NBA Draft Night

Good evening on what used to be the only night that mattered during the Pistons season. In the recent Eastern Conference perennial contender era, the NBA Draft truly only mattered once (remember Darko) and produced the future floor leader (Rodney Stuckey, 2007) of the team last year. Here are the last minutes documented before pick no. 29:
10:08 pm: San Antonio has just drafted a guard out of IUPUI. I was totally looking for some foreign star at this pick. No team drafts better than the Spurs.

10:10 pm: Darrell Arthur has just had his long wait ended with the no. 27 pick to New Orleans/Portland. His whole family did not look like they expected to be there this late.

10:13 pm: Arthur is being interviewed. I can only imagine his reaction with everyone talking about this phantom kidney issue while in the green room. Convenient he wore a green shirt and tie while staying longer than anyone else in the green room.

10:15 pm: Donte Greene from Syracuse is drafted by Memphis with no. 28. Jay Bilas cannot stop talking about his immaturity and lack of shot selection. A recent article in the Syracuse Post-Standard mentioned how Greene has lost many of his supporters from Central New York. His comment to Orangefans… “get over it.”

10:19 pm: One minute left before the Pistons selection. Chris Douglas-Roberts is considered the best player on the board by Jay Bilas. I wonder who Michael Curry will take in his first draft as coach.

10:20 pm: Pistons clock shows 0:00, but yet no pick. The conversation goes back again to Arthur. Jeff Van Gundy looks envious when talking about the many visits to the conference finals. His closest try at a championship was 14 years ago with New York.

10:22 pm: D.J. White is named the Pistons selection. Stuart Scott draws some boos when he mentions the last Pistons-Hoosier draft pick was Isiah Thomas. Does that mean D.J. will bring his undershirts with him to Detroit?

10:24 pm: Van Gundy is confident that Curry will not live up to expectations. The conversation quickly shifts away from White – who happens to be the fourth senior chosen.

That’s it for the Pistons pick in the first round. I would be stunned to see White make the 12-man roster this fall.