NBA Draft takes odd twists, turns

Several eyebrow-raising oddities emerged from the NBA Draft on Thursday. Nothing was strange about Kentucky point guard John Wall going No. 1 overall, but the 59 players who were selected after him created some curiosity.

Start with the Wildcats, who produced an unprecedented five first-round picks. DeMarcus Cousins (fifth), Patrick Patterson (14th), Eric Bledsoe (18th) and Daniel Orton (29th) were also called by NBA commissioner David Stern.

"The achievement will raise an interesting question: Why didn't the Wildcats breeze to a national championship? Or at least end the school's longest absence from a Final Four?" wrote Jerry Tipton of the Lexington (Ky.) Herald-Leader.

Here's the answer: John Calipari is a far better recruiter than coach.

Only one player from the Final Four teams -- Butler's Gordon Hayward, who went No. 9 to Utah -- was drafted in the first round.

If Kentucky's five underclassmen had stayed in school, Calipari would be favored to win the title next season. But rebuilding annually is the price he pays for recruiting one-and-done players.

Calipari was not the lone underachieving bench jockey, based on draft results. Texas coach Rick Barnes had three of the first 32 picks -- Avery Bradley, Damion James and Dexter Pittman -- but failed to win one NCAA Tournament game.

Another oddity: UNR had more players picked (two) than the entire Mountain West Conference (one).

■ VITALE REWIND -- ESPN's analysts make many bold statements and predictions during the draft. Most of them -- but not all -- are forgotten.

A year ago, after predraft trades sent Shaquille O'Neal to Cleveland and Richard Jefferson to San Antonio, Dick Vitale shouted this forecast for the 2009-10 season: "I think Santa Claus came early for Cleveland and San Antonio. They will be playing for the title next year, and Cleveland is going to be celebrating, baby."

Neither team even reached the conference finals. It's not the first time Vitale has flopped with the NBA, baby.

■ NAKED TRUTH -- According to Sportsbybrooks.com, Carmen Electra settled a lawsuit against the Naked Women's Wrestling League. Electra hosted events and appeared on league DVDs.

She alleged the NWWL released DVDs featuring her image, including "Twin Peaks," "Operation Naked Storm" and "Tag Team Dream," without payment. The legal side of this note is irrelevant.

Critics say wrestling is scripted and isn't a real sport. The guys here in the Leftovers department disagree, and we plan to apply for credentials to cover all future NWWL events.

■ ANOTHER DOMINO FALLS -- Conference expansion is out of control, and now comes more news that could turn college athletics upside down. It has been reported the Summit League will begin evaluating the University of North Dakota for possible membership.

The Big Ten, Big 12 and Pac-10 missed out on this one. The lucrative North Dakota TV market is a sleeping giant.

COMPILED BY MATT YOUMANS
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL