Commish Looks Like A Guy Who Hangs Out In Front Of Schools Wearing A Trenchcoat

I was flipping channels yesterday evening and tuned it to ESPN to check up on the Tigers. All else was back-burnered, though; draft coverage.

It's a lot more interesting than I though it would be. Clippers get the No. 1, a former Sooner named Blake Griffin. If he is who I think he is, he's the Really Really Big Man from a Texas-OU game I caught one afternoon, and the Clips are lucky, lucky bastards (they will fuck it up, here's hoping the guy survives). Rubio went to the Timberwolves. Or did he? From what I understand, there's a massive financial fuckarow needs clearing up before he can come to the NBA.

What we got was another BJ, who magically transformed into a Frenchman the Mavs have had their eye on for a while now named Rodrigue Beaubois, a fella that spent a year in the Euroleagues named Nick Calathes, and a power forward named Ahmad Nivins. Aforementioned BJ went to the Thunder.

Beaubois has a standing invite to the preseason and so far as I know that's all. I'm all for adding another point guard to the mix so long as we have Jason Kidd. JJ Barea's development's been speeded up by years just by virtue of having Kidd as the head of the Dallas Graduate School of Basketball. Here's hoping the young man has anything like JJ's work ethic. The Word is the other two are going to be put on ice.

I hate agreeing with Jean Jacques Taylor, but I nod at his headline. None of these guys address any of the Mavs' specific Now needs -- a better inside guy, all-around defensive upgrades, another scorer. I have to remind myself that one doesn't get those things straight out of the draft and it's up to the Organization to get those things through free agency. It's hard to stay patient at the news of the trades going on just lately -- Shaq to the Cavaliers, Carter to the Magic . . . somebody asked the Nets' GM what the reaction was to losing Vince Carter, and I flashed to a scene of an office full of men in suits singing "ding-dong, the witch is dead, the mean old witch, the wicked witch . . ."

And by the way, if Kidd goes to the Cavaliers, I think I will stab myself in the throat.
-BJ