"People who know me and my family and what I stand for will laugh at Magic and his beliefs. I'm tired of getting punched and people using me because they think I'm not going to say anything. Those days are over. Game on.''

"Self-dubbed Team Tyreke, the three brothers – Reggie, Eric and Julius – can now take pride in knowing the boy they helped raise already have Kings’ fans dubbing Tyreke "The Man" on both sides of the ball in Sactown."

6. Portland. Andre Miller could be the piece the Blazers are missing to get this young bunch to championship level. But by the time the young pieces reach their prime, Miller might be too old.

Here's Rosen's blurb on Roy:

"Brandon Roy (25 years old, three seasons): Virtually everything about Roy's game is commendable. Of course, his defense could be a tad better, but that's true of just about every player in the league.

"Other than that, starting this season, Roy must avoid settling for jumpers and become more intent on attacking the hoop. Indeed, he only averaged 6.47 free throws per game last season — good enough to lead his team, but not good enough to be a reliable scorer in the endgame."

Rosen thinks Roy is not a reliable endgame scorer? Charlie, Charlie, Charlie...

The nation's voters have spoken. Be sure to check the Ohio results.

Grade: B-

Bottom line: "The Blazers had a solid draft, but Pritchard's rep has made "solid" seem disappointing."

[I could not get a direct link to the slide show to work, so this goes to the MSNBC.com NBA page. Look for the Special feature box at the right and click the Draft do-overs? link to see the slide show.]

No Blazer fan will be surprised to see Sam Bowie's dental-braced likeness at #1. Number 3 may surprise and will offend you, especially since, with Bowie at #1, the list appears to be ordered from worst-bust to least. Numbers 12 and 13 are no-brainers.

They have us drafting Sam Young or Nick Calathes.

Today's games should be easier to call because they're more predictable. Teams run the same play five or six straight times down the stretch. For Cleveland, it's the high screen with Ilguaskas and James. For Boston, it's the high post play with Pierce. For the Lakers, it's the "Let's run the triangle for 42 minutes, then we'll just clear out for Kobe for the last six" offense. For Denver, it's either a high screen for Chauncey or a clear-out for Carmelo. Only the Magic (God bless them) seem interested in playing a style that doesn't revolve around the same guy hoisting 3s or barrelling toward the basket again and again.

You would think that seeing the same types of plays run again and again and again and again would be an advantage for referees. It's not. The question is why.