NBA Draft Lottery Fallout

A few observations following Tuesday's NBA Draft Lottery:

Doesn't it just suck that two of the five best teams in the Eastern Conference next could be the two teams that picked one and two in the draft? One of my dark secrets is that I picked the Bulls to make the NBA finals before this year started (which just goes to show you should never ever listen to me). Instead they collapse, fire their coach, and are magically rewarded with Michael Beasley, who gives them exactly what they've been missing the last 4/5 years. It's not quite David Robinson out for the year, the Spurs tanking and ending up with Tim Duncan, but it's not far. Additionally, the Miami Heat go into next year with a starting lineup of Derrick Rose, Dwyane Wade, Shawn Marion, Udonis Haslem, and Blount/Zo whoever at center. That's the 2nd or 3rd best starting 5 in the conference (also the perfect spot for D'Antoni to have ended up. Too bad for him.)

If the Knicks take Danilo Gallinari, you might as well move the team to Rome. NY will not have it.

Most Knick fans will wind up hoping for Mayo (who'll be taken by Minnesota at 3) and will have to settle for DeAndre Jordan, who won't be a productive NBA player for at least 3 years, or well after the Knicks will have traded him, packaged with David Lee, Q-Richardson and Jared Jeffries for a one legged version of Jermaine O'Neal.

It doesn't matter where he goes: Brook Lopez will be a bust in the mold of Rafael Araujo.

The best player taken outside the lottery will be Kevin Love, who'll fall to the mid 20's over concerns about the fact that his vertical needs to measured in centimeters.

My favorite non top 2 player in this draft is Joe Alexander, who will probably go somewhere around pick 10 (Charlotte would be a nice fit for him).

I am notoriously bad at figuring out who the good prospects will be, which means that when Brook Lopez wins his sixth championship ring, I will be found at my local Food Emporium, telling Kevin Love that I prefer paper bags.