Prince of Westwood - UCLA Bruins Basketball

Welcome to the 2008 Draft Diary! Here at Prince of Westwood, we know our Bruins, but we know our scouting and our NBA. So we thought we would share our thoughts on the much awaited 2008 NBA Draft while we watch. Also, this year is particularly interesting since the Prince of Westwood himself, Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, will be in the draft. We will be hoping that he gets picked in the 2nd round (Golden State #49??!!!). We arent professional writers or professional scouts, but we hope you enjoy or at least have something to read when you drop the kids off at the pool.

4:04 - Joining us today is Stuart Scott, Jeff Van Gundy, Mark Jackson, and Jay Bilas. Two thoughts on this…Thank goodness Stephen Annoying Smith isn’t there and Stuart Scott’s glass eye is thoroughly scary in HD.

4:06 - Andy Katz announces that Chicago will draft Derrick Rose with the #1 pick. Talking about ruining the suspense. Why does ESPN always do this? They are like Hermione Granger (the annoying little girl in Harry Potter who always wants to prove that she knows it all). ESPN, you suck. Stop ruining the draft for us.

4:09 - Van Gundy says Beasley is going to come in from jump street and become a Hall of Famer. What??? 21 jump street? what is he talking about? Anyhow, Jeff is not being too conservative here. Hall of Famer???? He couldn’t even get Kansas State past Brian Butch and Wisconsin.

4:16 - Rose is getting interviewed and the tell us hes afraid of needles. Why are so many black people afraid of needles? and water? Someone let me know. On a side note, Rose seems very humble and softspoken. Meanwhile, Stephen A Smith and Beasley have a conversation that is incoherent. Can it get be any more obvious who Chicago should choose?

4:19 - Before the draft starts, let me ramble a few of my pre-draft thoughts: Eric Gordon is the sleeper of the draft, he will be better than Mayo and Bayless and should be the 3rd pick in this draft. As I said before, Kevin Love will average 18 and 10 one day. Beasley will never win a championship and will be celebrating at Scores or Spearmint Rhino tonight. Russell Westbrook will NOT be an effective PG at the next level. Luc will be a 10 year NBA player (that is bold I know). If I were a struggling NBA team, I would load up on picks in this draft. This is the deepest draft in years. A few players in the 10-20 range could easily be top 3-5 picks in other years (Anthony Randolph, Deandre Jordan, Donte Green to name a few). If the Warriors draft Kosta Koufos or the scrub from Rider, I am going to throw up, put it in a bag, and mail it to Chris Mullin (Yes, I am a Warriors fan and am sick of scrubs such as Ike Diogu and Pat Obryant. I am hoping for the upside of Deandre Jordan or Donte Green or Anthony Randolph).

4:38 - #1 - Derrick Rose - Bulls - deadly combination of size and strength, the most athletic point guard in the NBA. If you don’t believe me, ask Darren Collison what he thinks about that comment. Great court vision, great teammate. Only weakness is his outside shot, but lacking an outside shot is the LEAST concerning element of a player going into the NBA. Think Deron Williams and Baron Davis morphed into one guy.

4:42 - #2 - Michael Beasley - Heat - The dude can play. Very athletic and can score in ALL ways. He has no weakness on offense. Can spot up, post, and his ability to take it to the hoop is underrated. They don’t call him Michael Beastly for nothing. He is going to be a top 10 scorer in the NBA and will be the latest to never win a ring. He will also be the most successful albino in the history of Earth. Think Derrick Coleman but lighter.

Now it gets interesting….

4:49 - #3 - OJ Mayo- Timberwolves - Only Gordon and Mayo deserve to be in this spot. But how does he fit in with the Twolves? Mccants, Foye, Brewer? Who is going to play pg - Marko Jaric??? Misunderstood guard can create his own shot, very athletic, and great defensively. But, he will not be an effective point guard in the NBA. Mark my words. His feel for the game is overrated and he forces too many shots. Think Ricky Davis on steroids.

4:53 - #4 - Russell The Animal Westbrook - Sonics - Great kid. Great athleticism. Great teammate. Great defender. He can create his own shot although he didnt show it much in Howland’s system. Great intangibles, does the little things. However, he CANT play point guard in the next level. He cant change speeds and does not have a good feel for the position. Picked a bit too high for my taste, I would have gone with Eric Gordon if they were going with a 2 guard. Think a more athletic but less smooth Monta Ellis.

5:03 - #5 - Kevin Love - Grizzlies - Great passer. Great rebounder. Mature kid. The big fundamental. Solid post moves, not to mention the best outlet passer in the past 20 years. Jay Bilas says he runs the court funny, and that is an understatement. Runs like a flatfooted hippo. Underrated athleticism, BUT will struggle against taller players, but will outsmart 90% of his defenders. 18 pts , 10 reb. You’ll see. Think Tim Duncan but whiter, shorter, but with the same facial hair.

5:06 - #6 - Danilo Gannilari - Knicks - I am not going to pretend that I know this guy cause Ive never seen him. But I do know that he plucks his eyebrows. He is getting booed by the Knicks fans in the audience but I dont think he should care because he will be boning a lot of ladies in NYC. The latest in metrosexual Euros. If Pau Gasol gets a lot of guys in West Hollywood and Marko Jaric can get Adriana Lima, this guy is going to do some damage.

5:12 - #7 - Eric Gordon - Clippers - This guy can flat out ball. Can make it rain like it does in Seattle. All day, all night. Very explosive and athletic. Can hit midrange or can hit from half court. Great pick by the Clip joint. Wins the award for ugliest suit in the draft. White jacket with black pinstriped shirt. Looks like a penguin. Think less athletic but better shooting J-Rich.

5:18 - #8 - Joe Alexander - Bucks - Good thing they took him because i dont want him for the Warriors. He’s white and a lottery pick, which gives his chance to be an All-Star at a whopping 0.0000000000000%. However, he was raised in Taiwan so he could be better than JJ Redick. I dont really get this pick since the Bucks just got Richard Jefferson. They have like 7 small forwards. Stephen A is interviewing him and the guy sounds really intense and looks pissed off. Lighten up buddy, you are the #8 pick in the draft. Think of a quicker Tom Gugliotta.

5:24 - #9 - DJ Augustine - Bobcats - WTF. MJ is the dumbest NBA exec since Isiah Thomas. Bobcats already have Felton. Augustine can play, but limited in size. Augustine is quick and can shoot, but I feel he has no star potential. Think of a quick Jameer Nelson.

5:30 - #10 - Brook Lopez - Nets - Safe pick, smart pick. At #10, he has some value here. You cant teach height. Limited in upside, hes a bit stiff and goofy, but should average 14 and 9 soon. Think Mexican Rick Smits.

5:33 - whoa whoa. Hearing Brook Lopez talk gives you a really weird feeling. Kinda sounds like Lenny from Of Mice and Men, or Cameron Diaz’s brother from “Something about Mary”.

5:35 - #11 - Jerryd Bayless - Pacers - 6th Pac 10 player to go in the first 11 picks. Woot Woot. Athletic and quick guard who can make it rain. Has a weird body type, has very short arms for his height. Is listed at 6′ 3″, his arms are that of a guy who is 5′ 5″. Short legs. His handle could be better but he is the 3rd purest scorer in the draft behind Gordon and Beasley. Has a better chance to make it at PG than Westbrook. Think Tony Parker but less quick.

5:42 - #12 - Jason Thompson - boooooooooring. Has no upside whatsoever. No athleticism whatsover. Think Mikki Moore/washed up Shareef Abdur Rahim. Oh wait, the Kings already have both of that. Thank you Sacramento for guaranteeing the Warriors Jordan or Randolph. Oh wait, Mullin is a moron and is going to take the Greek stiff. I forgot.

5:47 - #13 - Brandon Rush - Blazers - Can play right away. Smooth. Good shooter. Limited upside. Does not want to take over. Good character guy. Think …i cant think, Warriors are on the clock sorry. Travis Outlaw comes to mind.

5:49 - Please please please please please dont take the Greek Stiff. Randolph, Green, Jordan. Just no Koufos.

5:53 - #14 - Anthony Randolph!!!- Warriors - Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! - Dude weighs less than me (and I am 5′ 8″) but hey, better than the Greek Stiff. Huge upside. Now lets just get rid of Baron and let the Monta era begin. Think Chris Bosh.

5:56 - #15 - Robin Lopez - Suns - Wow. I actually kinda like this pick for the Suns. Good role playing big who hustles and does all the dirty work. I think he actually could be more effective than his brother eventually. How freaking tall is Mr. Daddy Lopez??!!! I live in LA and I sure dont see too many Mexicans over 5′ 6″. Think Anderson Varejao.

6:03 - #16 - Maurice Speights - Sixers - Big, black, and beastly. Works for me.

6:09 - #17- Roy Hibbert - Raptors - Big, black, and goofy. Doesn’t work for me. I would have taken Jordan. I am telling you, that guy has all the talent in the world.

6:12 - They just showed clips of Brook Lopez in the green room and they had a microphone. Definitely sounds like Lenny from Of Mice and Men.

6:13 - #18 - Javale McGee - Wiz - his mom played in the WNBA. Good to know.

6:16 - Trade - Pacers trade Diogu and Bayless to Blazers for Rush and Jarrett jack. This unites Kareem with Brandon. Maybe Jaron and his 11 kids can move to Indianapolis. Meanwhile, is there a smarter team in the NBA than Portland?? They pile up assets overseas and get rid of their garbage. Bayless, Fernandez, Roy, Oden, Aldridge, Outlaw, etc. Watch out for the Blazers, they just got a guy that could go in the top 5 and based on talent, should have gone in the top 5.

6:20 - #19 - JJ Hickson - Cavs - Lebron is probably calling Jay-Z right now to discuss his contract to the Brooklyn Nets.

6:24 - with Deandre Jordan, Donte Green, and Darrell Arthur etc on the board still, this is the reason I would have stocked up on picks this year. These 3 guys all could have been top 10 picks next year.

6:28 - #20 - Alexis Ajinca - Bobcats - Michael Jordan - best player ever, worst GM ever. Mikael Peitrus. Boris Diaw. Alexis Ajinca. See if you can see the trend.

6:33 - #21 - Ryan Anderson - Nets - very skilled big. good feel for the game. Can rain from all over the court. Think a Steve Novak with a better midrange game. Stu Scott mentions that 1/3 of the picks so far have come from the PAC 10. The ACC , Big 12, SEC can suck a nut. Ryan Anderson just went higher than Darrell Arthur. Let me put that into context. Ryan Anderson, The 7th player from the Pac 10, the 3rd white guy from the Pac 10, and the guy looks like the mute brother in Little Miss Sunshine , just got picked over the number 1 big man in the SEC and the best big on the national championship team.

6:38 - #22 - Courtney Lee - Magic - Wow. I was hoping for the Magic to draft the poor man’s Dwight Howard (Jordan). Think OJ Mayo. They play similarly, with OJ being more athletic.

6:40 - Darrell Arthur is still in the waiting area. I am starting to feel bad for them. Ok, not really, he has a championship ring.

6:41 - The Nets have obtained Yi Jianlian, Ryan Anderson, and Brook Lopez today. Add that to Vince Carter, and you have a team that are softer than the Los Angeles Sparks.

6:42 - #23 - Kosta Koufos - Jazz - Whats that you hear? Every black player still available in the draft just gave a sigh of relief. The Mormons were hoping for Ryan Anderson, but at least they got the Greek Stiff, who actually is a good pick this late in the draft by the way.

6:48 - #24 - Serge Ibaka - Sonics - He has 17 siblings. Wow. Maybe the Sonics should have drafted Serge Ibaka Sr. He sounds like a potent offensive player who can perform well at any age. Think Ron Jeremy. (I have no idea who Serge Ibaka Jr. is similar to).

6:54 - #25 - Nicolas Batum - Rockets - After drafting Landry last year, I am not going to doubt the Rockets. Very athletic and raw, he will give the Rockets must needed athleticism. Think Thabo Sefolosha.

7:01 - #26 - George Hill - Spurs - When George Hill from IUPIUOIUEUI gets drafted ahead of you, you know things are bad for DeAndre Jordan, Darrell Arthur , and Donte Green.

7:03 - Portland is my new 2nd favorite team. They used Paul Allen’s cash (which is unlimited) to buy the Hornets 27th pick and now they can get a would be 2009 lottery pick. Amazing. Watch them pick up Green, Jordan or Arthur….

7:07 - #27 - Darrell Arthur - amazing. Go Arthur and go Blazers. A steal at #27. I am going to sell my car and hop on the Blazers Bandwagon right now before everyone else. For Rush, jarrett Jack, and cash, the Blazers got Darrell Arthur, Jerryd Bayless, and Ike Diogu. The Blazers have are like a hot slot machine in Vegas. Put in 3 quarters, and boom, you get 100!

7:13 - #28 - Donte Green - Grizzlies - Rashard Lewis clone is a steal this late in the draft. Smooth wing and athletic ability. Donte Green and Kevin Love - similar to the nice chocolate, crunchy cookie with the solid white filling of an oreo cookie. Nice tasty combo.

7:22 - #29 - DJ White - Pistons - limited post player in the Tractor Trailor mold. He gonna put on some weight. Let’s hope Joe Dumars can keep him away from the Hometown Buffets.

7:27 - #30 - JR Giddens - Celtics - Athletic wing reminds me of Vince Carter.

2nd round will be exciting with DeAndre Jordan, Chalmers, and CDR still on the board. Also, the dream of Luc going to the Warriors in the 2nd round is still alive…….