nbadraftblog2010

What is this? This is my fourth-annual NBA Draft Blog. I’ll be posting my thoughts about the first round of the NBA Draft here. That will include everything from the actual picks, to the ESPN personalities, to the commercials, etc. Anything goes. Emmitt Smith may even show up! This page will be updated every five minutes or so, so I hope you join me for the 2010 NBA Draft!

6:59: Time to kick this off. It’s 6:59, yet ESPN is talking about tennis instead of the NBA Draft. Makes sense. Yeah, I know that tennis match was awesome, but I’d like to see those guys spend five hours on an NBA Mock Draft. I don’t think they have what it takes.

7:01: Ugh, I forgot Stuart Scott was the anchor for this. It’s only a matter of time before Stuart’s glass eyeball turns me into stone.

7:03: If you’ve forgotten, we will be posting David Kay’s Live 2010 NBA Draft Grades minutes after each pick tonight. Our Washington (John Wall) and Philadelphia (Evan Turner) grades are already up.

7:04: Speaking of David Kay, he just informed me that he’ll be sending me a 2010 NBA Mock Draft update very soon.

7:06: Andy Katz reports that the Sixers will take Evan Turner. Thank God. If they select anyone else, my dad will break some furniture here.

7:08: This is how screwed up the NBA is – the Bulls trade a very good player and a mid first-round pick, and get absolutely nothing in return. It’s a good trade, and that’s exactly the problem. The NBA’s salary system absolutely wreaks of fail.

7:11: My dad actually isn’t here yet. I’m not sure when he gets off from work. If the Sixers pass on Turner, hopefully it’s after the pick.

7:12: I should note that I’ll be running a live blog for the first round only. The picks will be coming in so quickly in the second round for me to write anything creative/stupid. Plus, no one cares about the second round anyway.

7:13: David Kay just sent me his final mock. Getting to it now.

7:18: Our final 2010 NBA Mock Draft is up.

7:20: How close was DeMarcus Cousins to dropping the F-bomb on that random ESPN chick reporter? More importantly, I’m glad he was able to show teams that he has “a work ethic.” I thought he’d tell every team that he plans on slacking off and eating Cheetos 24/7, so I’m relieved that he’s trying to show that he has a work ethic.

7:22: “Miami Wade County.” Hwa hwa hwa hwa hwa.

7:24: Nice to see that Rachel Nichols is dressed for Saint Patrick’s Day.

7:26: Where did Jay Bilas go? That monster killed Bilas and took his seat!

7:29: So, according to Jeff Van Gundy, if the Heat get rid of all their players and sign three max guys, they can be “in the hunt?” What kind of crap is that? Weren’t they in the hunt this year? So they’re getting rid of all of their stars to move up one or two seeds in the East? I’d think it’s LeBron and Wade, or bust.




7:32: My dad just walked into the house. “I hope the Sixers don’t screw up!” he yells. My furniture hopes so too.

7:33: The Wizards (Bullets) have five minutes to mess this up. Pick Turner! Pick Turner!

7:34: This Kwame Brown guy is going to be pretty good. Trust me.

7:36: Jay Bilas is back! Bilas is the man. He knows everything. Seriously, if he were to tell me, “Walt, you should ask Rosie O’Donnell out on a date. She’s super fat now, but she will be hot. She has tremendous upside,” I’d definitely take his advice.

7:37: What’s taking the Wizards so long? Are they making sure Wall’s not an NRA member?

With the No. 1 pick in the 2010 NBA Draft, the Wizards select John Wall.

7:38: Ha! Screw all you haters who said I was dumb for putting Wall atop my 2010 NBA Mock Draft!

7:40: Why are the Wizards people clapping? “Yay, we didn’t screw up yay!”

7:42: Are people actually chanting “Let’s go Sixers!?” I didn’t think we had any fans; let alone ones who traveled to New York.

With the No. 2 pick in the 2010 NBA Draft, the Sixers select Evan Turner.

7:43: My dad’s reaction: “Thank God!!!!!!!!!!!! I hope they don’t trade him!”

7:45: Is it just me or does Evan Turner sound like Kermit the Frog? If he busts, he can at least voice some cartoon characters.

7:46: “N-E-T-S NETS NETS NETS!” Never thought I’d hear that. It’s great that the fans of crappy teams have come out to support their squad.

With the No. 3 pick in the 2010 NBA Draft, the Nets select Derrick Favors.

7:51: Derrick Favors’ secret is to just be himself? Can I be myself and get taken No. 3 overall? Look, NBA teams! I’m being myself! Pick me, pick me!

7:53: Oh, I almost forgot: “Derrick Favors if you do not become good player I vill cut you into pieces and throw salt on your vounds.”

7:54: “The Timberwolves can do some things.” Like draft a billion point guards.

With the No. 4 pick in the 2010 NBA Draft, the Timberwolves select Wesley Johnson.

7:58: My dad just announced that he wants the Sixers to trade Willie Green for a second-round pick. He wants Greivis Vasquez. But that would just be the icing on the cake. The only way the Sixers could ruin this moment is if they trade Turner. If that happens, I’ll probably need a new roof.

7:59: These stupid five-minute intervals are making life very difficult for me. Can we get eight-minute picks next year?

With the No. 5 pick in the 2010 NBA Draft, the Kings select DeMarcus Cousins.

8:03: DeMarcus Cousins has “no idea what’s going on.” Hilarious.

8:04: I’m scared to death for the Kings. If DeMarcus Cousins befriends Samuel Dalembert, he’ll quickly learn how to slack off and try hard only during his contract year.

8:05: My dad’s been drawing diagrams in his newspaper: “Watch, the Sixers will trade Willie Green to the Kings for THIS pick (points to the Kings’ 33).” I shake my head. “You’ll see,” he assures me.

With the No. 6 pick in the 2010 NBA Draft, the Warriors select Ekpe Udoh.

8:09: Still not sure if it’s Ekpe Udoh or Epke Udoh. K comes before P, but Epke sounds better than Ekpe. Hmm…

8:11: David Kay and I are both 6-of-6 in our 2010 NBA Mock Drafts. And people thought we’d get the John Wall pick wrong. Hrmph. (Yet another Leelee moment).

With the No. 7 pick in the 2010 NBA Draft, the Pistons select Greg Monroe.

8:14: My dad hates Georgetown. I don’t know why. It’s not like he went to Syracuse or anything. He just hates them. Upon Detroit selecting Monroe: “Probably gonna bust,” he says, shaking his head. “He’s lazy!”

8:15: Time for the Clippers to screw up. Should be epic.

8:16: Flip Saunders looks stoned. Wonder if he smoked up with Chris Webber.

With the No. 8 pick in the 2010 NBA Draft, the Clippers select Al-Farouq Aminu.

8:20: Jay Bilas just said, “Al-Farouq Aminu runs the court when the spirit moves him.” What the hell does that mean? In what other profession can you get away with an excuse like that? In a normal office job, if your boss asks you to get those TPS reports to him, can you respond, “I’ll do that if the spirit moves me?”

8:22: When’s the last time someone hasn’t said “Looks like things are turning around for L.A.’s other team!” on NBA Draft night? 1990?

8:23: The Jazz are on the clock. Time for the Best White Player Available strategy.

With the No. 9 pick in the 2010 NBA Draft, the Jazz select Gordon Hayward.

8:24: Best White Player Available strategy!!!!

8:26: This is the first pick that both David and I got wrong. Ah well. Going 8-of-8 was awesome while it lasted.

8:27: Damn, I was close though. I knew the Jazz would pick a white guy, but I thought it’d be Luke Babbitt.

8:29: Going from looking at Gordon Hayward’s sister to Jeff Van Gundy – just a bit of a disparity there.




8:31: I just told my dad I have Ed Davis going to the Pacers. My dad shook his head and said, “Nope. He’s not white.”

With the No. 10 pick in the 2010 NBA Draft, the Pacers select Paul George.

8:32: Whoa, Paul George? Shouldn’t you pick a player who could at least lead his team to the NCAA Tournament?

8:35: I just told my dad I have Gordon Hayward going to the Hornets. My dad shook his head and said, “Nope. He’s not black.”

8:36: Is anyone else seeing this Eminem commercial? I didn’t even know Eminem was still alive.

8:37: Stuart Scott: “The Hornets hired Monty Williams as their head coach.” Hilarious reaction from my dad: “Piece of s***!”

With the No. 11 pick in the 2010 NBA Draft, the Hornets select Cole Aldrich.

8:38: The Hornets just selected the next Allen Iverson. Yep, Cole Aldrich is the next Allen Iverson. I just compared a white player to a black player, so I’m smarter than everyone else. Hrmph.

8:39: Meh, these Hornets and Pacers teams are like the Bills and Browns. They screw up everyone’s mocks with stupid picks every year.

8:41: I just said, “Cole Aldrich – the next Eric Montross?” My dad: “Exactly. Or Shawn Bradley… no, no one can be worse than Shawn Bradley.” It’s been 17 years, and my dad is still scarred by the Bradley pick.

8:43: My dad thinks this Aldrich trade makes a ton of sense. “They were never going to pick a white guy.”

With the No. 12 pick in the 2010 NBA Draft, the Grizzlies select Xavier Henry.

8:44: “Zahv-ee-yay?” I thought it was pronounced “Zay-vyer.” Shows how much I know.

With the No. 13 pick in the 2010 NBA Draft, the Raptors select Ed Davis.

8:53: Whoa, I’ve fallen behind here. The Raptors picked 40 seconds before they were supposed to, and it screwed me up.

8:54: Ed Davis, what do you know about Toronto? “I know Chris Bosh WENT there.” How depressing for Raptors fans.

With the No. 14 pick in the 2010 NBA Draft, the Rockets select PF Patrick Patterson.

8:57: Three Kentucky players in the top 14? Hope Matt McGuire doesn’t get arrested for streaking down the streets of Bowling Green.

With the No. 15 pick in the 2010 NBA Draft, the Bucks select Larry Sanders.

9:02: Jay Bilas on Larry Sanders: “He’s only been playing organized basketball for six or seven years.” Translation: Bust.

9:03: Seriously, why would you spend a top pick on a guy who has barely played organized basketball? Has no one learned from the Samuel Dalembert disaster?

9:04: My dad on this pick: “Luke Babbitt! They like white guys.”

9:05: Stupid Minnesota! You had 1:10 left on the clock. I need time! Why can’t Mike Tice be the GM?

With the No. 16 pick in the 2010 NBA Draft, the Timberwolves select Luke Babbitt.

9:08: My dad’s bragging about getting the races of these picks right. ESPN should hire him.

With the No. 17 pick in the 2010 NBA Draft, the Bulls select Kevin Seraphin.

9:11: “Ke-VEEN?” What the hell is “Ke-VEEN?” I pronounced this guy’s name as Kevin. Zah-ve-yay, Ke-VEEN… my name from now on will be Wal-TAIR.

9:15: My dad just said the “Sixers will be very dangerous.” Hear that, rest of the NBA? You’ve been warned.

With the No. 18 pick in the 2010 NBA Draft, the Thunder select Eric Bledsoe.

9:17: My ninth pick correct! And I can’t even pronounce these players’ names.

9:21: Yahoo reports that the Clippers will send a future first-round pick (probably in the lottery, knowing how they suck) to the Thunder for Eric Bledsoe.

With the No. 19 pick in the 2010 NBA Draft, the Celtics select Avery Bradley.

9:23: Pick No. 10 correct! Should I re-name this site WalterBasketball.com? Or if I’m like some of these players, WaltairBasketball.com? Has a nice ring to it.

With the No. 20 pick in the 2010 NBA Draft, the Celtics select James Anderson.

9:28: Jay Bilas said that James Anderson is his biggest sleeper. The Spurs are the smartest team in the NBA. I’m SHOCKED the Spurs drafted Anderson. SHOCKED.

9:29: My dad’s getting restless. “Sixers, trade Andre Iguodala to Memphis for a No. 1 pick!”



With the No. 21 pick in the 2010 NBA Draft, the Hornets select Craig Brackins.

9:32: This draft is definitely going way too quickly. I feel like I’m on cocaine. Ah crap, the advertisers might be reading this. Not that I’d know what feels like. I was kidding! Heh.

9:33: Beer’s great and everything, but who the hell cares about windows? Fail, Coors Light.

9:35: The Blazers fired their general manager on the day of the draft? Wouldn’t he screw up on purpose?

With the No. 22 pick in the 2010 NBA Draft, the Blazers select Elliot Williams.

9:38: And screw it up he does! Quick, Kevin Pritchard, trade Brandon Roy for a second-round pick!

With the No. 23 pick in the 2010 NBA Draft, the Timberwolves select Trevor Booker.

9:40: Shocker. The Timberwolves spend the No. 23 pick on a second-round prospect. Well, at least you have the Vikings, Minnesota fans.

9:42: A boring time in the draft. I’d like to get Emmitt in, but it’s going by so quickly. I’ll get to him soon.

With the No. 24 pick in the 2010 NBA Draft, the Hawks select Damion James.

9:45: The fat guy in the stands wearing the Hawks jersey didn’t like this pick, but his team took a guy the Spurs really liked. So don’t worry, fat guy. Your team will be fine.

9:48: David Kay doesn’t like the pick. I changed my mind. The Hawks are stupid!

With the No. 25 pick in the 2010 NBA Draft, the Grizzlies select Dominique Jones.

9:50: The fat guy in the stands wearing the Grizzlies jersey just shrugged his shoulders and said, “I don’t know who that is.” You’re not alone, bud. WaltairBasketball.com doesn’t know either.

9:51: I hate to harp on this, but the quickness of the draft is killing me. I don’t know how many times I’ve wanted to write something only to be interrupted by David Stern announcing the next pick.

With the No. 26 pick in the 2010 NBA Draft, the Hornets select Quincy Pondexter.

9:56: I can’t believe Jordan Crawford is still on the board. He dunkd ovar LaBron he is teh bom!

9:58: I love that Kevin Durant’s at the draft. That just shows that he cares about his team and the game of basketball.

With the No. 27 pick in the 2010 NBA Draft, the Nets select Jordan Crawford.

10:00: Hey, Crawford’s off the board! But he’s going to the Hawks for Damion James.

10:01: Stuart Scott’s glass eye just said that Jordan Crawford’s dunk wasn’t a big deal. How dare he.

10:02: I told my dad that someone on Twitter reported that Greivis Vasquez will be the pick. “Twitter? What’s Twitter? I don’t understand how they could know if David Stern didn’t say it yet.”

10:04: My dad’s upset that Greivis Vasquez is off the board. “Maybe the Sixers will trade Elton Brand for him…” With the No. 28 pick in the 2010 NBA Draft, the Grizzlies select Greivis Vasquez.

10:07: Hey Grizzlies, Elton Brand’s available. You know you want him.

10:09: Love the emotion from Vasquez. This is what this night is all about. I’m getting choked up here.

With the No. 29 pick in the 2010 NBA Draft, the Magic select Daniel Orton.

10:12: Player No. 5 from Kentucky. Matt McGuire, if you’re reading this, if you’re arrested for streaking and public intoxication to celebrate Kentucky’s success, I’m not bailing you out of jail.

10:14: A guy averaging 3.3 points per game in the first round. Hmm….

With the No. 30 pick in the 2010 NBA Draft, the Bullets select Lazar Hayward.

10:18: Wow, didn’t think this guy would be taken in the first round. David Kay as a Marquette alum has to be pretty happy. Looks like I’ll be bailing two drunk guys out of jail tonight.

10:19: My dad just congratulated me for having more picks right in my 2010 NBA Mock Draft than everyone in the Philadelphia Inquirer. Had I used his race strategy, I would have gotten way more than 10 selections correct.

10:24: Let’s go to Emmitt for some analysis. Emmitt, who do you like as your rookie of the year?

“First of all, congratulation to the Kentucky College for havin’ so many record players in the mark draft. Second of all and third, speakin’ of Kentucky College, John Wall will be the rookie of the week this season. If you look at history, the Great Wall of China was builded to have the Chinese people keep out of China. John Wall was builded to keep other player from winning in the state of Washington. And plus, how can Chinese player like Yao Bing win in Washington with a wall in the state? There are unpossibles.”

10:27: Let’s all thank Emmitt for hanging around during this ultra-quick 2010 NBA Draft.

10:28: If David Stern can leave, I can too. Adam Silver’s not worth writing about, though my dad thoroughly enjoys making fun of his high-pitched voice every year.

10:30: By the way, Thunder fans, my dad took one look at this Tibor Plus guy, and he said, “Rik Smits.” Let’s just hope he doesn’t smell as bad as Smits.

10:32: Thanks for reading my nonsensical thoughts in this 2010 NBA Draft Blog. I’m just thrilled nothing in this house was broken tonight.

We’ll keep posting the Live 2010 NBA Draft Grades until the draft ends, and we’ll have a 2010 NBA Draft Trade Analysis tomorrow.




Live 2009 NBA Draft Blog


Live 2008 NBA Draft Blog


2010 NBA Mock Draft – Walt’s


2010 NBA Mock Draft – David Kay’s








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