OT: NBA Draft

[Pistol]

http://www.philly.com/philly/hp/sports/200...all_Center.html

St. Joe's is unveiling its new Ramsay Basketball Center, an addition to its existing Fieldhouse, which will now be called Hagan Arena. The Center contains the Delonte West Players' Lounge and the Jameer Nelson Locker Room, in addition to a number of other features. Sounds like a pretty cool addition to Hawk Hill, and I love Martelli's quote about "not forgetting where we came from." I was surprised to see this story on the front page of ESPN.com, too.

In other St. Joe's news, Ahmad Nivins was drafted 56th by the Mavs. Nivins is a beast, and that seems to be a good value to me. I'd love to see him crack the roster and get some minutes.

[Postcard]

Anyone watch? Good to see home stater Tyler Hansbrough go earlier than expected. I don't expect him to be a star but hopefully he can carve out a David Lee like existence and make some money. Also nice to see Demarre Carroll go in the first round and get that guaranteed money. I see a lot of people like that pick for Memphis better than the Thabeet pick. Too bad Leo Lyons didn't get a look but not surprising. Am I missing anyone else with local connections?

Do you guys think Rubio stays in Minnesota or forces a trade?

[Pistol]

Some observations from the draft (it's a slow time around here, and watching it made me realize how much I miss college hoops):

-2 A10 players drafted, Derrick Brown at 40 to Charlotte and Ahmad Nivins at 56 to Dallas. That's about where I saw Nivins going, but thought Brown was going to be very late first round or very early second. Brown's obviously disappointed, but would he have been smarter to come back for another season? I'm also wondering if Charlotte is a good or bad situation; I can't say I follow them at all, but they've got a pretty young, very overmatched roster compared to the rest of the league and have notorious rookie-hater Larry Brown as head coach. I was hoping to see Christmas get picked somewhere late and make it 3 for the league, but he'll have a lot of success overseas if he doesn't go the NBDL route. Interesting that Nivins winds up drafted by the same team that takes Calathes, his old teammate's brother.

-At the risk of starting another useless Mizzou debate, I couldn't believe how early DeMarre Carroll went. I love the way he plays his butt off everyday but have a hard time believing his ceiling is as high as a lot of guys who were drafted after him. I don't know how legitimate the concerns about his liver are, so I won't speculate on that. It's definitely an intriguing pick, and good for him, getting that first round guaranteed money and going to a place where he'll have a chance to play right away.

-Leo Lyons went undrafted. Most of what I saw before the draft had him mid-to-late second round. At least he's got that rap career to fall back on.

-Tyler Hansbrough went at least 8 spots higher than I thought he would to the Pacers, who are probably playing it conservative and going with a hard-working basketball android instead of a guy with any big question marks or character flaws. They need to get people back in the seats and he's the kind of guy who fits the mold of what appeals to Indiana basketball fans. Problem is, I don't think he's going to help them win anytime soon.

-Last night was yet another example of how the Spurs stay great. Blair falls into their lap at 37 and has a chance to start next year, McClinton pours it in and plays all-out (on a team that could use some emotion and energy), and a guy who's supposedly one of the best foreign guards.

-SMC guard/Aussie/billikens.com favorite Patty Mills slides to the Blazers at 55. Seems like a steal to me at that point but I don't see him getting minutes there in the near future. Maybe he'll play elsewhere while Portland hangs onto his rights and will be a factor in a couple seasons. I'd love to see him prove me wrong, though.

-Why didn't the Cavs take someone who could come in and contribute right away with the 30th pick? Cap reasons? With Blair, Brown, Budinger, and Young still around, that was a weird choice.

Did anyone else watch or have any interest in how things went down?

[ACE]

I wouldn't be surprised if Nivins turns out to have a better career than Brown. Carroll is willing to take a bullet for a teammate Don't be surprised by the pick, the Grizzlies knows what they are doing I agree with your thoughts on Blair. He reminds me of Charles Oakley. I really like the Cavs second round pick of Danny Green. Seems like a good fit. He's a good defender and all he'll have to do is roam around the perimeter and wait for passes from Lebron.

[Postcard]

http://www.philly.com/philly/hp/sports/200...all_Center.html

St. Joe's is unveiling its new Ramsay Basketball Center, an addition to its existing Fieldhouse, which will now be called Hagan Arena. The Center contains the Delonte West Players' Lounge and the Jameer Nelson Locker Room, in addition to a number of other features. Sounds like a pretty cool addition to Hawk Hill, and I love Martelli's quote about "not forgetting where we came from." I was surprised to see this story on the front page of ESPN.com, too.

In other St. Joe's news, Ahmad Nivins was drafted 56th by the Mavs. Nivins is a beast, and that seems to be a good value to me. I'd love to see him crack the roster and get some minutes.

It will never cease to amaze me the amount of love that some Billiken fans have on here for either their rival teams or players from their rival's teams. Why on earth would you care or want Nivins to do well?

[Postcard]

I wouldn't be surprised if Nivins turns out to have a better career than Brown. Carroll is willing to take a bullet for a teammate Don't be surprised by the pick, the Grizzlies knows what they are doing I agree with your thoughts on Blair. He reminds me of Charles Oakley. I really like the Cavs second round pick of Danny Green. Seems like a good fit. He's a good defender and all he'll have to do is roam around the perimeter and wait for passes from Lebron.

Chalk up another first round pick for the Tigers. Steal of the draft for Memphis.

[Postcard]

Demarre will join fellow Current Tigers in the NBA:

Keyon Dooling (New Jersey Nets)

Linas Kleiza (Denver Nuggets)

Kareem Rush (Philadelphia 76ers)

Thomas Gardner (Atlanta Hawks

I wouldn't be surprised if Lyons and Lawrence make a roster as well.

I'm looking forward to the day when the Bills get some guys to the league. That will be a clear sign that the program has arrived.

[Box and Won]

So did Minnesota take Rubio and then find out he wouldn't play for them?

[davidlee]

Demarre will join fellow Current Tigers in the NBA:

Keyon Dooling (New Jersey Nets)

Linas Kleiza (Denver Nuggets)

Kareem Rush (Philadelphia 76ers)

Thomas Gardner (Atlanta Hawks

I wouldn't be surprised if Lyons and Lawrence make a roster as well.

I'm looking forward to the day when the Bills get some guys to the league. That will be a clear sign that the program has arrived.

Lyons maybe

Lawerence highly doubtful

[Postcard]

Lyons maybe

Lawerence highly doubtful

Agreed. But if Blake Ahearn can do it....................

[Pistol]

It will never cease to amaze me the amount of love that some Billiken fans have on here for either their rival teams or players from their rival's teams. Why on earth would you care or want Nivins to do well?

The post was marked "OT." If you don't care, don't click on it.

I'm not sure how you're determining the "amount of love" I have for St. Joe's, Nivins, or any other A10 opponents. I want our conference to be good because it's good for us- it's that simple. A child could explain this if you need more help. Have a good weekend.

[Pistol]

So did Minnesota take Rubio and then find out he wouldn't play for them?

Seems kind of like an Eli Manning situation to me. I think any team that drafted him knew he had a $6 million buyout and might stay in Spain another year or two, but I didn't realize this "big market" fixation was a factor. The only truly big market before he went was LA and they weren't going to take anyone but Griffin. He wasn't going to drop to #8, when the Knicks picked, and they were just hoping Curry would slide that far. Supposedly the Knicks are working on a potential deal with Minnesota right now, according to a few things I've read, and even then he might have to play another year in Spain. Rubio isn't even at the Wolves' press conference today.

Whether the Wolves knew about this or not beforehand, I have no idea. I don't quite understand their draft strategy this year.

[Postcard]

The post was marked "OT." If you don't care, don't click on it.

I'm not sure how you're determining the "amount of love" I have for St. Joe's, Nivins, or any other A10 opponents. I want our conference to be good because it's good for us- it's that simple. A child could explain this if you need more help. Have a good weekend.

I don't care if Nivins does well but I'm interested as to why you are which is why I clicked on it. As far as how I determined the "amount of love" you give Nivins, I based it on this statement - I'd love to see him crack the roster and get some minutes.

So if Nivins does well in the NBA it will make St. Joes a more attractive place to go so they will be a better basketball program so by them being a better basketball program it will make the conference better which will in turn somehow make the Billikens better. Do I have that about right? Excellent logic.

I hope Nivins and Brown fail miserably because I hate St. Joes and Xavier.

[Majerus Magic]

Seems kind of like an Eli Manning situation to me. I think any team that drafted him knew he had a $6 million buyout and might stay in Spain another year or two, but I didn't realize this "big market" fixation was a factor. The only truly big market before he went was LA and they weren't going to take anyone but Griffin. He wasn't going to drop to #8, when the Knicks picked, and they were just hoping Curry would slide that far. Supposedly the Knicks are working on a potential deal with Minnesota right now, according to a few things I've read, and even then he might have to play another year in Spain. Rubio isn't even at the Wolves' press conference today.

Whether the Wolves knew about this or not beforehand, I have no idea. I don't quite understand their draft strategy this year.

i think their draft strategy was, " A lot of teams want point guards. Let's take as many as we can and see what happens. "

[billiken_roy]

It will never cease to amaze me the amount of love that some Billiken fans have on here for either their rival teams or players from their rival's teams. Why on earth would you care or want Nivins to do well?

i feel the same way about demare carroll. who cares.

[ACE]

Seems kind of like an Eli Manning situation to me. I think any team that drafted him knew he had a $6 million buyout and might stay in Spain another year or two, but I didn't realize this "big market" fixation was a factor. The only truly big market before he went was LA and they weren't going to take anyone but Griffin. He wasn't going to drop to #8, when the Knicks picked, and they were just hoping Curry would slide that far. Supposedly the Knicks are working on a potential deal with Minnesota right now, according to a few things I've read, and even then he might have to play another year in Spain. Rubio isn't even at the Wolves' press conference today.

Whether the Wolves knew about this or not beforehand, I have no idea. I don't quite understand their draft strategy this year.

The TWolves seem pretty lost. At least they didn't draft anybody who was involved in a gun fight, but how many point guards do they need? I'm sure they were hoping Evans would fall one more spot.

[Postcard]

i feel the same way about demare carroll. who cares.

I understand. I would expect that.

Now, are you rooting for Nivins and Brown to do well? Do you care how they do? Have you ingested the fairy dust that Pistol did and do you somehow think if Nevins and Brown go on to be repeat All Stars that all of a sudden the Billikens will be a repeat Sweet 16 team?

[billiken_roy]

I understand. I would expect that.

Now, are you rooting for Nivins and Brown to do well? Do you care how they do? Have you ingested the fairy dust that Pistol did and do you somehow think if Nevins and Brown go on to be repeat All Stars that all of a sudden the Billikens will be a repeat Sweet 16 team?

i pretty much dont care about nivins and brown either, but if you want me to rank my caring between the three, carroll would be without a doubt at the bottom of the pile. my hopes are that carroll ends up playing huff and puff at the riverview gardens ymca league and driving a bus for bi-state before any wishes of good luck towards nba success is concerned.

[Pistol]

I don't care if Nivins does well but I'm interested as to why you are which is why I clicked on it. As far as how I determined the "amount of love" you give Nivins, I based it on this statement - I'd love to see him crack the roster and get some minutes.

So if Nivins does well in the NBA it will make St. Joes a more attractive place to go so they will be a better basketball program so by them being a better basketball program it will make the conference better which will in turn somehow make the Billikens better. Do I have that about right? Excellent logic.

I hope Nivins and Brown fail miserably because I hate St. Joes and Xavier.

Right, I said I'd love to see him crack the roster and get some minutes, not "I love Nivins and St. Joe's...a lot." I'm not even going to bother explaining my logic. Every basketball fan worth his salt knows the importance of having a strong conference that produces NBA talent. You are not a basketball fan, and have proven time and time again that your opinion is worthless.

I have to ask- why are you here? I can't imagine how terrible my life would have to be to get on a message board of a team I didn't care about and pick fights with that team's fans. No matter how depressed I was, if I had lost my job and had no prospects and nothing but time on my hands, no set of circumstances would make me do that.

You and Roy appear to be having a contest as to who can be the most negative poster on billikens.com, so I'll let you get back to that.

[Postcard]

The TWolves seem pretty lost. At least they didn't draft anybody who was involved in a gun fight, but how many point guards do they need? I'm sure they were hoping Evans would fall one more spot.

FROM ESPN:

27 Memphis (from Orlando) DeMarre Carroll 6-8 207 PF Missouri

I love this pick for the Grizzlies. He's a great energy player who flies up and down the floor, can handle the ball and creates havoc on the defensive end. He's a more skilled version of Renaldo Balkman.

FROM CBSSPORTSLINE:

Selection No. 27: Grade B

Memphis Grizzlies select: DeMarre Carroll, PF, Missouri

Analysis: Hard-worker a much more enlightened choice than team's clunker 25 picks earlier ... Adds depth to team that -- before its No. 2 selection -- had done good job acquiring front-liners.

[Postcard]

Right, I said I'd love to see him crack the roster and get some minutes, not "I love Nivins and St. Joe's...a lot." I'm not even going to bother explaining my logic. Every basketball fan worth his salt knows the importance of having a strong conference that produces NBA talent. You are not a basketball fan, and have proven time and time again that your opinion is worthless.

I have to ask- why are you here? I can't imagine how terrible my life would have to be to get on a message board of a team I didn't care about and pick fights with that team's fans. No matter how depressed I was, if I had lost my job and had no prospects and nothing but time on my hands, no set of circumstances would make me do that.

You and Roy appear to be having a contest as to who can be the most negative poster on billikens.com, so I'll let you get back to that.

You started the thread to let everyone know about ST. JOES new gym and you added your thoughts on NIVINS and BROWN and how you wanted Nivins to do well.

Why on earth are you here? Why don't you post on the St. Joes and Xavier board? Who cares if their players do well in the NBA? So this is your logic -

So if Nivins does well in the NBA it will make St. Joes a more attractive place to go so they will be a better basketball program so by them being a better basketball program it will make the conference better which will in turn somehow make the Billikens better. Do I have that about right? Excellent logic.

So is Majerus going to recruit harder than he would have because two guys from rival schools got drafted in the second round? How about we sign guys that get drafted? That's the easiest way for the Bills to become a better team, not buy having other schools do well.

I am a Billiken fan. That's why I post. I'm not a fan of your Xavier ball club and hope they go 0-30 next year. Just because I don't share your "hooray, let's have everyone do well" attitude doesn't mean I'm not a Bills fan.

[davidlee]

Agreed. But if Blake Ahearn can do it....................

Good point. Not sure if I ever undertstood that one but what do I know.

[Box and Won]

Seems kind of like an Eli Manning situation to me. I think any team that drafted him knew he had a $6 million buyout and might stay in Spain another year or two, but I didn't realize this "big market" fixation was a factor. The only truly big market before he went was LA and they weren't going to take anyone but Griffin. He wasn't going to drop to #8, when the Knicks picked, and they were just hoping Curry would slide that far. Supposedly the Knicks are working on a potential deal with Minnesota right now, according to a few things I've read, and even then he might have to play another year in Spain. Rubio isn't even at the Wolves' press conference today.

Whether the Wolves knew about this or not beforehand, I have no idea. I don't quite understand their draft strategy this year.

And the funny thing is, the one they traded - Lawson - was the one I would have kept. Very strange.

[sltom6]

You started the thread to let everyone know about ST. JOES new gym and you added your thoughts on NIVINS and BROWN and how you wanted Nivins to do well.

Why on earth are you here? Why don't you post on the St. Joes and Xavier board? Who cares if their players do well in the NBA? So this is your logic -

So is Majerus going to recruit harder than he would have because two guys from rival schools got drafted in the second round? How about we sign guys that get drafted? That's the easiest way for the Bills to become a better team, not buy having other schools do well.

I am a Billiken fan. That's why I post. I'm not a fan of your Xavier ball club and hope they go 0-30 next year. Just because I don't share your "hooray, let's have everyone do well" attitude doesn't mean I'm not a Bills fan.

Pistol, I'm on board with your logic. But don't get into a battle of wits with Postie...he's only half-armed.

[billiken_roy]

And the funny thing is, the one they traded - Lawson - was the one I would have kept. Very strange.

if i was the timberwolves, i would do all i can to get rubio to play. he is an amazing highlight reel.