Draft leftovers, NBA Playoffs show a pulse and I don't know just read the thing...

• If you missed the season, but watched the draft, you'd think that 29 of the 32 teams were happy with their quarterback play.  Of course, I watch all the games (RIP "El Guapo's"), so I marvel week after week at how many bad QBs get reps at the sport's highest level.  Going into next season, Trent Edwards/Brian Brohm (Buffalo), Jason Campbell (Raiders), Matt Cassel (Chiefs), Matt Hasselbeck (Seahawks), Jake Delhomme (Browns), Dennis Dixon (Steelers), David Garrard (Jaguars) and Alex Smith (49ers) are set to start opening day, which I guess is cool with those teams. 
• Over three days of debate, I never once heard an on-field argument against Jimmy Clausen.  He threw 28 touchdown passes to only 4 interceptions last season.  Works for me...
• The Browns passed on Colt McCoy approximately 14 times before selecting him, so if he turns out to be a good one, they don't deserve that much credit. 
• The three winners: Detroit, Seattle and Oakland.  The Lions had the best 1st round of any team.  Despite picking #2, they nabbed the best player in the draft (Ndamukong Suh) and snuck back in to steal Jahvid Best, who is equally as explosive as C.J. Spiller. 
• In my neck of the woods, Pete Carroll might have rubbed some people the wrong way, but in doing so, he showed the Seahawks fanbase that he's willing to play the cutthroat game that it takes to win in the NFL.  Without any sentiment, he grabbed the best left tackle (Russell Okung), the second best safety (Earl Thomas) and maybe the most talented player in the 2nd round (Golden Tate).  In addition, he used his Pac-10 knowledge to grab DB Walter Thurmond III, who missed his Senior year at Oregon with an injury, but would have been a top prospect otherwise.  Plus, he got Leon Washington and LenDale White for nothing in trades.
• Lastly, Al Davis must officially be Bernie.  The Raiders are propping him up, but somebody else is making the decisions.  Rolando McClain will be the new leader of what's shaping up to be one of the best defenses in the NFL.  They got workout warrior OT Bruce Campbell in the 4th round when many expected him to be their first selection.  While I'm not a big fan of Jason Campbell, he is strangely a good fit for Oakland.  He throws the deep ball well, has good feet and does not need to be developed, which is this franchise's greatest shortcoming.
• The draft losers: Denver, Jacksonville and Buffalo.  Josh McDaniels spent all weekend trying to prove that he's the smartest person in the room.  He better be or he'll be the smartest TV analyst in two years.
• Jacksonville drafted four straight defensive linemen that jumped out at nobody but them.  They followed that with an anonymous running back and a kick returner.  Did Rachel Phelps buy this team?  They drafted like a franchise looking to be relocated.  "This guy here is dead."  "Cross him off then."
• The Bills came into the draft with two obvious needs, QB and OL.  They did not address either problem until round 5.  Instead, they drafted the only position that they have covered, speed back.  I'm not a Marshawn Lynch fan, but he and Fred Jackson are passable.  I'll buy you a sandwich if you can name one Bills offensive lineman without looking it up.
• The NFL and MLB are better overall products than the NBA, but the association treats us to individual performances that the other leagues cannot match.  In potentially his farewell performance, Dwyane Wade rose to the occasion Sunday.  He scored 46 points in 43 minutes on only 24 shots.  If he had not missed 5 free throws, he could have dropped 50 on a Celtics defense that only had eyes for him.  Wade is a special player, but his shelf life is shorter than most because he's always taken a beating in Miami.  He needs to think about himself this Summer and jettison Miami unless they get him Chris Bosh.
• While the Cavs are plainly a lot better than the Bulls, LeBron James still used Sunday to make the loudest statement of his career.  He has been the best player in the league for a couple years now, but he's never played with the anger or intensity that he brought to Chicago Sunday.  After seeing his demeanor, there was no safer bet in sports this century than the Cavs over the Bulls in Game 4. 
• As I tweeted Sunday, James pulled up from midcourt and drained a three at the quarter buzzer.  We've seen him make crazy shots before, but this was different.  The moment he let go of the shot, he started posing for his celebration.  How could anyone be good enough that they are sure a half-court shot is going down once the ball leaves their fingers?  I'm now convinced that the Cavs are going to win this tournament. 
• In sports, we see so many inspirational examples of teams rallying around fallen teammates or coaches that we almost take it for granted.  In Denver's case, I assumed that they would "win it for George Karl."  On the contrary, they are completely lost without their head coach.  Carmelo Anthony is doing his best, but the fight is clearly missing from this Nuggets team.
• Deron Williams is cementing his position as one of the game's elite players.  Despite injuries to Andrei Kirilenko and Mehmet Okur, Williams has shouldered the load and controlled the series from Game 2 on. 
• The Lakers will probably overcome the Thunder because Oklahoma City is bound to throw a game away once they realize that they actually can win this series.  However, THEY CAN WIN THIS SERIES.  Last year, the Lakers screwed around with the Houston Rockets in Round 2 until burying them in Game 7.  If you remember though, Yao Ming missed the back end of that series, so the Lakers knew that they were not going against live bodies that could stick with them when they hit their finishing kick.  If nothing else, the Thunder are live.
• Watching Chauncey Billups try and guard Deron Williams is sad, but watching Derek Fisher try and stay in front of Russell Westbrook is downright laughable.  In boxing, they say your power goes last.  For Fisher, he has lost everything that he once did well, but he can still make an open shot.  Phil Jackson has to decide whether or not Fisher's shooting ability overrides his turnstile defense.  Of course, it would not be an issue if they had another three-point shooter....
• ...which brings us to Ron Artest.  Trevor Ariza shot 49.7% from the field in the 2009 playoffs and 47.6% from three.  Ron-Ron is making a dazzling 30% of his shots, including a brick-laying 13% from distance.  Mitch Kupchak has been crapping golden eggs for two years now, but he overplayed his hand this Summer.  Artest is an off the bounce offensive player.  He has never been a catch and shoot guy, which he's making abundantly clear with his postseason display. 
• When the Spurs started really showing their age a few years back against the Suns, Robert Horry checked Steve Nash into the scorer's table and flipped the series.  If the Lakers start to feel truly insecure, do not discount the possibility that Artest, Josh Powell or Fisher could body slam Westbrook on one of his olympic leaps to the hoop.  The Lakers will win this series thanks to their experience and getting dirty is one possible method.
• The Spurs and Mavs are both veteran teams, so they are not afraid to get dirty.  Add Jason Kidd to the list of veteran point guards, who is getting taken to the cleaners.  George Hill looks like the only pair of fresh legs in this series. 
• Tim Duncan went 1/9 and scored only 4 points on Sunday...in a winning effort.  If they keep winning, we should see more DeJuan Blair spelling the clearly worn down Duncan.
• Despite Dwight Howard's constant foul trouble, which really should not be a big problem at this point in his career, the Magic have responded well and surprisingly taken care of their business against Larry Brown's Bobcats. 
• Both my parents had the same meniscus surgery that Brandon Roy had and they were back running in a week.  He should be fine in the short term.  Long term, the wear and tear will be a problem.  
• Avery Johnson should be the next coach of the New Orleans Hornets.  He has strong ties to the city.  He showed promise during his time in Dallas, which he's undoubtedly learned from.  And, he's happy to build his team around a point guard, which is a necessity given Chris Paul is their only hope.
• As I mature (sort of), I push myself to retry things that I did not like when I was a kid.  Particularly with food, my palate has developed and I like nearly everything save for a few texture issues (Jello...).  So, I opened my mind to giving Javier Vazquez another shot.  I don't know if it's texture, but it's still not working.  He is afraid of his fastball, so he nibbles around the strike zone.  He's constantly in bad counts.  He works slowly.  Basically, he's Daisuke Matsuzaka, who I have been mocking for years now.  If an NL GM was smart, they'd make a decent offer for Dice-K, who would probably put up Vazquez like numbers in the NL. 
• David Price wins the April Cy Young.  He is the best pitcher in the American League right now in terms of stuff.  If he can stay healthy and continue to grow in confidence, he'll make the Rays the AL favorites. 
• Has anyone noticed that the Angels cannot run anymore?  Their best base stealer is Erick Aybar, but he's never swiped more than 14 bags in a season.  Bobby Abreu, Torii Hunter and Howie Kendrick run occasionally, but they have become a typical American League lineup.  They took two of three from the Yanks this weekend thanks to increased team patience and clutch power from Kendry Morales.  
• The Padres 11-7 start is bad news for the Red Sox or anyone else hoping to land Adrian Gonzalez.  If they stay competitive until the trading deadline, he won't be on the market.
• Community and Modern Family are waging quite a war for the best comedy on TV.  Community wins with originality, while Modern Family takes the writing prize.  What's your vote?

Like Jello, Javier Vazquez makes me want to gag.  "It's gettin' late early" in his second Yankee career.