The NBA Draft is a show that always brings about memorable moments, and last night’s was no different. The 2011 NBA Draft showcased great suits, hilarious commentary (who knew Jeff Van Gundy was funny?) unintelligible comments from players, some surprise picks, some expected picks, and – of course – brutal honesty from Jay Bilas.
I have to start by proclaiming my love for Jay Bilas. Who else can start off an NBA Draft by essentially announcing that the players in attendance are just fine but none of them will be a superstar. He continually noted that this was a down year, and while every single guy had some positive attributes, there was no one that would really go down in history. So, no one get their hopes up that Derrick Williams or Kyrie Iriving would be a household name, just in case you hoped it was in the cards.
You have to appreciate someone that’s not afraid to tell it like it is. I feel like if I asked Jay Bilas if my outfit made me look fat, he’d reply “listen, your hair looks great, but maybe a different pair of pants would suit you better.â€
And so we begin – for some reason, Adele’s Rolling in the Deep is the song for the evening and it plays over the images of all the top 10 players looking mighty serious. Don’t get me wrong I love this song and I sound awesome rocking out to it in my car, but it makes zero sense for the Draft.
Opening line: There’s a fire starting in my heart
Reaching a fever pitch, and it’s bringing me out the dark
Okay, maybe.
Chorus: We could have had it all
Rolling in the deep
You had my heart inside of your hand
And you played it to the beat
Not so much.
Another strange occurrence is that the show has been lifted from Madison Square Gardens and dropped at the Prudential Center in New Jersey. The change was due to renovations at Madison Square Gardens, not because of an attempt to allow others to enjoy the draft in their home city. Regardless of the location, New York fans were still the majority, and as loud and rowdy as ever.
Cleveland is on the clock, and even though by this time they HAVE to know who they are picking, they still take up almost five minutes to announce that Kyrie Irving from Duke would go first. Jay Bilas assures us that no one expects Irving to fill the shoes of Lebron James, so we can all relax.
Up next, Derrick Williams from Arizona is heading to Minnesota. If it were up to me I would have taken Williams first, since Irving spent most of the year suffering from a toe injury. However, Irving is probably happy that it is not, in fact, up to me.
With the third pick, the Utah Jazz pick Enes Kanter, and though he was denied eligibility at Kentucky due to the fact that he played professionally in Turkey (not sure how Calipari thought he’d get away with that one), it was still announced that he was from Turkey and Kentucky. As if that wasn’t enough, his entire two-minute interview revolved around him praising the people at Kentucky for all they did for him. Which was what – made him look like a fool for trying to sneak into the program after playing on a pro team? Kentucky had nothing to do with him being drafted.
Another note, here is our first of MANY international players. Jay Bilas will tell you that there were a ton of international players this year because the draft is just so bad, which is a bit of a knock on those international players.
Cleveland takes Tristan Thompson from Texas as the fourth pick, a bit of a surprise, but it works. This is the first guy who is praised for his tremendous wingspan that is longer than his actual height, which I find amazing. How is it that physically possible? Just goes to show yet again that most of these amazing athletes are indeed a freak of nature.
The draft continues, and three more international players have their names called, including Jonas Valanciunas, the highest ranked Lithuanian player picked ever! It was hilarious watching Jeff Van Gundy try to say his name, give up and refer to him as the “Lithuanian player,†then call himself out for his horrible attempt to hide the fact that he can’t say the name properly.
Detroit takes Brandon Knight, who actually attended Kentucky, with the 8th pick, and Kemba Walker is looking a bit nervous. Luckily, Charlotte takes him 9th. Rounding out the top 10, The Jimmer gets drafted by the Bucks. Here is the full list of the top-10 picks. Then, stick around to see some awards I’d like to hand out for the first round of the draft.
- Cleveland – Kyrie Irving, Freshman, Duke
- Minnesota – Derrick Williams, Sophomore, Arizona
- Utah – Enes Kanter, Freshman, Turkey
- Cleveland – Tristan Thompson, Freshman, Texas
- Toronto – Jonas Valanciunas, Lithuania
- Washington – Jan Vesely, Czech Republic
- Sacramento – Bismack Biyombo, Democratic Republic of Congo
- Detroit, Brandon Knight, Freshman, Kentucky
- Charlotte – Kemba Walker, Junior Connecticut
- Milwaukee – Jimmer Fredette, Senior, BYU
- Golden State – Klay Thompson, Senior, Washington State
- Utah -Â Alec Burks, Senior, Colorado
- Phoenix – Markieff Morris, Junior, Kansas
- Houston – Marcus Morris, Junior, Kansas
Awards!
Best Outfit: Not as many crazy outfits as we usually spot at the draft, so thus Kemba Walker’s powder blue suit will have to take the award. Close second would go to Marcus Morris’s paisley pink pocket square that was bursting out trying to get free (see video below).
Best Kiss: After hearing his name called, Jan Vesely stood up and planted a big fat wet one on a woman that we hope was his girlfriend. Everyone got a chance to make fun of the kiss before he headed to the stage.
Best/Scariest Hands: Kawhi Leonard of San Diego State has some HUGE appendages. You know what they say about the size of a guy’s hands…
Worst English: Still no idea what Jonas Valanciunas actually said in his interview. Good thing he’s heading to Toronto where they can teach him to say “eh.â€
Sweetest Moment: As any good Illini fan knows, there is no way I can like the Morris twins. Not only do they play for Kansas, but they made the Illini look small and weak as they dunked over us in the Tourney. Regardless, as soon as Markeiff’s name was called, Marcus had tears pouring out of his eyes. It was a lovely moment to see Marcus so happy for his brother. Luckily, Marcus would get called up with the next pick just five minutes later, which is ironic since Markeiff is seven minutes older.
Funniest Moment: After Markeiff was called, an interviewer asked Marcus how he was going to feel about being separated from his brother. I’m sure this was a question he got a million times, so it was nice that he made a joke and commented he would send his brother flowers or fruit to keep in touch.
Hottie Alert: This is a toss up between the cute blonde number that Jan Vesely kissed and Jimmer Fredette’s brother; it’s clear which kid got the looks and which got the talent.
Awkward Uncomfortable Moment When It’s Not Clear When You’ll Be Drafted: Kemba Walker looked a tad uncomfy as he slipped down to the 9th pick. The kid won the National Championship! You’d think he could go a tad higher.
Smartest: Iman Shumpert from Georgia Tech was smart not to attend the draft, as New York fans hate everyone that the Knicks draft. With the 17th pick, who do you think you’re going to get? Shumpert was a great college guy, and I think he’ll be fine in the NBA. Knicks fans need to relax, and Shumpert was wise to stay home.
Coolest Name: Bismack Biyombo from the Democratic Republic of Congo. Nuff said.
Happiest Guy to Be Drafted: Jimmer Fredette seemed pretty stoked, as he should be. How many white guys from Utah really believe that they’ll play for the NBA, let alone be chosen in the top 10. I didn’t need to see the signed agreement his brother wrote in 2007, but whatever.
Biggest Disappointment: As a Big Ten girl, it pains me that the first Big Ten player drafted was Purdue’s JaJuan Johnson at 27 to the Nets. Jon Leuer (Wisconsin) was chosen by Milwaukee at 40, Darius Morris of Michigan to the Lakers at 41, Jon Diebler (OSU) to the Trailblazers at 51, and lastly E’Twaun Moore (Purdue) to the Celtics at 55. That’s zero in the top 25 and only four total; not a good showing for one of the supposedly strongest conferences in the league.
Saddest Moment: The saddest moment in the draft was when it ended, and I realized that not one player from the Illini would hear their name called. When I glanced at a mock draft in the morning, Mike Davis was listed as possibly 57th, but I guess it didn’t pan out. No Demetri McCamey, no Mike Davis and no Jereme Richmond or Mike Tisdale (didn’t really expect these two, but still). It didn’t seem like a pie-in-the-sky dream, but I guess this year it was. In a draft that Jay Bilas reminded me over and over wasn’t a good one, it’s too bad that my guys couldn’t sneak in somewhere. Good thing there are always summer workouts!
