The Out Route

The early first round of the NBA draft fell exactly like the ESPN crew declared it would a half hour before the draft -- what is it with ESPN and ruining drafts? They managed to correctly spoil the first five picks during their pregame warmup. What even they couldn't predict is the idiocy of the Houston Rockets, who drafted Rudy Gay and then packaged him with Stromile Swift to Memphis for Shane Battier. Excuse me? Don't these guys have access to YouTube?

Gay has had some questions about his heart, but when he's motivated he's got the potential to be a star. He's got a good frame and a lot of skill considering his size. The Rockets better hope this trade isn't the permanent spark that leads to a great career. They were dying to get rid of Swift, he was essentially a throw-in as part of the deal, but to give up a guy with the potential to outshine the rest of his draft class for someone who's proven to be a nice role player, nothing more, seems a little silly. The Rockets could have used some toughness inside, because we all know they're not getting it from Yao.

As for the big names, very briefly -- Morrison to Charlotte, Redick to Orlando, The Bulls selected LeMarcus Aldridge, the Blazers Tyrus Thomas, and then they swapped. I'm not sure why. Some guy named Viktor Khryapa, apparantly. Who knows, I certainly can't figure out these GMs anymore. Sometimes I think they trade just because it guarantees them an extra mention in the Bottom Line.