The Sport Count

Strap yourselves in, The Sport Count team are running down the top ten picks in this year’s done and dusted NBA Draft.

Thrills, surprises, and a couple of picks which we were sure couldn’t, wouldn’t, shouldn’t and — in the infinite wisdom of GM land — did happen.

#1 | Derrick Rose | Chicago Bulls | 3.5/5

Props to Chicago for not drafting for need and picking who they consider the best player.

Personally, I’m not all over this pick. The glut of young star point guards out there (CP3, D-Will) has put stars in a couple of GM eyes, similar to how ‘freshmen / high school big men with upside’ were a couple of years ago – Tyrus Thomas, I’m looking at you!

All in all, this could be franchise changing, and we can watch the trade moves begin. Having said that, I’m not so sure you don’t take the following big guy…

#2 | Michael Beasley | Miami Heat | 4.9/5

In case you can’t tell from the ranking, I’m pretty big on Beasley.

Pat Riley doesn’t get a 5 because he was so desperate to do something clever, like trade the pick, or wheel and deal to try to get his long-sold soul back from David Stern.

Remember last year when people were flat out drooling over Kevin Durant’s freshman Longhorns campaign? Beasley topped that turnout, but no one seemed to care. The kid turned in a college season for the ages, and he’ll fill it up and rebound for the next 12 years.

Posted By: James

#3 | O.J. Mayo | Minnesota Timberwolves | 2/5

(Rights traded to Memphis for Kevin Love. And a bunch of who-cares players).

Kevin McHale, you played it well. You picked the guy who loves the game. You picked the guy who is driven beyond recognition and has instant star power to pick your floundering franchise up by the haunches and make the T’wolves relevant again. Remember the days of a top selling NBA store jersey? The Conference Finals?

That’s okay, nor do we. Once the brass in Minnesota realise that you were a complete idiot and all of those low post moves clearly did something to your brain you will be pumping gas and working at William H. Macy’s car dealership (Fargo joke, sons!).

The T’Wolves get the next Bryant Reeves and passed on at worst, the next Vince Carter.

#4 | Russell Westbrook | Seattle Supersonics | 3/5

I actually don’t know: I gotta give some love to Sam Presti for not going safe with this one and selecting a guy who could become the perfect backcourt compliment to The Durantula. But the pick was a bit out of left field, and I really do think that they would’ve done well to trade this pick and I think Westbrook would’ve fallen to Indiana at 11 if you don’t take him here.

Time will tell, but I think you can get more value for #4 than taking the UCLA Soph here.

#5 | Kevin Love | Memphis Grizzlies | 5/5

(rights traded to Minnesota for OJ Mayo and a bunch of who-cares players)

Memphis acquires a scoring guard to pair with Kwame Brown… ok but seriously…

Chris Wallace gets credit for reading our article White is Not Right, Don’t Draft Kevin Love and got on the blower to the only GM in the NBA who’s potentially dumber than he is, and coordinated a swindle which, in years to come, will look almost as bad as the Pau for Kwame trade. Almost.

Imagine. Just sit tight for two seconds. Imagine the possibility of a starting team which includes Mike Conley Jr, OJ Mayo, Rudy Gay, Pau Gasol - that lineup is flat out giving the Grizz their best season in history and really doing some damage in the West. I don’t know if it’s a playoff team - but you’d be selling some season tickets for sure.

#6 | Danilo Gallinari | New York Knicks | 0.1/5

As a Knicks fan, I’m just so sad and all I’m going to do is include a link to our own The Darko Effect.

The only consolation – Walsh didn’t trade up to get him. I feel sick.

#7 | Eric Gordon | LA Clippers | 3.5/5

The Clips got their guy – reputedly they were looking to trade up to get Gordon. When you come out in this spot with the guy you want, you’ve got to be pleased – although Elgin Baylor’s track record is Jordanesque, when it comes to evaluating young talent (Note: The only usage of the adjective Jordanesque that isn’t unequivocally positive).

#8 | Joe Alexander | Milwaukee Bucks | 4/5

Love, love, love the pick. I think he’s the perfect guy for their set up and given that they’ve ridden themselves of the specter of Yi Jianlian (effectively halving the Chinese population of Milwaukee) they’ll be ready to play this year.

He should see some good court time this year as well.

#9 | D.J. Augustin | Charlotte Bobcats | 2/5

Charlotte select the next Raymond Felton, who is sure to compete for time with… Raymond Felton?

#10 | Brook Lopez | New Jersey Nets | 4/5

Jersey get a guy at 10 who many backed to go at 3. For a rebuilding team with cap space, having a young center to pair with Sean Williams and the newly acquired Yi, give the Nets a great front court for years to come, and one Chinese marketing machine, who will flog Jerseys jersey’s (NBA store, please).

The only downside to the pairing of Lopez and the Nets is that, for a team owned by a rapper, the nets aren’t very gangsta. They could look into working on that.

That’s it for this year! The over and under on arrests from this draft class in 2008/2009: The Sport Count is calling 3.