Three Winners and Losers of NBA Draft

The NBA Draft is over. So from now until July 1, there will be a calming lull around the NBA. So, let's look back at the draft and pick out the three winners and three losers of Thursday night.

Winners

The Washington Wizards had a great night for obvious reasons. They drafted John Wall, and now he is officially on the team. They also traded with the Chicago Bulls to obtain Kirk Hinrich. So now, Gilbert Arenas will most likely be shopped to see if any team around the league is interested in him. Although Washington could also opt to add Hinrich off the bench, just so that there is always some offense on the floor in the backcourt. The Wizards also added Trevor Booker and Kevin Seraphin, two big men who should mature nicely and provide some much needed toughness down low.

The Chicago Bulls and the Miami Heat are the last two winners of draft night, and they're here for the same reason. They successfully cleared cap space to thwart New York's plan. Before the draft, New York was the only team in the NBA who could attempt to lure LeBron James by offering him and a running mate of his choosing a maximum contract. Now, both Miami and Chicago can do the same. Plus, Miami can re-sign Dwyane Wade, and then offer two contracts.

Losers

The New York Knicks are the biggest loser for the reason highlighted above concerning Miami and Chicago.

The Cleveland Cavaliers are a close second though. Why? They didn't have a pick in the draft, and instead watched teams clear cap room and become even more of an attraction for LeBron to leave.

The New Jersey Nets are my third loser of the draft. Derrick Favors may be a great player in the future, but he doesn't attract any free agents to New Jersey. Evan Turner would have been perfect if he could have fallen to third for the Nets.

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Mock Draft: Picks 1-5

The NBA Draft is a week away, and there is a lot of speculation about who will be going where. I will break down the first five picks of the draft, and in turn I will explain why each player is the best fit for that team.

1. John Wall, Washington Wizards

Wall is easily the most talented player in this year's draft. The Wizards are sure to draft him with the first overall pick, but questions have risen about whether or not he can play alongside Gilbert Arenas. Both players need the ball in their hands in order to perform on the court. However, I could see the Wizards either trading Arenas after his handgun incident last year, or possibly moving him to shooting guard. Let's face it, Arenas is on his way out in Washington. I wouldn't sacrifice a sure-fire superstar like John Wall in order to keep Gilbert Arenas happy. Wall will be a key piece in the rebuilding project for Washington.

2. Derrick Favors, Philadelphia 76ers

Philadelphia has a very difficult decision to make with the second pick in this year's draft. However, Favors will be a better fit for the Sixers than the alternative, Evan Turner, would be. Elton Brand was a failed experiment in Philadelphia, and Favors gives the Sixers an excellent alternative to the aging Brand. He will be an excellent addition to the Sixers, who are also in somewhat of a rebuilding process. Favors brings a strong, athletic frame to the post which the Sixers are in desperate need of for next year. With Favors on the team, he should also command some attention away from Andre Iguodola and Jrue Holiday so that they can make plays as well. Unlike Turner, Favors doesn't need an offense to run through him which will also be a positive aspect for Iguodola, the obvious leader of the Sixers.

3. Evan Turner, New Jersey Nets

The New Jersey Nets were originally crushed after not only losing the top pick in the draft, but also falling to the third pick. They will be extremely lucky if Turner can fall into their lap here. Evan Turner will bring instant offense to a Nets team who notoriously struggled throughout the season last year. He will most likely play shooting guard, which will force Courtney Lee to come off of the bench. Turner, along with Devin Harris and Brook Lopez, will make for a pretty decent three player attack for New Jersey next season. The other added bonus of Turner being drafted by the Nets is the attraction of a previously dismal team to one of potential. If Turner is drafted by the Nets, he could attract some max-free agents to join him.

4. Wesley Johnson, Minnesota Timberwolves

The fourth pick is another spot with a lot of speculation swirling around it. However, I think that Wesley Johnson is the best fit for the Wolves. DeMarcus Cousins is the other option, but he hasn't worked out for Minnesota yet. He also would not fit in with the Wolves because of the fact that Al Jefferson and Kevin Love are already an established front court duo. The best part about Johnson is the fact that he WANTS to play in Minnesota! Johnson played for Syracuse where close friend Jonny Flynn also played. Johnson will bring a scorer to the small forward position, and should help Minnesota improve on their fifteen win season last year.

5. DeMarcus Cousins, Sacramento Kings

Not much to say here. Cousins is easily the most talented center in this year's draft. He will bring an inside presence that is greatly needed to Sacramento. The Kings could also put together a pretty good core of young, talented players by drafting Cousins. Tyreke Evans, Omri Casspi, and Cousins could become the three main players for Sacramento's future. Just think of the possibilities if the Kings still had Kevin Martin! That would certainly be a formidable team. The Kings are also experiencing some buzz around the league with free agents, and Cousins would do nothing but help bring a big name to Sacramento.

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Sit Your Ass Down!

I have lived in Ohio ever since I was six years old. So naturally, I love LeBron James.

Okay, I need to apologize. I told a lie in the previous sentence, and I have grown up in a Cleveland suburb since the age of six.

Let's just get this roast started. LeBron James. The "King". Whatever you want to call him. Living only fifteen minutes away, I thought that I would interview him for this article. However, he didn't have much to say. In fact, all I was able to get out of him was "gackkkkk". I'm pretty sure he was still choking from the Eastern Conference Semifinals. But let's be honest folks. If you were in LeBron's shoes, would you have tried in the playoffs? I mean aren't championships just given out these days? Hold on, what do you mean they aren't? Uh oh. Someone better tell him.

As a fan of the NBA, I will admit that James is an excellent player....in the regular season. Come playoff time though the guy has a better vanishing act than Houdini did. Superman took him out last year. The Truth and The Big Ticket stamped his ticket for an early exit this year. LeChoke will be back next year, but if I were him I would try to get the best deal I can on plane tickets. He can book a flight anytime after May 20 though. Not too concerned with him making it to the Finals....and I'm talking about the Conference Finals.

But these recent playoff failures can't be his fault right? Sure Mo Williams didn't show up. You can't tell me that changed the series this past year. The team with the best record for two consecutive years is bounced from the playoffs early in two consecutive years. Not LeBron's problem. Let's fire the coach. He couldn't get it done. Mike Brown was not the head coach of the Cavaliers. King Shame was calling the shots. Mike Brown was a figure head, and anyone who says different is lying to your face.

At least LeBrick is showing some respect for the league that he has in a chokehold though. He's no longer wearing number 23 on his jersey next year in order to honor Michael Jordan. The problem? He's changing it to number 6. Apparently Dr. J isn't worthy of the honor of King Lame. I don't have a problem with a player changing numbers. The best player in the NBA (Kobe Bryant) did it when he stopped wearing 8 and switched to 24. At least he didn't insult our intelligence and claim it was to honor NBA greats. It's a marketing scheme to make more money. Once more, I don't have a problem with it. Just give us a little more respect.

I'm going to have to quickly interrupt this article. LeBron is crying again. It's okay. We all know how to handle this because it happens all too often. Let's just blow a whistle and whatever injury he's acting out will go away. He will then step to the line and make one of two if it's a good day.

Alright now that we have that out of the way let's address LeBonBon's actions throughout the playoffs. A report of him calling John Wall, the point guard from Kentucky, and trying to recruit him for James' marketing agency surfaced right before the playoffs were starting. The playoffs didn't phase The Crab Dribbler though. He was more concerned with the image of his company. Just following in the footsteps of the greatest playoff performers in the NBA. Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant (6 and 4 rings respectively) also wouldn't concentrate on the playoffs right? Hmmm maybe not. Is that how you become successful? Through the hard work that both of these great players have put in? I mean come on, Chris Rock couldn't even break Kobe's concentration in Game One of the NBA Finals Thursday night. If Drama Queen James can laugh so much on the bench when he's chilling with Mo Williams and Anthony Parker, I can only imagine what a professional comedian like Chris Rock would do to his concentration. Shoot the Cavs could have been kicked out of the league by now for their performance if Rock attended Cleveland games. Thank goodness he's a Knicks fan.

Bottom line...LeBron is a good player. He's great. He just doesn't want it enough. He's been coddled by the media ever since his high school years, so he expects success to come his way. Until he matures and realizes that championships are a rarity for a player in this league, he will never be respected on the level that Jordan and Bryant are. So take a long hard look at that limestone sculpture of yourself in front of your house LeBron. Stop with the excuses. Stop with the crying. It's getting old. Put up or shut up. Until then, take your own advice. Sit your ass down.

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