...and there is a lot going on. Very refreshing, given that this is the "No Balls Association" we're talking about. Several major trades, the most unpredictable draft in history, trade rumors flying around like erotic emails from the esteemed governor of South Carolina - sign me up!
I'll have more draft related stuff up after the draft night festivities are over, but right now I've got a lot on my mind, so we're going bullet point style:
*As a fan of one of the 29 NBA teams that DIDN'T trade for Shaq, I'm relieved. Thrilled, even. And unless you're a Cavs fan or a Suns fan who is preparing for the nuclear winter that is their 2009-2010 season, you should be thanking Yahweh, Jesus, Allah, Krishnu, Buddha, assorted pagan gods, and/or whatever voodoo doll you deem the source of your salvation that your team wasn't a part of this, because its not going to end well.
Now, to the Cavs credit, getting Shaq for this cheap is a coup, especially since the Cavs fans in my life despised Sasha Pavlovic so much they were considering pooling their money to hire someone to go Tonya Harding on his kneecaps.
But lost in the hullaballoo of bringing in the man soon to be known as The Big Dying Industrial City is this: the Phoenix training staff prescribes HGH. Or are pretty good at their jobs. But probably the first one.
Seriously, how is this not a bigger story? You're expecting me to believe Grant Hill, who hadn't played in 80 games since the 1997-1998 season, suddenly went Ponce de Leon (that's a fountain of youth reference for those of you keeping score at home) at age 36? That Steve Nash's body hasn't gone the way of a crash test dummy after the beating he's taken throughout his career? Or more to the point, that the last time Shaq played in as many as 75 regular season games (last year's total) was in 1999-2000 - and that was with him taking mandatory rest days?!? If this was baseball, we'd have already blacklisted the entire team. Yet because it's on the hardwood, we pretend that this stuff is normal. This is straight out of the Barry Bonds playbook, folks. You've been warned.
Anyways, regardless of whatever the hell is going on in Phoenix, the bottom line is Shaq won't have it at his disposal anymore. A 350lb, 37 year old man who already struggled playing 30+ minutes a night...sounds fantastic. Shaq is one of a kind, so nothing would surprise me with him, and he certainly brings a lot to the table, especially for such a low cost. But I'm setting the over/under on his games played at 55, and I'm taking the under.
*You know what deal didn't suck? San Antonio getting Richard Jefferson. You know what deal made me very sad as a fan of one of the 29 NBA teams that DIDN'T make it? Yeah, that one.
It's perfect for what they need: an athletic swingman in the prime of his career who can score, play decent defense, and is durable. Since Ginobili and Duncan are good for missing around 50 games between them, that last part is particularly important. Now if San Antonio has to go to war without one of the Parker/Duncan/Ginobili triumvirate, they're covered. Not to mention that Bruce Bowen will likely boomerang back to San Antonio if and when Milwaukee buys him out. Needless to say, I'm less than thrilled that this development happened in the Mavs' division.
Underrated deal for Milwaukee as well, in that it accomplishes everything they set out to do in one foul swoop. Clear cap space? Check. Get a decent asset out of the deal (Amir Johnson, after flipping Fabricio Oberto to Detroit)? Check. Waste said cap space on soft, defensive liability of a power forward (Charlie Villanueva) instead of the most underrated young point guard in the league (Ramon Sessions)? Pending.
*In the supposed "year of the point guard," three that I love: Ricky Rubio, Jonny Flynn, and Eric Maynor.
*Three that I don't: Tyreke Evans, Jrue Holliday, and Nick Calathes.
*And three that I have no clue on: Brandon Jennings, Ty Lawson, and Jeff Teague.
*This draft has been called the worst since 2000, with the potential to be even more crap-tastic. No question it's bad, but I have to disagree on the latter point. I doubt there will be many All Stars, and I wouldn't be shocked if there are no superstars but what this does have is depth; you can get a decent player all the way through the mid to late 20s in this draft, and there really isn't much difference between the guy you can get at 10 versus as 25.
Hence, the unprecedented amount of confusion less than a day before the draft, which is incredible given that we live in an age of omni-present media and reporting. Or maybe not, since that same age has given rise to an unprecedented amount of shoddy journalism, creating an ever present digital smokescreen. Honestly, I like it. Give the suspense. If this draft is going to be bad, it might as well be interesting.
*One last thought that I'll expand upon in my post draft column. On Tuesday, I wrote about how Lamar Odom epitomized Stu from "The Hangover" in that you have no clue what to expect from them. Well, this draft is chock-full of Stus, and given the aforementioned parity in the talent pool, you could simultaneously rationalize gambling on one ("I might as well take a shot at something special if the alternative is guaranteed mediocrity") or avoiding them entirely ("You can deal with that headache; I'll take my guaranteed rotation guy, thank you").
Personally, I'm anti-Stu but if there ever is a draft to roll the dice, its this one. Thankfully, Dallas is in the perfect position at #24 because the draft will come to them, and they can simply take the best player available.
My realistic wish list for tomorrow night:
1. Eric Maynor
2. Sam Young
3. Austin Daye (I'd be surprised, but not shocked if he was here)
4. Chase Budinger
5. Wayne Ellington
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