I just got back from NYC and had a very full two days. I flew in on Wednesday and went to visit friends at Topps. I spoke with basketball brand manager Don Wang for a while and they really have some great stuff coming in basketball. I'll write more about a high-end basketball product Topps is coming out with early next week, but this entry of my blog is more NBA Draft oriented.

After leaving Topps, I headed WAY uptown to Rucker Park. If you haven't been to either, Topps is way down in southern tip of Manhattan and the Rucker is at 155th and 8th in Harlem so it's a long ride. There weren't many big names in the first game, but I got to see Molloy "The Future" Nesmith play. I've seen him before, but never at Rucker. He played at Utah State in the 80s and would do tricks and dance a little in the middle of the game and still complete the plays and he's been in every Rucker documentary ever made. They called the game close to halftime so I actually talked with him for a bit. I also sat right next to Ice T during the games, which was pretty cool.

As for the draft, it was packed with Knicks fans and haters and was one of the deepest drafts in a long time. I was in the lower tier of seets and pretty close to the stage with Stuart Scott right in front of me. I have no idea why the Bucks would draft a guy that has already said he won't play for them, especially with Corey Brewer available. And I have no idea how Glen Davis and Gabe Pruitt fell to the second round. I also think Portland did a great job, not only getting Oden, but trading for Rudy Fernandez and adding Josh McRoberts and Taurean Green in the second round when both players could have been first rounders.

General observations include that Knicks fans still like Isiah Thomas and have faith in his decisions. Wilson Chandler was an instant celebrity when he was drafted and the Zach Randolph trade (and moreso getting rid of Steve Francis) was extremely popular. The players that seemed to be having the most fun were Brewer, who never stopped smiling the entire night, and, of course, Joakim Noah, who signed and greeted everyone he could and even reappeared midway through the draft dancing so a Michael Jackson song. You may not like him at home, but it's hard to dislike a guy that takes 10 minutes to walk down the aisle by the fans because he's so busy making sure acknowledges, greets, signs for and high fives everyone near him.

I'll close this entry by mentioning those that annoyed me. First, someone please shut the guy up that is yelling "Patrick Ewing" before David Stern announces each pick and is sitting one row behind me. Seriously, that draft was almost 25 years ago and this guy yelled it every single pick. And while a lot of people left after the lottery or Knicks pick, this guy stuck around until the middle of the second round. Second, the guy right in front of me that has to stand up and way a Florida banner at every pick needs to sit down and show his love other ways. Wear a Gators hat or shirt to show your appreciation. Luckily, he left soon after Noah got selected.

Who ever thought that the NBA Finals showcasing players like LeBron James, Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili would be the springboard for rookie Daniel Gibson to get noticed in the hobby? 

The hot-shooting rookie guard from Texas has heated up significantly in the card market during the past several weeks. He averaged only 4.6 points per game all season, but has erupted during the Eastern Conference Finals and NBA Finals, averaging 13.5 ppg vs. Detroit and then 11 ppg in the Finals, including 31 in Game 6 of the Eastern Finals when the Cavs eliminated Detroit.

His rookie cards were completely off the radar a month ago, but demand is now off the charts, helping his Bowman Chrome autograph (#153) to jump from $15 to $30 and his Fleer E-X rookie (#48) to climb from $12 to $25. Other rookies singles of Gibson have also left the common rookie category and are now in strong demand.

Two others players that are getting some long-overdue hobby attention are Parker and Ginobili. Combining with Duncan to form a devastating trio, they sometimes are forgotten among card collectors.

Parker’s most active rookie card is a 2001-02 Upper Deck SPx (#91), which has jumped from $40 to $50. His SP Authentic (#134) is signed and numbered to just 700, which makes it relatively tough to find, has climbed from $40 to $60.

Ginobili’s most pursued rookies include: 2002-03 SP Authentic (#172, $80), Bowman Signature Edition (#SE-EG, $80) and Topps Finest (#163, $50). All are high on collector wantlists, but haven’t risen in price recently. Another single worth noting is the 2002-03 Upper Deck Inspirations Dual Signature card featuring autographs from both players and is up from $60 to $75. Both player’s rarest rookies are from Ultimate Collection, with Parker in the 2001-02 set (#64, up from $50 to $60) and Ginobili in the 2002-03 set (#93, $125), but it’s tougher to find them.

Also, the lack of impact rookies has hurt this year’s basketball card market, but the typical, end-of-the-season, high-end products that are hitting have given it a much-needed lift. Bowman Sterling, SP Authentic and Topps Triple Threads are all doing pretty well in hobby stores and are priced in this issue. Upper Deck Reserve, Trilogy and UD Ultimate Collection all hit recently. Exquisite Collection and Finest will all hit during the next month and appear to be loaded.

As for rookies, Adam Morrison has slumped, while Brandon Roy continues to rise. Tyrus Thomas gained some popularity with his playoff exposure, while LaMarcus Aldridge has heated up with his strong late-season play and the news that he’ll be playing with Greg Oden next season. As mentioned, Gibson is the biggest mover in the rookie class this month.

The NBA and MeiGray Group have introduced nbagameworn.com, a website where fans can find game-worn jerseys of their favorite NBA players. The site is part of the NBA and MeiGray Group’s game-worn jersey authentication program. 

Authentic game-worn jerseys and game-used basketballs from a variety of teams and events tagged with individually numbered counterfeit-proof tags or NBA holograms will be available at nbagameworn.com and through NBA Auctions on NBA.com. Every item will be registered in the NBA Authentication Database and all are unconditionally guaranteed.

MeiGray has been designated as the official game-worn source of the NBA. Every game-used item comes direct from the game in which it was used and is verfied by an on-site NBA or MeiGray Authentication Program representative.

“Collectors across the globe for years have been asking for legitimate game-worn items, and finally, they can be certain they are getting authentic items coming directly from the league,” said Barry Meisel, MeiGray president and COO.

It's great to know that there's finally a place to avoid the confusion of whether a jersey is game-worn or just game-issued. It would be nice to see some type of industry-wide program to clear up the mess of 1987-to-present jerseys.

NBA fans love this time of year. No, not because of the Finals, but because of all the draft hype. All the pre-draft camp news, private workouts and crazy rumors bouncing around make it hard to stop reading espn.com, hoopshype.com and draftexpress.com, as well as all the other sources like team sites, player sites and local newspapers.

It's not just the draft stuff that's fun to read, it's all the other rumors too. Players like Kobe, Shawn Marion, Kevin Garnett, Zach Randolph, Vince Carter, Lamar Odom, Pau Gasol and plenty of others are mentioned in various trade rumors. Some are true, some aren't anywhere close to the truth.

As for the players in the draft, my top five is Greg Oden, Kevin Durant, Al Horford, Mike Conley and Corey Brewer, in that order. I know Brandan Wright is up there on most boards, but he's not a lock and I think the five I mentioned are and he's already insisting on working out alone for teams, which isn't the mark of a great competitor. I also know Yi Jianlian is highly ranked, but don't believe in rating players I've never seen.

Some mid-first-round sleepers that might turn into superstars include: Jeff Green, Nick Young, Gabe Pruitt, Thaddeus Young and Rodney Stuckey. All are very skilled offensively and have a world of upside.

Bigger sleepers that probably won't go in the first round include: Glen Davis, Jared Dudley, Taurean Green, Curtis Sumpter, Bobby Brown and DaShaun Wood. Davis may be the most skilled post player in the draft and if his weight is under control, he's a monster in the paint. Dudley knows how to play, plays very hard and is a underrated shooter; he'll be in the league for 10 years. Green is a great shooter and poised at the point. Sumpter would be a lottery pick if he didn't blow out the same ACL twice, but he's still got all the heart. Brown is an ultra-smooth shooting guard with a beautiful shot and Wood is a speedster, who should catch on as a backup point with an uptempo team.

That's what I know. I'm actually going to the draft this year so it should be a great time. It's always interesting seeing who slips and who jumps up the draft board. I'm sure I'll write another blog from the draft with some of the interesting things I see.