I don’t know what is bigger news for tonight: The Ref making his illustrious return or the NBA Draft. I’ll let my followers decide upon themselves on that one. Anyway, this year’s draft is interesting to say the least. If there is one word that could paint a perfect picture for tonight is potential. Most of these players entering in the realm of the big times may have jumped the gun a bit, but no doubt have the God-given ability to make a difference a few years down the road. Players like DeMarcus Cousins, Wesley Johnson, Derrick Favors, and Xavier Henry should have stayed at least another year. They don’t they have the experience or the maturity to accept their roles in the NBA. It’s going to be interesting to see what goes down in the next few hours. I could be dean wrong or blissfully right…That’s the beauty of the draft!

My boy Basher has already compiled his pre-conceived notions of how the draft will come out. I don’t necessarily agree with everything he put down, but he does back it up with some good points. Teams to watch in this year’s draft:

New Jersey- Will this be the jumping off point for the Brooklyn bound hoopsters?

Utah- How will the trade from New York pan for their future when Boozer already has one foot outside the door?

Oklahoma City- Can Sam Presti do any wrong in the draft?

Milwaukee- What moves will they make to build around their strong and young foundation?

Minnesota- Are they the Detroit Lions of the NBA?

There are plenty of other teams that you should look out for, but it’s up to the GM’s now.

Update* Bulls trade Heinrich and 17th round pick to Washington to free cap room. It is almost official, Lebron James and Chris Bosh are going to play with Noah and Derrick Rose.

1. Washington: John Wall-How will he play with the most selfish player in the game?
2. Philadelphia:Evan Turner-How quickly will Turner ignite the City of Brotherly Love?
3. New Jersey:: Derrick Favors-The Basher may not like it, but this is the best available pick for the Nets. A solid player in a year or two.
4. Minnesota: Wesley Johnson-The most ironic thing with Minnesota now is after all of the first round point guard picks, they are now solidified with positions 3-4-5.
5. Sacramento: DeMarcus Cousins- Kwame Brown Version 2.0?
6. Golden State: Ekpe Udoh- How is ‘The Lion’ going to feed in Nellie’s jungle? And why did they pass up on Monroe?
7. Detroit: Greg Monroe- Why did one of my favorite players in college have to be drafted by most infamous NBA franchise? Why? Oh Why? I would have loved if Cousins went here instead.
8. Los Angeles Clippers: Al-Farouq Aminu- I am going to say regardless of what this team does in the free agent market, the Clippers are going to be an exciting team to watch for years to come.
9. Utah: Gordon Hayward- I thought Kyle Korver’s brother went to Drake?
10. Indiana: Paul George- I don’t know much about George, but then again, I knew nothing about Danny Granger.
11. New Orleans: Cole Aldrich- A perfect fit for Paul. A great a draft pick by New Orleans. Aldrich is a white Tyson Chandler.

Update* Cole Aldrich and Mo Petersen are being traded to OKC for the 18th and 21st pick. I understand trading for a big man, but why give up 2 number 1 draft pick, Oklahoma?

12. Memphis Grizzlies: Xavier Henry- Goodbye Rudy Gay, hello Xavier Henry…I apologize, that doesn’t make sense.
13. Toronto Raptors: Ed Davis- Great pick by the Raptors. I would call him a sleeper pick but who is going to be able to teach him the NBA post game when Chris Bosh is leaving and your Andrea Barganni hangs out at the three point and can’t swat a fly.
14. Houston Rockets: Patrick Patterson- I love this pick. He will fit great in Adelman’s system. NBA ready and will immediately be an impact player off the bench. May even be a starter by the end of the season.
15. Milwaukee Bucks: Larry Sanders- A perfect player for Scott Skiles to mold into a defensive maestro.
16. Minnesota: Luke Babbit- Going to be honest, don’t know much about him.

Update* Luke Babbit and Ryan Gomes traded to Portland for Martell Webster. Great trade for Portland. Is Kurt Rambis trying to be a F*** up?

17. Chicago: Kevin Seraphin- How will he fit in with all of the superstars about to come to Chicago. Could be a asset from the bench.
18.Oklahoma City: Eric Bledsoe- If he gets traded to the Clippers, amazing pickup for LAC. They are doing well this year and providing a solid foundation for their future. Never thought I say that.
19. Boston: Avery Bradley- I like Bradley, but this makes no sense for Boston. None…whatsoever…worst pick of the first round…by far.
20. San Antonio: James Andersen- How does this franchise do it? They get great players no matter where they are in the draft.

Update* Eric Bledsoe traded to the Los Angeles Clippers for a future first round draft pick for Oklahoma.

21. Oklahoma City: Craig Brackins- Huge sleeper in this year’s draft. Wherever he ends up, pay attention to this player. He is going to surprise people.
22. Portland: Elliot Williams-An interesting experiment, I don’t how it is going to work out, but I do trust Portland’s decision making.
23. Minnesota: Trevor Booker- A lot of work for an explosive player. In other words, a waste for a team like Minnesota.

Update* Trevor Booker and Minnesota’s 56th pick are being traded to Washington for the 30th and 35th pick.

24. Atlanta: Damion James- Great late pick for Atlanta. I am honestly in shocked he dropped this low. Solid NBA ready player. He is going to help both Josh Smith and Al Horford when he comes off the bench defensively. Also, he can run with Jamal Crawford.
25. Memphis: Dominique Jones- From the highlights, he looks ok. I honestly didn’t see him play or remember. Basher states he is going to be a beast. Take that with a grain of salt…hahaha.
26. Oklahoma City: Quincy Pondexter- This trade is making a lot of sense for both teams. Win win for both. It’s sad that no one got to see Pondexter play though, he was fun to watch. Another underrated pick.
27. New Jersey: Jordan Crawford reminds me of Chris Douglas Roberts when he was drafted. A purified scorer and NBA ready. Oh wait…here is another update… Go ahead Ref…

Update*…Thank you Ref, I will take it from here… Jordan Crawford and the Nets’ 31st draft pick will go to the Hawks for Damion James. Great trade for both teams. I must say, a lot of proposed trades have been extremely productive from a theoretical standpoint…back to you Ref…

28. Memphis Greivis Vasquez- Here is the boldest statement of the night: Vasquez is more of a replacement to Rudy Gay than Xavier Henry.
29. Orlando Daniel Orton- Hmmmm…possible Twin Towers being constructed in Universal Studios…sounds like a fun ride.
30. Washington Lazar Hayward- Very fundamental and terrific spot up shooter. A great compliment to John Wall.

Update* Dominique Jones is traded to Dallas for Cash.

All right ladies and ghouls…I am heading to bed, but before I sign off. Here are my winners and losers

Winners: Washington, New Jersey, Memphis, and Los Angeles Clippers

Losers: Minnesota, Sacramento, Golden State, and Boston

Knee Jerk Reaction to the draft: Wow, a lot of trades, a lot of moving, and craziness all around. The talent pool wasn’t that good this year, but the word was potential. Anyone of these players can win Rookie of the Year or be a bust. Alright, I am exaggerating a little bit, but it’s impossible to guage. How can anybody really say that any pick was a bad one. Their almost all a work in progress and therefore, the best picks were NBA ready players. Evan Turner, Damion James, James Anderson, Patrick Patterson and John Wall are the best in that class. I really see those select few making a difference to their respected ball clubs immediately.

Teams that stood out… New Jersey had a terrific draft snagging two legit Forwards in Derrick Favors and Damion James. I am more excited about James than Favors. He is incredibly underrated and Avery Johnson is going to utilize him immediately. Favors has terrific upside and be exciting, but James has experience, maturity and terrific work ethic. All and all, a great start to the off season for the New Jersey faithful.

Washington: They got John Wall and paired him up with Lazar Hayward, a terrific compliment player. Well done by the GM staff. Now, somehow get rid of Agent Zero.

Oklahoma City: I would literally be upset if this was any other team, but Sam Presti is a genius and I can’t question anything he does. Look what he has done for this team since he came in office in 2007.

Minnesota: Kurt Rambis should be disbarred from the NBA. He is such an embarrassment to all GM’s…even Isiah Thomas. I went there.

Anyway, before I get carried away, it’s been fun folks. See you all soon.

This is The Ref signaling I’m out until next time and remember: We miss calls, you miss lay ups.