Odd Draft Brings Plenty of Surprises

Last night's NBA Draft was so unpredictable that from the get-go even the analysts were unsure and surprised. Rarely is there a draft in professional sports where the number one pick is unknown before the commissioner walks to the podium to deliver the selection, but the Cleveland Cavaliers kept everybody on their toes until David Stern announced that Anthony Bennett would go number one. From surprising selections to heartfelt moments to great quotes, last night's draft cannot be called boring by any means. Here were some of my observations.

Most Surprising Pick: Anthony Bennett to Cleveland with top pick
It didn't take long for jaws to drop in the Barclays Center and around the nation. Sure, the number one pick was not clear cut as it usually is, but many believed that Nerlens Noel would be number one and others thought that it could be Alex Len, Victor Oladipo or Otto Porter. No one mentioned Anthony Bennett, but he was the Cavs' choice and shook Stern's hand before anyone else. There's little reason to doubt Cleveland's choice because, if history tells us anything, they don't miss when they pick number one. In the past ten years they have selected LeBron James and Kyrie Irving with the top pick and both of them won Rookie of the Year and are now All-Stars. The reason Bennett seems like an odd selection is because he is not exactly the mold of a 3-man, but Cleveland selected Tristan Thompson just two years ago at the four spot. Seeing how Bennett fits in with the Cavaliers roster will be interesting.

Biggest Drop: Nerlens Noel to New Orleans at pick six
Noel, thought by many to be the top pick, had to wait longer than he thought. Bennett went first and then two other big men (Cody Zeller and Alex Len) were chosen before the former Kentucky star. Noel tore his ACL last season and his services won't be available until around the New Year, but his talent is obvious. He protects the rim and blocks shots at an incredibly high rate. Along with the injured knee, there are a few concerns such as Noel's slender frame and limited offensive game. However, there's no doubt that he will make a good pro. A trade sent him to Philadelphia which all but seals Andrew Bynum's fate in the City of Brotherly Love and Noel has already vowed to make those teams that passed on him pay. Should be an intriguing story to watch unfold.

Steal of the Draft: Jamaal Franklin to Memphis at pick 41
Franklin could have gone much earlier in this draft because he is a do-it-all shooting guard. During his junior season at San Diego State he led the team in points, rebounds, steals and blocks. He is athletic and can defend well which will fit in with the Grizzlies. He does need work on his jump shot and he only shot 28 percent from three point range last season. Those things will come, but for now he is a guy who could play some meaningful minutes and give the Griz whatever they need be that scoring, rebounding or defense. Definitely a great pick for it being the 41st selection.

Weird Moment of the Night: Shabazz Muhammad's introduction six picks late
It seems that trouble and boneheadedness (made that word up myself) are going to follow Shabazz Muhammad wherever he goes. Something as simple as walking across the stage to shake David Stern's hand didn't come so easy for Shabazz and that seems to be the story of his basketball career since enrolling at UCLA last season. Stern came out and announced that the Chicago Bulls had selected Tony Snell with the 20th pick. He proceeded to say that Snell was not in Brooklyn, but that Shabazz Muhammad was and that he wanted to have his moment after being selected 14th. The weird thing about all this is that nobody quite knows why Shabazz showed up late. He wasn't invited to the green room, but there were several guys not in the green room that still walked across the stage when their name was called. Between the Gucci backpack, leading everyone to believe he was a different age and showing up late to the draft, Muhammad is compiling an impressive list of bonehead moves and he hasn't even played an NBA game yet. Stay tuned.

Best Moment of the Night: Hakeem Olajuwon returns to honor David Stern
As David Stern rides into the sunset of retirement after 30 years at the top of the NBA, this was his last draft to orchestrate. Stern basked in the boos and enjoyed every second of his last draft night. In 1984 he announced the first pick of Hakeem Olajuwon and, at the end of the first round last night, deputy commissioner Adam Silver came out and announced they had a surprise for Stern. Emerging from the back room, and in the same tuxedo he wore on draft night, was Olajuwon and he and the commissioner shook hands, hugged and the crowd rose to their feet to give Stern a deserving standing ovation. In 30 years Stern has completely revolutionized the NBA and made it a global power. To see the NBA, fans and past players honor him like they did last night was special.

Best Quote of the Night: Doc Rivers to Shelley Smith
Bill Simmons, ESPN's analyst for the NBA, was covering the draft last night and never hides his love for the Boston Celtics. Despite being an analyst, Simmons regularly calls the Celtics "we" and talks about them any chance he gets. Doc Rivers recent move to the Clippers didn't sit well with Simmons and he said that Rivers quit on the team. During ESPN's coverage last night Shelley Smith interviewed Rivers and asked him what he thought of Simmons' accusation. Why Smith thought this would be a good idea or have a good outcome I have no idea and it couldn't have gone worse for Simmons and ESPN. Rivers answered, "I would really like to call him an idiot, but I'm classier than that. He needs to get all the facts and know the whole truth." To be fair, Doc has danced around the subject and the truth seems to have changed, but the look on Simmons' face was priceless when ESPN cut back to Brooklyn.

Last night was a fun draft, but in terms of talent it wasn't exactly deep. Next year should be one of the better draft classes in history, not to mention the wild summer of free agency that will commence. For now though, the newest NBA ballers have found a home and summer league will kick off in the coming weeks. From the weird to the touching, last night's draft had it all.

What Needs to be Done with the Chicago Bulls?

In professional sports a team's championship window doesn't stay open very long. For the Chicago Bulls that window has never been open all that wide with the juggernaut that is the Miami Heat staring them down year after year in the Eastern Conference. Injuries depleted the Bulls last season, but still they gave an admirable performance in the playoffs, losing to the Heat in the semi-finals. That's all fine and good and yes, Derrick Rose will make his much-anticipated return this season. However, that's not good enough. This Bulls team is not a championship team with the roster they have in place now. There is work to be done and here are a few things.

1. Add a scorer to the backcourt to team up with Rose
This is a problem that has plagued the Bulls since Ben Gordon departed for Detroit years ago. They have not been able to find a scoring two guard and it has left Derrick Rose to fend for himself in the backcourt on multiple occasions. The 2011 Eastern Conference Finals is a perfect example. Once the Heat decided to focus their efforts on shutting down Rose, the Bulls offense was completely shot. It's also not ideal for the point guard to shoulder the scoring load as he is already using enough energy to get the ball across halfcourt and create for teammates.

One rumor that has come up before tonight's draft is the possibility of sending Luol Deng to Washington for the third pick in the draft. Personally I'm in favor of this move. I love Deng and the energy he brings to the defensive end, but the truth of the matter is that he is getting older and the injuries have started to become a concern. Couple that with the fact that Jimmy Butler seems poised for a breakout season and Chicago has Nikola Mirotic's rights overseas and it seems like a good move.

With that third pick the Bulls need to draft a player like Ben McLemore. McLemore is a proven scorer with a silky stroke from deep. He excelled in his one season at Kansas and is exactly the kind of off-the-ball scorer the Bulls are searching for. He moves without the ball to find open shots, but can also create for himself. This will relieve much of the pressure off of Rose and will combat some of the team's offensive woes.

2. Depth in the frontcourt
Joakim Noah is an All-Star, but he can't be counted on for 40-45 minutes per game. It's not smart to do that to him especially with some of the foot troubles he has had. If the Bulls want to keep him long term and have him healthy then they need to decrease his minutes. Taj Gibson is a solid piece off the bench and he is someone Chicago should keep. However, Nazr Mohammed didn't bring much to the table and Carlos Boozer is always a rollercoaster ride.

Boozer is a bad contract who plays bad defense. If Chicago could find a way to trade him for some young talent in the post that would be ideal. The Kevin Love deal seems all but dead, however, if the team keeps the 20th pick there should be a player they can draft and develop. Keeping Boozer one more year is not all bad though because he presents a good offensive weapon. Still, the Bulls must add depth to the post.

3. Add shooters
Good shooters are essential to success in the NBA. The Bulls flourished two years ago with Rose's constant penetration and kickouts to shooters like Kyle Korver, but last season they struggled to shoot the ball from deep. Teams like Miami and San Antonio win ball games with great shooters set up around the perimeter. When stars like LeBron James or Tony Parker penetrate they attract the defense and that opens up kickouts to those shooters.

Chicago needs to add shooters to their roster and they also must hope that Kirk Hinrich is more consistent with his outside shot. Rose has reportedly improved his outside shot, but other than that there is not viable option to shoot the ball from three. This has to be a focal point tonight and throughout the offseason.

There is no telling what will happen in the next few years around the league. There are so many big name stars coming up on free agency that the future is quite the mystery. Still, the Bulls can't count on the roster they have to get the job done. There are obvious improvements that need to be made and tonight could be the start of it all. Chicago has drafted well in recent years despite having late picks (Butler, Omer Asik) and they must draft well again tonight. There championship window depends on what they do in tonight's draft whether that be trades or picks. 

Cardinals Maintain Model of Consistency

Achieving long periods of consistency in professional sports is perhaps the toughest thing to do. With salary caps, free agency and the possibility of failed trades or bad drafts, it is difficult for a team to maintain consistency for decades at a time. Some teams (think Spurs, Yankees, Patriots) have been near the top of the standings every year since the millennium hit, but others (think Pirates, Browns, Bobcats) have been historically bad. Both are models of consistency, but there is one club who has achieved a consistency that trumps the rest. The St. Louis Cardinals are, once again, at the top of the National League standings and it shouldn't come as a surprise if history tells us anything.

The Cardinals are different than other perennial powerhouses in the sense that it hasn't been easy to maintain their winning ways. They have lost superstars to free agency, seen their best players spend months on the DL and have endured coaching changes. However, one thing remains the same and that is the fact that the St. Louis Cardinals are one of the top teams in baseball. No longer is Tony LaRussa in the dugout and no longer does Albert Pujols terrify opposing pitchers in the middle of the lineup. St. Louis has dealt with Adam Wainwright's Tommy John surgery and now is moving right along without Chris Carpenter who most likely won't pitch at all this season. How do they do it?

The Cardinals are not the Yankees. They do not have the money to go out and lure in big free agents with fat contracts. St. Louis is not a terribly large market, but the Cards are good enough year in and year out to attract a handful of superstars such as Matt Holliday and Carlos Beltran. They also draft well and have the top farm system in the league. That farm system has come in handy this season as a bevy of young arms has led St. Louis to a 42-22 record which is the best record in baseball.

St. Louis has won ball games in a variety of ways throughout the years. Some years they hit home runs at a high rate, but other years they simply just hit the baseball. Take this year for example. St. Louis is the best hitting team in the National League, batting .277 as a team with 326 hits. However, they are 10th in the NL in home runs hit with 56. In today's game hitting that few home runs usually doesn't translate to the best record in baseball. Then again, when the pitching staff's ERA is the lowest in the league at 3.17 that certainly helps. Cardinal pitchers also are second in the league in strikeouts, but last in walks issued. Put it all together and that is the recipe for success.

It's hard to watch St. Louis and not marvel at their success. Since 2000, every team in the Central Division besides the Pirates has had a period of success, but none have matched the Cardinals consistency. It doesn't matter who suits up for them, they will be near the top of the standings. They have not had a losing season since the mid-nineties and this season they are surprising yet again with the best record in baseball. It's a consistency that should be appreciated because it's a rarity in any professional sport these days. "The Cardinal Way" truly works.

Opposites Battle in 2013 Finals

They say that opposites attract and the Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs are exact opposites. With the Heat's dismantling of the Indiana Pacers in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals Monday night, they set up a date with the decade's best team. The Heat are everything the Spurs are not. Miami's Big Three paraded around on stage declaring how many championships they would win before they every set foot on the court. Can you imagine Tim Duncan doing such a thing? The Heat play fast-paced, lobbing alley-oops to the rafters and let their freak athletes go chase them down. San Antonio methodically tears apart defenses with ball movement and precise screening. Miami is surrounded by drama throughout the year by the media. San Antonio is forgotten all year long until the playoffs. They certainly are opposites in many regards, but they do have one thing in common: winning.

Because they are both winners, they now meet in the Finals. We've seen LeBron James go toe-to-toe with the Spurs in the Finals before and it wasn't pretty. In 2007 the Spurs mopped the floor with James' Cavaliers team, sweeping them for their fourth franchise title. Much has changed since that series and there will be no such sweep this season. LeBron is older, better and surrounded by far greater players. The Spurs are still the Spurs. They have maintained a consistency that is rarely seen in professional sports.

Some things get better with age and the Spurs belong in that category. Tony Parker is having arguably the best year of his career at the age of 30 and Manu Ginobili has struggled with his health yet the crafty veteran is still a force when on the court. And then there is Duncan. The 37-year-old recently said he's not worried about how old he is and you can tell because his play does not reflect that of an "old man." Duncan still puts up double-double numbers and this may be his swan song. Players can fight off age for a while, but eventually the body can't do it anymore. This may the Spurs swan song with Ginobili and Duncan.

It would be some swan song if they could defeat the Miami Heat, but the task will be difficult. Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh disappeared in the back half of the ECF, but in Game 7 they proved that Miami is far too good when all three are clicking. Can San Antonio guard Miami? Kawhi Leonard is going to be a focal point in this series because his defense will have to be extraordinary against James and Wade. No one can stop both James and Wade, but the key is to limit one of them. Indiana held Bosh to almost nothing and Wade to a few bad games and they nearly stole the series.

To the general public this is a series of good vs. evil. The Spurs are the classy, take care of business franchise to most NBA fans while the Heat represent all that is wrong with professional sports. They flop, they whine, they loaded up their roster. Say what you want, but you can't ignore the results and Miami may be hoisting the trophy for the second time in as many years. That's how good they are despite all the negative opinions about them.

Still, going back to 2003 the Spurs have been the most successful franchise in the NBA. Why not close out the decade with another title? San Antonio wins it in six games.

As Game 7 Looms, Don't Blame LeBron

The blame game is the number one thing to do in the sports media after a loss. We're always searching for someone to pin the fault to and we need a scapegoat. If a team lost then it had to be somebody's fault right? Sure, but sometimes the other team was just flat out better. Don't look now, but the Indiana Pacers are one game away from sending the Miami Heat home in the Eastern Conference Finals. The winner-take-all Game 7 will tip off tonight in Miami and the pressure is all on the Heat. In the Big Three era they have set the bar high and failure comes with enormous backlash (think 2011 Finals loss). So if the Heat do lose tonight then who gets the blame? That's an easy question to answer.

If you think LeBron then you're dead wrong. LeBron James, for all the foolish looking flopping and technical fouls he's racked up in this series, is not to blame at all if the Heat lose. The MVP has done all that he can and has had to shoulder the load because the other two musketeers couldn't carry their own weight. James has averaged 28.5 points, 7.2 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.5 blocks in the first six games of the series. Oh by the way, he's also shot 51.6 percent from the field, 43.8 percent from three and 71 percent from the charity stripe. Those all look like MVP-numbers to me.

Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade deserve the blame for this series and the Heat won't win the Finals if they perform like this again. Wade has averaged 14 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists through the first six games and, while those numbers aren't awful, they are fit for a player of Mario Chalmers' caliber. Wade has scored just 10 points in each of the last two games and he has yet to score 20 points in a game during this series. The expectations are high for Wade and that's why his performance the past two games is unacceptable. It's also why the Heat won't win this series. If Wade is bad again tonight then Paul George and Co. will be Finals-bound.

Wade's taken on the role of Robin to LeBron's Batman, but the sidekick has left his partner out in the cold when he needed him most. He is shooting just 6-19 (32 percent) in the last two games and he has looked uncomfortable on the court. He has deferred when he was open and he hasn't looked like a man who wanted to takeover a game and win it for his team.

In Bosh's case, we all knew this series would be a struggle for him due to Indiana's size. The Pacers are bigger and stronger and Bosh's rebounding numbers have taken a hit. However, no one expected the poor offensive performances that Bosh is putting out. How about a combined 19 points, 12 rebounds and two assists the past three games? His shooting percentage in those three games is so low that it wouldn't even be a decent batting average. He's been awful and it's come to the point that he had to apologize his teammates prior to tonight's game.

Bosh and Wade will be doing a lot of apologizing and perhaps packing their bags if the Heat lose tonight. They are the ones to blame for the Heat's performance. Now, if they win tonight, turn it around in the Finals and win, then all of this will be forgotten. However, if they lose then expect some serious criticism to come their way. Not LeBron though. He's put the team on his back and has done all he can. It's two bad the other All-Stars on roster haven't held up their end of the deal.