Bulls get No. 1 Pick

There are few things that more consistently keep sports insomniacs up late at night than a good mock draft. For fantasy fans you can now log on to CBS Sportsline and jump into an NFL mock draft or join up a late start fantasy baseball league. A few weeks ago, NFL analysts and casual fans alike spent hours with the lights down in front of a monitor, studying their team's strengths and weaknesses and evaluating it against the draft class.

Now NBA followers get their chance to break down the class with the lottery in place. Below are the lottery selections.

1. Chicago Bulls
2. Miami Heat
3. Minnesota Timberwolves
4. Seattle/New Orleans SuperSonics
5. Memphis Grizzlies
6. New York Knicks
7. Los Angeles Clippers
8. Milwaukee Bucks
9. Charlotte Bobcats
10. New Jersey Nets
11. Indiana Pacers
12. Sacramento Kings
13. Portland Trailblazers
14. Golden State Warriors

Well Chicago, which is going to be? Do you go Michael Beasley, the dominant big man from Kansas State, or Memphis star Derrick Rose who stepped up big in the tournament. As I explained during the NCAA Tournament, I really didn't get caught up in the super hype of Derrick Rose, and while he is clearly one of the top 10-15 college players of the year, I still look at O.J. Mayo, Eric Gordon and D.J. Augustin as better players, among others (see previous article).

With the draft a ways away, the mock drafts are beginning, and questions on who the top player of 2008 will be is going to be debated for weeks. Not trying to ruin the suspense for everyone, but Beasley is the best pick for Chicago and the best player in the class.

For some good reading, check out Chad Ford's mock draft, one of the ten best columnists in the country.

Memphis Refuses to Win

Watching the National Championship game tonight I couldn't help but wish it was UCLA & UNC. Kansas and Memphis tried desperately to lose the game but ultimately it was Memphis who succeeded in failing. My hat goes off to the kids from Memphis who suddenly remembered they don't know how to shoot free throws.

One thing that was apparent tonight was how Kansas looked battle tested, with close wins over UNLV, Davidson and North Carolina, Kansas maintained poise with the game on the line. Despite a horrible layup attempt in traffic with about twenty seconds left in regulation, Kansas made all the right decisions late.

Up 9 points with just over two minutes to play, Memphis pulled out the loss from the clutches of certain victory. Congratulations to coach John Calipari who took 30 minutes to realize Kansas was going to do its damage inside, especially with the Memphis big men in early foul trouble.

If there is one thing I'll take out of this game, it is the short term memory of the experts of the media. Memphis was dogged by analysts before the tournament started but when the team knocked off Michigan State big and handled Texas, suddenly everyone was kissing Calipari's feet. Despite the picks of North Carolina and UCLA by most analysts before the tournament, almost everyone flipped their selections to Memphis in the Final Four, never mentioning the previous selections, instead referencing the talent of the Memphis lineup. Dick Vitale even went so far to say that if he was drafting, Derrick Rose would be his No. 1 pick to start a team. This is only weeks after the matchup of O.J. Mayo and Michael Beasley (both first team All-Americans compared to Rose's Third Team status) was billed as the best two players in College Baseketball.

Sincerely, Kansas had a great comeback, but Memphis has only themselves to blame. Kansas lived up to their end of the bargain, but Memphis had opportunity after opportunity to put the game away but failed to do so.

How's KU looking right now Coach Williams?