The New Class

By Dime Magazine

B.J. Mullens (photo. Tim Tadder)

It’s funny how the 2008 NBA Draft was barely a done deal and everyone was already casting judgment on the ‘09 draft class. (The majority of experts say it’s weak.) How about we let the kids get into the new season first before figuring out how the draft will pan out? Outside of the names we expect to see in the Green Room a year from now — Brandon Jennings, Blake Griffin, Ricky Rubio, Hasheem Thabeet, etc. — you never know which breakout stars will come down the pike and whose game will develop to what extent over the course of the season … But if you ask us, the front-runner for the #1 pick in ‘09 has to be B.J. Mullens. The 7-foot freshman-to-be at Ohio State is big, has a nasty streak, gets his hands dirty inside and can stroke threes outside. He’s like Kosta Koufos except legitimately scary and much better. And just looking at the rosters around the League, don’t be surprised if Mullens ends up with the Pacers, who have made themselves significantly worse over the past week … One questionable Indiana move was dealing #11 pick Jerryd Bayless to the Blazers, who have been killing the draft game over the last few years. If you’ve been on DimeMag.com or DimeMag.tv at all lately you know we were following Jerryd throughout draft week, and yesterday posted Part 4 of Jerryd Bayless’ Draft Diary. In this final episode, we’re right there with Jerryd during draft night, from the time he’s getting ready to go to MSG to when he learns he’s been traded to Portland. Check it out HERE … Who do you think got the better of the Grizzlies/T’wolves trade? Memphis sent Kevin Love, Mike Miller, Brian Cardinal and Jason Collins over to Minnesota in exchange for O.J. Mayo, Antoine Walker, Marko Jaric and Greg Buckner. We’ll go with the Wolves. They needed another big to complement Al Jefferson, which they got in K-Love. They needed another shooter to go along with Rashad McCants, which they got in Miller. The Grizzlies, meanwhile, desperately needed a big — do they REALLY believe in Darko and Kwame like that? — and they had a good one wearing their Draft Cap. Mayo has more box-office appeal, but was he worth giving up your second-best scorer/best shooter and a good big man? And not to mention everyone else Memphis got in the deal is basically useless … Speaking of ‘Toine, could his and Paul Pierce’s careers be any more different right now? Pierce is at the top of the world, while ‘Toine is bouncing between garbage teams and not even getting PT … If you know a Knicks fan who’s still pissed about the Danilo Gallinari pick, don’t forget to let them know that Isiah Thomas reportedly had a hand in it. Zeke saw Danilo in-person when he went to Europe for a scouting trip back when he was still making the front-office decisions, and on his way out of New York, recommended Gallo to Donnie Walsh … As always, draft night ended with some deserving players not having their names called; one of our readers said this year’s pool of undrafted talent might be the best he’s ever seen. One of the headliners, Drew Neitzel, has already agreed to join the Wolves for summer league play. Ex-Washington State PG Derrick Low also accepted and invite to Mavs’ summer camp … Looking to surround Vinny Del Negro with some experienced assistants, the Bulls have interviewed Paul Westphal, Bernie Bickerstaff, Bob Hill and Del Harris. Is there any doubt all four of those guys are licking their chops like vultures, making game plans in their head as they wait for Del Negro to choke so they can inherit the head coaching job? … Have you put in your bid yet to win one of Dime/Levi’s 501 exclusive Draft Suite t-shirts? Check out the contest HERE and show your support for your favorite Lottery pick … We’re out like Brian Cardinal getting burn …