A rather interesting day all around

So there I am, trying to show some couth and aplomb while chatting for 90 minutes or so with various general managers, assistant general managers, part-owners, chairmen and whoever else was in the big boardroom after the lottery was done and in the dark recesses of my mind, I’m thinking:

“Oooooh, some Irregulars are going to be miffed.”

Tee-hee.

Anyway …

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Let the fun begin.

And by fun I mean five or six weeks of abject guesswork, much consternation and confusion and too’ing and fro’ing about the suitability of basketballers few of us have seen more than once or twice on TV and likely seldom in person.

Fun?

Wow!

Really, all that last night did was deepen the pool of possible draft picks and it’s going to create a lot more chatter among, well, among you folks between now and June 23.

And there’s lots to talk about.

Do they go with a point guard like Brandon Knight of Kentucky or do they roll the dice on Kemba Walker of Connecticut, if he’s there.

Do they go big?

Or, as one Irregular e-mailed seconds after I got to turn my machine on:

“I hope all the sports writers in town are good spellers because I feel a Euro big coming at No. 5.”

Let the fun begin.

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So, what’s it like in there?

Mind-numbingly boring for the most part but kind of cool.

We’re shepherded into the room about 7 p.m., reps of the 14 teams, a handful of league officials, three very large security guards and five members of the media to act as witnesses, or hostages.

You walk in the boardroom and they want you’re blackberries or phones or whatever you have, as expected, although we could keep tape recorders if we wanted and could use laptops, as it turns out, because they had blocked any wireless access to the room.

But the speed with which it came together was stunning.

A dude from Ernst and Young walked everyone through the process, the balls were dropped one-by-one into the hopper (which looks like a toned-down version of any old lottery machine and was built specifically for the event) and then it started.

Three draws, each taking a minute and it was all over and done with by 7:23 p.m. if the chicken scratch in the notebook can be trusted.

Then? Then we stood around nibbling on cold cuts and cookies and drinking coffee and soda, chatting with the likes of Ernie Grunfeld and Billy McKinny, Marc Eversley and a handful of others.

Nice talks, very long wait while watching the whole process on TV like many of you were.

But you need to trust me on this: It so above-board and impossible to rig and witnessed by so many people with so much vested interest in the process that there’s no way it could be anything but legit.

I’m sure that won’t appease everyone but I really don’t care.

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Oh, great.

Guy goes down the lobby about 6 a.m. to grab the first of many coffees of the day and the music’s playing and The Temptations are warbling My Girl and now it’s going be in my head all day.

“Even got the month of May, with my girl, my girl, my girl.”

You’re welcome.

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Okay, David Kahn is a goof.

Really.

The Minnesota GM, who really hasn’t distinguished himself as, you know, particularly bright in his job and something of a collector of point guards, dropped this quote after the lottery last night:

“This league has a habit, and I am just going to say habit, of producing some pretty incredible story lines. Last year it was Abe Pollin’s widow and this year it was a 14-year-old boy. I told Kevin: ‘We’re toast. This is not happening for us.’ And I was right.”

Seriously?

I’m pretty sure David or one of his Henchmen are spinning the old “fine-o-meter wheel” right now.

I’m guessing $35,000, maybe $50,000.

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Who should they take?

No clue, really.

The consensus of a couple of people I talked to through the night is that Cleveland takes Kyrie Irving without a doubt, Minnesota maybe picks Enes Kanter and Utah grabs up Derrick Williams, although those last two may flip.

Then? Who knows. One guy thought Cleveland might gamble on a project like Bismack Biyombo or Jonas Valanciunas.

That would leave the Raptors with a lot of choice but I will offer this warning for the first of many times:

Mock drafts are little more than guesswork, teams have a tendency to put out disinformation campaigns and nothing really is as it seems.

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RIP Harmon Killebrew.

I never met the man, never wrote about him but everything tells me he was one of the great guys in the game.

And isn’t that one of the greatest names in sports history?

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Let me get this straight.

Dirk had 48 points on 15 shots?

That’s one for the ages.

And I think he might have just fouled out Scott Brooks.

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Oh yeah, Bryan got his deal done, right?

Two years and an option with incentives to make that option reachable seems to be fair and it’s really not a surprise at all that it got done.

Next?

Jay.

And while I fully expect Jay to be back on the final option year of his deal, Bryan didn’t go nearly as far last night endorsing him as he did at his end-of-season media thingy.

“In the coming days, we’re going to be very busy with the draft combine in Chicago (and) Jay and I will probably have a chance to meet. It won’t be the first time this off-season we’ve met but it will be the first time we’ve really met in earnest talking about the direction of the team, talking about de-briefing on what happened this season and where things are.

“I’m looking forward to those opportunities to sit down with him with what I could call more focus, better quality time together and we have a lot of business to take care of.”

I don’t see a lot of roadblocks in the way but the GM didn’t come right out and say the coach would be back for sure.

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Man, this got long in a hurry today. Guess that’s what happens when stuff goes on.

Anyway, it leaves some stuff for later in the week and I’ll put the first call out now for mail. Click, write, send.

Oh, and we’ve got tonight off, too, right?

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Comments

[Lawrence]

JIMMER!!!!

[John]

Hey Doug, As much as everyone wants the big star in the draft, by all accounts, even Brians, after the top two there is a big drop off. The Raps already have the youngest team in the league, how many of these draft pics should you really stock pile? Any word on the CBA while you were there? I have read where there are rumblings that the two sides have found some common ground.
What was the mood like in the room? Did the Cavs rep run around in circles screaming and yelling and high fiving everyone?

Blogger's note: The guy was pretty happy, yeah; no high-fiving, though

[joe]

Hi Doug,
Thanks for the account of what is was like in the lottery "war" room last night. Sounds like it was really intense and fun too.

Chad Ford of espn did report that Minnesota was open to moving the 2nd pick. Did you hear any talk of that last night?

From a Raptors point of view, considering that after Kyrie, Williams, and perhaps Kanter, the draft is not that deep in talent, do you think it might be better to trade the pick for an established player if any team is so interested?

Thanks

[chris]

Kahn was joking about it. Hardly making an accusation, despite how you and many other media sources are portraying it.....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLzYrfhttT0&feature=player_embedded

Blogger's note: Easy. Joke or not it was a ridiculously stupid thing for him to say. So, actually, mocking is quite appropriate

[Ragu]

Doug, it seems fairly obvious and trasparent that the lottery was shall we say "Fixed". Surprise, Surprise, Clevland not only gets the #1 pick (shocker) they also move from #8 to #4 and the NBA's consolation gift to the Cavs after loosing Lebron is granted. This has shades of the Penguins and Crosby lottery.

Also, Bringing back a mediocre GM and Coach only highlighted a very poor day in Raptors land.

[Rob.V]

Anyone get a chance to "weigh" each one of the winning balls vs. the losing balls?? LOL!

[AT]

Wow, David Kahn is a goof... still ended up with 2nd pick and was complaining. It would be pretty funny if Williams is selected by Cleveland and he has no choice but to draft another PG.
Seems Raptors will do OK with Kemba Walker, Brandon Knight or the Kanter.

any early thoughts if Raptors are going to use the remainer of the Trade Exception before it expires? Isn't around 10 million remaining?

[JHK]

So you saw it all go down eh Doug?
I don't believe in the conspiracies that are going around but I still wonder why they don't just air the whole scene.

If I were BC, I'd do anything to trade up and get Kanter.
This team has never had a legit star caliber C since Hakeem the-shattered-dream.
It's about time we test how things work by pairing Bargs with a true C.
If that is not possible, then it's got to be Bismack Biyombo although he lacks size... he could be the next Serge Ibaka and that is exactly what we need.
Some people are obsessed with Knight or Walker and I have no idea why, because they will be the next Bayless at best... we don't need another chucker.

For those who need some cheer up, check out BC's trade record: http://hoopshype.com/general_managers/bryan_colangelo.htm
5th is actually his 2nd highest pick he's had in the past, so we should stay tuned.
In BC we trust!!!

[Rob.V]

Seriously though, I thought that Colangelo's luck had hit rock bottom during this past season however it would appear that downward trend continues. BC looked visibly upset, I think I shook my head for about an hour or so as well.
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I hope this puts the Trade Exemption back in play. Brian has said many times that he may not use it however the lower pick might just change his mind. #5 + Trade Exemption for ???.
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Regardless if they landed #3 the team is going to need an influx of talent and experience so maybe this pushes Colangelo in a slightly different direction. July 1st becomes that much more important.
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Glad Colangelo is back though, thats probably the biggest win of the day.

[JHK]

*fix* I meant to say BC's draft record.

[dave]

The first draft lottery in 85 was rigged. Watch the video www.youtube.com/watch?v=0TgJE7C5wiU

Blogger's note: All that was missing was conducting it on a grassy knoll

[Rob]

Doug,
I havent found a detailed description of how the pong pong balls are picked on NBA.com ... Can you provide us with some technical details of the draftprocess ... I ask this because I m a statistician and I m interested in comparing the current proces vs the simpler idea of picking from a uniform distribution (like Colangelo alluded to in one interview yesterday) without replacement.

Thanx for the coverage yesterday.

Rob

[Lorie]

Doug!
If by 'goof' you mean totally and unequivocally and enormously incompetent, oh yeah, that David Kahn dude's one of a kind and in a class by himself (which is something that apparently money can't buy nor fines create - and good luck Mr. Stern trying to silence the mouth that continues to roar before the mind kicks in) after his tasteless comments about Nick Gilbert and Irene Pollin. And thanks for the earworm; but of course, one good turn deserves another so here's the first thing I heard this upon waking this morning...."In the jungle the quiet jungle, the lion sleeps tonight...." Cheers! Safe Travels! ...Wimoweh, Wimoweh, Wimoweh, Wimoweh, Wimoweh, Wimoweh, Wimoweh, Wimoweh..... You are welcome as well. :)

[Mike D.]

On the positive side....if you could choose a draft year to finish 3rd-last then drop to the #5 pick, this might be the best one in recent memory. An Ed Davis type coming out this year might have been in the top 3.

And at least the weather in Toronto is nice.

[Derek]

Morning Doug,
Disappointing results for the HOTH last night. I heard that in one of his interviews, Colangelo stated that he didn't expect the Raps immediate need at the 5-spot to be addressed in this year's draft. If that's true - do you see it as a realistic possibility that the Raps could try to package the #5 pick in a trade to some other team to get a starting big? Given that the Raps are already such a young team, it seems to me like it would make sense to trade the draft pick - assuming there's a good package available to be had in return.

[David in Oakville]

Thanks for the recap of how the ball's dropped Doug. Until I read your story I could not understand how Cleveland managed the 1st and fourth picks. I think you are being hard on Minnesota's GM given their luck in the draft lottery. You have to admit that Cleveland taking the number one spot, not with their number two ball, but with the Clipper's (number 6?) was quite... uhm... fortunate. If I were a Timberwolf, I would be both bitter and suspicious this morning too.

My Girl!, not that I am knocking the Tempts, but if you have ever had a chance to hear Otis Redding's recording of this in studio with Booker T or live with the Bar-Kays, you would think that it was his song. Memphis soul or Motown, never gets stale.

[Cluck Kent]

Wow, that must have been very interesting to be in the room. Scratch one off the bucket list. But I'll bet you wouldn't have much interest in doing it again, right? It seems like one of those - I'd like to do that one time - things.

Very disappointed falling to five, but what can you do. Maybe Brian will weave a little magic.

[Lake Simcoe]

The "winners" of 2001 draft are.....Baron Davis and Deron Williams. Prizes include free house moving and Melo II comedy: "I wanna gonna Hollywood/Big Apple..."

[Tim]

I started watching these playoffs without much of a rooting interest, but I gotta say that now, I'm really pulling for Dallas. Nowitzski is playing so great, I'd love to see him go all the way and erase those memories of '06, and also '07 against the Warriors.

And as much as I'm bummed out the Raps dropped to 5th in the draft, I'm happy to see something good happen for Cleveland.

[D-Mac Ottawa]

Morning Doug,
Good on Cleveland. A five spot is no tragedy. It's just a starting point for what follows in rejigging the line-up, another piece of the puzzle, maybe even a trade-able piece. Aside from the usual suspects listed among the #4-6 draftees, a couple of nuggets I'm thinking might be worth a closer look are Alec Burks and Kawhi Leonard.
With the roster basically limited to 14 this year (Kleiza is untradeable and may not see a minute of action), I'd rate taking a run at a veteran center as job one this summer. That will determine whether Bargs stays a Rap or becomes the linchpin for some very interesting trade dominoes. I see Chandler, Nene and Marc Gasol are all on the free agents list. Could you see BCo having any success there, Doug? Also wondering if you think it might be worthwhile to add a veteran point guard as well (Barea's an interesting FA). Or is 3-point shooting a higher priority gap right now?
Cheers and happy speculatin'!

Blogger's note: I'd be sure he'll try

[kelsie]

Wow.

A 60 loss season (no getting around that one as it has to be attributed to something or someone) and the GM is resigned. There is talk of bringing back the coach of that said team, who has yet to have a winning season and who's teams have historically been in the cellar for defensive ratings and efficiency during his entire tenure.

Only thing left to do is to bring back all of the players from the debacle we witnessed last year no?

Where else in the NBA would this 'continuity' and 'stability' take place??? lol

[Mike kovacs]

At least there is some good news. HBO has already renewed Treme for a 3rd season!

[Mike]

So if David Kahn is suggesting a conspiracy of "incredible story lines", why didn't he bring a real live timberwolf or something to represent his team at the draft? If you can't beat 'em then join 'em?

[Jack]

Colangelo's signed. Two years and an option. Triano will probably be back. A Euro (Donatas Motiejunas) might be the 5th pick. He plays for Treviso, so he's "known" to Gherardini. He might be back too.
May 18, 2011.. The Raptors have been mathematically eliminated from the 2012 playoffs.

[kelsey]

Well lets see what Colangelo can do, I know for sure he can not bring a experimental European to this team. It will just further the image of this team trying to be a Euro squad, which in all honesty is not healthy for the Raptors.

A new player regime has to start, Bargnani great talent but he will not bring winning to this team. He is not Dirk so nobody make those compairisons please. I dont like Dirk, but he has a motor and can rebound. Bargnani is one of the only players that could bring back any value. Raptors can keep him if they get a very solid point guard and Centre. If not I dont see him helping this team elevate at all.

Colangelo work those magic fingers and get something done, hopefully he can also ride himself of Klezia as he was a bad pick up, another shot happy, poor defensive player that thinks he can get his on a poor team..

We trust you BC now get something done!!!!!!!!