The Draft We Were

The NBA Draft is supposed to answer a lot of questions. Questions about the futures of franchises, the futures of players, the futures of teams, and the future of the league. Maybe it's the big pink elephant that's sitting here until at least July 1, but I seem to have more questions after last Thursday's proceedings than I ever have before. Here are five of them.

1. Will this end up being the most productive top five picks ever?

No one is saying this is the best overall draft class. That would be dumb. Because 2003. And 1996. And 1984. But each one of those drafts had at least one top five player who turned out to be mediocre, or in Shareef's case, disappointing on some level. There is a chance that these five, regardless of the mistakes re: their internal ordering, could be the most successful, expectation-meeting group of all time. If anything, Wes Johnson could mess that up.

2. What are the chances that the Warriors and Ekpe Udoh prove everyone wrong?

Now that we're out of the top five, shit gets murky. The Warriors were the only team in the top 10 who would have taken Udoh. And they did. And everyone thinks they are big dummies. But what if Udoh's maturity is a boon, and what if he develops into a stronger offensive weapon because of the misguided talent out in The City? Could happen.

3. Why do the Knicks hate me?

Andy Rautins was the one player drafted who I have seen play in person (the 2009 Big East Final). So I've seen him play at Madison Square Garden. Which was fine, when the Orangemen were getting whooped by Louisville. Nice effort, Andy, ya know? It will not be fine when the Knicks are getting whooped by everyone because they don't have LeBron and Bosh, David Lee feels uncared for, and they used their picks on Rautins and some Ivy Leaguer. Stanley Robinson. Tiny Gallon. Lance Stephenson. Jesus Christ.

4. Who do the Spurs consistently have to blow to get these guys to fall to them?

After the DeJuan Blair drop of 2009, the Sprus this year managed to get their hands on James Anderson, who is sure to be a very good player in the NBA. Is it just that everything, including levels of common sense, is truly bigger in Texas? Does the boringness of that franchise translate to smart, logical decisions that other teams are afraid of making, lest they seem just as boring? Seriously, someone stop this from happening next year.

5. Does Stuart Scott have tenure with ABC Sports? Does anyone still enjoy listening to him and his constant inanity?

"Wouldn't you say that the team with the number one pick is in the best position tonight?"