Experiments in Expectation

Good God I'm excited for this draft!! Got my Van Exel jersey on, my war room set up with three computers set up in front of the TV, and am ready to go. With draft coverage starting in just one hour, I thought I'd check in briefly for some pre-draft thoughts.

First off, I couldn't agree more with the Debriefing's complaint about Bucher's trying to ruin our fun by leaking that Oden's the pick. It comes as no surprise, but I was still dissapointed that the suspense that Pritchard's managed to sustain this far had to wasted the night before. All that got me thinking about a tension that exists in the draft junie's relationship with the draft. For a moment I'll adopt the first-person plural because I believe I share the feelings of many another draft follower. On the one hand, we spend hours pouring over every rumor that leaks through Draft Express , Hoops Hype, etc. trying to accumulate as much knowledge as possible about the draft. We love hearing about the secret workouts, the inner-office tensions between prospects, and the rumored promises to various players. But on the other, spoilers like Bucher's undoubtedly take some of the fun out. We're torn between wanting to know as much as we possibly can about every player and every team, without actually knowing anything definite. We want to be able to predict the trajectory of every player, but if given the chance to take a sneak peak on how many championships Durant or Oden will accumulate in their careers, I have a hunch that most would pass on the opportunity. It's sort of like being adamant about not wanting to hear any spoilers for an upcoming movie, but then going out of your way to read every review possible. To be honest, I'm not sure I fully understand this dynamic myself, but think it's one of the more interesting quirks involving the draft.


A couple other random thoughts about the draft: I'm growing increasingly certain that the Lakers are going to draft McRoberts and have removed all sharp objects from my vicinity as a precaution. I think Ty has had to do the same out of fear that the W's will give up Monta for Yi TEE-an-LEE-an. Honestly, I think I'll cry vicariously on his behalf if that happens. Monta has already begun to realize the huge upside he has. Trading him would be stupider than trading Devin Harris for a lottery pick (which would be pretty f-ing stupid). Also, as a Laker fan, I am encouraged by the Papaloukas news. He sounds as good as anyone we could get domestically for the MLE.


Quick recap of my hopes and dreams for the Lakes: for the first round, I'm still holding onto hope for any of Nick Young, Acie Law IV, Rodney Stuckey, or Julian Wright. Wishful thinking I know, so I'll settle for Sean Williams, Tiago Splitter, Rudy Fernandez, or Marco Bellinelli. For the second, I'd be thrilled with Dudley, Koponen, or Big Baby, and happy with Dowdell, Fazekas or Afflalo.

Finally, expect a recap of our thoughts on at least the first round sometime later tonight.