2011 NBA Draft Aftermath (For Big 12 Players): Jacob Pullen Was Not Drafted, Nothing Else Matters

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

*Pours Colt 45 onto purple rug*

Ok, in all seriousness, Jacob Pullen (my favorite non-Mizzou/non-Alec Burks player last season) probably still has a good shot at making an NBA team, and now he gets the opportunity to try out for whatever team he wants, instead of being drafted by some horrible franchise like the Clippers, although the seemingly impending lockout may stall his chances to prove his worth.

That said, it still sucks knowing NBA franchises thought more highly of Josh Selby than Pullen, when Pullen’s biggest detractor seemed to be his height, while Selby was virtually a Xavier Henry clone (not a compliment) in college and is sailing by on hype and expectations, which may sometimes be a better draft tool than “height” (hey, I’m 5-7 125 lbs soaking wet. I’me sure the Sactown Kings would love a guy like me), but still annoys a guy such as myself who hates to see players enter the draft early despite being rather mediocre against college competition, and then seeing that same player get drafted while a pretty good player that didn’t have a second growth spurt has to go try out for teams now.

Yes, my hatred of Kansas has something to do with the opinion, but I’d bet that seven times out of ten, Pullen would make the better pro than Selby in the long run. I’m not saying I think Pullen could be an all-star or anything, I just think he could have a better career than Selby (more on him after the jump).

Anyways, good luck to you in your future endeavors, Mr. Pullen. You were entertaining to watch at K-State.

So, with that sadness out of the way, let’s get to the rest of the Big 12 brethren/ those guys who play for the fake bird team and the teams that drafted them.

Tristan Thompson drafted fourth overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers

Um, yeah. WOW. I don’t think many people saw that one coming. Thompson certainly has the talent to justify being a lottery pick, but I didn’t see any mock drafts that had him in the top ten, let alone the top five.* I’d call it a relatively bold move by Cleveland, but then again, this is a pick for the future (Thompson will almost certainly come off the bench to start his career), and Cleveland was just awful last season, and they have nowhere to go but up.

Generally speaking, I’ll be rooting for Thompson simply because the Cavaliers are those lovable underdogs you have to root for lest you look like a soulless jackass, and also, I hate Lebron James.

Good or bad pick: Wait and see status on this one.

*Of course, a lot of those mock drafts require subscription pay, and everyone knows I can hardly afford these chino trousers as it is.

Check out thoughts on the rest of the Big 12 guys whom were drafted last night after the jump!

Alec Burks selected twelfth overall by the Utah Jazz

The Jazz are building themselves a very interesting little team here. The last two drafts have resulted in a young core consisting over Turkey superstar center Enes Kanter, small forward and Butler darling Gordon Hayward, and Burks, which makes for a trio of young and athletic guys who have a lot of potential in the pros (for those who pay attention during the regular season too, Hayward’s numbers were way up in the last few months of the season. He really found his stride as time went on, and it will be interesting to see if that momentum goes into the next season, whenever it may be).

Obviously Burks has a special place in my hall of man crushes, so I (a) think the Jazz picked well, and (b) think that Burks will eventually be fine in the NBA. Struggles should be expected, but I think Burks has a good chance to make an All-NBA rookie team when he is done with his first season. I have that much positive tunnel vision with the guy.

Good or bad pick: Pssh, good unless he fails, duh

The Morris Twins/ Demons selected thirteenth and fourteenth (‘Kieffer and Marcus respectively) by the Phoenix Suns and Houston Rockets

If there is any draft story that deserves and inch of heart warming goop, it doesn’t involve the Morris twins. Focus on Jimmy Butler’s heartwarming story of rising from homelessness to the NBA, or Purdue teammates JaJuan Johnson and E’Twaun Moore both ending up on the Boston Celtics together. But no, people had to tweet about how Thing 1 and Thing 2 were drafted apart the same amount of time that separated them at birth. Great, now their mother is having labor flashbacks like it’s some new-fangled PTSD. Way to go, sons.

Anyways, outside of that lame tidbit and the fact that my whining is all but assuring that both twins will somehow win Rookie of the Year and NBA Finals at the same time despite being on different teams in the same conference, both teams made the right choice in terms of their situation, the mockers just predicted the order wrong (and the mock draft cost money! What kind of people do that!?). Phoenix and Houston both got young, talented and versatile big men that they desperately needed to build for the future, and they’ll only be worse off if either the twins’ bad attitudes get the better of them, or if my theory about their strange basketball connection is true and they suck when not playing on the same team. Only time will tell….

Good or bad pick: I wouldn’t take them if they were the next Jordan, but good picks nonetheless.

Jordan Hamilton selected twenty-sixth overall by the Dallas Mavericks

Bummer for Hamilton being drafted by the championship team that is probably just as unlikely to repeat as the Lakers last year (hey, the writing was on the wall. Don’t be hating) after they got their rings. Sure, Hamilton will get some great mentors in the form of guys like Dirk Nowitzki, Shawn Marion, and Tyson Chandler. As long as he doesn’t party with Deshaun Stevenson, all should be well.

Also, how about giving myself a pat on the back for being right about the mock drafts overrating Hamilton? Hell yeah! *pats back, high fives cat* The shooting percentages and shot selection and questions on defense were too many red flags to merit anything more than around where he was selected, despite having lottery pick level talents. Putting him with the veterans at Dallas will do wonders for him as he makes his transition from easier-to-score-on college teams to the big boys.

Good or bad pick: Good for Hamilton and the Mavericks considering the circumstances. Smooth out the rough edges and then maybe we’ll see just how good Jordan Hamilton can be.

Josh Selby selected forty-ninth overall by the Memphis Grizzlies

Ok, look. I don’t mean to be this mean to Josh Selby, I really don’t. He wasn’t annoying at all when I watched him play the wins against Missouri, mostly because he didn’t do much in the games. But that’s why I get miffed over his selection in the draft. Why players leave early after sub-par years, especially as underclassmen, especially as freshman, is completely beyond me. Selby easily could have stayed at Kansas for another year, worked out his game, gotten better, and contended for a national title all the while, and then he could raise his stock and be selected in the first round for more money. Hell, he wouldn’t even have to worry about lockouts, presumably.

But, he seemed to have a mindset that said “first-rounder” despite not proving himself at all in college. He rode whatever his agent told him all the way to a second-round pick, and now Sleby will get his money, but he’ll also face a struggle to get playing time, put up good numbers against NBA competition, and simply stay in the league long enough to become more financially stable, since it appears his goal was just as much to get the bucks as it was to make in the pros.

Now, I see little future for Josh Selby, and honestly it makes me sad. Sure, I would have hated to see him kick Mizzou’s ass again if he came back for another season, but seeing him in this situation is just too awful for even me to say jokingly mean things about him. I sincerely hope that Selby finds a way and becomes a breakout star, or just a contributor that is meaningful on an NBA roster in the future. Whether or not that will happen, well, I just don’t know.

Good or bad pick: Doesn’t matter who picked him, it was a bad move by Selby.

Justin Safford was not drafted

Unsurprising to say the least, but now it’s official. Laffy Saffy can now either go overseas and play a little ball for pay, or he can make his transition into the real world/ do whatever he wants. Just know that I’ll always remember your timely threes and scoring outbursts. You may have been a little target for irrational hatred, but I loved to watch you play, even if sometimes you were a little too out of control. Rock on, Mr. Safford.

Tyrel Reed and Brady Morningstar were also not drafted

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH

Sure, that was also to be expected, but I hated those smary jerks and I’m glad they won’t be slaying the Tigers anymore. Brady was actually proven to be kind of a drunken punk-ass with his DUI’s and too-short suspensions (*in a snooty voice* typical Kansas), and he was certainly a douche on the court.

As for Reed, well, he was actually an Academic All-American and for all intents and purposes was a really nice guy as far as I know. Still, that doesn’t change the fact that he hit around twenty too many timely, soul-crushing threes against Mizzou and was a white guy from Kansas named Tyrel. For serious?

Anyways, those are my thoughts on a draft that I did not watch. Can’t wait to see Kimmie, Marcus, Ricardo, and Laurence (and STEEEEEEVE) all get drafted next year (yeah, I’m calling it).