Of course, for every winner of the 2008 NBA Draft, there has to be corresponding losers. And there are certainly some losers when it comes to this edition of the NBA’s annual selection meeting.

New York Knicks: I’d be crazy not to start here with the Knicks’ selection of Danilo Gallinari. There is absolutely no doubt that this pick was influenced by Mike D’Antoni’s playing days in Italy with Gallinari’s father. D’Antoni clearly needed a stud PG at this spot with Stephon Marbury having no future in New York. Eric Gordon, D.J. Augustin or Jerryd Bayless would’ve all been good picks. Hell, even Brook Lopez would’ve been a better pick. Even if Gallinari pans out decently, it will take at least two or three years before he starts showing his worth. By then, who knows if D’Antoni is still around?

Milwaukee Bucks: So exactly what is the plan here, short-term and long-term? They just traded Bobby Simmons and Yi Jianlian, who possesses a game that management loves enough to trade him after just one season, for Richard Jefferson. The same RJ that has a huge contract that has three years left on it. And then they follow it up by drafting Joe Alexander, except Alexander plays at the same spot that RJ does, and Luc Richard Mbah a Moute. Being a UCLA alum and having seen Mbah a Moute in action many times, I love his defensive tenacity and nose for the ball, but I really don’t see where he’s going to fit in unless he plays as an undersized backup PF. Then there are the rumors about the Bucks no longer wanting Michael Redd, except that he has a long-term contract that pays him like a franchise player when he really isn’t close to being one. If there’s a plan in Milwaukee, I’d like to see it.

Sacramento Kings: When I heard Jason Thompson’s name called, I, and I’m sure a LOT of Kings fans, were saying, “Who???” The Kings are screaming for a PG with Beno Udrih being an unrestricted free agent and most likely going to get some stupidly huge contract that he doesn’t deserve. They definitely got shafted when Bayless got taken one pick before, but that doesn’t absolve management of picking a guy that was rated to go in the lower half of the 1^st round. And not just that, but they drafted Spencer Hawes the year before! Their second round picks of Sean Singletary and Patrick Ewing Jr. probably won’t make much of an impact, if any at all. This team overachieved last season with a roster that’s not particularly talented, and it’s going to be hard to sustain that kind of success without getting some talent in the draft. Taking Anthony Randolph here would’ve made more sense with his huge upside. For a fanbase that desperately needed some excitement, this did nothing but deflate them.

Minnesota Timberwolves: Kevin McHale made the right pick. Al Jefferson and O.J. Mayo was the perfect inside-outside combo for the Wolves for years to come. Then he remembered who he was, and had to screw it up. The post-draft eight-player trade sent Mayo, Marko Jaric, Antoine Walker and Greg Buckner to the Wolves for Kevin Love, Mike Miller, Brian Cardinal and Jason Collins. Why McHale made this deal, I have no idea. It doesn’t make the Wolves championship contenders. Love and Jefferson are both PFs, but someone’s going to have to play C and neither are defensive studs. It definitely doesn’t put butts in the seats. The locals probably would’ve been excited to see Mayo in action, but I doubt anyone’s going to rush out to see Love. They’re probably going to end up winning more games with these players when the they should blow a few years and stock up on talent. Then again, McHale runs the show here so he’d probably make another boneheaded move.

Host: Sonny

In this episode of the Sportable Spot, I spoke to CBS Sports’ Gus Johnson about his thoughts on the New York Knicks’ hiring of Mike D’Antoni. Johnson, an announcer for the Knicks on the Madison Square Garden Network, weighed in on the hiring. Also, we also talked about CBS Sports’ new Saturday Night Fight series , which debuts May 31 with Kimbo Slice taking on James Thompson.

 

 Standard Podcast [6:09m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

I’m not going to beat around the bush. I love the Knicks. I love what they’ve become and I love that every single game they play, there’s a good chance something funny will happen. What you see below is fatass Zach Randolph forgetting he’s not a point guard. During a recent loss to Toronto, Z-Bo took it upon himself to try and dribble between his legs. After the ball bounces off his foot, he picks it up and proceeds to launch an airball. It’s like a car wreck you can’t turn away from; that’s what the Knicks have become.

Kudos to Basketbawful for catching this gem.

When talking about this version of the New York Knicks in a historical context, I usually ignore comparisons with other teams. No, the Knicks aren’t comparable to the Clippers or some other woeful sports franchise. They’re in their own category; a category that also contains the Titanic, Hindenburg, and the Bay of Pigs Invasion. In short, they’re a disaster. Luckily for us, the disaster seems to compound every time the Knicks take the court.

The Knicks lost to the Dallas Mavericks last night at Madison Square Garden, which comes as a surprise to nobody. But the fun doesn’t stop there! In the midst of another 20 point deficit (their 8th in 20 games), Isiah had it out with some courtside season ticket holders. The bastard had the nerve to blame the Knicks’ woes on the lack of a home court advantage!

Thomas apparently had heard enough. Late in the game, he could be seen debating some fans sitting near the court. One of those fans, Mara Altschuler, was so enraged by the discussion that she sought out reporters after the final buzzer.

“He said it’s the fans’ fault because they don’t have a good sixth man,” said Altschuler, who has season tickets near midcourt. Her family has had the seats for more than 40 years, since the old Garden, she said.

This is what I love about the Knicks. On the day they paid former employee Anucha Browne Sanders over $11 million in settlement of Isiah’s sexual harassment, they find themselves caught up in yet another public relations nightmare. For the sake of one of the NBA’s most storied franchises, Isiah should be fired…immediately. But for us? Well, we wouldn’t mind if the asshole stuck around for another year or two.

Millions of kids want to be “like Mike” and with good reason. He’s a sports icon, one of the most marketed people in history, and after all these years, a swingin’ bachelor. But he’s no Allan Houston. Remember him? The sweet-shooting Knicks star who, two years after retiring, is still the 2nd highest paid player in the NBA. Houston sat on his ass and made $20.7 million. Beat that MJ.

Other hilarious entires on the report of NBA Salaries include Brian Grant, who retired in October and still made $17.3 million. An honorable mention goes to Jalen Rose, who made $16 million and was on the court for 246 minutes all season. Topping the list of the highest paid player is Kevin Garnett. Despite his years of bitching, it’s still hard to sympathize with a guy who made $21 million for the Timberwolves this season.

A look at the highest team payrolls leads to a familiar discussion. Once again, the Knicks got a terrible return on their investment. Their team payroll is $139 million, which leads the NBA by nearly $50 million. In Jalen Rose numbers, that’s more than 12 hours of basketball! The Knicks won 33, meaning they spent more than $4 million for each win. The 76ers and their $88 million payroll won 35 games this year.

Go ahead and take a look at the bottom of the team payroll list. These are teams that have built the right way. The Toronto Raptors’ payroll was a paltry $53 million and they won 47 games. Even more shocking, the Chicago Bulls’ payroll was also $53 million. All they’ve done is build the youngest core of talent in the NBA and swept the Miami Heat. Need a philosophy on running an NBA franchise? It’s all in the numbers.

The Chicago Bulls have suddenly become my favorite basketball team. During a game against the New York Knicks, the Bulls ran a promotion which would have given everyone in the crowd a free Big Mac from McDonalds if the Bulls scored 100 points. Unfortunately they didn’t quite reach 100. To make matters worse, the Knicks didn’t take too kindly to this Spurrier-like tactic.

With about two minutes remaining in the game, Chicago already had the game in hand and were close to scoring 100 points. At this point, fans were not chanting, “Hey, hey, hey, goodbye.” They were chanting, “We want a Big Mac.” With the entire United Center hungry for a post game snack, the Bulls decided to try to give back to the fans, and went for triple digits. Needing only 2 more points, Chris Duhon and other Bulls bench players began throwing up shots. The Bulls attempted four shots in the final 1.04 and missed all of them. The game ended 98-69 in favor of Chicago.

The Knicks were outraged by the whole ordeal. Eddie Curry took it personal and said, “I think they were definitely trying to rub it in, but we’ll see them next year.” Well Eddie, when you see them next year, the Bulls will have another post-season appearance under their belts and you won’t. Chris Duhon claimed there was no intention whatsoever to rub in the loss, “We just wanted to do something for the fans. I don’t cook at home so I wanted one for myself.”

The sad part about this whole story is not that the Knicks are upset about getting the score run up on them, it’s how the Bulls didn’t reach 100 points. I couldn’t care less if Isiah Thomas is complaining; if I was in attendance and the Bulls were shutting out New York 98-0, I still would have wanted Chicago to go for 100. I applaud the Bulls for going out their way to give back to the fans. Bulls fans have waited for this team to get back on the map after the championship years and now they’re doing it. Hopefully for the fans sake, the promotion runs into the playoffs where the Bulls will face Orlando or New Jersey. The Bulls have already scored 100 points on both teams this season.