I too would HATE to have the number one pick in the draft

Our main-man BM is at it again. In his Thursday column, he throws out this winner:

The Toronto Raptors picked a lousy year to win the NBA draft lottery. There is no player coming out this year who towers above the rest in terms of being ready to start immediately in the NBA or help turn a franchise around in the near future. Adam Morrison, LaMarcus Aldridge and Tyrus Thomas are accomplished college players with lots to prove in the pros.

Now, I'm not an "NBA DRAFT Expert," but I thought it would be interesting (after 3 Bushmills whiskeys) to see if any of the last 5 drafts had really contained no talent in the top 3 picks. So here we go:

2005 - 1. Andrew Bogut 2. Marvin Williams 3. Deron Williams

It's really early to judge these 3, but after 1 year, I know the guys in Milwaukee are really high on Bogut. (Side note: Milwaukee is Algonquin for "the good land." Which is great and all, but the Iroquois could totally whip some Algonquin ass back in the day -- Western NY in the HOUSE!!! But I digress...)

2004 - 1. Dwight Howard 2. Emeka Okafor 3. Ben Gordon

There is some serious talent here. Howard this year: 15.8 ppg, 12.5 rpg. Needless to say... not a bust.

2003 - 1. LeBronBron 2. Darko. 3. Carmelo.

Do I really even need to type anything? There's King James, Mr. underused and Underloved, and the great Syracuse Hope. As Meatloaf likes to say, 2 out of 3 ain't bad.

2002 - 1. Yao. 2. Jay Williams. 3. Mike Dunleavy

Okay, so Jay Williams kinda doesn't do shit, and Coach Dunleavy's kid comes off as a whinner, but Yao is unstoppable. Okay, that's a lie. For his first few years in the league, he was threatening to be the new Manute Bol. But now, his communist party chiefs suggetsed he should grow a pair, and start playing like a man. And he did. Count it a win.

2001 - 1. Kwame Brown. 2. Tyson Chandler. 3. Pau Gasol.

So this is the least impressive of the bunch, But Gasol shows some moxy when his foot isn't hurt, and Kwame might have found a home on the west coast this season.

The point is, there is never a BAD time to have a NUMBER ONE pick in the draft. There is always talent to be had, including talent ready to start for an NBA team and make a difference. Which is NOT to say that the Raptors won't blow this pick. I'm just saying, that if they avoid Sam Bowie and take Jordan instead, they'll be hot. Because remember, Jordan was rated below Sam Bowie. God knows why, but he was. So if the Raptors do some god damn due diligence and figure this thing out, they should be fine. Even if BM, noted NBA talent scout, thinks this is a "down year."

PS - Word on the street is that the Raptors are high on some stud from Europe anyways, so maybe BM's thoughts on college players are moot.

On a side note, can Matty Y, our acknowledged horse racing insider, please post something about the Belmont? Please?