What the Canuck? Thursday night, Anthony Bennett became first man from the maple syrup motherland to be drafted number one overall. The Cavs rebelled by choosing the Runnin' Rebel, who remarked, "I'm just as surprised as anyone else." (we can't confirm that his initial reaction was "me, eh?") Defying the draft diviners, Nerlens wasn't the first Noel or even the second or third, slipping all the way to sixth, as teams shied away from the injured freshman like sponsors have from Paula Deen. He was subsequently shipped to the Sixers for their All-Star point guard, so Noel and (Jrue) Holiday are words that remain associated in The Association.
The murkiness of where prospects would play was masked by the merriment of two men who have been at odds at times. Bill Simmons the supplied the jokes (who knew he could be funny on television? His humor has been hidden on ESPN's ho-hum halftime show) and David Stern the jeers, egging on boos in Brooklyn like he was a WWE heel (apparently, it's the heckling he'll miss most of all). Even though the stars were dull, the proceedings weren't, thanks to them and employing a current player, Shane Battier, to conduct the immediate interviews was another improvement.
It was a dream come true for all the young men selected, so it was fitting end to the first round and Stern's final draft night to bring "The Dream' onto the stage, the top player picked in 1984, which was the inaugural draft the commish presided over. Hakeem beamed and so did Stern. A hearty handshake and a hug are exactly what we would offer Stern for his three decades of his legendary leadership.*
*blogging doesn't bring in boku bucks
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