This was such a bad idea.
Amid all the pending trade calls and, you know, actual games happening across the league, the NBA decided tonight was the optimal time to air its NBA All-Star Draft with captains LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo.
LeBron, of course, is in Boston with the Lakers for a game starting at 8pm. So, you guessed it, the damn thing was pre-taped and hokey and overly structured.
How the NBA got outfoxed by the freaking NHL on the roll out and presentation of this draft — something that should have been a hilarious, endearing, wonderfully petty, perhaps alcohol-infused and ... and this is important ... LIVE part of All-Star weekend — is unconscionable.
That said ... it wasn’t that bad. LeBron and Giannis were engaging and there was just enough light tampering to make the process enjoyable. It was pretty solid. That doesn’t mean the NBA did it properly, but it’ll pass.
Anyway, here are the teams.
Note that LeBron took all of the pending free agents save for Khris Middleton, who the Knicks are signing to a 4-year / $150 million deal to be their number one option anyway, so that’s a lost recruiting cause. I guess Bron really wanted to jump at the chance to play with all the players the Lakers will never trade for cause the league rightfully hates their asses.
Kyle Lowry earned the second-last selection from Giannis after an apparent promise to not be the last overall pick. If their on that close of terms already, their union can only mean good things for the Giannis 2021 recruitment.