Live Lotto Diary (and open discussion if you please)

Who’s ready? I just got back from Quail Springs Mall. I ended up throwing $600 worth of pennies into their fountain. I hope that’s not wasted cash. We are in a recession you know. Truthfully, I’m just ready for this to be over and done with. Come 8 p.m. tonight, we’ll all know where we’re picking and then we can spend a month talking about what will happen with the next step. But I’m just ready to be on to that next step.

7:26 p.m. CST: Let’s do this. I just got through with my 114th viewing of Sons of Thunder, so I’m almost there.

7:29: A mock lottery has about as much chance of being right as a mock draft, but I’m going on record: 1. Wizards 2. Kings 3. Thunder 4. Clippers 5. Timberwolves 6. Grizzlies 7. Golden State 8. New York 9. Toronto 10. New Jersey 11. Milwaukee 12. Indiana 13. Charlotte 14. Phoenix. I didn’t have the stones to pick it (as if my picks really matter), but for some reason I really feel like the Knicks are going to win it. I have no idea why, just a feeling.

7:30: By the way, I would have just live Twittered this thing, but I can’t keep comments to just 140 characters. I just can’t. I have to write more than that. Because… I just can’t stop typing. I just always want to say more. I write and write and write. See? I’m doing it again. I mean, what’s wrong with me? (trails off, mumbling to myself)

7:32: I’m not going to lie, I really dig Ricky Rubio. The guy is likable. He always struck me as a “rock star” type player, but he said in a little featurette that he’s extremely shy and doesn’t like to be the center of attention. Nice to know.

7:34: You what I’m happy about? That Jay Bilas is not the general manager of the Oklahoma City Thunder.

7:39: Oh holy crap, NOBODY CARES ABOUT THE WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS! Sheesh. Don’t they know this? It’s all about the teams that weren’t very good this year and have to watch where some ping-pong balls drop to determine their immediate future. That’s what tonight is about.

7:41: Hey guess what? Another commercial. I guess now we know how they drag this out to 30 minutes. I think you add in a few more segments explaining the lottery process, maybe have an extra interview or two with David Stern, replay Magic Johnson’s comments about being the top pick 14 times and you’ve got a two-hour special. I should take over as programming director.

7:43: I have to keep telling myself that it’s not all over if we don’t get No. 1. Blake would be some serious icing on the cake, but there’s good players to be picked regardless. We all need to keep telling ourselves this. Because it’s truth. Besides, trust in Sam Presti. He could take Marcus Landry at five and somehow Landry would be in the rookie of the year discussion next year. It’s just the Presti touch.

7:46: Scotty! I see he’s rocking his lucky side-part spike. Good choice Coach. And a bracelet from his eight-year-old daughter. Way to go coach. Now you can deflect blame and we can send it to your sweet little daughter for letting down this franchise.

7:47: If I disappear for a little while, it’s because I just vomited all over my keyboard. Just a heads up.

7:48: Yeah! Screw the Pacers! I just want to make it to the next commercial break.

7:50: I just fainted. I’m lying dead on the floor. Someone help me. I think my heart just literally jumped out of my chest and ran down the street and got ran over by a bus.

7:51: I freaking love this Heineken commercial, but this is probably the toughest two-minute commercial break in history. I am shaking. Literyrally shakdiujgng. I cadjn’t evebnd tydspe.

7:53: Well eff. The dream is over. I hate the Clippers. Congratulations on ruining Blake Griffin’s career. Worst case scenario (other than us getting No. 3). I want to know who didn’t watch Sons of Thunder all 119 times. Who? WHO!?!?

7:56: I really can’t believe we were that close. I’ve never hated seeing our logo so much in my life. SO CLOSE. But look, we’re going to get a great player there and a player that we want. But for the next month we’re going to have to fight the Thabeet-Harden debate. Sigh… I can’t believe how close we were.

Ok, so let’s recap. The lottery pretty much held to form but started unraveling near the top five. And a result, we could feel it. We made it to the commercial break and had visions of Blake Griffin in Thunder blue. But of course, as fast as our excitement shot initially, it was torn down as we were the first drawn after the commercial. But all is not lost. Picking third is almost as good as one and is right behind two. So that’s good, right? So now we reflect, rehash and get ready for a good couple weeks of draft discussion. The point is – we’re going to get a good player. Sure, maybe it’s not going to be Blake Griffin (but then again, Mike Dunleavy is the general manager for the Clippers… I guess it’s possible), but it’s going to be a guy that helps.

And of course, we can’t underestimate Presti. He may swing a deal for Griffin, Rubio and land Chris Paul in a trade for all we know. He is pretty smart. Or he’ll just draft James Harden and Harden will be a perfect fit, challenge for rookie of the year and help the team take that next step toward respectability. Basically, I believe in Sam Presti.