Live-Blogging the 2009 NBA Draft

The 2009 NBA Draft is finally upon us, and as the stars of the future nervously await their NBA destination, I will be keeping a running diary of the night's events. But before we get to the draft, here are my thoughts on three trades that occurred earlier today:

---Shaq to the Cavs is a fascinating, fearless move by GM Danny Ferry. This could easily turn out to be a regrettable trade for Cleveland, as the Big Diesel is at the tail end of his Hall of Fame career. However, I like this move. Shaq is coming off a stellar season in Phoenix in which he showed that he still has some gas left in the tank. Playing alongside LeBron, O'Neal does not need to be a star. He simply needs to be productive. A LeBron-Shaq duo will be a lot of fun to watch.

---Shaq has now been teammates with Kobe, D-Wade, and LeBron. Some people just have all the luck.

---Vince Carter to the Magic, on the other hand, is a different story. Carter has explosive athleticism, but he lacks depth and has always been overhyped. Losing Rafer Alston won't mean much to Orlando, as they have Jameer Nelson. But Magic fans better hope that aquiring Vince Carter doesn't mean that they plan on letting Hedo Turkoglu go. Should Turkoglu leave, Orlando will have major problems.

---And finally, as a Warriors fan, I selfishly saved the least splashy trade for last. Golden State traded Jamal Crawford to Atlanta in exchange for Acie Law and Speedy Claxton. I love Crawford, but this was inevitable. This trade gives the Hawks another proven scorer, but for the W's this is nothing more than a move for financial reasons.

Okay, now let the fun begin! The 2009 NBA Draft is underway, and during my live-blog, please disregard any grammatical errors that may occur. I will be moving at a very brisk pace. Now, with no further ado, here is my live blog of draft night (all times in Pacific Standard Time):

4:32: Here comes the commish, David Stern. Stern is far and away the best commissioner in all of sports, yet he still gets heckled by the New York faithful. You gotta love the rowdy draft crowd.

4:34: A lot of Laker haters in the crowd. Oh yeah!

4:36: Blake Griffin doing an awesome acting job. Relax Blake, you are going number one to the Clippers. My apologies.

4:37: ESPN shows the highlight of the Clippers taking Michael Olowokandi with the first pick in the 1998 pick. Yup, the Clips have been a laughingstock for a long time.

4:39: Olowokandi or Darko Milicic? Who is the bigger draft bust?

4:40: Mark Jackson says that Blake Griffin is going to a great situation. The Clippers? Great situation? Congratulations Mark, you have made the first nonsensical remark of the night.

4:41: The Clippers take Blake Griffin. This was a no-brainer that not even the Clippers could screw up. All snarkiness aside, the Clips are getting a fantastic player who has star potential in the NBA.

4:43: Now the real suspense begins. Who will the Grizzlies take at number 2: Hasheem Thabeet or Tyreke Evans. Thabeet is tempting, but Evans is more NBA ready.

4:45: Ladies and gentleman, say hello to Mike Dunleavy. Coach Dunleavy, stop talking before Blake Griffin decides to retire!

4:46: I love Jeff Van Gundy, but can he stop talking in such generalities?

4:47: Hasheem Thabeet to the Grizz. Defensively, Thabeet is ready for the NBA. Offensively, the former UConn Huskie needs some work.

4:49: The Thunder are on the clock. They can't go wrong with either Tyreke Evans or Stephan Curry. Taking Ricky Rubio, though, would be a mistake. The Spaniard is a magician with the basketball, but I am skeptical of how his one-sided game will translate in the pros.

4:52: Wow! First shocker of the night as the Thunder select James Harden from Arizona State. Not a bad pick---Harden will be a productive NBA player---but better than Curry or Evans?

4:54: Could Stephan Curry be a Warrior? Hey, a man's gotta dream.

4:57: Mark Jones is doing a great job, but he has the thankless task of doing monotonous interview after monotonous interview.

4:58: The Kings select..................Tyreke Evans. Great move by Sacramento. Evans will be an immediate impact player in Paul Westphal's system.

5:01: The T'Wolves have the next two picks, via a trade with the Wizards. That was not a very good trade for Minnesota. They will regret losing Mike Miller and Randy Foye.

5:04: Ricky Rubio to Minnesota. Mistake. Look, Rubio clearly has great skill, but I don't think that Harlem Globetretter-esque trickery will work in the pros. But I could be wrong. Spain has a phenomenal track record producing great NBA talent.

5:05: Taking Rubio probably means Minnesota will pass on Stephen Curry. C'mon, Larry Riley, bring Curry to the Bay Area!

5:07: Whoa, whoa, whoa, not so fast with the Pistol Pete Maravich comparisons. Rubio hasn't even stepped on an NBA court yet.

5:10: With their second pick, the T'Wolves take Jonny Flynn. Say what? I'm a big Flynn fan----he has great talent and heart. Flynn's performance in that epic six-overtime affair was a classic display of grit and determination. But Minnesota will regret passing on Curry. As a Warriors fan, I'm thrilled. Please take Curry! Please take Curry!

5:12: Jordan Hill or Stephen Curry? That is the dilemma facing the Warriors.

5:16: I'm not crazy about the T'Wolves picks, but the ESPN.com readers who gave Minnesota an F grade are being a little too harsh.

5:16: Mostly conservative suits tonight by the players. So far, there have been no Jalen Rose-like displays of clothing flash.

5:17: Oh boy, here come my Warriors.

5:17: Stephen Curry! Stephen Curry! Stephen Curry! Oh yeah!

5:18: I'm biased, but I think we can all agree. This is a home run for Golden State.

5:20: More draft night misery for Knicks fans. They were desperately hoping for Curry.

5:21: I'm already dreaming of a Stephen Curry-Monta Ellis backcourt.

5:22: It's always a lot of fun when the Knicks fans react to their teams pick. Will they be booing or cheering this years decision of Donnie Walsh and Mike D'Antoni?

5:23: Jordan Hill is met with a cavalcade of boos, but make no mistake: This is a solid pick. Hill is a supremely talented big man who will be a nice fit in the Big Apple.

5:27: Raptors get DeMar Derozen from USC. Decent pick, but as Jay Bilas astutely points out, DeRozen is a project whose potential won't be fully realized for at least a couple of seasons.

5:30: My best available: Jeff Teague, Ty Lawson, Terrence Williams, Jrue Holiday. Thats right, I have Ty Lawson as my second best available. Lawson is a criminally underrated point guard who be a star in the NBA.

5:31: Another criminally underrated player? Pittsburgh's DeJuan Blair.

5:33: Bucks select Brandon Jennings, the American who opted to play pro ball in Italy instead of going to college. Very raw talent. Numbers not all that impressive.

5:35: Brandon Jennings in NYC, but not at the draft. Doesn't reflect well on his character, character that has already been questioned.

5:36: The Nets, now Vince Carter-less, are on the clock.

5:38: Excellent pick by GM Rod Thorn. Terrence Williams is a well-rounded player who is one of the best players in Louisville history. It should be a fairly smooth transition from college to the pros for Williams.

5:40: The Bobcats are on the clock, and Michael Jordan is one of the guys who will make the decision of who to pick. Not a good sign for Charlotte. M.J.----Best player ever, has made terrible front office decisions.

5:45: In a stunning display of diplomacy, Tar Heel Jordan selects Blue Devil Gerald Henderson. There is hope for world peace after all.

5:47: Congratulations His Airness! You have finally made a good draft pick!

5:49: I can't help but feel sorry for Tyler Hansbrough. Hansbrough had a college career for the record books, but his name hasn't even been mentioned tonight.

5:52: Teams that are passing on Ty Lawson and DeJuan Blair just do not know what they're missing.

5:56: Call me crazy, but Jay Bilas is a much better draft guru than Mel Kiper, Jr.

5:57: Whoa! Tyler Hansbrough is picked by the Pacers. Disregard my post about no teams being interested in Hansbrough.

5:57: Larry Bird and the Pacers front office should be applauded for taking a chance on Hansbrough. He won't be a star, but he will be a productive player in the NBA.

5:59: I almost fell out of my chair when Ric Bucher reported a trade rumor involving Ama're Stoudamire to Golden State. That would be an unbelievable trade for my W's!

6:00: Earl Clark of Louisville to the Suns, but the pick is immediately overshadowed by Brandon Jennings' arrival. Smart move by Jennings that will bolster his image.

6:02: Pistons select Austin Daye of Gonzaga. If they wanted a big man, they should have taken Blair.

6:05: First Dicky V sighting! Always entertaining, Dicky V predicts Curry will win ROY. Yeah baby!

6:07: The Bulls, coming off an incredible playoff series against the Celtics, take James Johnson from Wake Forest. Good pick, as Bulls needed a physical presence. Chicago will be a title contender next season.

6:10: Steve Kerr speaks in mysterious terms about a possible Ama're trade. Please Steve, send Ama're to Oakland!

6:13: Jrue Holiday to Philly. Sixers fans in the house are justifiably pleased.

6:15: Skip Bayless says on Twitter than Jrue Holiday wins Best Dressed award. Beg to differ. Not crazy about that green tie.

6:19: I love Ty Lawson, but three guards picked by Minnesota? Not very savvy by the T'Wolves.

6:20: Ric Bucher reports the T'Wolves will trade Lawson to Denver. This trade is a big win for the Nuggets. Billups-Anthony-Lawson-------Look out!.

6:22: Minnesota traded away wrong guard. Lawson better than both Rubio and Flynn.

6:23: Great day for the Atlanta Hawks. They aquire Jamal Crawford and draft Jeff Teague. Two outstanding scorers.

6:27: Eric Maynor has the tenacity to succeed in Jerry Sloan's system. Showed great heart with VCU in the NCAA Tournament.

6:29: Larry Brown getting booed by the New York faithful. Great coach, but his disastrous stint in the Big Apple has not been forgotten by the Knicks fans.

6:33: Hornets select Darren Collison. Collison will be a nice fit alongside Chris Paul. Collison has a chance to be even better than his UCLA teammate Jrue Holiday.

6:38: This is why I love Jeff Van Gundy. His "Are you crazy???" response to Mark Jackson's assertion that the Blazers are the second deepest team in the league was classic. C'mon Mark, you're better than that!

6:41: Portland takes Victor Claver. I'll be honest: I know nothing about Claver. Judging by Fran Fraschilla's scouting report, though, Claver is similar in style to Rudy Fernandez.

6:43: A surprisingly subdued Shaq says he's elated to play alongside LeBron James. Big Diesel says all the right things about possibly coming off the bench, but you know that he's be irked if he's not a starter. Shaq deserves to be in the starting lineup.

6:44: Kings take Omri Casspi from Israel. First Israeli-born player to be in the NBA. Fraschilla speaks fondly of his game. Should be good fit in Sacramento.

6:49: B.J. Mullens of Ohio State to Dallas, where he will play alongside Dirk Nowitzki. Raw talent, long-term project.

---6:52: Rodrigue Beaubois continues trend of international players, will swap places with B.J. Mullens.

6:59: Bulls trade away Thabo Sefolosha, draft Taj Gibson. Gibson will be solid role player in the NBA, a nice piece to the puzzle for Chicago.

7:01: Following DeMar Derozen, Gibson is the second SC player drafted
tonight. In the wake of the messy Tim Floyd situation, USC's basketball program is in a state of disarray, but it has been a great night to be a Trojan at the draft.

7:05: Grizzlies follow Thabeet with DeMarre Carroll. Carroll may need liver transplant down the road, but it shouldn't affect NBA career.

Alright, Ladies and Gentlemen. That's it for this evening. As a Warriors fan, I leave this blog on a happy note. Should any big stories develop in the second round, I will be sure to give my thoughts in the morning. Until then, good night!