A sports blog by and for Midwest Sports Fans
I was just killing some time, scrolling this FOX Sports slideshow of the NBA Draft’s winners and losers when I came across a slide that described the Cavaliers as “losers” for what they accomplished last night.
The slide was accompanied by this pic, and I swear that my split second, knee-jerk reaction to seeing it was, “Who the hell is the middle schooler on the left?”
The NBA Finals have finished, but fans have yet another exciting event to behold: the 2011 NBA Draft.
This is the moment where college players’ dreams are fulfilled, and it is the beginning of an attempt at a legendary career for some. While only two or three of the players in this draft will likely ever make an NBA All-Star game, there is much more at hand than just drafting players.
As an insider of the game I can tell you now: there will be one or two impactful trades in this NBA Draft. Maybe a Monta Ellis or Andre Iguodala? How about that one guy…Dwight Howard? You can always follow me on twitter for the latest on trade rumors.
So who will go in the lottery? I think I might have the answer guys.
With one week left until the NBA Draft, there is still a lot of uncertainty around the Minnesota Timberwolves and what they will do. The Wolves own the second overall pick in the draft, and have a lot of building to do in their hopes to return to the playoffs for the first time since 2004.
March Madness is over, and April Madness is in full swing.
Which college players are leaving and staying? Who SHOULD leave? Where will each player be drafted?
The most important question, however, as always, is which players are going to succeed at the next level?
The Ohio State Buckeyes suffered a heart-breaking loss on Friday, and the thought that crossed all OSU fans minds was if we had just seen Jared Sullinger’s last game in an OSU uniform. Ohio State fans are used to their star freshmen leaving after one year, as it has almost become the norm in the NCAA.
But immediately after the game, Sullinger attempted to silence the speculation by vowing that he will return to Ohio State for his sophomore season. From Doug Lesmerises of the Cleveland Plain-Dealer:
“I’m going to be an Ohio State Buckeye next year,” Sullinger said. “Winning is that important to me. I don’t like losing. This is not what I came here to do. This is not what I came here for, to sit here and see my seniors crying. I came here to win a national championship, to see them celebrate. I wanted to see tears of joy with these guys.”
“I’m a man of my word. I won’t change my mind for nobody. This is what I want.”
For Buckeye coach Thad Matta and all Buckeye fans, a talented freshman staying in school would certainly be a welcome change.
With 2010′s version of the NBA Draft only days away, you can be sure that there will be a domino effect of trades with numerous exchanges of lottery picks both present and future.
We will have to see how these deals fit into the bigger picture Thursday night; and that bigger picture is the college ballers, the guys who are ready to take their games to the next level (even if after Thursday they will be immediately overshadowed again by all things “free agency”). Whether it’s Wall, Favors, Cousins, Monroe or the many other great talents in this years’ draft, NBA franchises have a chance at reaching into the bucket of available potential in hopes of improving their teams.
So, who will the 76ers take? How about the Kings? You’re about to get a good outlook on Thursday’s top picks, as I present to you my first Mock Draft of any kind. So sit back as I dissect each of the top 10 picks.
John Wall.
Coming fresh from the hands of Coach Calipari after leading the Kentucky Wildcats deep into the NCAA Tournament and the ripe age of 19.
Not a bad resume, eh?
John Wall at such a young age is supposedly the next best thing since LeBron James stepped out of the high school shadows. He even appeared on the cover of SLAM magazine as a high school jock.
The NBA lottery is over and the Washington Wizards were given the first pick in the draft.
They are now blessed with two franchise players to choose from in John Wall and Evan Turner.
The question is: which one of these talented future stars should they choose?
Commissioner David Stern casually walks up to the microphone and announces “With the Number 1 pick in the 2008-09 draft, the Bull pick Derrick Rose, from the Memphis Tigers.â€
Meanwhile back at the Friendly Confines (no wait that’s another sport), I mean the United Center, the fans that were on the edge of their seats jumped up in unison as their eyes were glued to the screen above the scoreboard at center court.
“It means a lot to play at home. The Bulls had great players like Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman,” said an elated Rose minutes after pulling the token Chicago Bulls cap snuggly on his head while holding up the #1 jersey that was given him as he made his way to the podium. “Just knowing that I can be a part of that history, it’s amazing.” 
Downstairs in the War room coaches, scouts, and General Manager John Paxson drew a heavy sigh of relief after weeks and months of agonizing decisions that would hopefully lead the Bulls back to the Promised Land. The Bulls proved that this might be their year (umm…wrong sport again?) by pulling off one of the biggest upsets in the brief history of the NBA Lottery with the ping pong ball bouncing Chicago’s way. The Bulls had a slim 1.7 percent chance off pulling off a miracle, but the Brass must have rubbed Michael Jordan’s head before the airing.
Then the most important debate began since the 1984 NBA draft where the Bulls got some guy from North Carolina dropped in their lap as the third pick overall. Hakeem Olajuwon and Sam Bowie went number one and two respectfully, and we all know how that turned out.
