Jan Vesley, The Washington Wizards, And A Kiss

Jan Vesley, come on down! The Wizards had a chance to take Bismack Biyombo at no. 6, and that would have been the smart play. His shotblocking and rebounding are guaranteed commodities, and he’s the sort of player that seems destined to become an unsung hero on a playoff team one day. But my Wizards took Jan instead, and... Well, thank God for that kiss.

Had it not been for the kiss, I might have been tempted to ramble on about how he’s an elite athlete that can’t shoot, and if he weren’t European, people wouldn’t be nearly as convinced that he could suddenly develop that quality in the NBA. Think about all the athletes that’ve come along over the years who just never figure out how to shoot the ball. But hey, Jan won a European dunk contest once!

[slams head on desk]

But really, the kiss saved everything. Instead of whining for another 50,000 words about how stupid it was to pass on Biyombo, we can just wait and see and enjoy the kiss, because A) his girlfriend seems pretty great and B) That was definitely the best moment of the night.

Other than that, the Wizards did well for themselves later on. They got lucky when the Knicks passed on Chris Singleton at no. 17, and instead of overthinking things, they played it smart and took the best guy available at no. 18. Singleton’s actually a lot like Biyombo. He may never be more than a solid role player, but the role he plays will be invaluable to a good playoff team. He can defend three positions, he works, and with any luck, he can eventually make Andray Blatche expendable. Pretty awesome, and if you can be a little optimistic about Vesley’s potential, the Wizards draft looks pretty great.

And if you can’t be optimistic about Vesley? Just watch the kiss again.

[watches kiss again]