Is There a Draft in Here?

Didn't seem like it. With the death of the King of Pop, the 2009 NBA Draft took a back seat to the emotional news of Michael Jackson's passing. And rightfully so. MJ's music was not only a huge influence on generations of fans, his monumental career paved the way for so many artists to follow in his footsteps. Radio and TV halted their coverage of the conflict in Iran to air tributes to the fallen musical genius. Candlelight vigils were held, videos and comments flooded the Internet, creating an overload not even the world wide web could handle. His impact was felt around the globe as world leaders issued public statements on the sadness of their loss.

Here in the States, fans came together outside the hospital where the Jackson family gathered in support of Michael for one final time. On the east coast, the WaMu theater in Madison Square Garden was abuzz with whispers and phone calls, not on the draftees, but rather on the shocking news of Jackson's sudden death. In DC, Michael Jackson was the story; the draft was not. The legendary chart-climber, musician, dancer and entertainer was honored without draft news interruption. Because in Washington, we didn't need the draft.

In one of the smartest moves made in DC area sports since the Capitals drafted Alex Ovechkin in 2004, the Wizards organization traded their 5th pick, along with Etan Thomas, Darius Songaila and Olesky Pecherov, to the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for Mike Miller and Randy Foye.

I say it was a smart decision because Flip Saunders, an effective, offensive-minded coach, is looking for a ring now. Tomorrow is too late. And by stacking this team with veteran players and not wasting the team or the district's time developing a foreign teenager or a weak guard, the Wizards went ahead and skipped the nonsense and got right down to business.

One of the top three draftees - Blake Griffin, Hasheem Thabeet or James Harden - definitely would have looked nice in a Washington uniform. But let the ping pong balls fall where they may and you leave the future of your organization to chance. Yes, trading away the first, second or third pick would have been ludicrous, but trading the fifth pick was somewhat of an intuitive move that will pay off in the immediate future.

While the new-look Wiz kids won't have nearly the moves of the late great MJ, or the star power to captivate an audience like MJ did, they certainly Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' that will be talked about, if not worldwide, at least state wide, and in part of the conversation in the WaMu theater this time next year.