Cal, those are 2 things that don't really go together.

Pralines: We're going to cover the NBA Draft '08 tonight and I want to start this blog off by saying I think Jeff Van Gundy is an absolutely horrible analyst. I hear him talk and I feel like I become a stupider personification. The only reason I like seeing him every now and then is because he looks just like Ted from "Scrubs," and that fun fact warms my heart. Anywho, Not too many surprises so far in the draft, maybe the taking of the Super Lopez Twins taken in the top 15 being a bit of a stretch, but honestly I'm kind of phoning this draft in, with my fourth Keystone Light (who's coincidentally an ESPN sponsor of their draft coverage) open in front of me. The NBA: Where "meh" happens.
Dick: The NBA draft is an entirely different creature than the NFL draft, which gives me reason to keep breathing in the late winter/early spring. The NBA draft is something to watch on a boring summer night, but with so many foreign-born players and freshmen from across the country, it is harder for me to stay into it. I really have a tepid interest in the NBA, and that causes another set of problems entirely. Because NFL games are on 17 weeks out of the year, I can watch a lot of teams and monitor their rosters and needs come draft time. I maybe catch 0.125 of 82 regular season NBA games, and that makes it a lot harder to predict these things.
D: Coming in to the draft, I was holding out hope that the Pacers would pick up D.J. Augustin and either: Robin Lopez, Kosta Koufos, or Roy Hibbert. As little as I know, I did know that they would need a big man and a point guard. So what do they do? They take Jerry Bayless and (indirectly) Roy Hibbert. Good. I like it, but oh wait...they trade Bayless for Jarrett Jack and prodigal son Josh McRoberts. Uhh...what?
P: I'm extremely close to giving up hope on the Birdman and his Pacers. I support them because I'm a homer in a big way (just as I supported the Colts pre-nonsuckiness) but they're not giving me much to hope for here. Larry Bird looks like he's always pissed off, but he's made his bed and he's going to have to lie in it, and right now his bed is full of crap players and a head coach with skunk-hair. Oh and they took some forward from Australia with their second round pick, named Nathan Jawai. He, of course being one of several players selected in the second round with ridiculous names. Jawai joins Nikola Pekovic, Omer Asik, Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, Sonny Weems, Ante Tomic and Goran Dragic. The NBA: Where funny-sounding names happen.
D: They took another foreigner last year, and the consensus from ESPN and Co. was that he would stay overseas for another 3 years or so before coming to the States. Maybe I'm just being naive, and maybe I don't know much about "the modern NBA," but that is boring as all hell. Are any diehard Pacers fans taking down the names of these guys and crossing their fingers waiting for those 3 years to pass until the fruits of drafts past are realized? Really? It just seems like to me that a team like the Pacers who is losing and needs immediate help should draft for right now and not for the next regime, which is what usually happens with these bad teams. Although this Aussie will be shipped up north to Canada, eh, as a part of the J.O. trade.
P: I'm glad we're beginning to totally rebuild with the movement of O' Neal, but I have to agree that the Pacers need immediate help. Besides, these foreign guys flop like it's going out of style, and I hate that. Anderson Varejao and Manu Ginobli are two of the most egregious floppers in the league. Varejao is better known for his hair than his play, but Ginobli is actually a good player and I can't deny his talents (even though I'd love to because I can't stand the Spurs). When he flops, it just undermines his game. The NBA: Where grown men being crybabies happens.
D: I like J.O. both as a player and as a person. He has done very good things for this organization and city, but it was time for all parties to part ways. Good luck in Toronto, big guy. In my opinion, the next move should be removing Jamaal Tinsley from the roster, be it from trade or just cutting him. The Raptors trade brings in a younger and more efficient point guard in T.J. Ford and clears up immense cap room, so we are no longer handcuffed to Tinsley as the starting point guard.
D: Let's just recap what the new roster will look like: Jermaine O'neal and Ike Diogu are gone, Jamaal Tinsley and Shawne Williams are "on thin ice" in Larry Legend's words, we add Maceo Baston, Rasho Nesterovic, Roy Hibbert and Josh McRoberts up front, and throw T.J. Ford and Brandon Rush to a suddenly crowded back court.
P: I'd like to wish Tinsley a good luck as well: Good luck not getting arrested for you and your posse getting shot at in front of a hotel this season, wherever you may be playing. This turned into a Pacers intervention rather quickly, so I'm just going to put out there that I think the Trailblazer are going to be a team to watch next year, along with the Bulls. I mean, their coach is Vinny del Negro, for crying out loud. Awesome name. Even better head of hair. The NBA: Where white coaches named del Negro happens.
D: Yeah, I don't want to turn this into an NBA=Pacers talk as I would with the NFL and Colts, respectively. The Trail Blazers are making trades like they are going out of style. They now have a very physical and young front court with Greg Oden and Joey Dorsey and a young and talented back court with Brandon Roy and Jerryd Bayless. Miami helped their meal ticket D-Wade substantially with the selection of Michael Beasley. I was slightly put off when Knicks fans booed the selection of an Italian small forward, as if New York and Italy don't go together like Chinese food and chocolate pudding...then I remembered that New Yorkers are the scum of the Earth and communicate only in boos. What a unique culture.
P: Yeah, it's an entirely different language of the fans up their in the Big Apple. I just hope for Riles' sake D-Wade comes back fully healthy and avoids injury this season. As for the team formerly known as the Jailblazers, I love Oden, but I don't agree with ESPN's guys assuming he's going to come in and dominate in his rookie season. He'll be good, but don't hand him that Rookie of the Year trophy just yet. The NBA: Where ludicrous expectations happens.
D: Well you have to keep in mind, sweet tasty buttery nougaty Pralines, that this is coming from the same broadcast team that proclaimed last night that Michael Beasley will be an All-Star and Hall of Famer. Yeah...that's logical. He's played 1 year of college basketball. Let's induct him into the H.O.F. Are you fucking kidding me? I know you have to make waves as a talking head, but give me a break. Hyperbole aside, why don't you just tell us the pros and cons of each player and check all this insane future credential nonsense at the door. Don't get me wrong, I think that Beasley is a phenomenal talent and will be a good player, but the Hall of Fame? I just cannot allow that.
P: I concur, Dr. Dickenstein. ESPN's playing the highlights now of the night and I can't get enough of Robin Lopez with a hat sitting on top of his afro. The NBA: Where "They look so damn much like the same person. If you ask one of them if they want ice cream, they both say yes" happens.
D: I have to admit that I have been a Stanford fan for a very long time, and when Brook Lopez slid to 10, I started pondering this vision of Stanford University-East, a.k.a.: the Indiana Pacers. We had the 11th and 17th picks, and we could have taken Brook at 11 and Robin at 17 because, naturally, he is not as good as his brother...
D: Ahh, the best laid plans of mice and couch potatoes.
P: I'm spent. This blog has the Pralines Moderately Sober Seal of Approval.
D: Yeah, I think we covered what we needed to.
P: This is Pralines saying slam that beer, pussy! Goodnight.
D: Have a good weekend, Pralines and our beloved readers. Dick, out.