Jeff and Greg reconvene for another session of “On the Couch”, just in time for the NBA Draft. Follow along throughout the day on Wednesday and feel free to participate in the comments section.

Jeff (10:33 a.m.): Being the Celtics fan that I am, I must admit that I am feeling somewhere around zero buzz surrounding the 2008 NBA Draft. Combined with my NBA attention being focused on the playoffs for so long and a college basketball season I barely found the energy to pay attention to, I’m not coming at this with the greatest amount of expertise. Hopefully there will be some interesting trades involving veterans I recognize. Some names I’ve heard that might get shipped: Jermaine O’Neal, Elton Brand, Shawn Marion, Corey Maggette, T.J. Ford. By the way, I feel like I should get medical benefits just from typing Jermaine O’Neal’s name. Jermaine O’Neal. Jermaine O’Neal. That will be eight Percosets.

Assuming Chicago takes Derrick Rose first, will Miami keep the No. 2 pick and select Michael Beasley, or trade it away?

Greg (12:10 p.m.): I’ve seen Beasley play exactly once and I don’t have a feel for where he belongs in the draft. My instinct is that wherever he goes, he is going to be a fantasy monster. You have to love numbers guys, and for some reason, I see Beasley as such. Anyone who has seen him play more than once is lying. It is nearly impossible to sit through a college basketball game, particularly if it’s a non-NCAA Tournament game.

I’m a big Kevin Love guy. Beasley will put up way better numbers, but Love has the makings of a winner. I haven’t seen enough of O.J. Mayo, but from what I understand, he’s oozing with talent.

Aren’t you a Georgetown fan? Why hasn’t Roy Hibbert’s name surfaced anywhere in the top 20? Two seasons ago, he was probably the best big man in the country. He is kind of deliberate, but he is a legit 7-2, he plays pretty hard and has real good basketball skills.

Jeff (12:22 p.m.): Not since the halcyon days of Jahidi White, Jerome Williams and Victor Page have I cared about the Hoyas with anything more than a passing interest. Ray Allen’s no-look running bank shot (followed by the missed wide-open bunny by Williams that no one talks about) in the 1996 Big East title game was essentially the end of my career as a Georgetown freak. After that I decided I would no longer care that much about teams. I made the transistion into fantasy sports and caring about individuals, and the rest is history. That night in Madison Square Garden after the Hoyas lost, I sat there for 20 minutes with my head in my hands. Now I do that every night, and sometimes longer if, say, Oliver Perez is on the mound.

Maybe Hibbert didn’t get a lot better in the last two years. Maybe his ceiling is semi-dominant college player who has trouble with the speed of the NBA. I like him in the sense that I think he’s skilled and smart, but limited. Still, I can’t imagine there are 20 more NBA-ready guys out there.

I’m probably among the minority in thinking that O.J. Mayo will be a bust, but I see too much J.R. Rider in him. What are your thoughts on the Man Who Killed Our Bracket?

Greg (12:52 p.m.): Mayo is another one I’ve never seen play. I just haven’t been able bring myself to watch a college basketball game, except for the NCAA Tournament, the past few years. But after destroying our bracket, I wish him nothing but ill will. How dare he? Doesn’t he know our reputation as morons was on the line? He has to be better than J.R. (or is it Isiah) Rider. There are so many things marketing agencies can do with the name O.J. Mayo so it makes him intriguing.

I had forgotten about Jahidi White and Jerome Williams. I think the Junkyard Dog was the Knicks’ best player a few years ago, but of course he was released.

I like the kid Westbrook at UCLA. He’s a great athlete and he’s hard core. Do I sound like Jay Bilas? Shoot me if I do.

I thought one of the Lopez sisters from Stanford was going in the top five. Any idea which is the good one?

Jeff (1:36 p.m.): I think Jennifer has the strongest features, and that’s about all I can say right now as this is a family fantasy sports blog about whining. I think Brook is considered the stronger basketball prospect, with Robin close behind. But I wouldn’t underestimate Jennifer’s ability to back you down in the post.

The prospects in this draft bore me. I am more interested in the potential domino-effect upheavals that will take place throughout the league, starting with Rose’s pick. Then what do the Bulls do with Hinrich? What does Miami do, and do they get Elton Brand? And if Brand is traded, is Chris Kaman the No. 1 pick in any fantasy draft next year? Ok, I’m exaggerating the last one, but only slightly.

We should also keep an eye on the Toronto point guard situation and Jermaine O’Neal’s recurring role as The Mummy (these two may be related).

My next question is two-fold: Who are your fantasy breakout candidates for next year, and can you believe Andrea Bargnani was the No. 1 pick in the draft just two years ago?

Greg (2:30 p.m.): Randy Foye is going to remain my number one fantasy breakout candidate until he actually breaks out. I’ll give him until 2019. He was hurt most of the past season, but definitely showed flashes upon his return. Also keep your eyes peeled for Al Thornton.

I don’t know what annoys me more, Tim Lincecum not being able to nail down a win the other night after being handed a 10-2 lead or the fact that I had Bargnani as one of my breakout candidates last season. I never liked the guy, but I thought that he’d have carte blanche to chuck from 3-point range for 35 minutes a night.

Interesting how you are able to mention Jermaine O’Neal’s name without bursting into tears. Did he do more damage to your psyche last season than every girl you’ve ever dated combined?

If the Heat land Elton Brand (this would definitely be a heaval), they go from the worst team since the 9-73 76ers of 1972-73 to a championship contender. Brand, Marion, Haslem and a healthy Wade is not a bad way to go into a season.

After Rose goes to Chicago, teams would be foolish to not go after Hinrich, who in my estimation is one of the better point guards in the league. After the Memphis/LA and Phoenix/Miami debacles, I wouldn’t be surprised if Hinrich could be had for 60 cents on the dollar. As a Knicks fan I would love to have Hinrich and Kevin Love in the fold for next year. Would a package of Jamal Crawford and a few expiring contracts be enough to pry away Hinrich?

Jeff (3:09 p.m.): Does Crawford fit in with the Bulls? Probably not. If I was the Bulls I’d trade the pick to get Elton Brand. Rose is tempting but they need a back-to-the-basket scorer in the worst way. In the scenario you describe above, I doubt the Heat can get Brand AND keep Marion. Marion would probably be traded to the Clippers with the No. 2 pick for Brand and the No. 7.

While being a Knicks fan over the length of the Isiah era has probably been akin to bathing in battery acid every morning, it should be fun watching them try to rebuild. I’m not sure they can ever get out from under the cap, and particularly not in time to make a run at LeBron, but a year from now it should be a much different team.

Speaking of LeBron, he has been the anti-Kobe in terms of being a teammate as far as I can tell, but shouldn’t Cleveland feel a pressure to do something, and soon, before the King becomes a free agent? Cleveland has a so-so club and they play very good defense, but they need to make an improvement beyond Ben Wallace and Wally Szczerbiak. If Cleveland stays put until 2010, wouldn’t that be just inviting LeBron to bolt? Finally: What would Kobe Bryant’s behavior be if he went into the season surrounded by Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Delonte West, Wally Zerbs and Rigor Mortis Wallace?

Greg (4:00 p.m.): It would be great if there were a way for LeBron and Kobe to swap teams for a playoff series and see what happens. I’ve never seen or heard LeBron call out a teammate in a manner in which the entire nation could be privy (see Kobe/Gasol - Game Five 4th quarter horrible pass). LeBron, with a putrid supporting cast (including no Boobie Gibson), took Boston to seven tough games, with P.J. Brown of all people saving the day for the Cs. Through the first part of that series, I heard nothing but criticism of LeBron for shooting so woefully against a terrific Celtic defense. LeBron eventually figured them out and was a handful.

Kobe represents everything I dislike about professional sports. He spent the offseason trying to force his way out of L.A. Last year, he tried to force an up-and-coming Andrew Bynum out of town, the same Bynum who was developing into a terrific post player and had helped the Lakers to a solid start in ‘07-08 before his devastating knee injury.

And you’re right, Crawford doesn’t fit in with the Bulls and wouldn’t fit in with any team capable of challenging for a championship. He’d be exposed as a skinny two-guard with a hideous shot and an even uglier shot selection. But the fact is that GMs see a 20-point average and are tempted at the thought. I really just want to see him go.

I didn’t mind the Knicks sucking in the 80s. My buddy Gerry and I would go to the Garden and for three bucks (and with student ID) we’d get tickets in the blue seats at a half empty Garden. Gerry was the master at sneaking down and by the second quarter we were able to eavesdrop on Woody and Mia’s conversations.

Is there any way that the Big Unit can get a win in Boston tonight? I’m getting desperate.

Jeff (4:21 p.m.): Yes, actually. The Red Sox have been rather tame offensively and have needed two late-game comebacks to avoid going 0-for-their-last-five against St. Louis and Arizona. With David Ortiz out, the Sox are very beatable.

Factoring in the information that you own Johnson in your fantasy league, I’d say that lowers the odds that he’ll actually get the win to around .06%. Not too shabby, with your track record.

I think I had the worst draft in the history of fantasy baseball this past year. My only good players are my free agents - Ervin Santana, Joe Saunders, Joe Crede, Mike Jacobs, Fred Lewis, Todd Wellemeyer and Mike Aviles. Seriously. I can’t think of a single player I drafted who is overachieving save one Benjamin Sheets, and he’s due for a freak injury any day now.

I never thought I’d say this, ever, but: Are you ready for some football? I’m about there.

Greg (4:45 p.m.): After a gut-wrenching basketball win for us in the Yahoo League and in the midst of another duodenom-churning baseball season, football seems eons away. It’s going to take a lot of preparation this year. Man, what kicker should I take in the seventh round? Is Mike Vanderjagt even on an NFL roster?

And how could it almost be football season? Last week, didn’t Brian Westbrook, who was running untouched for a touchdown, stop on purpose at the one-foot line so that the Eagles could run out the clock? Did that not just happen? You know I’ll never get over this. I still haven’t gotten over my benching of Javon Walker two years ago in Pittsburgh when he totaled more than 200 yards and three scores. All right, I’m beginning to twitch.

Big Unit tonight in Boston… that’ll be a drubbing. I was supposed to have Sean Gallagher going at home against Baltimore, but Piniella just moved him to Friday to face the White Sox on the South side. Just another minor thing that will have a major negative impact on my season. I’m in an NL-only league and I think my lifetime ERA in interleague play is about 17.00.

Time to increase my dosage. Enjoy the rest of the week.