FanNation - The Republic of Sport

Let's pick up where we left off, with the New Jersey Nets, who had a helluva draft day and week.  We've already discussed their first two selections -- Brook Lopez and Ryan Anderson -- which leaves us with pick No. 40, Memphis' Chris Douglas-Roberts. 

Douglas-Roberts -- better known as "CDR" -- is considered an unorthodox, low ceiling player, but if he gets the opportunity he can contribute immediately as a member of the Nets' young rotation.  While many teams were using their second round picks on "stash picks" (international players that may or may not come over to America sometime in the next 2 to 6 years), the Nets took a guy who can help them immediately.

CDR sometimes looks awkward when he dribbles and slashes to the hoop, and his jumper looks like it has no shot to fall half of the time...but he finds a way to make it all work.  He was a first team All-American this past season, and he's extremely effective once he gets inside the lane.  He'll be competing with Yi Jianlian, the aforementioned Anderson, Bobby Simmons, and Boki Nachbar (if he re-signs) for playing time.

Elsewhere, one of the headlines of the draft was the O.J. Mayo trade, following the night's official festivities.  The Timberwolves sent Mayo, Antoine Walker, Marko Jaric, and Greg Buckner to the Memphis Grizzlies for Kevin Love, Mike Miller, Brian Cardinal, and Jason Collins.  A very intriguing, but unusual deal.

The last couple of days before the draft, everyone seemed to be raving about Mayo -- fans, players, analysts, coaches and executives alike.  As expected, the Wolves grab Mayo at the No. 3 spot, and everyone congratulates them.  Some were even speculating that the Heat were going to pass on Michael Beasley in favor of Mayo at No. 2, which gives you an idea of the credit people give to O.J.

So why did Minnesota pass on Mayo's promise and ship him away to Memphis?

For starters, I think the T'Wolves felt O.J. is overrated, and they drafted him with the intention of trading him all along.  They knew they could use the surrounding hype to get a number of different offers from teams around the league, the question in their mind was:  which deal do we take?

I haven't heard the specifics of any other proposed deals, but I can't imagine this was the best offer out there for Mayo.  I'll agree with Minnesota in believing that he won't be as good as advertised -- because he lacks the killer instinct and 48-minute intensity required to be a true winner in the NBA -- but they definitely should have received more in return for a player with so much natural ability.

Love is significantly more overrated than Mayo, and if Minnesota believes he's going to be a force in the post, they are sorely mistaken.  Those of you who have been reading know I can't stand the guy as a player -- slow, undersized, unathletic, no explosion, poor defensive footwork, inconsequential wingspan, and a non-factor in the open court.

I like Mike Miller, he's a nice all-around player who knows how to fill up the box score, but he's not the type of guy who can turn an abysmal franchise around.  I realize that the Wolves think the combination of Miller and Al Jefferson (over Mayo and Jefferson) gives them a better chance to compete on a night-to-night basis in the coming season or two, but it's not like they'll have any shot to make the playoffs.  Pointless to mortgage the future on a good but not great player in Miller.

Like the deal for Memphis.  Unlike Minnesota, they realize that they aren't going to be back in the playoff hunt for, at the very least, another two to three seasons, so they are looking to assemble a championship team for the future.  They have an excellent start with the 1-2-3 trio of Mike Conley Jr., Mayo, and the sensational Rudy Gay.  They'll need to address their frontcourt to be taken seriously in the coming years, but they remain the winners of the Mayo trade. 

Moving on, the worst pick in the draft was made by the Charlotte Bobcats at the No. 9 position.  The 'Cats, a team desperately in need of a center that could allow Emeka Okafor to move down to his natural power forward position, appeared to have their dream scenario when Brook Lopez was still on the board at 9.  So what do they do?

They take a point guard, listed under 6-feet tall, when they already have a franchise point in Raymond Felton.  That tiny fella is D.J. Augustin, a talented but limited floor general out of Texas.  Augustin knows how to score -- somewhat reminiscent of Nate Robinson -- and he's probably the most polished passer in this draft class, but of course he has a ceiling at 5'11" 172 lbs.

But none of that really even matters.  What matters is that the Bobcats didn't need to waste a lottery pick on a back-up point guard.  It's not like they will play Augustin and Felton side by side, because Charlotte's best player is Jason Richardson -- a natural shooting guard.  He'll get the vast majority of the minutes at the 2, while Felton will tighten his hold on the 1-spot.

Even if Charlotte was sour on Lopez's ability, they should have taken him anyway.  He has great size at 7-feet, 258 lbs, and he plays with passion and intensity.  The Bobcats would have had an exceptional defensive frontcourt with Gerald Wallace, Okafor, and Lopez.

Some picks I'll just never understand.  I wonder how much input Larry Brown had into this selection...my guess is probably a lot -- can't stand him as a decision-maker.  I'm still pissed at him for the way he handled the Knicks. What an embarrassment.  Almost as bad as Isiah.

Anyway, I digress.  Anything else you'd like me to talk about in reference to the NBA Draft?  Please don't hesitate to let me know with comments or suggestions.