Attending the draft night was an exceedingly weird event, especially watching it unfold as a spectator rather than a guy with backstage access. Suffice to say that if you are an NBA fan, its something you should do once, if only for the chance to lustily boo David Stern at every opportunity. It is also the one time in your life that you will get to hear "Bismack Biyombo" spoken in a completely sonorous tone. I would wait, however, until the event moves back to MSG because as much as I love Brick City (Newark), it definitely stole a bit of the event's mojo.
As for the draft itself, I don't want to be too much of a Debbie Downer, but I feel like we have seen this script before. A really tall skinny guy with freakish athleticism but not much in the way of a post game or jumpshot? (JaVale 2.0, Pech 1.5) Check. A defense first guy who vows to get revenge on the league? Check. (Taser 3.0) A COMBO GUARD? After a bit, these all seem to be the same iterations of Ernie Grunfeld's cheat sheet repeated ad infinitum until the universe collapses in upon itself. We could all be staring into the abyss and Ernie would still find a way to draft a backup guard who excels at neither backcourt position. It also shows a lack of imagination on Grunfeld's part to stick to position and just go with the BPA. Yes, I know that the Wolves/Jazz ect. were also asking for a King's Ransom for their respective picks but it also concerns me that we once again tread water and accepted our lot.
This is all of course a bit tongue in cheek, Vesely is most likely better than Pech and Singleton is miles ahead of McGuire. But I can't shake the feeling that the two things that the Wizards desperately needed in this draft (scoring, rebounding) remained unaddressed. If anything, last night strengthened the bargaining position of JaVale McGee and Nick Young. For now, all I can do is hope for the best and pre-order my Vesely jersey.
On to the links!
SBNation - Did you know enough yet about Jan Vesely's girfriend?
Truthaboutit - No, I'm serious. Would you like to know more?
Ball Don't Lie - At this point, its going to become a meme.
WaPo (Tracee Hamilton edition) - Wizards draft equal TEH WIN!
WaPo (Michael Lee edition) - Wizards complete their shopping list at the draft.
ESPN (Chad Ford - Insider required) - Wizards get an A!
HoopsHype - Likens young Jan to AK-47.
CBSSports - An A+! You can't even get those anymore!
Much more later as the grades roll in. Obviously, this is a report card that the Wizards want to take home to mother.