Good morning, WayRay

[Eggcentric@xxxxxxx]

Ray - I love your enthusiasm and input concerning the coming draft.  
You are our little energizer bunny, constantly keeping us informed 
and stoked to a feverish pitch. It is all pretty exciting.  Can't 
wait to see how Ainge utilizes our draft picks as it should finally
shed a bit of light on the direction of his ''mysterious'' game plan.
 
But so much for the gracious comments this early sunny morn. Blame 
it on the Green Mountain coffee that I am just smitten to attempt to sink 
the nebulous star that you keep calling the sun... i.e. the 2003 draft.  

I disagree with your assessment that this is a deep draft. After Milicic 
and Pietrus, who are the NBA-ready foreign players?  Lampe, Podkolzin, 
Diaw, Pavlovic, Varejao, SchortsianthanIsaidIwasb", Khryapa, etc., are 
all question marks in progress.  And where is that terrific crop of PG's 
when a 5-foot-10-incher (Ford) is considered the pick of the litter? 
And how about so-so American center Kaman presently being considered 
the sixth best draftee? Don't forget, Ray, that if all great truths begin 
as blasphemes, allow me to modestly add here that after the unanimous 
big three, implicit in this particular draft is little depth but lots and
lots of gambling, grumbling, and praying.

I do not understand drafting 3-4 year projects. Perhaps I have just not 
adjusted to the present, but If a player is that raw, that far away, 
why should he even be considered in a draft, especially in the lottery?  
Why should any team be expected to tie up several salary years on a 
first-round project who will either eventually fade away or maybe 
worse yet -  finally begin to fulfill his potential just in time to force 
his team to re-up his contract at or near the max or lose him to free 
agency?  How many successful young/raw draftees like my beloved 
McGrady are still with their original team?  

Due to the unbalanced math of the CBA contract, enter the attractively-
priced veteran minimum FA's. No wonder so many NBA teams would just 
love to trade away their watered-down first rounders (beyond #3 or 4) 
and instead add more proven, safer, and less expensive free agent 
minimum types to their tightly-budgeted rosters.

Egg