NBA: 2008 Draft Day Open Mic

Here we go - it's Draft Day already, and this is Open Mic time. The first thing one notices about this year's draft is how many options are open to all the teams at the top of the draw. The Bulls, as we all know, have got some big choices to make in the weeks to come - they've done great in building a team that can, hopefully, regularly contend for the playoffs every year. But is it a team that given a few changes can contend for a title? And the Heat have to decide which way they want to go with their rebuilding.

The one team I'd personally be most excited to be the GM for right now, though, is the New York Knicks. They're in a very difficult situation (huge contracts, near-untradeable players, a tough situation to come into for any player from another team), but in many ways it's also a win-win situation. They've had a dreadful few years, a season even approaching 40 wins would be a massive improvement, and there are tons of goodwill and excitement around the new Donnie Walsh regime.

I like OJ Mayo for this Knicks team. He's a good defender, he's got great confidence, great quickness, and he can create his own shot or take it to the whole if need be - great options to have in a d'Antoni run-and-gun system. I don't think the Knicks need to go for a big man and I don't think any team should draft for need for that matter - you take the best player available when your turn comes, and if you can get a good deal for him by trading him for a great player at the post you need to fill, then you do it. But picking for need is a great way to pass up on a franchise player. It's short-term thinking, and that never works out. It also sends the right message: that the Knicks are comfortable replacing Stephon Marbury, Steve Francis, and their whole circus sooner rather than later. And I say amen to that.

Obviously, this all only works if Mayo is still available, and that depends on the Wolves and the Sonics. I think that despite all the talk, the two first picks will be good ol' Derrick Rose and Michael Beasley. Why? because no one in Chicago or Miami will have the balls to gamble on NOT taking them. At three, Memphis is likely to draft for need and go with either a big man or front court strength.