Well, it was really predictable if your name is Shams Charania. The 2023 NBA Draft has come and gone, and it was the most…boring night one could have imagined as nearly every player went where they were predicted and there wasn’t any major trades.
Do you want to know how to bore 5M+ people for 3 hours? Have them watch the 2023 NBA Draft.
The 2023 NBA Draft, which was hyped up as being one of the most interesting, chaotic, and must-see drafts in living memory, ended up being a massive snooze fest as there was just a single intriguing fall and no major trades whatsoever. And, to be perfectly honest, I feel like I should be asking for my money back…even though I didn’t even pay to watch!
This was supposed to be the most intriguing, interesting draft in living memory yet the only interesting thing that happened was watching the Twitterverse dunk on Shams Charania for screwing over so many bets.
For those who have got no idea what I’m talking about, Sam Charania is an NBA insider/ambassador for FanDuel TV and The Athletic who said that the Charlotte Hornets, who were selecting with the 2nd overall pick, were going to take Scoot Henderson after souring on Brandon Miller…even though they already had a superstar PG in LaMelo Ball.
And, as those who bet and gamble always do, they got spooked by the words of a single “insider” and thousands of people changed their bets form Alabama’s Brandon Miller to the G-League’s Scoot Henderson to be the 2nd overall pick. And, as those who bet and gamble always find out, their “trusted source” ended up being full of shit as the Hornets took Brandon Miller with the 2nd overall pick to the anger of nearly all the Twitterverse and gambling world.
Now, if you’re thinking “how this silly little gambling story is the most interesting thing to happen last night?”, I was too while I was watching.
Sure, watching Cam Whitmore, who was seen as one of the Top-5 prospects in the draft and a lock at 4th or 5th, dropping all the way down to 20th to the Houston Rockets (who also ended up selecting Amen Thompson with the 4th overall pick) was very Aaron Rodgers-esque, but that’s the only intriguing thing to happen.
Obviously, the Spurs took Victor Wembanyama 1st overall, Hornets took Brandon Miller, the Trailer Blazers kept their 3rd overall selection to take Scoot Henderson and also shut down Dame Lillard trade rumors, and the Thompson twins went 4th and 5th overall, respectively.
And the other draft picks went essentially in the order they were supposed to go in the mock drafts with the sole exception of Bilal Coulibaly, Wembanyama’s forward Metroplitans teammate, went 6th overall to the Indiana Pacers when he was only supposed to be drafted in the 10th-15th range.
Still, there was no major trade for one of the Top-5 picks, Damian Lillard stayed put in Portland, none of the major contenders did any moves for higher picks or new players, and the draft order stayed pretty much the same for the opening round. It was just a flat-out boring night.
Though, I’m not really sure what I expected as these draft nights are always hyped up completely out of proportion by these networks, so I was the fool that thought something major could happen.
But, as George Bush once said, “Fool me once…shame on…shame on you?” *leans in closer to the mic* “If you fool me, you can’t get fooled again.”
Man, that clip will never get old.
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