Loves and Hates, NBA Draft 2015

Storyline: The last event of the season, The NBA Draft, gives League junkies many things to debate. Here’s what I loved and hated about NBA Draft 2015.

Who are the winners and losers of Thursday’s NBA draft? Right now, nobody has a freaking clue.

Draft grades will be assigned. Certain picks will be lampooned. And other selections will be championed. But no expert—either talking or writing about the Draft—has any idea. Nobody knows how a player will fit in with any one team. It’s all speculation until these kids strap on jocks and get on the court with teammates.

But one thing is for sure: the NBA Draft is the last basketball event of the season. We NBA junkies need our fix. There has be some type of scorecard about how the Draft went down. Plus we all have opinions about what went down.

Allow me to share what I loved about last night’s festivities … and what I hated, too.

Courtesy: ftw.usatoday.com

I loved Jalen Rose’s analysis. Sure, I might be a Michigan fan (even before Jalen’s Fab Five days) and a tad biased, but he wasn’t coating anything with sugar. Rose was bringing the truth. Most analysts simply praise everything about a player based on how he performed in college. Jalen, on the other hand, looks at each player relative to how he might fit into the NBA. He wasn’t comparing these kids to future Hall of Famers—just to realistic NBA equivalents.

Jalen compared Jahlil Okafor to Brooke Lopez, a borderline All-Star. It’s a perfect comparison for now. Both are great low-post scorers, but they lack defensive presence and aren’t elite rebounders, either. Sure, one day Okafor might become a top rebounder/defender, but let’s not just assume that until we see it. Comparing Okafor to someone like Tim Duncan is just silly.

And it was pure comedy when Jay Bilas slathered over the Bucks selected Rashad Vaughn. Jalen’s NBA comparison was Dion Waters. That’s the same Dion Waters who was banished from Cleveland and hasn’t looked that special in Oklahoma City, either. Keep giving the people what they want, Jalen.

I hated picks 4-9 because none of them was Justise Winslow. I’m not saying all those selections will be busts, but I think Winslow has a chance to be a superstar—or at least a quality starter—on a potential title team. At 19 years of age Winslow has a NBA body and has shown elite defensive skills, too. And his offensive game at Duke rose throughout last season. Just take a look at the graphic

Small sample size, to be sure, but those final six games led to a NCAA Championship. I see Winslow as a Draymond Green, and possibly a Kawhi Leonard, -type of player in the League. I’m no Jalen when it comes to player comparisons, but I think the Heat win again.

Courtesy: vavel.com

I loved the Sam Dekker-to-Houston pick. He seems to be a right player for the right team. If he had gone earlier (to a team like Phoenix or Boston) it would have been hard for a player like Dekker to make an impact. But on a very good Houston team—with a creator in James Harden and a bevy of three-point shooters—Dekker’s skills will round out the team. He brings size and athleticism with the ability to create off the dribble, not only for himself but for teammates. It was a nice pick for G.M. Daryl Morey.

I hated the Celtics pick of Terry Rozier. I don’t necessarily hate the player, but Rozier’s NBA equivalent just might be Marcus Smart. There’s nothing wrong with that except that the Celtics just drafted Smart … last year! Celtics’ G.M. Danny Ainge didn’t accomplish much in Boston until KG fell in his lap, so I wonder if this is who Ainge really is? He may be just another G.M. searching for answers.

I loved the Lakers pick — D’Angelo Russell over Okafor. That’s not necessarily saying I loved the Ohio State guy over the Duke guy (a big welp to both schools), but it’s the guard-over-center aspect that I love. The old school thinking is to always take the Big Guy over the Little Guy, but that thought process should have died a while ago. Just take the best player in the draft, regardless of position. If Okafor was a complete center, who dominated like a Shaq or Olajuwon, then fine, take the big. But don’t take him because of the size. I give kudos to G.M. Mitch Kupchak for selecting the player with more superstar potential and going against the norm. Size isn’t all that matters.

Courtesy: Businessinsider.com

I hated that Bill Simmons wasn’t part of ESPN’s coverage. I know everyone’s favorite Sport’s Guy is no longer with the Mothership, but I missed his insight and humor. And the back and forth with Jalen is always entertaining. Sure, SG, can come off like a conceited jerk and his Boston obsession gets tiresome, but he knows and loves basketball. Please join NBA TV or build another Grantland, Simmons. We miss you!

I love the Zen Master, Phil Jackson, but…. I respect and love what Phil did while he was in LA, but this whole challenge in New York seems beyond him right now. How does a 70-year old, first-time G.M. win in a stressful environment like New York—in that debacle of the Knicks organization? Poor Phil just seemed so tired and old during his Draft interview.

I hated the Frank Kaminsky pick. I wasn’t that high on Kaminsky as a Top Ten pick and, then, Charlotte took him at #9 … and with Winslow still on the Board! Michael Jordan’s track record of 1^st Round picks is abysmal (as in Kwame Brown, Adam Morrison, Brandan Wright, D.J. Augustine, and Cody Zeller), so I’m even less sold on NBA Frank. But no worries, MJ. You still have that “Best Player Ever” thing going for you.

Courtesy: sixfouls.com

I love the NBA Draft and everything about it. There’s no downside to watching five straight hours of entertainment.

Parents’ tears. Crazy suits. New York fans booing. Awkward photo ops. Bilas raving about wingspan. Fraschilla raving about foreign players. Shout outs to God/and or Jesus. Draft-day trades. And players’ reacting to being drafted by the ever-tanking 76ers.

There is only love, no hate, when it comes to taking in the NBA Draft on a June summer’s night.