John Jackson: Whether you consider Ben Gordon's departure from the Bulls unfortunate or necessary -- or a combination of the two -- nearly everyone can agree on at least this much: Replacing Gordon's 20 points a game will be a challenge during the upcoming season. Sure, Gordon was one-dimensional and no better than mediocre at any aspect of the game other than scoring.
It's no secret that the West has been the NBA's dominant conference for years, but the balance of power probably will be a little closer to equal during the upcoming season.
NBA executives are always optimistic and upbeat on draft nights, even the general managers of teams selecting late in the first round. Training camp is months away, and everybody feels they improved their team by getting a player who was a ''steal.''
Normally, there are about four or five picks in an NBA draft that are givens. They're a godsend to anyone compiling a mock draft because at least you can't look like a complete idiot with a few correct selections. There's no such safety net this year. The only given in the draft is Blake Griffin at No. 1. After that, things could get muddled very quickly starting with the second pick.
Unlike like a year ago, when the Bulls had the No. 1 pick and selected point guard Derrick Rose, the NBA draft Thursday doesn't figure to be a defining moment in the team's rebuilding process. With two picks in the second half of the first round (Nos. 16 and 26), it's unlikely there will be any franchise centerpieces on the board when the Bulls' turn comes up roughly an hour and a half into the proceedings.
Throughout the six-plus decades of the NBA, center has been the league's glamor position. It used to be a given that you needed an All-Star in the pivot to contend for a championship, but that no longer is the conventional wisdom thanks mainly to the Detroit Pistons and Bulls of the late '80s and '90s.
The top portion of the draft is considered a bit weak with few impact players available for teams desperate for help.
The smell of the champagne from the Los Angeles Lakers' championship celebration hasn't dissipated just yet, but let's take a moment to jump ahead to a possible preview of the 2010 NBA Finals:
Whether it's tonight after Game 5 in Orlando or Tuesday after Game 6 in Los Angeles, the Lakers -- with a 3-1 lead -- are going to win the NBA Finals against the Magic.
When the Nike ad campaign featuring the puppets of Kobe Bryant and LeBron James began airing regularly on television during the NBA conference finals, no one complained louder than Dwight Howard.
