After spending the past couple of days in the media hotbed known casually as the NBA Draft, I wanted to recap some of the interesting stories that go along with covering the league?s finest day.  From crazy quotes during interviews to the quirky inner workings of the WaMu Theater, there were plenty of memories that will last a lifetime that stuck out to me as different from NBA Drafts past.  

For some reason, this year?s Draft was a lot more comfortable than last year?s.  The 2007 NBA Draft seemed to be a much bigger production, with the stars shining brighter than the big stage of New York City.  Greg Oden and Kevin Durant was a legit heavyweight bout, with every person with a digital recorder wishing to capture every word said by the two gentle giants.  

Along with the Oden/Durant fiasco was the trio of stars-in-the-making from the University of Florida.  Al Horford, Corey Brewer, and Joakim Noah were all top 10 picks, and everyone wanted to ask them about their bond as back-to-back collegiate national champions.  

Throw in the international spectacle of Yi Jianlian and glut of talented mid-first round small forwards in Thaddeus Young, Al Thornton, and Julian Wright, and we had a very raucous crowd on hand for the Media Availability Day.  

This year was a bit different.  The lines weren?t as long at the Garden or the Westin, the hordes of media members dressed more casually, the air conditioning was in full force, and the stakes seemed to be less.  I saw many familiar faces in the interview ballroom, and everyone seemed to be enjoying the event moreso than in years past.  

The players arrived dressed finer than any class before them and developed a strong comfort level with cameras and microphones shoved in their faces.  I was able to sit down and talk one-on-one with many more prospects than in years past due to the seemingly smaller crowd that was on hand.  

I extracted plenty of quotes from this year?s talented crop of ballers and wanted to share some of the highlights with the fans.

Starting off the festivities, Italian stud Danilo Gallinari was the first to enter the room.  He was a lot taller and more charismatic than I would have ever predicted.  He engaged in solid conversation with people all around him and was very relaxed and comfortable dealing with the media.  At some points, he was unable to decipher some of the questions due to some misunderstandings with the language barrier, but all in all, he was quite pleasant.  

He seemed to have all the right answers and handled the room like a politician, constantly being barraged with questions about the ability of his game to translate to the USA.  When I asked him what he planned to bring to whatever team selected him, he simply said, ?For the team I will do what the team needs to win.?

Next up on my list were the Brothers Lopez.  Stationed next to each other in the room, I decided to go to Brook before Robin.  Both seemed a bit uneasy and barely seemed human.  They were giant and definitely had the size and strength for the NBA game.  

Both talked about emulating Tim Duncan, but each gave me a quote to hold on to.  When asked about his defensive ability, Brook gave me an interesting answer about how he plans to improve this facet of his game.  ?I?ve been trying to emulate Robin?s game defensively, so I can become the most complete basketball player I can be,? noted Brook.  

I thought that was interesting and a very strong compliment for the defensive aspect of his brother?s game.  Hoping to draw an answer of ?Anderson Varejao? from Robin, I asked him who his game most resembles.  He responded arrogantly by saying, ?I don?t think there?s anybody I really compare to in the NBA.?  A moment of awkward silence came across the table, and he clarified his statement by saying that he wants to be his own player.

Fair enough.

After leaving the Stanford standouts, I headed over to another Pac-10 favorite.  Jerryd Bayless was a very well spoken and impressive individual.  His hands were giant, and he spoke very candidly with the press.  He seemed to be lobbying for a spot on the Knicks when he mentioned, ?I'd love that - playing for Coach D?Antoni and playing in New York would be a great situation.?

Then Bayless followed that up by talking about his experience so far at the Draft, ?It seems like all these deals are going on all over the place behind the scenes, and it's something I never really thought about before being a part of it.?  Well, he was definitely a part of it.  After slipping to the Pacers at 11, he was then part of the deal that sent him to the Blazers along with Ike Diogu for Brandon Rush, Josh McRoberts, and Jarret Jack.

Moving across the room I then had a few moments with Andrew Perna?s new favorite Brandon Rush.  He was dressed very well and handled a lot of questions relating to his experience of winning a national title.  At one point, when asked which player he didn?t want to have to play against, he jokingly yelled out, ?Mike Beasley ? he?s unstoppable!?

Beasley was constantly surrounded by a large contingent of reporters and was likely unable to hear the praises sent his way from Brandon Rush.  He was difficult to get in close to, but I was able to capture his joke, stating that he hadn?t talked to Dwyane Wade about Miami because, ?Nah, he?s not in my Fave Five, I haven?t heard from him.?

O.J. Mayo was a very sharp looking guy.  He also seemed a lot smaller and skinnier than anticipated.  I saw him give Derrick Rose a hug outside of the elevator, and he appeared to be only an inch taller than the dynamic point guard from Memphis.  

Mayo seemed very excited to be there and let the crowd know that he was ?more excited than nervous.?  He continued by saying ?I just want to play in the NBA ? this is definitely a dream come true.?

The next group of prospects came into the second session of the day, and immediately I hit up my favorites.  Anthony Randolph was not only the youngest guy but also seemed to be the biggest.  His 6-11 frame was towering and his massive hands made mine feel like the paw of a kitten.  When someone asked about what he planned to buy with his newfound lucrative income, he stated, ?Nothing yet, I haven?t signed a check, so I don?t have any money right now.?  Spoken like a true college kid.

Next, I moved on to speak with Kevin Love.  He looked really skinny, and his hands appeared tiny compared to his tall body.  That came across as interesting for a guy who is renowned for his outlet passing and ability to finish in traffic around the hoop.  He also handled the crowd like a celebrity and was very comical.  When I asked him what would be his toughest adjustment in going to the NBA, he said, ?The rookie hazing!?

Derrick Rose was the star of the second session.  He was constantly surrounded and seemed to be half asleep in his chair.  His attention spiked when talking about his hometown Chicago and was often asked about his infatuation for gummy bears and various candies.  He confessed that he was training on a new diet, saying, ?I?ve been eating right ? just grilled chicken and good sandwiches.?

I grabbed a few quotes here and there from the rest of the Green Room guys, but most of them were listed in my previous column, A Calm Uneasiness to Media Day.  Look back for some additional highlights from Media Day.

As for the Draft itself, we arrived plenty early in order to set up shop and explore the WaMu Theater to its fullest.  The media workroom had plenty of big name reporters as Andrew Perna even helped ESPN?s Around The Horn fixture Jay Mariotti to his seat.  

The workroom was flooded with laptops and Blackberrys, and servers at the MSG Play By Play restaurant were nearly forcing each person to drink the sponsor?s Sprite products.  We found the media dining area and were privy to mountains of chicken parmesan, manicotti, mashed potatoes, an array of fruits and vegetable dishes, and piles of cookies and cakes.  The drinks were warm, but this year we were fortunate to be given cups with ice, as well.  

Once David Stern kicked off the Draft, it was all down to business.  Kevin Durant was a few feet behind us in the media balcony and doing an on-air radio interview prior to Seattle?s pick.  He was laughing it up and legitimately excited about his new teammate, when Russell Westbrook was called up to the podium with the fourth pick.  

The place was loud and electric when the hometown Knicks were on the clock, with chants of ?Jer-ryd Bay-less? piercing our eardrums.  When the Gallinari selection was made, it was jeering and booing to its fullest, a loudness I had never before experienced at the WaMu.  

The rest of the Draft seemed less eventful, with very few trades emerging from a Draft that many predicted would yield a record high.  One thought that was a topic of discussion was the fact that it is going to be a weird sight to see Richard Jefferson in a Bucks' uniform.  Now that the Nets? big three has been whittled down to just Vince Carter, one can only assume he must be on the move next.  To Cleveland?  New York?  Philadelphia?  The Clippers?

A final tidbit to share from the night was when I packed up and headed back to the MSG cabstand to go back to where I was staying in the Village.  Standing in line two people in front of me was newly-drafted Alexis Ajinca, the 20th pick of the Charlotte Bobcats.  He was by far the tallest person on the block, and I watched as he spoke in French to his 10-man entourage of family members and scantily dressed women.  

While many bystanders watched the 7-foot Frenchman move around rather fluidly, I was most excited about seeing him attempt to squeeze into a world famous NYC yellow cab.  He went in head first, and used his arms to reel in his alien-like super-long legs.  That was an anecdote from the Draft that I felt was necessary for all RealGM readers to share with me.

The Draft was a very memorable time for me and for everybody involved.  From the players to the front office members, from the media to the security guards, and from the concession stand workers to Commissioner David Stern himself, everyone had a great time and put in  tons of work to make it a successful night.  

I leave you with my one final thought that is currently plaguing my mind ? man, only 363 more days until we get to do it again!

Feel free to contact Jason M. Williams with your thoughts. He can be reached at Jason.Williams@RealGM.com for comments and questions.