Who's it gonna be?

Courtney Lee? Chris Douglas Roberts? Roy Hibbert? Bill Walker? Robin Lopez?

Who will be the Magic's pick at #22 in the first round?

You NBA Draft geeks are in your glory this time of year.

I have been covering the draft for a long time now. Some would say too long. I actually covered the draft before the internet age when reporters actually had to work their contacts and the phones instead of browsing the web to get their 'inside' information.

There are scores of NBA Draft related websites. They each have their own mock drafts, team needs and player profiles. Heck, some even proclaim to have the 2020 NBA Draft already broken down!

Now, these websites are invaluable. I love 'em. I couldn't do my draft prep without them. But can we please get real with some perspective here?

Did you ever notice that each potential draftee is the next coming of (insert name here)? Derrick Rose is Dwayne Wade. Michael Beasley is Carmelo Anthony. OJ Mayo is Ben Gordon. Kevin Love is, gulp, Wes Unseld? Wes Unseld? Kevin Love couldn't carry the ole Baltimore Bullet's jock strap. Derrick Rose is a very good player, but comparing him to D-Wade? PUUHLEAASE. Let's allow these guys to become who they are, not who we want them to be.

Ya ever notice how, according to the web, every player has tremendous upside and is seemingly a Hall of Famer in the making? "Incredibly explosive"..."Great Shooter"..."Athletic"..."Excellent floor vision"..."Gifted offensive player". Not once have I seen, "This guy's a bust waiting to happen" or, "Stay away from picking this cancer!". 1-60, these potential draftees all have the potential to become the next coming of Bird, Magic and Michael combined. You want to know that truth? The truth of the matter is that a majority of these 60 players won't even be in the NBA in three years.

With that said, these sites can be valuable tools to find out what's going on in other cities. So, because of their popularity, they're also used in counter-intelligence. Say, for instance, that Magic GM Otis Smith is interested in taking Courtney Lee from Western Kentucky with the #22 pick. Do you think that, in this day of the instant information age, Otis would allow that 411 to get out on the web so that other teams can peruse in real time? What I am saying here is that there is a whole bunch NBA execs whose noses are growing this time of year. Why in the world would any NBA GM show his hand?

I have my favorite NBA Draft websites. The depth of some of these sites is absolutely phenomenal.

But, this time of year, don't believe everything ya read.