SI Kids was at Madison Square Garden for all the action.

	South Beach, here I come! AP

It's 6:15 P.M. I'm standing outside of The Theater at Madison Square Garden as the potential lottery picks arrive. They try to weave their way through the crowds unnoticed, but no such luck for these giant stars in suits. And they better get used to it. Here's what went down on draft night.

Before the Draft

- Inside, all of the lottery picks gather around David Stern on stage for a class picture with the commissioner. In order to get the best picture of this super-tall group, the photographer has to perch himself atop a 15-foot high ladder. As things are winding down, Stern, who was holding an official NBA ball, riffles a pass to the photographer that hits him right in the hands. Maybe the Knicks could use Stern as a backup point guard for Stephon Marbury this season?

- A couple of high-profile college coaches, West Virginia's Bob Huggins and Memphis's John Calipari, roam around the theater. Huggins gives Beasley a huge hug in the green room, even though he was officially there to support WVU forward Joe Alexander. Calipari is beaming like a proud father. Obviously Memphis point guard Derrick Rose will go immediately, but Calipari is also overheard gushing about two other Memphis players: Joey Dorsey and Chris Douglas-Roberts.

- O.J. Mayo, who told SI Kids leading up to draft day that he'd be "really fresh," threw everyone for a loop with his glasses and two-toned wing tip shoes. One reporter quipped that he looked like he was 80 years old. The Grizzlies hope he doesn't play like an 80-year-old next year.

- The fans weren't allowed in until 6:45, so in the minutes leading up to their arrival, they were all positioned together behind two separate velvet rope sections. Picture horses crammed into stalls before the Belmont Stakes and you get the idea. Also, picture horses racing in the Belmont Stakes when you want to imagine what it was like when the fans were let loose. I was almost trampled before I got back to my seat.

- Obviously, Knicks gear dominated the crowd, but an Ed O'Bannon New Jersey Nets jersey takes home the prize for most random jersey of the night. For those who don't know, O'Bannon led the UCLA Bruins to a national championship in 1995, but only lasted three years in the league.

- Last year's number two overall pick, Kevin Durant, was in the house and made sure to come through the green room and hand out hugs to help calm down some of this year's nervous picks.

- Brook Lopez looked bored in the minutes leading up to the draft as he sat chatting on his cell phone while spinning a basketball on his finger effortlessly. Maybe if the Nets don't work out, he can grab a spot on the Harlem Globetrotters.

- O.J. Mayo has the largest fan section, including the most homemade signs. One read "Congratulations O.J. Mayo. Your Dream. Love You. Your Family."

- We're about to start, and the in-house TVs are showing potential picks. Mayo gets the biggest cheer, while Italian prospect Danilo Gallinari gets loudly, and I mean LOUDLY, booed. I have a feeling that might not be the last time that happens tonight.

- Best chant of the night: When former Knicks coach and current ESPN analyst Jeff Van Gundy appears on the in-house TVs for the first time, we get a rowdy, "JEFF VAN GUN-DY!" Clap, clap, clap-clap-clap. It goes on for minutes before dying down.

- Derrick Rose has the shiniest wrists, choosing not only to rock a diamond-encrusted watch, but a matching bracelet that shines just as much.

- On second thought, Mayo's fans might be outnumbered by West Virginia's Joe Alexander cheering section. Signs, chants, they're going all out for Alexander.

Lottery Picks

- David Stern is booed as he approaches the podium to announce the first pick. Tough crowd.

- Stern exits through the mystery door on stage between each pick. I wonder what goes on back there? My guess is that he discusses picks with the SI Kids' Fantasy Wizard. That, or he takes dancing lessons from the Ballroom Dancing Wizard.

- The ESPN TV crew gets all the perks, like being handed the picks by a stagehand with some sort of robotic arm seconds before each pick is announced.

- After Beasley is taken with the second pick, I follow him for the long walk from the stage to the interview room. Let's just say I now know how it feels to be a rock star. Fans are screaming at him and slapping him five and demanding pictures. As we snake through the fan section, people are jumping over each other and knocking over the barriers that rope off the route to the interview room. One security guard mutters to herself after pushing back some extra-rowdy fans.

- "Growing up in DC, I saw snow every year of my life," says Beasley, the newest member of the Miami Heat. " I think it's time for a change." Something tells me he will have no problem stocking up on swim suits and flip-flops.