some thoughts on the nba draft

The NBA draft was last night. I felt that Chicago made the right decision in choosing Derrick Rose, as he has all the necessary skills to become a good point guard. I like his humble attitude and how he doesn’t mind not being ‘the man’ and knows when to distribute to his teammates and when to . He is very explosive off the dribble and will be a nightmare to guard in the NBA. His only supposed weakness is his shooting range, but that can usually be improved with more practice. But you can’t teach quickness and hops.

Michael Beasley went to Miami at No. 2. I think Michael Beasley will be a good player, but maybe not as good as everyone thinks. Although he’s listed at 6-10, he’s more like 6-8, according to the pre-draft workout records. I think he will be more like Carlos Boozer than a Tim Duncan. It made sense for Miami to choose Beasley since they’re desperate for rebounding and scoring, especially down low. Had the Heat chose O.J. Mayo, they would’ve had two combo guards in Dwyane Wade and O.J. Mayo. The overlap in talent, size, and skillsets would not benefit the Heat all that much, and the Heat’s number one priority is to win enough ballgames next season to keep Dwyane Wade from bolting to another team. So it was pretty clear from the get-go that Miami would take either Rose or Beasley, depending on who was still on board when it was their turn.

One team to be on the lookout in the next 2-3 years is the New Jersey Nets. They’re starting to put some good, young pieces in place (Devin Harris, Yi Jianlian, etc)and are primed to make more moves this offseason. With Jay-Z as a part-owner, and New Jersey/New York being a large media market, the Nets have the potential to attract either Lebron James or Dwyane Wade when these players become free agents.

Westbrook at No.4 surprised me a bit. Yeah, he has potential to be pretty good, but you’re going strictly on potential, I think. I hope he doesn’t turn into a Darius Miles or Jonathan Bender. Even though Westbrook did go to school.