But there are more questions than answers with Mr. Kahn, who some have referred to as "Kahn-descending." Here are my questions, as you can consider this my own open letter to my fan base.

1. Why did it take Kahn so long to fire Kevin McHale? Would it not have made sense to lose McHale as soon as he knew he wasn't keeping him around and get another basketball mind in there to help with such an important draft? You have all these kids on that team, a brand new GM and still no coach with July on the radar? That makes no sense to me. Hire Sam Mitchell, who can mold all those young guys and make them men, and be done with it.

2. Does he really think Rubio and Flynn can play in the same backcourt? He keeps talking about Ainge & DJ and Isiah & Dumars. I don't care, because Rubio and Flynn are not even capable of attempting to play shooting guard. They are POINT GUARDS in the truest sense of the word. Kahn keeps talking about what a dynamic scorer Flynn is going to be. Really? I don't see it, Chad Ford doesn't see it, and no one who has seen the kid play can see it. Maybe we're all wrong and Kahn is right, but I would like to see just one person come out and agree with him on this.

3. In relation to point No. 2, many folks were upset he didn't take Stephen Curry instead of Flynn after drafting Rubio, and I was one of them. Then he said in interviews that he didn't want to draft two guys who play the same posiition. What!? Yeah, really. Here's what Sportsradiointerviews.com translated from the Dan Patrick show:

All draft season Steph, his father Dell who I respect, his agent kept saying…Steph’s a point guard, Steph’s a point guard, Steph’s a point guard. So if we had taken Steph Curry, we’d have taken another point guard. So the point I’m making is we think the fight between Ricky Rubio and Jonny Flynn is a much better fit for us.”

I mean, seriously? My opinion is Curry and Rubio (or Curry and Flynn) would make a much more reasonable backcourt pair, but regardless, the logic just doesn't make sense either way - because he still DRAFTED TWO POINT GUARDS.

4. Why in the world would you write an open letter like this one if you are Kahn? Basically calling Rubio's bluff and just daring him to go back to Spain until whenever. And now if the Knicks step in and offer a solid package for Rubio, how do you say yes after you just stood up on the roof of the First Avenue (hi, Sonia) and said he was the future of your franchise and that you were prepared to wait for as long as it takes? I must be stupid or naieve, because I just don't get the strategy.

Anyway, I could go on and talk about the quirkiness Kahn displays when you watch him speak, or his war with Kenny Smith on NBA TV last night (about whether his two miniature point guards could survive in the same backcourt together), or this gem: "I also believe that, together, we will have one of the most dynamic defensive backcourts in the NBA over time." And yes, he's talking about Ricky Rubio (150 pounds wet?) and Jonny Flynn (5'11" - maybe?).

Anyway, it will be very interesting to see what becomes of Rubio with the Timberwolves, but I really get the sense he may never even put on their uniform. Mom says it's too damn cold, Dad says Ricky's going back to Europe for a year or two, Rubio says he has no idea what his plans are, and even Kahn says he's perfectly comfortable with Rubio going home for a few years. Before I read Kahn's letter, I thought Rubio to the Knicks (or Rockets, etc.) was as good as done. Now I'm thinking we may not see Rubio play in the NBA for several more years. Unless, of course, Kahn's simply playing some sort of bizarre game of poker with himself, trying to confuse everyone, and then swoops in for the kill. And if he somehow makes this all work or pulls off a mega-trade for Rubio, I will take back every word. But for now, I just think he's kinda nutty.

The season officially wrapped up on June 14 when the Lakers beat the Magic in just five games to win the NBA Championship. The season kicked off back on Oct. 28, meaning it ran nearly a full seven and a half months. Now the Draft is upon us tonight, followed up by Summer League games in July, training camp in September and then the regular season starting again in October.

And with the economy in the toilet, Thursday's trade action should be fast and furious. But forget about tonight for a second, as we've already seen at least four BIG trades go down in the last couple days.

1. Shaquille O'Neal to Cleveland for Ben Wallace and Sasha Pavlovic

This move saves the Suns around $10 million, while LeBron James now has a potentially dominant center in hopes of winning a ring next year. Shaq's contract is up after the upcoming season, although ESPN's Ric Bucher reports that Shaq was probably assured/confident that LeBron was going to stay in Cleveland next summer. And if all goes well next year, Shaq would probably re-sign with the Cavs. If Shaq can stay healthy in the playoffs, the Cavs look like a championship caliber team. Look for Amare Stoudemire to be the next Sun to be moved, possibly to the Rockets, along with Leandro Barbosa, for Tracy McGrady, Aaron Brooks and Carl Landry. Wow.

2. Richard Jefferson to the Spurs for Fabricio Oberto, Bruce Bowen and Kurt Thomas

RJ now gives the Spurs some much needed scoring punch and they may not be done. If they can somehow land center Marcus Camby from the Clippers, a starting lineup of Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili/Michael Finley, RJ, Tim Duncan and Camby looks to have serious championship potential, without a doubt. In addition, the Bucks then acquired Amir Johnson from the Pistons for Oberto, who will be waived by Detroit. The Bucks are far from having a playoff team at this point, and getting AJ means they are probably closer than ever to losing Charlie Villanueva.

3. Hawks get Jamal Crawford for Acie Law and Speedy Claxton

The Hawks need veteran leadership more than anything and it's possible that Crawford will bring that with him. Crawford should start at point guard, with Joe Johnson at SG, Marvin Williams at SF, Josh Smith at PF and Al Horford at C. Mike Bibby may be lost to free agency, but the new lineup looks ilike an improvement to me.

4. Mike Miller and Randy Foye to Wizards for No. 5, Oleksiy Pecherov, Etan Thomas and Darius Songaila

The Wizards' back court just got much better with Gilbert Arenas, Foye and Miller, while a front line of Caron Butler, Antawn Jamison and Brendan Haywood/JaVale McGee looks pretty stable. No championship coming for the Wizards next season, but that sure looks like a playoff team. And the Timberwolves will have to get it right with the No. 5 and 6 picks, although they may trade one of them in a package to move up and draft Ricky Rubio.

The Draft tonight is going to be crazy, and we will be blurbing every player taken as it happens. See you there.

1. Stan Van Gundy is going to catch some heat

I think the Lakers are a better team than the Magic, but it is true that the Magic could have easily been up 3-1 going into Sunday's Game 5 had a few bounces gone their way. The Lakers won Games 1 and 5 in a blowout. The Magic had a chance to win Game 2 if Courtney Lee's alley-oop layup would have gone down, won Game 3 after unbelievably shooting 63% from the floor, and then blew Game 4 with a whole boatload of missed free throws and a controversial decision not to foul Derek Fisher before he launched a dagger of a 3-pointer at the buzzer.

Gregg Rosenthal and I had a discussion last night that many of you are having today. My take was that the Magic's inexperience killed them (and that they are coached by a maniac on the sidelines), while Rosey argued that the Magic were simply a team that caught a couple bad breaks/bounces.

It cannot be easy for SVG's players to remain calm under pressure when their coach is on the sidelines freaking out from tip to finish. I think Stan did a nice job of coaching for the most part, but his denial that his team's lack of experience didn't hurt his team is laughable. I also think it's funny that SVG was ripped to shreds by the media early in the Boston series, was called a coaching genius against the Cavs and is now a bad coach again after the Game 4 disaster. I don't think it's a stretch to say that Mike Brown made SVG look like the second coming of Red Auerbach, but there's no denying that Stan can coach a basketball team. Van Gundy and the Magic gained some much-needed experience this year and it will come in handy if and when they get back to the Finals. But unfortunately for them, that's easier said than done.

2. Hedo Turkoglu has choked before

In this blog, MrBator describes Turkoglu missing three out of four free throws while playing for the Kings against the Lakers in Game 7 of the 2002 Western Conference Finals, helping the Lakers go to overtime and get a trip to the Finals (and another ring). Dwight Howard's missed free throws were a big story in Game 4, but we all know he is only going to hit half of his attempts going in. Turkoglu, on the other hand, is a career 80 percent free throw shooter, and missed three out of four down the stretch with Game 4 on the line. Again, maybe the experience will help him in the future, but it also looks like there's a pretty decent chance he might be playing elsewhere next season.

3. I don't know who the greatest coach of all time is, nor do I care

Phil Jackson now has 10 NBA Championships under his belt. Red Auerbach has nine. Phil's came with two different franchises and basically four different teams, while Auerbach won eight straight at one point with the same Celtics' team. Both coaches had great players, but coached in different eras. Is it harder to win now in a 'watered down' full of great athletes, or was it harder to win 'back then' with fewer teams in the league?

Don't know, and don't care. Both accomplishments are pretty amazing.

4. When in doubt, blame Skip.

I told a few buddies as the Finals were starting that the last point guard I would want running my team in the Finals is Rafer Alston. He's a solid basketball player and I've owned him in plenty of fantasy leagues. But his history in Toronto was plagued by controversy - crying in the locker room, constantly fighting with Sam Mitchell and threatening to quit the game. He loves to shoot the 3-point shot, regardless of whether it's falling or not, and is more of a shoot-first point guard. I'm not blaming the Magic's loss on Skip, but when you look at how he melted in the face of the controversial return of Jameer Nelson, combined with his shooting, I can make a case to do so.

"I'm not good at having a one-on-one meeting, because then I might blow up," Alston said of possibly clearing the air with SVG prior to Game 5. "He might tell me something that might not make any sense to me, and I may not like that." I don't even know what to say after a quote like that. I think it speaks volumes, and perfectly explains why I would not want him running the point with a championship on hte line. In addition, Skip was terrible in the Magic's losses in the Finals, and dynamite in the win.

Losses: FG 2-of-9, 1-of-8, 5-of-13 and 5-of-15.
3-pointers: 0-of-4, 0-of-4, 1-of-4, 1-of-6

Win: FG 8-of-12
3-pointers: 1-of-1

Blame SVG all you want for throwing Nelson into the mix and messing up Rafer's schwerve, but I imagine the situation could have been handled much better by Skip, or any other point guard.

5. Kobe Bryant is good

Is Kobe better than LeBron? I don't know, but it's hard to argue with his five rings, his 81-point explosion against the Raptors a couple years ago and his ability to create his own shot and score at will - including when the game's on the line. He's now become a true team leader and may win another championship next year. But from a fantasy standpoint, I still am not even sure he's worth a Top 5 pick this fall. Chris Paul, LeBron and D-Wade should all be taken in first, while Kevin Durant and Danny Granger could also be slotted in front of him. But in reality, Kobe has to be considered one of the best ever, and probably better than LeBron as of this moment.

That's a wrap on a very exciting playoffs and officially ends this season's NBA coverage. I'm already hard at work on the NBA Draft Guide and am pleased to announce there will be a hard copy available again this year (first time since 2006-07), so check it out in August.

The series will probably come down to how well the Magic shoot it from downtown, with guys like Lamar Odom, Derek Fisher, Hedo Turkoglu, Rafer Alston and Mickael Pietrus holding the keys in the match up. That said, Kobe is still the best player in this series, and while I believe the teams to be evenly matched, Kobe should end up being the difference maker. If the Magic are hitting their threes, they're going to be very hard to beat. But teams who typically live and die with the long ball usually end up dying in the long run. The Lakers haven't exactly been dominant in the playoffs, but this is the Finals and they have two things working in their favor: Kobe and home court advantage. I wouldn't put it past Stan Van Gundy to outcoach Phil Jackson in this one, but I still think Kobe and L.A. will pull it out in Game 7 at L.A. We shall see.

It's important to remember that he's only 24. The fact he's been so smooth and mistake-free in the PR game thus far is amazing. He needs to admit his mistake and focus on playing team basketball next season, instead of putting the entire load on his shoulders every night. He might be doing so because he doesn't trust the talent (or lack thereof) that he's been surrounded with, but you have to wonder if he would play the exact same way if he and Rashard Lewis traded places? My guess is that he would.

Another heartbreaker for Cleveland, another return to the Finals for a big, young center in Orlando, and the first tough criticism LeBron has ever had to face. Imagine how badly Kobe Bryant would be getting torched had he made LeBron's move.

Is that changing now? I think it is, as the sports bar where I watched (and blurbed) Friday's unbelievable win for Cleveland, blew up with a roar when LeBron hit his shot. I assume that if people in Dahlonega, GA (where NASCAR, the Bulldogs, Falcons and Braves are the only sports anyone cares about) went nuts, that it happened everywhere else, as well. I assume we will all remember where we were for that shot - much like Ralph Sampson against the Lakers a million years ago, Jordan's 63 vs. Boston, Larry vs. Nique in 88, and Jordan torching Ehlo from my college dorm room.

These Conference Finals are off to as good a start as any in history, and I get the feeling that even folks who "hate the NBA" have to be feeling this thing.

The NBA is back, baby. Do you agree?

I should be posting a new Mock Draft on Tuesday, and there will be some serious changes. Guys like Jrue Holiday and Jonny Flynn will move into the lottery, while I have to sort out the Ricky Rubio "withdraw from Draft" situation. I think I'm going with Blake Griffin to the Clippers, although I really get the sense they will trade down and end up with Rubio, and then putting Hasheem Thabeet with Memphis, Rubio to the Thunder and then James Harden or Jordan Hill to the Kings. I wouldn't mind updating the Mock every Tuesday, but I will definitely have a new and improved version up for this one.

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The Clippers really hold the key to much of what will happen this offseason. Baron Davis and his mammoth salary probably need to go, and he could even be traded back to Golden State for a reunion with Nellie. In addition, with big men Chris Kaman, Zach Randolph, Marcus Camby and DeAndre Jordan on the roster, the Clippers almost have to move one of them. The Mavericks are probably very interested in Kaman, while Randolph's ridiculous remaining contract may make him nearly impossible to move. Camby's only got one year on his deal left, so he's an attractive piece and probably easily movable.

But the bottom line is that nothing in this draft is set in stone, and while it looks like Griffin should be the first pick, it is far from certain. The Grizzlies and Thunder have needs other than point guard, so they don't need Rubio, but would like to take him because he's considered the second best player in the draft. But there is no doubt both teams will be very scared in taking a risk on him if he's not going to show up. And given the fact that he's still under contract in Spain for two more years, it's no skin off his back to pull out of the draft and stay put. Get ready for a roller coaster ride as teams prepare for the draft on June 25, as this could be one of the most drama-filled NBA summers we've ever seen.

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I love Stuckey's upside, but given the fact he hasn't blown up given his two chances to start, you have to think he is reading the writing on the wall and taking some mental hits right now. He has been decent in his couple starts, but if what we've seen is the best he has to offer right now, are we not better off turning him loose and grabbing a guy like Roger Mason Jr.?

I get the sense that Stuckey's confidence level is not as high as it was at the end of last season and am contemplating dropping him. Really, with Allen Iverson and Rip Hamilton around, can he effectively produce? I still think he's going to be worth owning before this year is over. And he could even end up as a starter sooner than any of us think. But in the rough-and-tumble world of fantasy hoops, acting and reacting to what's happening right now is the key.

That settles it. I am abandoning ship in my not-so-deep leagues and grabbing the player who doesn't have to deal with Rip and AI to get minutes. Is that Russell Westbrook? Is it Kyle Lowry? Is it Mason? Kelenna Azubuike?

I'm not sure yet, but if you want to cut Stuckey to pick up a productive member of the fantasy hoops society, go for it.

As for Tyrus Thomas? His last two games have been dreadful, due to limited minutes. I'm not cutting him until he loses the starting gig, which could be next game. But if he hits the pine, it's hello Brandan Wright, Yi Jianlian, Joel Przybilla or some other second-rate fantasy player who is getting minutes. Then again, the Bulls clearly went small against Cleveland, as Aaron Gray and Joakim Noah didn't get any run, either. I still believe in TT, but am prepared for the worst. I'm just not ready to bail on him yet.

Bottom line: Drop Stuckey, hold Thomas.

Side note: As for Marvin Williams and Al Harrington? They're another story. If you have to cut Marvin, do it. But I am not recommending that you do so. As for Harrington, I'm not doing anything but benching him until I can get a feel for where he'll land in a trade. I'm still feeling Detroit, which wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing. But plan on benching him as it looks like he and Nellie have finally had their showdown. We'll see.

Deron's status is still up in the air. He's going to miss at least two weeks, which knocks him out for the first week of the regular season and possibly longer. But any way you slice, at least two weeks is a heckuva lot better than 4-6 weeks and we've restored him to his former spot on the fantasy radar. He's a fast healer, but don't be surprised if he takes a little longer to get back to full strength than the seemingly harmless "one week" of missed games. I'm just sayin'...

While we're expecting the worst, it's entirely possible the team could announce on Monday that the sprain is moderate instead of severe and call him questionable for opening night. I don't think that scenario is likely, but it's possible.

What we're probably looking at is a 4-6 week timeframe for his return and if that's the case, he's no longer a Top10 pick - at least in my mind. His 82-game season has probably been shortened to something closer to 65 games, although he will still have more value in playoff leagues. You just have to get through the first part of the season if you take him.

This is a potentiallly devastating injury and I'm still hoping for the best. But at this point, I'm not sure Williams should be taken before the third round. I will definitely feel that way if his prognosis comes back as 4-6 weeks.

So, if you're drafting before the results are official, I'd recommend targeting him in the second round for now. I've dropped him to around the 17th overall pick on our Draft Guide's cheat sheets. It's a gamble that could pay off if the injury isn't as severe as everyone believes it is. But if his timetable is set at 4-6 week, it could be a full two months before he's back to full speed. And that's just a shame. If that's the case, I'll probably drop him down into the 30's.

And in case you already own him and are wondering, I think Ronnie Price is the back up to grab. Brevin Knight is currently hurt and doesn't know the Jazz's offense, while Price has the trust of Jerry Sloan and his teammates.

Hopefully I'm wrong and Williams will be back in the second week of the regular season, but at this point that doesn't seem likely.

But after going through four or five industry league mock drafts, it became clear that other folks weren't smelling what I was cooking. So I started inching Camby down the list until he landed in his righful spot of somewhere around No. 20. I still like him and think he's going to have a good year (if he ever gets into a preseason game - yikes), but there's no reason for you to target him in the first round if he's going to be there later.

Dwyane Wade started out ranked fairly low in leagues that count turnovers. I ranked him out of the Top 24 last year and caught heck for it, but he only made it through 51 games. But this year, things look and feel much different. He was great at the Olympics and seems healthy for the first time in forever. In leagues that don't count turnovers, i initially ranked Wade pretty high and about where he is going in drafts (5-10 overall). But in leagues that count turnovers, I figured he'd lead the league in that category and dropped him out of the first round.

Time may prove that is where he belongs, but it's sure not where he going. Turnovers or no turnovers, Wade is going anywhere from 5-12 in every draft I've seen. It took me a little time to accept the fact that I was probably wrong, but I finally came to my senses and bumped him up to the first round in both formats. Now we'll see if my original instinct was right or wrong.

A good friend once said to me "If nothing else, cheat sheets are fluid," which is certainly true. And as for guys like Lamar Odom, Andrei Kirilenko, Gilbert Arenas, Manu Ginobili and Monta Ellis, I say just stay away and let someone else deal with them. Odom and AK's new bench roles are simply scary, while the other three guys' injuries are so severe that they're not even "steal material" based on where you'll have to take them. There is a real possibility that Ellis and Arenas don't ever appear as their former selves this season, while Manu's minutes were already iffy to begin with. I say stay away.

The league has been finalized and is set up as follows:

Categories - Pts, Ast, FG%, FT%, 3pts, Rbs., Stls, Blks

Rosters will be 14 players deep. The starting lineup consists of 10 spots:
PG, SG, G, SF, PF, F, C, C, UT, UT
4 Bench Spots

This will be a 12 team H2H Roto category based scoring league.

Here are the participants:

Rotoworld.com - Steve Alexander
RotoExperts.com - Tommy Landry, Tom Lorenzo, Hector Castro (2 teams)
SI.com - Tom Carpenter
RotoHog.com - Jon Loomer
CBSSportsline.com - Sergio Gonzalez
FantasyBasketball.com - Jamaal Gilbert
Yahoo.com - Matt Buser
Fanball.com - Corey Elfrink
ESPN.com - Seth Landman
Rotowire/NBA.com - Andre Snelling
SportingNews.com - Brad Winkler & Matt Lutovsky (1 team)

I'm going to be out of town over the weekend and may not have time to remind you all of this draft, but will post the results after it takes place on Tuesday night. See you there.

Regardless of how many league I try to get out of, I just keep ending up in more. I'm in at least 12-15 leagues this year, which is going to kill me. Expect a lot of losses from me this year, as I'll spend an entire day setting lineups.

Here is the draft order thus far. This league drafts about one round per day, so it can be excruciatingly painful if you're not ready for the snail's pace.

Round 1

1. LeBron James
2. Chris Paul
3. Kobe Bryant
4. Amare Stoudemire
5. Kevin Garnett
6. Dwyane Wade
7. Deron Williams
8. Allen Iverson
9. Dwight Howard
10. Yao Ming
11. Dirk Nowitzki (me)
12. Elton Brand

Round 2 Incomplete

13. Al Jefferson
14. Josh Smith (me - finally got my man, but almost took Melo instead.)
15. Carlos Boozer
16. Kevin Durant
17. Carmelo Anthony
18. Tim Duncan
19. Chris Bosh
20. Baron Davis

I think Baron and Melo are potential steals here, and Durant should be great in this format. Obviously you can't screw up your draft this early, and this league is won in the trenches. There are 17 rounds and you play two centers, four guards, four forwards and a two flex players. Making the right picks in the 12th round or so is key to having a great team in this league.

I've got Iverson ranked around No. 20, despite the fact he finished last season with Top 10 value. I sense an implosion coming in Denver this season and Iverson may run out of motivation. He's also running on old legs and it's going to have to catch up to him at some point. If you disagree with me, I certainly see the argument being made to use a Top 12 pick on him. I'd just rather invest in a younger player that early. The unresolved contract and a lack of D in Denver is going to be interesting to watch. If Iverson was ever primed for a dropoff, it's this season. We'll see.