Articles

By: Tommy Beer

 

 

The 2008 NBA Draft is finally in the books, and most of the viewing audience are regaining their hearing after listening to four-plus hours of Stephen A. Smith, Dick Vitale and Stuart Scott. Sixty picks, a handful of trades, buckets of tears from proud mothers, some odd suit choices and A LOT of camera shots of Darrell Arthur in the green room later, it's time to see who came out ahead this year, and who will be saving seats for next year's lottery.

Losers

2007-08 Record: 23-59; 5^th Atlantic

Draft Picks: 6

 

Key Free Agents

G Fred Jones

How they got here and what they need

Take a Scorer (Bayless, Gordon, Mayo)

Take a Big Man (Lopez, Randolph, etc)

Trade the Pick

Boston (Trading #5 Pick, 2 players for Ray Allen)

Houston (Aaron Brooks)

New York (Wilson Chandler & Trade)

Miami (Daequan Cook)

Speculation season has come early this year with the Spurs mercifully ending the Finals and beginning all the draft hype sooner than usual, which is probably a relief to most basketball fans. Last week I predicted a deluge of links once the Finals ended and, unfortunately for me, I was correct. So we’ll go heavy on the links and light on

I am still catatonic from the vicious emotional shift that occurred after switching from the heart-stopping suspense of The Sopranos series finale to the soul-crushing disappointment of the NBA Finals last night. The body isn’t meant to endure such abrupt contrasts in entertainment value. Thank God for the internet, which once again provided instant rejuvenation through its own brand of suspense and half-truths: NBA Draft links, free of charge (well, at least for ESPN Insiders).