Donnie Walsh's Teachable Moment

Avert your eyes, Knicks fans. This isn't pretty. 

"When I saw [Brandon Jennings] play in Vegas, I did go to our scouts and I told them, 'Look, if you knew he was that good you should have come to me every day in my office and said, 'You've got to look at this guy,'" said Walsh. "I said, 'I listened to you. You said, 'He's good,' but that was about it."

Oy. The Knicks, in case you haven't been paying attention, are pretty thin at the point guard position, and really could have used a player of Jennings caliber, even if almost nobody projected him as worthy of the lottery. (Full disclosure). "Jennings to Gallo for three" or "Jennings to Lee for the easy stuff" sound a hell of a lot more promising than "Duhon turns it over again" or "another wild shot by Robinson."

I have to give Walsh, though, some credit for admitting he and his staff screwed the pooch on Jennings. A certain general manager can't even cop to that. But let's not get carried away here. A mistake is a mistake, after all, and the total breakdown in player evaluation leading up to the draft, when it's most pressing, mind you, doesn't exactly paint the organization in the most positive of lights. 

Look, this isn't exactly the Blazers passing on Michael Jordan. The Knicks, despite their many flaws, will survive this. But that doesn't mean passing on Jennings doesn't sting, especially this season. Or next. It does. And it will. Missing out on Jennings also ratchets up the pressure on Mike D'Antoni and his staff to bring out the best in Jordan Hill and Toney Douglas, two promising but salmonella-raw players drafted in lieu of Jennings. 

Walsh still has this summer to rectify his mistake. I just hope he learns from it sooner rather than later, and his draft night misfire was truly an aberration and not a harbinger of things to come. 

Andrew Bogut's Brilliant Squad 6

I've always liked Andrew Bogut. I have no idea why. Maybe it's the 26 double-doubles he compiled at the University of Utah. Maybe it's his crazy Australian/Croatian roots. Maybe it's because he showed up to his pre-Draft interview with Bucks owner Herb Kohl dressed in a suit, polished resume in hand. Or maybe it's just because of this. Regardless, I've enjoyed, albeit from a distance, Bogut's evolution from touted prospect to a potential All-Star, at least according to one overzealous Aussie blogger. 

But it's Bogut's recent philanthropic work in Milwaukee that pretty much ensures him of my continued support. (You're welcome.) Fed up with the lackluster atmosphere of the Bradley Center, the Bucks' home arena, Bogut purchased 100 tickets for each home game and distributed them to the most enthusiastic and energetic Bucks fans, as determined by American Idol-like auditions, which Bogut set up through the team's public relations department. The winners, who have since started calling themselves Squad 6, largely in recognition of Bogut's uniform number, all sound as if they are all clinically insane. 

Some shake cowbells. Some take shirts off to display numbers painted on their chests of favorite Bucks players. Many drink beer. After all, this is Milwaukee. The fans, mostly young men ranging from college age into their 30s, pay homage to Bogut being from Australia. Woelfel, a Marquette senior, has brought a didgeridoo, a long, wooden Australian instrument, to games. The fans regularly chant, "Aussie, Aussie, Aussie! Oi, Oi, Oi

Forgive me, but I can't help picturing the crowd on hand for the battle between Mad Max and Master Blaster at Thunderdome. Which is just all kinds of incredible. That, plus Brandon Jennings? On an awesomeness scale of 10, I have to give the Bucks' home game experience a 15. Maybe 20.