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.

In the world of sports, there’s lots of college coaches that have moved on to the professional level and failed miserably. Billy Donovan, possibly fearing that, turned his back on the Orlando Magic job and opted to return to Florida. Reggie Theus is not like Donovan. After leading New Mexico St. to their best seasons in school history, Theus has accepted the job as head coach of the Sacramento Kings.

“I don’t think anyone has looked at me as a college guy. People always looked at me as a pro guy. That’s my pedigree. I spent 13 years as a player. I don’t know why other college coaches haven’t been successful. But most of the guys didn’t play in the pros. I just know that I’m different. My credibility going in the door isn’t as someone who hasn’t played the game.”

With young head coaches like Avery Johnson having all sorts of success, it’s not far-fetched to think Theus will be a success. Throughout his tenure at New Mexico St., he often talked about his passion for the NBA. And . If he can do that, he should be able to restore a Kings team that is just a couple years removed from deep playoff runs. Eric Musselman sure as hell wasn’t the answer but I think Theus is.

Can Theus replicate the turnaround that he performed with the Aggies? He took a 6-24 team to 19-13 in his first season. It’s no secret that the guy can coach. Hell, he turned Las Cruces, New Mexico into a hotbed for college basketball. But will his success and sudden departure from the college ranks hurt his old team? After all, four star recruit Herb Pope came to play for Theus. The fact that he’s moving on can’t sit too well with recruits.

After missing the playoffs for the first time since 1998, I’d say the Sacramento Kings made a mistake. Wanting a change of scenery when they canned Rick Adelman, the Kings ended up going 33-49 and missing the playoffs entirely. Next stop. Sin City?

“We’ve got to sit down and look at the process and how we did it,” Geoff Petrie, the Kings’ president of basketball operations, said of last summer’s coaching search.

Here’s a start Petrie. Don’t botch the process entirely. Don’t hire a liquored up journeyman to lead your team. Just weeks after being hired, Musselman got trashed and drove. Big mistake. For a franchise that had so many awful years, you would think they preferred winning. That’s what Rick Adelman did. He was a players coach that knew how to win. Once Musselman drove swerved into town, the team became dysfunctional and lost what made them so good to begin with.

Where the hell does this team go now? They have a capable backcourt with Mike Bibby (who may not be in town for long) and Kevin Martin but besides that, they don’t have much besides some annoying cowbells and, according to Phil Jackson, uncivilized fans. For the first time in 9 years, the Kings will need to hope some ping pong balls bounce their way in the NBA Draft Lottery.

Evidently an apology was all that was needed for Ron Artest to get back onto the court. Just days after allegedly beating his wife, who allegedly took a frying pan to his new Hummer, Artest made a tearful apology in a press conference. And just like that, Artest was allowed to rejoin the team.

I’m not saying this is right or wrong, it just seems like its a pretty easy way to end an indefinite suspension. Did the Maloof brothers just tell him “Just say you’re sorry, and it will all be good.” And why did it take so long for Artest decide that he was actually sorry if this was the case? Oh let me think for a few days about whether I’m sorry for beating the crap out of my wife.

She shouldn’t have taken a cooking object to his car, and he shouldn’t have retaliated in the way that he did, but based off that situation, this apology isn’t enough. There are obvious anger problems on both sides, and they should probably be addressed via counseling. Artest says he took a step back as a father and a husband, I say he took a step back as a human being.

Over the next month until opening night on October 31, I?ll be previewing one NBA team a day. Starting in the Eastern Conference, I?ll be starting with my lowest ranked team and continuing to the best, then switching conferences. Enjoy.

“Tru Warrior” Has Found a Home
I’m a big Ron Artest fan. I love his passion for the game, his intensity, and of course, his various incidents. But he’s been so overshadowed by his controversy that people forget that he’s truly one of the elite players in the league. And last season, there wasn’t a better acquisition than Sacramento’s trade for Artest. The Kings were 18-24 before they traded for him. With Artest, they went 26-14 and made the playoffs. Well Artest is back and the Kings are pretty talented around him. If Artest stays on the court and out of David Stern’s doghouse, then the Kings will challenge Phoenix in the Pacific.

Overview
What did Artest bring to Sacramento? Aside from 17 points a game and tons of confidence from his teammates and fans, he brought the best on the ball defense in the NBA. Sacramento has lots of talent around him as well. Mike Bibby and Brad Miller are entering what seems like their 20th year in the organization. Together, they’re good for 35 points or so between them. As usual, Sacramento has tons of depth. Guys like Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Kevin Martin, Kenny Thomas, and John Salmons will all be in the rotation. The Kings will miss Bonzi Wells, who played like a man possessed in the playoffs but they should get by with Salmons. Read the rest of this entry »

I’ve gotten a bit tired of writing about law breaking so early in the NBA season. But at least Sebastian Telfair and Stephen Jackson have some company. Eric Musselman, the new head coach of the Sacramento Kings, was arrested on DUI charges last night. I was never a big Rick Adelman guy but I’m very surprised that his contract wasn’t renewed. He may have been compared to Hitler by Phil Jackson but the guy simply won. Adelman-led teams made the playoffs eight consecutive years. And even he knew to have a designated driver when he went out on the town with the Maloof Brothers.

Apparently Erik Musselman doesn’t know what a DD really is. There’s lots of ways to impress your new bosses. Winning games, setting lineups, making substitutions, hugging babies. But drinking and driving? Probably not. If this his idea of the preseason, what stunts will Musselman pull throughout the regular season? Definitely not a good start just four games into the preseason.

I know the Maloofs run a relaxed franchise but isn’t this a bit much? Musselman had been off to a nice start, he hung out poolside with Ron Artest and talked basketball over lunch with others Kings players. Nazi comparisons aside, I didn’t think the Kings needed a coaching change. In fact, I didn’t even know Musselman had taken the reigns in Sacramento until I read about his DUI this morning. I’m starting to wonder who Musselman was tipping a few back with. I’m going to guess Brad Miller. Luckily, Adelman shouldn’t be out of work too long. The Knicks might come calling after this season.