12:00- And Mr. Irrelevant is... not Brian Zoubek. Not Jon Scheyer. What a waste of four and a half hours. Good night, everyone.
11:52- One pick left. Doesn't look like Zoubek or Scheyer will get drafted. Personally, I was quite excited for the pair's hard work to be rewarded in the draft tonight. I guess the NBA doesn't value performance, or even National Championships.
When was the last time the National Champion had NO players drafted?
11:41- Six picks left. No go for Zoubek or Scheyer. Doesn't a National Championship mean anything to the NBA?
11:33- Monumental success. One of my numerous Brian Zoubek themed comments on ESPN's NBA Draft Chat was posted. Now if only Zoubek's name would get posted on the board in NYC...
11:27- Chad Ford's Best Remaining Center: Brian Zoubek. I live for moments like this.
11:26- 10 picks remaining. Neither Zoubek nor Scheyer have been drafted. I'm nervous.
11:17- Gani Lawal goes to Phoenix. Fantastic value for a second round pick.
11:11- Now this makes me angry. Brian Zoubek DOMINATED Jerome Jordan when Duke played Tulsa this season. Yet Jordan gets drafted first? I don't get the NBA Draft.
11:00- Three and a half hours in. I really thought this draft would be more interesting. Oh well... nothing left to do but wait for Zoubek and Scheyer to be called.
10:46- I was hoping my hometown Pistons—desperately in need of a large, rebounding center—would take a chance on Brian Zoubek. No dice. Stupid Joe Dumars...
10:19- And the first round is over—but now the fun begins for Duke fans, as the wait for Brian Zoubek and Jon Scheyer's call from the (deputy) commissioner truly begins.
10:12- And there's Wildcat No. 5—Daniel Orton. Picking Orton this late in the first round seems much more reasonable than many mock drafts who had him in the top 20 picks. Considering Orlando has talent up front, picking a big man who will need time to develop isn't an awful decision here. Duke no longer is tied for the record of most first round players in a single draft.
10:07- Quite possibly Duke fans favorite player to hate—Maryland's Greivis Vasquez—is selected in the waning moments of the first round by the Memphis Grizzlies. As much as the Cameron Crazies hated Vasquez, you have to feel mildly happy for a a guy who worked hard for four years and gets rewarded in the draft.
9:41- Interesting pick here, as the first senior taken in this year's draft is Clemson's Trevor Booker. Booker was a fantastic college player, and an oftentimes unstoppable force in the paint. Personally, I'm always partial to seeing successful college players be rewarded in the draft, but this pick is slightly surprising—Booker was expected to be a second round pick by many. Still, good for him.
9:36- Just like that, a pick with Duke relevance (finally)—former Blue Devil, but current Memphis Tiger, Elliot Williams. This must be a bittersweet pick for Williams who had hoped to be picked a few picks later by his hometown Memphis Grizzlies. Still, you have to feel good for E-mail, and maybe Kyle Singler can visit him in Portland next time the Medford, Oregon native visits home.
9:30 p.m.- 2 hours into the draft, and no Blue Devils have been drafted, although that is no surprise. Once we enter the second round Blue Devil fans can expect to see Brian Zoubek and Jon Scheyer come off the board, but that likely won't occur until much later tonight. The draft hasn't had as much of the free-agent frenzy fueled drama as was expected, with only a few major trades. The most interesting development, in my opinion, was the (proposed) trade that will send Cole Aldrich's rights to Oklahoma City. The Thunder have a plethora of talented young guards, but lack a young, strong rebounder—at least until now.
9:16 p.m.- Wildcat No. 4—Eric Bledsoe. Another former Duke recruit (at least for a brief period of time), it will be interesting to see what position Bledsoe plays in the NBA. Daniel Orton is all that stands between Kentucky and the record for most first round picks in a single draft.
8:56 p.m.- Wildcat No. 3—Patrick Patterson. Duke's first round record is looking to be in jeopardy.
8:50 p.m.- A Tarheel finally goes as Ed Davis is picked by Toronto at No. 13. This is a little later than most people projected, and Davis probably hoped, but Davis was regarded as "raw" by most scouts. Davis was dominant at times during his college career, but like Aminu was invisible at others (especially this last season). Still, if he gets stronger, he should be a decent NBA player.
8:25 p.m.- Hayward goes to Utah at No. 9, just one pick before the Indiana Pacers. It would've been a great story if the Butler product had stayed in Indiana to play his pro ball, as many predicted, but Hayward should still be a good fit in Jerry Sloan's system in Utah. Now he just has to work on those half-court shots...
8:20 p.m.- There goes another ACC player in Al-Farouq Aminu from Wake Forest. Aminu never quite lived up the immense expectations for him at Wake Forest, but he still has fantastic athletic ability for an NBA player. However, there were many times as a Demon Deacon when Aminu seemed to be sleepwalking—effort will be key for him in the NBA.
8:12 p.m.- The Pistons take Greg Monroe, a player who will haunt Blue Devil fans' memories not just for spurning Duke for Georgetown, but also for participating in Georgetown's dismantling of Duke this season. As a Pistons fan, I love this pick—Monroe may need to improve his strength and assertiveness, but Monroe has all the skills to be a solid power forward in this league. He may be one of the best passers in this draft, even as a forward.
8:07 p.m.- Another player that Duke played against last season is off the board—Baylor's Ekpe Udoh. Udoh was a projected early 1st round pick, but it is a little surprising that he was taken this early. He'll be a great rebounder and defender in the NBA, but his offense will need to improve in the league.
8:00 p.m.- There's Wildcat No. 2, as Cousins comes off the board at No. 5.
7:50 p.m.- The first player from the ACC is off the board—Georgia Tech freshman Derrick Favors. The draft has gone exactly as expected thus far, and Favors should be a good NBA player. But just like many other top picks, this is much more about potential than production—Favors will need to become much more assertive and improve his post play if he is going to capitalize on his athletic ability in the NBA.
7:37 p.m.- Surprise, surprise... Wall is the first overall pick. Many Duke fans were heartbroken when he chose Kentucky over Duke, but somehow, I think they'll take the national title.
An interesting subplot to this draft—Duke is one of three teams to ever have four players drafted in the first round in the same year. Kentucky, though, could easily have five tonight: Wall, Demarcus Cousins, Eric Bledsoe, Patrick Patterson, and Daniel Orton. Orton is the weakest of the bunch—he averaged only 3.4 points and 3.3 rebounds per game last season—but it is well known that the NBA values potential over production.
7:22 p.m.-Welcome, one and all, to a special edition of The Chronicle Sports Blog's Live Blog. Over the next few hours we'll be taking you through the NBA Draft, with a special emphasis on players of interest for Duke fans and the ACC in general. It will be a while until any Blue Devils are drafted—Jon Scheyer and Brian Zoubek are projected second round picks—but there are many players of interest who should be taken in the first round. Former Duke recruit John Wall will likely be the No. 1 overall pick. Another player who spurned Duke, Greg Monroe, will be a top-10 pick. Butler's near-hero Gordan Hayward will also be an early first round pick. And, unfortunately, UNC's Ed Davis will be taken in the first round as well.
We'll keep you posted once the draft begins. For now, enjoy the tingly feeling I felt after a recent interview with Hayward—you all must feel as bad as he did about missing that shot in the National Championship game, right?
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