Arriving in the Big Apple

"Here it is. Heart of New York City. Times Square. Named for the … good times you have when you’re in it."
--Michael Scott (The Office)

For a column in college, I once wrote that going to a Big 5 triple-header was heaven for a college hoops fan.

I may need to amend that because today’s visit to the Westin Hotel in Times Square was pretty freaking memorable.

From 1-2 p.m., nearly all of the projected lottery picks for tomorrow’s NBA Draft filed into a banquet room, sat at different tables with please-don’t-hurt-me looks in their eyes and waited as sportswriters from around the country lunged at them like Homer Simpson for a keg of Duff beer.

And now, as I’m sitting here writing in the Westin’s lobby, Greg Oden is about five feet behind me, signing autographs and smiling for cameras. Yes, it’s true what they say about him: he’s tall.

Anyway, I have a lot of material and quotes to decipher, but I’ll be back shortly, with separate entries from the two groups of players who spoke to the media – and, of course, some of the highlights, and lowlights, from the session.

Right now, I think I’m about to follow Michael Scott’s lead and get some of that famous New York pizza – at Sbarro. Check back in soon!

--Dave Zeitlin
Wednesday, 3 p.m.