What have you done, Manu Ginobili and Dirk Nowitzki?
Shame on both of you.
Because of you two, NBA general managers, coaches and executives salivate thinking they'll land your foreign counterparts.
Sucks for people like Danny Granger, Hakim Warrick and Ryan Gomes.
Those three players ground out four years of college ball right under the scrutinizing eyes of all those NBA bigwigs. Too bad none of them really cared too much.
Granger was taken 17th by the Indiana Pacers, Warrick fell in at No. 19 to the Memphis Grizzlies and Gomes was drafted 50th by the Boston Celtics.
Of those three, Granger was the only one who threatened to be drafted in the lottery - the first 14 picks of the draft. Warrick and Gomes were just smooth steals at perfect times for the Grizzlies and Celtics.
However, I'd bet the house I don't own they will both be in the league longer and make more of an impact than the players drafted at the No. 11 and No. 12 spots.
At No. 11, the Orlando Magic picked Fran Vasquez. Earth to Magic: What are you doing? Why not draft Gerald Green (18th to the Celtics) if you want a superstar down the road? Or how about Sean May (No. 13 to the Charlotte Bobcats) if you want someone to contribute right away? Vasquez might not even be around next season, because he might be shipped back to the land of paella.
And that brings us to the draft that baffled us all. Yaroslav Korolev at No. 12 to the Los Angeles Clippers. In case you don't remember, we should at least be somewhat forgiving to the downtrodden Clippers. They did, after all, draft Michael Olowo-"I let people into the lane easier than stealing a baby's"-kandi with their first pick in the 1998 draft.
But Korolev proved a point to all Clippers fans: No matter how close the team gets to making the playoffs, it can always find a way to screw things up in the offseason.
Granger, Warrick and Gomes' homegrown talent is going to be the ace up each of the three teams' sleeves.
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Granger comes to a team that, had Ron Artest not gone totally batty, would have made it to the Eastern Conference Finals. With Artest back, Granger will play behind him and Jermaine O'Neal, not the best role models for a rookie, but at least Granger will be trained in the art of cold-cocking fans.
The Grizzlies' snag of Warrick gives them another forward, which is a perfect reason for them to swap either Stromile Swift or Shane Battier for a big man or a gem of a guard. Warrick is similar to Swift with a wingspan like an albatross, and can still be molded by Jerry West and the gang into a capable shooter. Swift's window for stardom is creaking shut.
The Celtics were the team of 2005 that made out like bandits. Not only did they get Green, but with Gomes, they pulled off a heist of gigantic proportions. With Paul Pierce still in his prime, there could be bedlam in Boston in a couple years if they hold on to everyone.
