I Ain't A Pyschic But I Crush A Lot

That thumping sound you hear is my hand patting my back. The NBA Draft went off without a hitch on Thursday, and the Sixers, as predicted, chose Marreese Speights. I like the pick. Trading for another pick would have been a bonus, and I'll always wonder what kind of price Stefansky wasn't willing to pay for a second round pick(it was reported that Philly was trying hard to get DeAndre Jordan), but overall, we have to be satisfied with this prospect.

Searching for Marreese on youtube led me to many conclusions. One is that he will not be on the all-interview team EVER. What he does on the court is obviously the most important thing, but my god, homeboy was struggling to put together coherent sentences.
Also, I'm convinced the worries about his conditioning are exaggerated and misleading. I'm not doubting the criticism he caught this past year of getting lazy and presumptuous, but what do you expect from a big-time prospect? Plus he woke up, smelled the greenbacks, got his mind right and played like a beast at the end of the year. And wasn't Kevin Love a fat slob nearly all of his freshman year? He lost a bunch of weight before the draft and nobody is worried about him channeling Oliver Miller in the pros, so let's not worry about Marreese. Check this video and commentary from Chad Ford for confirmation on his conditioning.

I hope everybody noticed how Ford mentions that on three-on-three games Speights dominated Vanilla Sky. Word!!

The rest of the draft was cool. I watched with fellow DR contributors and here are some observations:

Clothing: A very restrained crop of young ballers. No pinstripes come to mind, no attempts at matching headware, and nothing even close to this kind of regal gangsterness:



Overall the attitude was tasteful and respectable, which was a disgusting development.

Knicks Fans Are Xenophobic: A bright-eyed young Italian gets drafted by the Knicks and is greeted by sustained boos from the hometown fans. Aren't you barbarians aware you live in America's melting pot? The booing confused me even more because it was never explained who these rowdy louts wanted to draft. What, Brook Lopez is the answer to all that ails Knickerbocker basketball. Pazzesco!!

Larry Brown + Michael Jordan= A Terrible Draft Team:
Maybe it's too soon to degrade the Bobcats draft, but picking DJ Augustine and Alexis Ajinca with the #9 and #20 picks sure seemed degradable at the time. Isn't it amazing how two of the greatest at what they do(coach and play) are also two of the worst at everything else involving the sport(GMing, scouting, drafting)?

Stephen A. Smith and Dick Vitale:
Putting these two together in any capacity is a worse idea than R Kelly brand lemonade. I would much rather ESPN send a rep to my house once a year, have them hit me a few times in the ears with a brick, scream nonsense at me for a few minutes and then leave. If that meant those two would never be on my tv again, it would be the best trade ever.

Darrell Arthur:
I felt bad for DuhRel as he slipped lower and lower into the abyss of the draft. I also was rooting for the Sixers to trade and draft him, based on Shizz Weinstein's vague endorsement of the guy. As news of his kidney problem started to circulate, the rumors were rampant. The DR braintrust was convinced he had AIDS, which is probably inaccurate. No matter what, Big Firm made a good observation about Arthur's mom, who had the head of Esther Rolle and the body of the huge black man from The Green Mile. Darrell Arthur lasting until #27 was a stunner. Momma Arthur not being at least a second round pick in April's NFL draft qualifies as earth shattering.

Back to Speights for a second. Give me my props Flintskins!! I sent a write-in ballot to the Academy of Film requesting you be nominated for best actor in a lead role for you most recent work by the way.