TDT's 2012 NBA Mock Draft: Picks 1-5

I love basketball and, as much as it pains me to say it, I love the NBA. Inflated egos, criminals, overpaid crybabies - it all makes for entertainment and great storylines to go along with great games. With the NBA draft drawing near and my favorite team (the Sacramento Kings - for now) set to have yet another high pick, my mind turns toward draft night. Without further ado, here's my 2012 mock draft:

1. New Orleans Hornets - Anthony Davis, Kentucky

Take my word for it, his game is prettier than his face.

The easiest pick in the draft. If you can look past the oddities of David Stern's intervention in the Chris Paul trade and the Hornets' subsequent luck in the draft lottery, this is a great thing for New Orleans. Davis is a sure thing, the kind of player that you can build a franchise around. Reminds me (and everyone) of Kevin Garnett. Tall, long, athletic and a great motor. He's raw offensively, but he's going to be an impact defender from day one. If he only develops an average offensive game and fulfills his defensive potential, he'll still be worth the No. 1 pick. He'll have the meanest/best/craziest/worst eyebrows in the league and should be a perennial Defensive Player of the Year candidate.

2. Charlotte Bobcats - Bradley Beal, Florida

Assuming the 'Cats don't trade down, I can see them taking Beal. They need talent just about everywhere, and Beal should have the scoring ability to help out right away. He might not be a franchise cornerstone, but he's a step in the right direction. 

Kidd-Gilchrist is a popular choice here, but I don't see him being a player that can carry a team on offense, at least not in the near future. Thomas Robinson would be my second choice, but he seems to have the same questions as their first-round pick last year (Kemba Walker): does he have the size for his position and is he going to be a big-time contributor at the next level? Bradley Beal is the safest bet.

3. Washington Wizards - Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Kentucky

Kidd-Gilchrist will fit in perfect next to another Kentucky product, John Wall, in D.C. He doesn't need the ball to be effective and will bring toughness, defense, and rebounding to a team that desperately needs it. Like I said earlier, K-G doesn't look like a player who's going to carry a team offensively (a-la Kevin Durant or Derrick Rose) but as John Wall's sidekick? Seems like a good start for the Wiz.

4. Cleveland Cavaliers - Harrison Barnes, North Carolina

As much as I'd like to see Barnes go to my Kings at No. 5, I don't see that happening. The Cavs took a big step in the right direction last year after drafting Kyrie Irving, and Barnes is a safe bet in this year's draft. Thomas Robinson isn't really a good fit since they drafted another power forward last year, and while Barnes doesn't have the ceiling that Andre Drummond has, he's a safer pick. There's a lot of questions as to whether Barnes will be a star in the NBA. We won't know the answer to that for a while, but he looks like he'll definitely be a good, if not great, player. 

5. Sacramento Kings - Thomas Robinson, Kansas

Robinson is a nice consolation prize for the Kings if they miss out on K-G or Barnes. While there is a hole at the SF slot, there's also a lot of room for improvement at PF and Robinson should help immediately. Robinson would bring the athleticism, energy, and winning pedigree that the Kings desperately need. If he starts, the Kings could bring Jason Thompson off the bench, which is probably the perfect role for him. If Thompson starts, a Marcus Thornton-Thomas Robinson bench combo would do well for the Kings. I don't see them taking Drummond here - they need more reward, less risk.

The Reality of Sin

I can't speak for all Christians, but in my life it seems there are times when I have a greater realization of my sin. I'm in such a time right now.

It's so easy to look at my sin and try to play it off as small. I mean, I lie but at least they're small and inconsequential. I lust, but at least I'm not out committing adultery. I make coarse jokes, but they're just in fun.

As a country we've grown quite skilled at finding less offensive terms for sin. "It was a mistake." "I screwed up." "I'm a broken person." The latter sounds the most genuine but actually puts the blame on the Creator, as if our sin is due to a weak or imperfect design.

R.C. Sproul gives a more realistic view of sin:

Sin is cosmic treason. Sin is treason against a perfectly pure Sovereign. It is an act of supreme ingratitude toward the One to whom we owe everything, to the One who has given us life itself...The slightest sin is an act of defiance against cosmic authority. It is a revolutionary act, a rebellious act in which we are setting ourselves in opposition to the One to whom we owe everything. It is an insult to His holiness. We become false witnesses to God.

Treason. An insult to the holiness of God. 

Yet I stay bogged down in sin. I look at the pattern of Israel in the Old Testament - sin, punishment, repentance, restoration - and wonder how they could be so foolish to keep rebelling over and over again. Did I say "they"? I meant "I".

I frequently get told by women (100% of whom are old enough that I should be dating their daughters or granddaughters), "You're such a good young man. Why don't you have a girlfriend?" A good young man? I'll end this post by leaving it to Martin Lloyd Jones to describe how I feel when someone says something like this:

They see only what which is good in me; they see me only at my best. I shudder when I realize how unworthy I am and how ignorant they are of the dark and hidden recesses of my soul where all that is devilish and hideous reigns supreme, at times breaking through onto the surface and causing a turmoil that God and I alone know of.

Guess Who's Back....

Seems like just last year I was writing on this very blog. After a brief (and by brief, I mean lengthy) hiatus, I have returned.

I'm at a drastically different place in life. Not literally. I still live in the same house and work in the same city as I did last year. But career-wise, spiritually, and physically, things have changed. I'll write an update on these things in the near future.

There are a few changes to the blog. I simplified it. Got rid of a bunch of stuff. No more Twitter. No more clutter. Just blog posts. Whenever I feel like it.

Some of the stuff before was a bit forced. I want my future posts to be more from the heart. Some will still be political. Some will still be sports. I really want to incorporate some theology and Christianity.

Looking back over the blogging that I did last year, "Confessions of a Wannabe Libertarian" really stands out as my best writing. I re-read it and I still feel 100% the same. Probably won't be doing a Top 5 or any regular features, as I don't want to be on any sort of schedule.

So here's to whatever the future of this blog holds, whether it's just this post or a thousand more.