By: Tyler Ward and Stephen Patterson
NOTE: The trades included in this column happened at least 3 days prior to the Draft, which is why we are listing the trades as part of the grades.
ATLANTIC DIVISION:
Boston Celtics (Avery Bradley, Luke Harangody)
TW: The Celtics picked up a suitable SG in Avery Bradley to hopefully fill the shoes of Ray Allen someday and he can be a quality scorer in the NBA at some point. Harangody, not so much. I do not think he will make the roster so he really does not factor in my decision for the grade. (i.e. Kevin Pittsnogle)
SP: Boston picked up a possible replacement for Ray Allen if he leaves via free agency with the Bradley selection, a smart move considering they are pretty thin at the two guard position. Luke Harangody probably won't be a factor, possibly following in Brian Scalabrine's shoes as a bench cheerleader.
Overall: B-
New Jersey Nets (Derrick Favors, Damion James)
TW: I think the Nets should have gone the Small Forward route & drafted Wes Johnson because with the impending Free Agent class, the Power Forward position is fairly decent (Stoudemire, Boozer, etc.). The Nets picking Favors means that they found their "Franchise Power Forward" so that puts them out on signing an established Power Forward. Damion James is not a starter type, but he can be a legitimate bench player (i.e. Quentin Richardson).
SP: Many scouts had Favors as one of the top overall players in the draft and while he is a good addition, I think they should have targeted Johnson. There are several franchise changing PF's available in free agency. Beyond LeBron and Rudy Gay, neither of which are likely to sign with the Nets, there aren't many SF's in this summer's class.
Overall: C
New York Knicks (Andy Rautins, Landry Fields, Jerome Jordan)
TW: In my opinion, the Knicks have been the most disappointing franchise in this decade. With all the trades they've made, you'd think that one of them would be a good one, right? Wrong. Isiah Thomas made this team worse & they are still trying to recover. They should have had the 9th pick in this year's draft, but they foolishly traded the pick over 6 years ago.
In 2004, this trade happened:
Suns trade Stephon Marbury, Penny Hardaway, & Cezary Trybanski to the Knicks for Maciej Lampe, Howard Eisley, Charlie Ward, Antonio McDyess, & a 2010 1st round pick.
A month later..
Suns trade the draft rights to Kirk Snyder, Tom Gugliotta, a 2005 2nd round pick (Alex Acker), and the Knicks' 2010 1st round pick to the Jazz for Keon Clark and Ben Handlogten.
Foolish trade? Yes. But, back to the grade. They didn't have a 1st round pick when they desperately needed one and with the additions of Andy Rautins and Landry Fields, both are long shots to make the final roster. However, Jordan may have a value and can make the team. Jordan can provide a good defensive presence. But, it's still another disappointing draft for the Knicks.
SP: While the Knicks weren't too worried with the draft because of the impending free agency frenzy, they could use plenty of help at almost every position and should have made a stronger effort to get into the 1st round. The Knicks, in my opinion, are unrealistically thinking they can land the top of the class this summer. With a recent history of poor decisions and mounting losses, the Knicks aren't going to attract a LeBron or Wade. Their best chance right now is to build through the draft. This season's picks probably won't make the roster, and with some of the talent that was available to at their picks, New York could have gotten at least one quality bench player. Jordan is the only player that may contribute from the three picks.
Overall: D
Philadelphia 76ers (Evan Turner)
TW: I don't like this pick, I love it. My opinion is that Evan Turner is the best player in the draft. I think Evan Turner can eventually go out there and put up anywhere from 22-25 points per game and also over 5 rebounds and assists; he's an all around great player. Although this was their only pick, they nailed it. This 76ers team may not make a noise this year, but they are definitely going the right direction (unlike the Knicks). Also, with the addition of a very good coach, Doug Collins, they are on track to becoming a solid performer in the East.
SP: Turner is definitely one of the most talented players in this draft. He is able to play at either guard position or come in at small forward, providing great versatility. Turner has the potential to be an All-Star caliber player for the Sixers and should prove to be a franchise changing selection for Philadelphia. I think he will be an instant starter, and while the Sixers will probably have a small starting line-up, they should be one of the most entertaining.
Overall: B
Toronto Raptors (Ed Davis, Solomon Alabi)
TW: What the Ed Davis selection tells me is that the Raptors know somehow that they will not get Chris Bosh back this season. Although I do not like the selection, it could have gotten worse with the Power Forwards that were available. I do not think Davis will be a great player, but I think he can be an average starter. Alabi, who many scouts thought would go in the first round, was tagged 50th overall. I think it's a good selection for what was available (Alabi came over in a trade from Dallas for a future 2nd rounder & cash considerations).
SP: I agree that the selection of Davis shows that Toronto doesn't plan to have Chris Bosh returning next season. While I would've personally gone with Patrick Patterson with this pick, Ed Davis was one of the best Power Forwards still on the board. He will have a hard time in Toronto because he will be tasked with replacing Bosh, the franchise's most popular player since he was drafted in 2003. Alabi was a solid pick up for what the team gave up.
Overall: B-
*It has been reported Solomon Alabi has Hepatitis B, which is why he was drafted so low. Don't know if it's true or not.
Central Division
Chicago Bulls (Traded Kirk Hinrich & 17th pick to Washington for a future 2nd rounder in a salary dump)
TW: I like this move just because this gives the Bulls headway in possibly signing two of the best free agents available. With young players like Derrick Rose, Luol Deng, and Joakim Noah, this could be a power if they are able to sign the two players they want. Hinrich really did not do anything spectacular with the Bulls, especially when he's due to make $9.5 million this year alone. Good move on the Bulls' part.
SP: This what a good move in the fact it freed up more money for free agency, but the Bulls lost a solid back up in the process. While the Bulls will almost certainly sign one of the big free agents, I think there will be several players that go elsewhere to avoid being in Michael Jordan's shadow. Does LeBron really want to be compared to the most popular player the sport has ever seen, regardless of what he accomplishes? And while James has decided to switch numbers to #6 in part to honor Jordan, it's easy to wonder if he didn't change it to further distance himself from the Jordan comparison.
Overall: B
Detroit Pistons (Greg Monroe, Terrico White)
TW: Although Greg Monroe had mild success in college, I don't think he's worth the 7th overall pick. In recent memory, there hasn't been that many Georgetown big men to have a good career in the NBA (i.e. Busts - Mike Sweetney, Othella Harrington, Jahidi White; Good - Patrick Ewing, Dikembe Mutombo, Alonzo Mourning). Monroe will more than likely be better than Sweetney and the other two, which isn't hard to do. One thing I will give him, though, is that he is a bonafide passing big man and can distribute the ball pretty well. He's more of a poor man's Brad Miller. He may not have a great career, but it could vary anywhere from bust to quality starter. I don't know much about Terrico White, but I know he can shoot the ball fairly well and the Pistons need that right about now. Not a great draft, but pretty decent.
SP: Monroe is more of an all around player instead of an offensive or defensive specialist. While he lacks a solid offensive game, he is very good at finding open teammates and will be a force on the boards. If Monroe can develop a go to move on offense and work on going stronger to the rim, he could be a solid 15 10 5 player for the Pistons. Selecting White early in the second round was a fairly safe pick with many scouts seeing him as a late first rounder. He will give Detroit much needed depth at the point guard position and will hopefully be a valuable scorer.
Overall: C+
Cleveland Cavaliers (None)
Overall: N/A
Indiana Pacers (Paul George, Lance Stephenson, Magnum Rolle)
TW: First off, what the hell were the Pacers thinking? Paul George? Seriously? Come on, Larry Bird. You're one of the greatest players ever in the NBA, but a not so good GM (But you did give us white boys hope). The Pacers may have done the worst out of all the teams in the draft, simply because of the first selection. They don't need a Small Forward, so why are you drafting one? Is David Kahn secretly running this team? Danny Granger is one of the best young players in the NBA, and George is just going to solidify himself as Granger's backup. I guess I just don't understand. The Lance Stephenson pick, however, I did like. Tabbed 40th overall, Stephenson can be an electric scorer off the bench like Nate Robinson did in this year's playoffs. Rolle can be a decent rebounder or shot blocker, but he may not even make the roster. Unfortunately, the last two of the Pacers picks cannot bring up the grade I give them because they truly made a bad decision drafting Paul George. George may be a good player, but they have much more glaring needs than just Small Forward. Even Larry Bird said that he wanted a Point Guard, so why not draft one? They wasted a high draft pick on someone they didn't even need. Dumb decision.
SP: Picking up Stephenson is the only thing that kept Larry Bird from getting an F- for this draft. Wasting a top 10 pick for a back up to your best player is one of the worst mistakes Bird has made as the Pacers GM. It's almost as if he decided he wanted to actually compete with David Kahn for the Isiah Thomas Trophy this season for worst GM (see my previous post for explanation). While George may be a decent player, Indiana has much bigger needs than a back up to Danny Granger, a player who already plays a large amount of minutes being the teams biggest ticket draw. Drafting Stephenson could prove valuable, especially in the scoring department. While he will probably never be good enough to be a starter for a contending team, he should be a pretty good back up for the Pacers and provide huge offensive bursts when needed.
Overall: D-
Milwaukee Bucks (Larry Sanders, Darington Hobson, Tiny Gallon; Traded for Corey Maggette and Chris Douglas-Roberts)
TW: I think the Bucks had one of the Top 3 drafts this year. Although Larry Sanders may have been a stretch, he was the best PF at that time. He could start, but no one knows for certain just yet. I think he will be a solid player in the NBA. The selection of Gallon was good, simply because some scouts had him going in the first round, and he was selected 47th overall. He can be a valuable bench player, also. And of course, the trade for Maggette was exceptional because he adds anywhere from 17-20 points per game and they were able to get rid of Gadzuric's high contract. The homer in me loves the CDR trade. CDR can also supply a good spark off the bench, adding 10-12 ppg. They also got CDR for almost absolutely nothing; that's a very good trade on their part. Overall, great job by the Bucks. I think they can be a pretty good team in the 2011-12 season. They may not do much this year, but like the 76ers, they're on the right track.
SP: Milwaukee came into the draft needing help at Power Forward and they addressed that need with Sanders, the best available PF at the time of their selection. Sanders has the potenial to be the starter heading into this season and could form a strong front court with Andrew Bogut. Selecting Gallon at 47th could prove to be one the biggest steals of the draft in my opinion. Despite some teams being hesitant of drafting Gallon because of issues at Oklahoma, he provides much needed size and will be a servicable back up. The best pick ups for the Bucks may have come via trade. With the additions of Maggette and Douglas-Roberts, the team has already more than replaced the lost scoring of John Salmons' departure. With a strong core and perhaps one of the most valuable trade assets this season (Michael Redd's expiring $18 million contract), the Bucks could be poised to rise into the upper tier of teams in the East.
Overall: A-
Southeast Division
Atlanta Hawks (Jordan Crawford, Pape Sy)
TW: I like the addition of Jordan Crawford. Since Joe Johnson will no longer be on the Hawks this year, Jamal Crawford will most likely step into that role. Jordan Crawford will more than likely be his back-up. Known for just dunking on LeBron James, Jordan Crawford is actually a very good scorer. He may not be able to entirely fill the shoes of Joe Johnson, but he can at least provide some scoring output for the Hawks. I like the pick because the Hawks actually addressed a need. Pape Sy, however, may not even make the roster, but if he does, he may do some good for them.
SP: Jordan Crawford became a national sensation on the internet last summer for his now famous dunk on LeBron at one of Nike's basketball camps. He will likely be a crowd-pleasing player for Atlanta and provide some energy. He also has an impressive collection of dunks that will surely excite any Hawks fan. Knowing Joe Johnson will almost certainly be gone in free agency, Atlanta made a good choice trading for Jordan Crawford. Pape Sy probably won't make the roster, so Crawford is Atlanta's only real acquisition.
Overall: C+
Charlotte Bobcats (None)
Overall: N/A
Miami Heat (Dexter Pittman, Jarvis Varnardo, Da'Sean Butler, and cap space)
TW: I think the Heat did excellent this year. Although they didn't have a first round pick (Daequan Cook trade), they truly dominated the second round. Pittman is more of a defensive prescense than anything, so he can provide rebounding along with a big body. When I look at Pittman, I see a DeJuan Blair prototype. He's an undersized, big-bodied player than can scrounge for rebounds and provide a spark for his teammates. At Mississippi State, Varnardo played exceptional in the rebounding and block department. Varnado can possibly be the best shot blocker in NCAA history, averaging 4 blocks per game over his four year stint with the Bulldogs. Like Pittman, he may not provide an offensive scoring ability, but on the defensive side, he can be spectacular. The addition of Butler, too, is very good. Da'Sean Butler is mostly known as the Big East Tournament MVP for last year at West Virginia. Butler can provide scoring when it's needed and he could form a good combination with Dwyane Wade, if he stays in Miami. The Heat absolutely stole the show in the second round, and for that, I commend them.
SP: The Heat had the best draft in my opinion, by not only clearing the cap space needed to potentially sign three max-contract players, but by also grabbing three possible steals in the second round. Butler, West Virginia's second all-time leading scorer behind only Jerry West, would have likely been a lottery pick had he not suffered a torn ACL in the NCAA tournament. If he completely recovers, he has the potential to be an extremely valuable bench player for the Heat. Pittman and Varnardo will perhaps become one the most dominant front court, bench duos in the league, especially defensively. Both players work hard crashing the boards and have the size to be excellent shot blockers as well (Varnardo has already shown his shot blocking capabilities in college). I personally see Miami being one of the biggest winners in free agency this summer, and while they may not take three max players, they should still put a very competitive and deeper team on the floor this season.
Overall: A-
Orlando Magic (Daniel Orton, Stanley Robinson)
TW: Daniel Orton? Really? In my opinion, he is the most overrated player in this draft. He didn't start a single game for Kentucky last year and he only averaged 3.4 points per game and 3.3 rebounds. What are the Magic thinking? He only got drafted because he played for Kentucky. He shouldn't have even gotten drafted, period. He should have taken himself back to Kentucky. What's he going to be? The 3rd string Center behind Howard and Gortat? I don't understand why they would draft a third stringer in the first round. I thought they were going the SG route to eventually replace the aging and knee-less Vince Carter. Dumb pick. Stanley Robinson is a decent player, if he even makes the team. I think he can be a decent role player if he was given the oppurtunity. The Magic could have done much better if they wanted to.
SP: This was probably the worst selection in the first round of the draft, if not the worst of the entire draft. Why would a GM waste a first round pick on a second string Center in college to be your team's third string Center? The Magic could still use depth at point guard, shooting guard, and power forward. Center is perhaps the Magic's strongest position with Howard and Gortat. I still can't find the words after four days of searching to describe just how stupid this pick was. Picking up Stanley Robinson late in the draft was a good selection, but not nearly enough to make up for the horrible decision of taking Orton and giving him a guaranteed contract.
Overall: D
Washington Wizards (John Wall, Kevin Seraphin, Trevor Booker, Hamady N'Diaye, and the trade for Kirk Hinrich)
TW: Of course the Wizards are going to do good in this draft. They had the #1 overall pick and took the no-brainer, John Wall. I don't think he's the best player in the draft, but he will be a solid performer for the Wizards this season. He has the ability to lead this team for a long time and form a formidable backcourt with Gilbert Arenas (barring suspension/injury). I don't know much about Seraphin, but he was the highest drafted foreign player this year. I am not so sure that he will even make it to the NBA and this pick could have been very well been useless (i.e. Yaroslav Korolev, Clippers - look it up). Trevor Booker leaves Clemson as their all time leading rebounder and he can bring in a solid rebounding prescence. Personally, he reminds me of the aforementioned Dexter Pittman. The Hinrich deal was also good because this gives the Wizards and good mentor for John Wall as he tries to make his way to the "big leagues". Washington did very well this year and could very well compete with a core of Wall, Arenas, Al Thornton, and Andray Blatche, along with quality bench players like Hinrich, Mike Miller, Randy Foye, and Nick Young. Good choices.
SP: The Wizards took consensus overall pick John Wall, suprising exactly zero people in Washington. Wall is viewed as a franchise changing player and continues the trend of Calipari-coached point guards to be selected high in the draft recently (Derrick Rose and Tyreke Evans). The Wizards hope Wall can continue the trend established by Rose and Evans, and contribute enough to win Rookie of the Year honors. Looking to move on from a season marked by Arenas' 50 game suspension for bringing firearms to the arena, the Wizards should be a much improved team with Wall leading the way with Kirk Hinrich also being a valuable asset. Hinrich was credited with being a good role model and teacher to Derrick Rose, and Washington hopes he can provide the same help for Wall. Of their other selections, Booker is the most likely to see playing time, and should be a solid player off the bench.
Overall: B+
