The 2016 NBA Draft is officially in the books. Daps were given. Players were traded. Funky suits were worn and tweets were sent.
So who were the winners and losers out of Thursday night’s festivities? Glad you asked.
Best Pick: Ben Simmons to the Sixers
Let’s start with the basketball portion of the evening, and with the first player to hear his name called. Simmons is a stud. He’s built like LeBron, and handles the ball like him, too. He’s a marvelous passer and excellent finisher. Sure, his shot is kind of crooked, but that can be fixed in the NBA. And ignore all noise about his lack of effort at LSU and attitude issues. Some LSU teammates, such as senior Keith Hornsby, say they have no issue with how Simmons handled himself last year.
“Some people couldn’t handle that Ben was always the one getting credit,” Hornsby said to me earlier this year. “It wasn’t Ben’s fault; it was just hard with all the media attention.”
Simmons is the best player in this draft and the type of stud the Sixers have spent years hunting for. Speaking of which…
HINKIE DIED FOR YOUR SINS pic.twitter.com/dF7Jjbwpu8
— Kenny Ducey (@KennyDucey) June 24, 2016
Saddest Draft Day Observer: Sam Hinkie
RIP The Process. Poor Hinkie. Dude spent four years tanking, just so he could get his hands on a player like Ben Simmons… only to get fired right before things start looking up.
Of course, Hinkie deserved to get canned. Tanking is one thing; alienating every agent and executive in the league and ignoring player development is another. But you do have to feel for him just a bit.
Most Disappointed City: Boston
This was supposed to be THE NIGHT for the Celtics. They spent the past few years collecting talent and assets, and building a winner with the hopes of eventually flipping a bunch of them for a stud. Then this year, thanks to that fleecing of the Nets, Boston stumbled into the No. 3 pick in the draft. Finally, GM Danny Ainge was going to pull the trigger. Maybe there’d be a package for DeMarcus Cousins. Or Jimmy Butler. Or Jabari Parker.
But no one bit and the Celtics were instead stuck drafting Jaylen Brown, a talented but raw forward out of California. Brown has a bright future, but is not ready to be a major contributor on a playoff team, which the Celtics are. Boston might have more assets today than they did yesterday. But it’s hard to see how they got any better.
Best Shoutout: Kris Dunn to JCPenney.
Your mother’s favorite department store has never been so in vogue.
https://vine.co/v/5B9j71HBwwM
Also, while we’re talking about Kris Dunn…
Best Moment: Kris Dunn Overcome With Emotion
Kris Dunne was a bit emotional during his interview, but had to shoutout JC Penney for the suit pic.twitter.com/XuwlsyCOpj
— The Cauldron (ICYMI) (@CauldronICYMI) June 24, 2016
For those not aware of his backstory, I urge you to check out this interview he did with ESPN on Thursday. The Cliffs Notes: Dunn grew up in a broken home. His mother was in and our of jail. At one Dunn and his brother lived alone in an apartment. He was nine years old at the time.
We loved hearing Kris Dunn's amazing story of overcoming living with no parents at 9 years old today:https://t.co/gzMckj12hO
— Highly Questionable (@HQonESPN) June 23, 2016
There’s a lot that goes down on draft night which is easy to poke fun at. But for some guys, being drafted and getting the multi-million dollar contract that comes with hearing your name called, well, let’s just say it can be a special night.
Also, from a basketball perspective, man, you have to love Dunn going to Minnesota. You already had Tom Thibodeau along with Andrew Wiggins, Karl-Anthony Towns and Ricky Rubio. Now they add another defensive stud. The Timberwolves should have a top-10 defense next year, if not better.
Best Tweet
Lord give me the strength
This came after the Kings decided to send the No. 8 in the draft to the Suns in exchange for picks No. 13, 28 and a future second-rounder on Bogdan Bogdanovic — and then proceeded to use that 13th pick on a Greek center named Georgios Papagiannis. This, after they drafted Willie Cauley-Stein in the first round last year.
Oh, and let’s not forget that Cousins himself is a center. Dayenu, right? Except Sacramento then used the 28th pick on Kentucky center Skal Labissiere. It might be a good idea for Vivek Ranadive to stay clear of Boogie for a bit.
2016 NBA Draft coverage starts at 7pm ET on ESPN. Rece, Jalen, Wilbon and Bilas holding it down. pic.twitter.com/nJKWUCN7KQ
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) June 23, 2016
Worst Draft Show: ESPN
To be clear, I don’t blame Rece Davis, Jalen Rose (more on him in a bit) Jay Bilas (The Gawd) or Michael Wilbon (zzz). It’s not their fault. It’s just all the #WojBombs and sourced tweets put these guys in an position. The ESPN broadcast was two picks behind Twitter throughout the first round. There were points where the guys were discussing a selection’s fit with his team, only the player had actually been traded.
I understand ESPN views the draft as a TV show and so doesn’t want to spoil picks. But I don’t get why producers can’t feed all the wheeling and dealing to the on-air talent.
Best Reporter:
Yahoo’s Adrian Wojnarowski got off to a slow start…
ESPN’s stock price just went up. Woj in big trouble pic.twitter.com/rDAilptz6c — jay caspian kang (@jaycaspiankang) June 23, 2016
But ended off strong.
Oklahoma City has traded Serge Ibaka to the Orlando Magic, league sources told @TheVertical.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojVerticalNBA) June 24, 2016
It’s Woj’s world — at least on draft night. The rest of us are just living in it.
Biggest Moment: The Serge Ibaka trade
The lone transaction from Thursday night that will actually impact the 2017 title run. Serge Ibaka was sent to the Magic; in return, the Thunder got Victor Oladipo, Ersan Ilyasova and the draft rights to Domantas Sabonis.
"He's a premiere defender."
Coach Vogel breaks down @sergeibaka9.https://t.co/2nq8jzlSm8
— Orlando Magic (@OrlandoMagic) June 24, 2016
It’s a strange trade, but a good one for the Thunder. Ibaka never developed into the player OKC wanted him to be. He’s no longer the defensive beast he once was and never improved his offensive game. Also, he shot just 36 percent from deep last season and is a free agent in a year.
The Thunder can now give the bulk of their frontcourt minutes to Steven Adams and Enes Kanter. If they re-sign Durant, they can play him at power forward next to Adams. And Oladipo, an fine athlete, should form an electric partnership with Russell Westbrook.
As for the Magic, I understand wanting Ibaka, but Orlando gave up a lot for a player who’s going to be a free agent in a year.
Best Draft Comparisons: Jalen Rose
Some, I saw, were hating with the names Rose was dropping on the ESPN broadcast.
Other Jalen Rose comparisons:
Apples to oranges
Shoes to VCRs
Books to pogo balls
Birds to amoebas— Myles Brown (@mdotbrown) June 24, 2016
I disagree. The way I look at, anytime you get names like Voshon Lenard, Michael Redd (where’s he now?!) and Michael Ray-Richardson onto TV, I consider that a success.
Word of the Night: Wingspan
A draft night tradition lives on.
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