:56 -- Could the Wizards possibly end up with both Jared Jeffries and Qyntel Woods?!?!?!

8:57 -- With Jiri Welsch going to Philly, it's still possible. Can Welsch possibly co-exist with Allen Iverson and can their interactions be taped for a new reality-comedy series on Fox starting this Fall?

9:00 -- It's 9 o'clock... have you seen lottery locks Qyntel Woods and Curtis Borchardt?

9:02 -- Kenny very adeptly addresses the Euro invasion as a wakeup call to American players: start paying attention to fundamentals and quit practicing your dunks.

9:03 -- Juan Dixon gets drafted by the Wizards and I immediately get violent. Hands down the dumbest pick of the night, beating out Fred Jones. My dad receives the brunt of my verbal assault over Juan Bomb: he weighs 160 lbs., he doesn't have point guard skills and he's not tall enough to get off his shot as a two-guard. I will not argue this any further ... he will be a bomb. I am livid. A true testament to MJ's GM knowledge that he's gonna force Dixon to play the point (see Joe Forte) or take minutes from Rip Hamilton.

9:08 -- In the upset of the night, my battery is about to go faster than Qyntel Woods or CuBo. Speaking of CuBo, we all need to starting calling Curtis Borchardt this -- I think it legitimizes him in a way that his game never will.

9:09 -- CuBo drops right into the Magic's hands at 18. I'm not sure he's that much of an upgrade over Andrew DeClerq but at this point, he's a good value. Hubie gets off his best joke of the night by including Patrick Ewing as part of Orlando's lineup next season.

9:12 -- If you're picking a guy who didn't get invited to the Draft, it may clue you into the fact that you're making a mistake. Jones and now Ryan Humphrey to the Jazz at 19. Not that I don't like Humphrey, he's got the physical tools and he can actually play, but taking him this high was a major reach especially since he doesn't have the height to play the 4.

9:18 -- With Vince Carter already in the fold, the silly Raptors select another two-guard, Kareem Rush. The pick is applauded cause Quinn Snyder's corpse is one of the analysts, but let's face it: Rush's one-dimensional scoring attack is the last thing Toronto needed.

9:20 -- Despite all logic, Clippers GM Elgin Baylor hints that L.A. will hold onto their stable of power forwards and not get Andre Miller. Meanwhile, Charles floats the conspiracy angle after Baylor makes no mention of Chris Wilcox, the Clippers first pick this year.

9:23 -- Well, the battery's shot and so are me and Qyntel Woods.

9:24 -- But wait! Woods finally gets his name called by Portland and Vegas has just taken the odds of the board for the "Qyntel Woods will vow revenge on the teams that passed him over" proposition. Time to call Bo Kimble to come drive me home.