|
Atlanta Hawks |
No picks = No grade |
Inc. |
|
Boston Celtics |
|
|
|
30 |
JR Giddens
New Mexico
|
Not too much to get
excited about here. Giddens seems destined for the
D-League, reminding me of '06 31st pick James White.
Walker is definitely worth a flier, but might never
get over his knee problems. Erdin might never be
heard from again. |
C- |
|
47* |
Bill Walker
Kansas State |
|
60 |
Semih Erdin
Turkey |
|
Charlotte Bobcats |
|
|
|
9 |
DJ Augustin
Texas
|
I don't get the
Augustin pick. He was a great college player, one of
my favorites.. but his size and lack of speed
suggests he won't cut it as a starting PG.
Ajinca has had some monster workouts and seems like
a good pick. Weaver is good value in round two. A
mixed bag overall. |
C+ |
|
20 |
Alexis Ajinca
France |
|
38 |
Kyle Weaver
Charlotte |
|
Chicago Bulls |
|
|
|
1 |
Derrick Rose
Memphis
|
The Bulls got their man
in Rose, though I would never have taken him first.
Asik has major potential, but will be stashed away
while I doubt Weems ever makes it big. Can't
argue with this Draft. |
A- |
|
36* |
Omer Asik
Turkey |
|
39 |
Sonny Weems
Arkansas
|
|
Cleveland Cavaliers |
|
|
|
19 |
JJ
Hickson
NC State
|
I'm a fan of Hickson,
though he's seriously raw. Cavs supporters
will need to show patience. |
B+ |
|
Dallas Mavericks |
|
|
|
51 |
Shan Foster
Vanderbilt
|
For a second round
pick, nothing wrong with getting a guy who shot an
amazing 47% from three as a senior. |
B |
|
Denver |
It's no fun to trade
your lone pick.. |
C- |
|
Detroit |
|
|
|
32* |
Walter Sharpe
UAB |
Getting rid of DJ White and his waste of a
guaranteed contract was a smart move. Sharpe was once a touted
prospect who never panned out, while Plaisted panned out but left school too
early. |
B- |
|
46* |
Trent Plaisted
BYU |
|
59 |
Deron Washington
Virginia Tech |
|
Golden State Warriors |
|
|
|
14 |
Anthony Randolph
LSU
|
Randolph is an odd pick
considering they also have Brandan Wright, but in
terms of potential.. he's top 7-8 in the Draft.
Hendrix is solid value for 49, better than 29th pick
White imoh. |
B+ |
|
49 |
Richard Hendrix
Alabama |
|
Houston |
|
|
|
25 |
Nicolas
Batum
France
|
I'm not a European
expert and opinions are scattered on Batum. Some
once felt he would be a lottery pick, others think
he's a bust waiting to happen. His heart issue
shouldn't be a problem and this seems like one of
the better late 1st round choices. |
B+ |
|
54 |
Maarty Leunen
Oregon |
|
Indiana Pacers |
|
|
|
13* |
Brandon Rush
Kansas
|
I love the Ford/O'Neal
trade from the Pacers perspective.. but the actual
picks are rather weak. Hibbert is a stiff.
Rush is one of my favs, but not compared to Jerryd
Bayless who could have been a gift. Jawai was given
some 1st Rd consideration by other teams. |
C |
|
17 |
Roy
Hibbert
Georgetown |
|
41 |
Nathan Jawai
Australia |
|
Los Angeles Clippers |
|
|
|
7 |
Eric Gordon
Indiana
|
Solid night for the
Clippers. Gordon was the best possible player to
take at 7th, while Jordan was long considered to be
a 1st Rounder. While I'm fairly certain Jordan will
never pan out, Gordon has 20 ppg potential. Taylor's
novelty as an NBDL pick is good for NBA marketing. |
B+ |
|
35 |
DeAndre
Jordan
Texas A&M |
|
56* |
Mike Taylor
NBDL |
|
Los Angeles Lakers |
|
|
|
58 |
Joe Crawford
Kentucky
|
The odds of Crawford
stitching together an NBA career are very slim. |
C |
|
Memphis
|
|
|
|
5 |
Kevin Love
Memphis
|
The way Love has
developed physically, it seems like they snagged a
real gem here. For a team with emerging guards, he
could be the perfect compliment. I'm a major Greene
detractor, but with his physical attributes, a flier
at 28th is a no-brainer. |
A- |
|
28 |
Donte
Greene
Syracuse
|
|
Miami Heat |
|
|
|
2 |
Michael Beasley
Miami
|
For me, its all about
Beasley here: the biggest stud of the Draft, a guy
with All-NBA, 20 & 10 potential. Some
projected Chalmers to be a 1st rounder, but he's
nothing but a fringe 12th man. No matter, its all
about the Beast. |
A
|
|
34* |
Mario Chalmers
Kansas |
|
52 |
Darnell Jackson
Kansas
|
|
Milwaukee Bucks |
|
|
|
8 |
Joe Alexander
West Virginia
|
This franchise doesn't
really know where to go or what to do. Alexander had
a great run towards the end of the season, but is
destined to be a 6th-7th man type guy. That's not
good enough with the 8th pick. |
C
|
|
37 |
Luc
Richard M.a.M
UCLA
|
|
Minnesota |
|
|
|
3 |
OJ
Mayo
Minnesota
|
I'm one of the few who
thinks Mayo will be every bit the pro that Rose is.
Different type of player, but quality nonetheless
and a true gamer. Pekovic has big-time upside, so
could be a steal down the line. |
A- |
|
31 |
Nikola Pekovic
Montenegro |
|
New Jersey Nets |
|
|
|
10 |
Brook Lopez
Stanford
|
This crop is all about
filling needs. Lopez fills their desperate need to
find a post-presence. Anderson is a long-range
shooter off the bench they've lacked, while CDR is a
guy who can get to the hoop (something only VC can
do on their roster). CDR is the steal of the 2nd
round. |
B+ |
|
21 |
Ryan
Anderson
California |
|
40 |
Chris Doug-Rob
Memphis |
|
New
Orleans/OKC |
Traded Arthur for some
dough. Not a horrible move since Arthur is nothing
more than a 8th-9th guy. |
C+ |
|
New York Knicks |
|
|
|
6 |
Danilo
Gallinari
Italy
|
College ball is my
thing, so I'm going mostly on hearsay here.. but
despite the fans boos, Gallinari seems like a
legitimate prospect. Knicks fans have bad dreams
about Frederic Weis, but he could be one of this
Draft's few All-Stars |
B+
|
|
Orlando |
|
|
|
22 |
Courtney Lee
Western Kentucky
|
Many thought Lee would
be a 2nd round sleeper, but he ends up going deep
into Round One. He should work his way into a solid
career role player. |
C |
|
Philadelphia |
|
|
|
16 |
Marreese
Speights
Florida |
After coming up big with T. Young, the Sixers
again go to the southeast. Speights separates himself from most of the other
big men, because he already possesses a diverse offensive skillset. |
B- |
|
Phoenix |
|
|
|
15 |
Robin Lopez
Stanford
|
Lopez is a solid pro
reserve who can defend (something the Suns have
lacked) while Hairston is a former high school stud
who had a mediocre college career. |
C
|
|
48 |
Malik Hairston
Oregon
|
|
Portland |
|
|
|
11* |
Jerryd Bayless
Arizona
|
The Blazers continue to
go about things the right way. Arthur was once a
potential lottery pick, though I've never rated him
very highly. Dorsey is a quality defender that was
born with an NBA-ready body. The real catch though
is Bayless, a big-time scoring threat with
game-changing abilities. He might never become a
"true" point guard, but I'm okay with that. |
A |
|
27* |
Darrell Arthur
Kansas
|
|
33 |
Joey Dorsey
Memphis
|
|
Sacramento |
|
|
|
12 |
Jason Thompson
Rider
|
I don't get the
infatuation with Thompson. Perhaps the Kings think
they've found another mid-major gem like Kevin
Martin. To me, he's a mediocre athlete, that's
already physically mature and doesn't offer much
room for improvement. Basically, he's just a career
backup. |
C- |
|
42 |
Sean
Singletary
Virginia |
|
43 |
Patrick
Ewing Jr.
Georgetown |
|
San Antonio |
|
|
|
26 |
George Hill
IUPUI |
Hill was one of the big surprises of this
Draft. When he remained in school, many speculated he had to have a 1st
round offer on the table, but few believed anyone respected his talent that
much. Apparently Hill made the right call. I'm not as sure the Spurs
did though. |
C+ |
|
45 |
Goran Dragic
Slovenia |
|
57 |
James Gist
Maryland |
|
Seattle |
|
|
|
4 |
Russell Westbrook
Verviers Pepinster
|
To be blunt, I think
Westbrook is the most overrated player in the Draft.
Yes, he's a solid defender, but he's not a point
guard and people judge him too much based on the
last two weeks of his short career. Similarly, White
is a fringe pro, only a little better than Hardin
selected 21 picks later. The real steal though could
be Ibaka, a freak athlete considered by many
insiders to have the most upside of any non-Top 10
pick. |
|
|
24 |
Serge Ibaka
Congo |
B- |
|
29* |
DJ White
Indiana
|
|
50 |
DeVon
Hardin
California |
|
56 |
Sasha Kaun
Kansas |
|
Toronto
|
|
|
|
Utah |
|
|
|
23 |
Kosta Koufous
Ohio State
|
If anything, the Jazz
somehow managed to get whiter. Koufous needed
another year of seasoning, but is just as talented
as most of the picks from 15 to 22. Tomic has
long been on the NBA's radar, and he will be stashed
away for a couple years. The last guy was the lone
pick I know zero about. |
|
|
44 |
Ante
Tomic
Croatia |
B+ |
|
53 |
Tadija Dragicevic
Serbia |
|
|
Washington |
|
|
|
18 |
JaVale McGee
Nevada |
I've long been torn on McGee. The lack of bulk
is worrisome, but he's made amazing strides in the last couple of years.
This is the ultimate risk/reward pick. |
B- |
