Has anyone bothered to find out what Al Jefferson thinks of all this? Friday’s NBA Draft aftermath still focused primarily on the Timberwolves, specifically on them picking Ricky Rubio and Jonny Flynn back-to-back. It’s to the point where Minnesota GM David Kahn wrote an open letter to Wolves fans explaining his actions, a classic example of a guy who still feels the need to prove himself. Could you ever see Larry Bird, Michael Jordan or even Rod Thorn doing that? Anytime Bird hears criticism for his player moves, we can imagine him thinking, “Why did I do that? Because I f***in’ felt like it. I’m LARRY BIRD, dammit!” … Read More »

Why would Minnesota take Jonny Flynn? You’re basically using a Top-6 pick on a backup, because [Ricky] Rubio and Flynn won’t start in the same backcourt. Aren’t you just setting Rubio up to fail if Flynn comes in and bulldogs the starting job away from him?

That’s what I wrote when the Wolves took Syracuse PG Flynn right behind Spanish PG Rubio in last night’s draft. While everyone is still questioning Minnesota’s thought process, GM David Kahn wrote an open letter to T’wolves fans, posted in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. Here’s an excerpt: Read More »

The morning before the ’09 NBA Draft, we asked you guys to act as your team’s GM. On the day after, now’s your chance to play critic and do the hindsight-20/20 thing. Grade how you think your team did on Draft Night: Read More »

Five teams who had good reason to stage those goofy, awkward draft-room celebrations, and four players who should go buy themselves something pretty …

1. Toronto Raptors They had one glaring need — an athletic SG/SF who can score — and filled it with DeMar DeRozan, who could be the second-best player in this Draft when it’s all said and done. The 6-7 highlight machine will sell tickets, too, which every NBA team could use right now. Read More »

Every year, in every draft, there’s a player or two or four who falls farther than expected. Whether it’s a projected Top-5 pick who sticks around until the double-digits, a Green Room guy who stays in the arena longer than everyone else, or a first-round talent who drops to the second, it’s an annual tradition.

Then there are those guys who wait by the phone all night and never hear their name. This year’s most notable snubs… Read More »

Say this much for new Timberwolves GM David Kahn: He might be the worst comedian in the NBA (his jokes last night bombed like Kramer on “Comicview”), but in the few weeks he’s been on the job, he’s made the Wolves relevant for the first time since they had KG. In almost every media outlet’s recap of last night’s NBA Draft, the Wolves were one of the lead stories, with half the experts thinking they killed it and deserved an A+, and the other half wondering if Kahn is smoking that same stuff Prince had when he made Graffiti Bridge … The Wolves used the 5th pick on Ricky Rubio, then took Jonny Flynn with the 6th pick. Read More »

Lots of talent left on the board, guys we didn’t think would drop into the second round. DeJuan Blair, Sam Young, DaJuan Summers and Chase Budinger among those who fell out of the guaranteed paper. Let’s see what happens…

BURTON: Stu Scott asks Bilas why Thabeet was picked 2nd and Blair hasn’t been picked yet even though Blair dominated him in college. Bilas says, “One game doesn’t make you an NBA player.” OK, except Blair routinely beasted Thabeet.

The Kings take Arizona State’s Jeff Pendergraph, who apparently has exercise-induced asthma and fixes his own cars. But can he play? Oh wait … turns out Pendergraph is being traded to Portland for Sergio Rodriguez and a pick. Read More »

The last part of the first round, meaning dudes are really sweating out that promise of guaranteed money versus fighting for a roster spot in a bad economy. If you could bring the guys slated to go in these slots to the Green Room, this would be the most tense portion of the draft.

BURTON: The Bulls take USC big man Taj Gibson 26th. I thought they were in love with DeJuan Blair? I thought Blair was going in the ‘teens? Gibson is good, but he’s less of a sure thing than Blair. (Whenever Gibson, DeRozan and/or O.J. Mayo have their next conversation, will the NCAA have the phone tapped? They’re all safe now that they’re in the NBA, so they might let something shady slip.) Read More »

BURTON: Again catering to the Knicks fans, ESPN interviews Larry Brown on the big screen so New York can shower him with boos. Brown talks about Gerald Henderson being a solid player “and he has good genes.” I always wondered if NBA teams actually considered that stuff — maybe they do. So maybe Jeff Jordan would have gotten drafted in 2011 after all.

The Hornets take Darren Collison 21st, who’s in the crowd and comes down to shake Stern’s hand. New Orleans needed some depth behind Chris Paul, and they got the most experienced PG on the board; not a bad pick at all even if Collison has some flaws and is small. Darren actually looks like Jrue Holiday’s smaller, older brother. Dave Chappelle as Rick James would have a field day with those two, that’s all I’m gonna say… Read More »

BURTON: With the 16th pick, the Bulls take James Johnson from Wake Forest. Crickets … I’m 100% certain we won’t hear a word here from Mark Jackson or Jeff Van Gundy … and I’m right. James Johnson could have delivered a pizza to JVG’s hotel room last night and he wouldn’t know who he was.

Steve Kerr’s interview was, um, blunt. “We know we’re not a championship contender,” Kerr says, then says flat-out that the Shaq trade didn’t work. He also admits the team is “in transition,” and acknowledges that everyone is calling him about Steve Nash and Amar’e. So Kerr took over a team on the brink of a Finals appearance, and like one year later they’re “in transition.” And he still has a job because …? Read More »