FanHouse Ty Lawson

Some people never learn. D.J. Mbenga may be one of them.

Now, D.J. is a good guy and he makes a decent living as the backup center for world champion Los Angeles Lakers, but there's a reason he's a backup center. Besides a talent deficiency, Mbenga is not quick and therefore slow to rotate on help defense and recover on pick-and-rolls.

This often puts him in an awkward position, that position being Mbenga on a poster on his keister.

Such was the case again Friday when Nuggets rookie Ty Lawson went medieval on Mbenga.

(The pair of pliers and the blowtorch after the jump.)

DENVER -- Final four week turned into a flop of finalists.

Meetings of last season's conference finalists got started Wednesday when Cleveland took a huge lead and clobbered defending East champion Orlando 102-93. An even bigger dismantling occurred Friday night at the Pepsi Center.

The way the Nuggets demolished the Lakers, you'd have thought they tried to smuggle coke into the building.

The Nuggets got some revenge against the defending West and NBA champions 105-79. It wasn't even that close.

"Hopefully, this is a big message, not just to the Lakers but to the whole NBA. We're a legit team,'' said Nuggets star Carmelo Anthony, who scored a game-high 25 points and outscored Lakers star Kobe Bryant 18-0 in the second half (no, that's not a misprint).

With just two games on the schedule last night, Home Delivery might have to start jinxing a can down the street. I suppose it's helpful to get out of the house every once in a while.

And On the Third Day, D. Rose

Derrick Rose returned to action after missing most of the preseason due to a sore ankle. At times, on Thursday, he played as if he was at or near 100-percent. Rose logged 33 minutes scoring 13 points and picking up seven rebounds and seven assists, along with one steal and just one turnover. This is good news for Rose owners, especially since he's not 100-percent as of yet. Things should only get better from here.

Luol Deng looked "Deng good" as he led the Bulls with 17 points on 8-of-13 shooting and nine rebounds. He's starting to look like a nice value pick for a 10th-rounder. Hopefully he can continue to improve and stay healthy this season. John Salmons had an 'off' night shooting 3-of-15 from the field and just 1-of 9 from beyond the arc. He scored just 10 points, but made his performance a little easier to swallow with his three steals.

DENVER -- Midway through Wednesday's game, Denver coach George Karl suddenly stopped writing "Rookie'' on his coach's board and instead wrote "Ty.''

Could it be that Ty Lawson, in his very first NBA game, dispelled the myth that Karl doesn't have an appreciation for rookies?

"Things might be changing,'' Lawson said. "Every day up until (Wednesday) he wrote 'Rookie.' But he changed it to 'Ty.' I don't know what that means.''

What it means is Karl has got himself one heck of a rookie. Lawson scored 17 points and handed out six assists to help the Nuggets to a 114-105 opening-night win over Utah at the Pepsi Center.

---

---

The NBA Draft started with a no-brainer -- Blake Griffin going No. 1 overall to the Los Angeles Clippers. Then, the fun happened, with Memphis taking Hasheem Thabeet and the Timberwolves' vexing decision to horde as many point guards as they could. A few other teams lucked out when players dropped down the board and into their laps. Check out the grades for the Western Conference after the jump.

---

---

Philadelphia sat in strong position, needing a point guard in a deep point guard draft. Andre Miller is a free agent, and Louis Williams is an Eddie House clone. A few potential lottery picks fell down to the 76ers at No. 17: Ed Stefanski had his choice of Ty Lawson, Jeff Teague and UCLA's Jrue Holiday, a player once rumored to go as high as No. 4. The Sixers took Holiday, the youngest (and most unproven) of the trio.

Holiday is basically unformed right now. He has a good left hand, a good right hand. His shooting stroke isn't broken. He has length and athleticism and strength. He's a great prospect ... but he's going to need a bit of time (he's only 18). Philly needs a point guard now. Passing on Lawson in particular is surprising, considering the Sixers expect to contend soon, given the massive payroll and Elton Brand's ticking clock.

The day of reckoning has arrived for some 90 or so prospects hoping to be an NBA Draft pick. The day of reckoning has also arrived for some 9,000 mock drafters, who desperately try to get it right even though no one ever could on a consistent basis.

And, if I may, a word about the recent backlash against mock drafts from the key mock draft writers. The major draft experts from ESPN and DraftExpress told the New York Times last week that they hate mock drafts. But the mock draft is like their version of a test. It's too arbitrary, too black and white. It creates an impossible task. But thems the breaks when you're in a field in which performance matters. If Chad Ford didn't have to put out a mock, he could forever avoid criticism, basically. It's his job to analyze and predict the draft. How could we judge his efficacy without looking at his mock the morning after? It's like Amar'e Stoudemire telling everyone he hates to rebound. (Oh wait ...)

I love mock drafts! You'll find my final version after the jump.

The Minnesota Timberwolves might not have had the best regular season in 2008-09, but they're sure going to be a factor come the NBA Draft on Thursday.

New president of basketball operations David Kahn has five picks to use, including three in the first round. Minnesota has the Nos. 6, 18, and 28 picks in Round 1, and two more in the second round.

Will Kahn use all of those picks to drastically remake the T-Wolves' roster, or might he package a couple of picks or three in order to land a veteran difference-maker? More on the Northwest Division after the jump.

---

---

The New York Knicks and New Jersey Nets, picking at No. 8 and 11, respectively, are busy preparing their teams for next summer's free agent class, trying to add complementary pieces now for the new stars they are hoping to attract.

The Toronto Raptors, at No. 9, are trying to make sure that free-agent-to-be Chris Bosh, doesn't go anywhere in 2010. All three teams should be able to get decent players where they are picking. In the Atlanta Division, the Knicks are the most likely of the three to trade up to get what they want.