NBA Draft 2008: Roses Are Red In Chicago

The 2008 NBA Draft was full of surprises and trades, here are some reactions on the picks.

1. Chicago Bulls- Derrick Rose G Memphis
Just as suspected Rose is heading home to Chicago where he will instantly become their starting PG. Rose is a born leader and an exceptional talent. The Bulls will likely look to deal G Kirk Hinrich with Rose now taking his job.

2. Miami Heat- Michael Beasley F Kansas State
After all the skepticism about Beasley not going #2, he goes #2 to Miami. Beasley was the best player in College Basketball last season as a freshman. He is a big, strong, and tough player who has all the tools to be a superstar. Miami now has a ton of forwards and will likely make some sort of move to get a PG. Shawn Marion is the likeliest player to move.

3. Memphis Grizzlies (From Minnesota Timberwolves)- O.J. Mayo G USC
He was one of the top 3 players in this draft and Memphis needs a guy who can score, and Mayo can co! me into town and do just that. He is instantly the face of this franchise. Mayo was swapped with F Kevin Love who is now in Minnesota. Minnesota also acquired G Mike Miller, C Jason Collins, and F Brian Cardinal, with Memphis getting G Marco Jaric, F Antoine Walker, and G Greg Buckner.

What were they thinking?
#4 Seattle Sonics- Russell Westbrook G UCLA
Augustin, Bayless, and Lopez all still available, yet they take Westbrook. Westbrook is a great player don't get me wrong, but Augustin and Bayless are much better PGs than Westbrook.

Teams picking 4-9: Letting Brook Lopez and Jerryd Bayless slip by is a huge mistake. Both these guys are excellent players and have very high ceilings of potential.

#12 Sacramento Kings- Jason Thompson F Rider
Thompson is a good player and was the first senior taken in this draft, but Sacramento could have gotten much better players at the PF position with this pick. Darrell Arthur, Marreese! Speights, and Anthony Randolph are all players I would all ta! ke befor e Thompson.

Teams drafting between 12-26: Letting Kansas forward Darrell Arthur slip through their hands. All these teams took players at the same position who are not as talented and skilled as Arthur. Plus Arthur is a champion, he knows how to win and his experience as a young player would have been huge for all these clubs.

#25 Houston Rockets- Nicolas Batum G France: With Chris Douglas-Roberts, Mario Chalmers, Darrell Arthur, and Donte Greene still on the board I am stunned they take Batum at 25. This is a move they will regret. Nicolas Batum was then traded to Portand for F Joey Dorsey and F Darrell Arthur. Darrell Arthur was then sent to Memphis for F Donte Greene. So yes Darrell Arthur was a Hornet, Trail Blazer, and a Rocket before he finally became a member of the Memphis Grizzlies.

Call the police because these teams got away with robbery:
#10 New Jersey Nets- Brook Lopez C Stanford
#11 Portland Trail Blazers (From In! diana Pacers)- Jerryd Bayless G Arizona
#22 Orlando Magic- Courtney Lee G Western Kentucky
#27 Memphis Grizzlies (From Houston Rockets)(From Portland Trail Blazers)(From New Orleans Hornets)- Darrell Arthur F Kansas
#29 Seattle Sonics (From Detroit Pistons)- D.J. White F Indiana
#34 Miami Heat (Minnesota Timberwolves)- Mario Chalmers G Kansas
#39 Chicago Bulls- Sonny Weems F Arkansas
#40 New Jersey Nets- Chris Douglas-Roberts G Memphis
#42 Sacramento Kings- Sean Singletary G Virginia
#47 Boston Celtics (Washington Wizards)- Bill Walker F Kansas St.

Draft Winners:
Chicago Bulls: They got their guy, their future, the hometown kid, and the new face of the franchise. That makes this team a big time winner on draft day.

Miami Heat: Michael Beasley is a freak of nature and now he is in a Heat uniform. This guy is now paired with Dwayne Wade and Shawn Marion giving Miami a great shot to be a contender in the East! ern Conference.

Indiana Pacers: First Indiana deals! J. O'Ne al for T.J. Ford, Rasho Nesterovic, and the #17 overall pick (Roy Hibbert C Georgetown). Now Indiana trades #11 pick (Jerryd Bayless G Arizona) and F Ike Diogu for G Jarret Jack, F Josh McRoberts, and #13 overall pick (Brandon Rush G Kansas). Indiana is getting younger and more talented this offseason, but still has a bit of work to do. Nonetheless they are winners.

New Jersey Nets: Rebuild, Rebuild, Rebuild. That is exactly what NJ needed to do, and they have done just that. Shipping away F Richard Jefferson for F Yi Jianlan and F Bobby Simmons was just the beginning. They steal C Brook Lopez at #10 and get another big man at 21 in Ryan Andersen. The Nets then get a huge steal at #40 in Chris Douglas-Roberts. NJ is a team like Indiana bringing in younger and fresher faces to help bring this team back.

Portland Trail Blazers: These guys have been extremely busy the past two drafts and have a stockpile of exceptional young talent. They got more ! in this draft. Acquiring #11 pick (Jerryd Bayless) and Ike Diogu from Indiana. They then snagged F Darrell Arthur at #27 in a trade from N.O. This guy was a huge steal. Portland then snatched F Joey Dorsey and C Omer Asik in the 2nd round. Portland then traded Arthur and Dorsey for G Nicloas Batum. Portland is getting C Greg Oden (#1 overall in 2007) back for this season and this team is an instant contender. Watch out for the Trail Blazers in 2009 and for many many years to come.

Memphis Grizzlies: Memphis wheeled and dealed all night including landing the #3 pick O.J. Mayo. Memphis also acquired F Darrell Arthur in a trade. Nonetheless, Memphis finally has some talented kids.

Minnesota Timberwolves: The T-wolves used their #3 pick to get more talent. They recieved F Kevin Love, G Mike Miller, C Jason Collins, and unfortunately the massive contract of F Brian Cardinal. Minnesota also drafted C Nikola Pekovic and G Mario Chalmers, but traded! Mario to Miami immediately. Nonethless the Timberwolves got ! a center for Big Al and a scorer in G Mike Miller.