Draft Grades

1. Boston

18 - Gerald Green (6'7'', SG, HS)
50 - Ryan Gomes (6'8'', SF, Providence, Sr.)
53 - Orien Green (6'5'', PG, La-Lafayette, Sr.)

Hard to find much fault in what Boston did last night. Not often you draft what may be the steal of both the 1st and 2nd rounds. Add to that the solid, blue collar play of Ryan Gomes and you have a really nice draft in beantown.

2. Indiana

17 - Danny Granger (6'8'', SF, New Mexico, Sr.)
46 - Erazem Lorbek (6'11'', PF/C, Slovenia)

Indiana consistently has great drafts. The reason for this is that they are the only team that consistently uses common sense. Once again the Pacers had a very solid draft, scooping up the best player available at 17 along with filling a need at center with Lorbek at 46. Lorbek will be starting in Indy sooner than most think.

3. Golden State

9 - Ike Diogu (6'8'', PF, Arizona State, Jr.)
40 - Monta Ellis (6'3'', SG, HS)
42 - Chris Taft (6'10'', C, Pitt, Soph.)

You have to love what Chris Mullin is doing by the bay. Diogu was a bit of a reach at 9, but certainly fills a need and is a beast. Ellis could end up being better than a lot of the players taken in the first round if he is given time to grow behind Baron and Fisher. Taft should have never fallen to 42, but GS was very smart to scoop him up.

4. Milwaukee

1 - Andrew Bogut (7'0'', C, Utah, Soph.)
36 - Ersan Ilyasova (6'9'', SF, Turkey)

Bogut was a no brainer, but I am sure a few teams would have screwed that up. Ilyasova was a steal falling into the 2nd round to the Bucks. 2 solid players should help the Bucks make a playoff run next year. Ilyasova is really underrated.

5. Toronto

7 - Charlie Villanueva (6'10'', PF, UConn, Soph.)
16 - Joey Graham (6'7'', SF, Oklahoma State, Sr.)
41 - Roko Ukic (6'5'', PG, Croatia)
58 - Uros Slokar (6'11'', PF, Slovenia)

Toronto made what may be the bonehead move of the entire draft taking Charlie Villanueva at 7. They then spent the rest of the draft making up for it. Villanueva, while a bad pick at 7, is still a good player. Graham was a steal at 16 as was Ukic at 41. Rumor is Toronto thought about taking Ukic at 16. Slokar will stay buried in Europe for a while and they will hope he develops.

6. Portland

6 - Martell Webster (6'7'', SG, HS)
22 - Jarrett Jack (6'3'', PG, Georgia Tech, Jr.)

Personally I would have taken Green or Bynum over Martell Webster, but Webster is a stud. Portland used the extra picks they gained moving down to 6 to scoop up Jack via trade. Jack will be a good change of pace from Telfair.

7. LA Lakers

10 - Andrew Bynum (7'0'', C, HS)
37 - Ronny Turiaf (6'10'', PF, Gonzaga, Sr.)
39 - Von Wafer (6'5'', SG, Florida State, Soph.)

I am a big Bynum guy. If a 7 footer with his skills is on the board, then you have to scoop him up. The Lakers did and made the right move. Turiaf is a Brian Grant clone minus the injuries who will start early in his career. Wafer is a stretch, but a talented one.

8. New Orleans

4 - Chris Paul (5'11'', PG, Wake Forest, Soph.)
33 - Brandon Bass (6'8'', PF, LSU, Soph.)

New Orleans stayed at 4, and watched the 2nd best player in the draft fall in their laps. They were smart enough to catch him. Unlike many teams who passed on Green and Granger. Bass can be a player in the frontcourt for the Hornets as well.

9. New Jersey

15 - Antoine Wright (6'7'', SG, Texas A&M, Jr.)
43 - Mile Ilic (7'1'', C, Bosnia)

While I really don't see where Wright fits on this team of scorers, he is a very good value at 15. Ilic has a chance to turn into a real player for NJ if they keep him overseas. I'd have liked to see NJ snag a PF somewhere in this draft though.

10. Memphis

19 - Hakim Warrick (6'8'', PF, Syracuse, Sr.)
55 - Lawrence Roberts (6'9'', PF, Mississippi State, Sr.)

While I haven't been as high as some on Warrick, he is a great value at 19. Getting Roberts for a future 2nd rounder from Seattle is a nice pickup as well.

11. Miami

29 - Wayne Simien (6'8'', PF, Kansas, Sr.)

Miami used there one pick, snagged both the best player available and their biggest need. Simien gives them another big body and insurance if Haslem leaves in free agency.

12. Cleveland

44 - Martynas Andriuskevicius (7'3'', C, Lithuania)

This marks the 2nd year in a row Cleveland has taken advantage of Orlando's stupidity. Marty was rated as a lottery pick as few as 4 months ago, certainly he is worth putting away in Europe to develop. He's certainly worth a future 2nd to find out.

13. Washington

49 - Andray Blatche (6'11'', C, HS)

Washington sneaks in at 49 and grabs a guy who has 1st round talent. They need bigs desperately, Blatche will be a solid player for them.

14. Utah

3 - Deron Williams (6'3'', PG, Illinois, Jr.)
34 - CJ Miles (6'6'', SG, HS)
51 - Robert Whaley (6'9'', PF, Walsh, Sr.)

Deron will really help Utah, but passing on Paul was a mistake. Miles was a good pick because he can go back to Texas and learn. Whaley is a pick I don't like.

15. Atlanta

2 - Marvin Williams (6'9'', SF, UNC, Fresh.)
31 - Salim Stoudamire (6'1'', SG, Arizona, Sr.)
59 - Cenk Akyol (6'4'', PG, Turkey)

Atanta could have done much better, but they did get the #3 player in the draft and a solid 2nd round pick in Salim. Salim will be asked to start at PG next year, that could get ugly. Just think, Atlanta could have taken Paul, Taft, and Randolph Morris with their 3 picks. That's called addressing your needs Billy Knight.

16. Denver

20 - Julius Hodge (6'6'', SG, NC State, Sr.)
27 - Linas Kleiza (6'8'', PF, Missouri, Soph.)
35 - Ricky Sanchez (6'11'', PF, HS)
52 - Axel Hervelle (6'9'', PF, Belgium)

Denver got a little of everything. Address your biggest need, check. Add a banger, check. High schooler and Euro, check check. I like Hodge, the rest of the picks are iffy.

17. Sacramento

23 - Francisco Garcia (6'7'', SG, Louisville, Jr.)

Garcia fits in well with what Sacto is trying to do, good solid pick.

18. New York

8 - Channing Frye (6'11'', C, Arizona, Sr.)
21 - Nate Robinson (5'9'', PG, Washington, Jr.)
30 - David Lee (6'9'', PF, Florida, Sr.)

New York ended up with 3 players I really like, and if it were any other team this would be a top 10 draft class easy. But NY does not need another guard or undersized PF. Lee and Robinson are good players, but terrible fits in NY. Isaah is an idiot. Also, I am not sold on Frye like everyone else seems to be. He looks like a career backup to me.

19. Seattle

25 - Johan Petro (7'0'', C, France)
48 - Mickael Gelabale (6'7'', SF, France)

Petro won't play right away, but brings good upside to Seattle where he and Swift are the frontcourt of the future. Gelabale can help them right away if he is brought over.

20. Houston

24 - Luther Head (6'3'', SG, Illinois, Sr.)

Houston needed everything but a center. Head fits in well because he defends and is unselfish.

21. Phoenix

54 - Dijon Thompson (6'8'', SG, UCLA, Sr.)

Phoenix lost Robinson, their 1st round pick to NY, but Thompson fits in really well with what they do.

22. Charlotte

4 - Raymond Felton (6'0'', PG, UNC, Jr.)
13 - Sean May (6'8'', PF, UNC, Jr.)

Love Felton at 5, despise May at 13. Charlotte had a chance to have the best young core in basketball and pissed it away for a backup PF who will sell some tickets. Granger or Green were the pick here. Felton, Gerald Green, and Okafor would have been ridiculous.

23. Orlando

11 - Fran Vazquez (6'10'', PF, Spain)
38 - Travis Diener (6'1'', PG, Marquette, Sr.)
57 - Marcin Gortat (7'0'', C, Poland)

My beloved Magic prove that last years good draft as an accident. Vasquez at 11 isn't terrible, but with Green, Granger, Wright, and Graham still on the board, it's dumb. Diener at 38 fills some needs, but Ukic would have been better. Drafting Martynas Andriuskevicius at 44 was the saving grade of the draft. They then turn around and trade him to Cleveland for nothing and grab some Euro I have never heard of. It isn't hard to see why the Magic are one of the laughing stocks on the NBA. Green, Taft, and Diner looks a thousand times better than what we got.

24. San Antonio

28 - Ian Mahinmi (6'9'', PF, France)

This pick makes no sense if anyone but SA makes it. The Spurs always seem to find quality players overseas. So I will wait and see.

25. Detroit

26 - Jason Maxiell (6'7'', PF, Cincinnati, Sr.)
56 - Amir Johnson (6'9'', PF, HS)
60 - Alex Acker (6'5'', SG, Pepperdine, Jr.)

Detroit reached to take Maxiell, who is like a skinnier Ben Wallace, Johnson and Acker likely never play in the NBA. Good thing Detroit didn't really need to get better in this draft, cause they didn't.

26. Philadelphia

45 - Louis Williams (6'2'', SG, HS)

A very poor mans Allen Iverson going to the team with Allen Iverson. Makes little sense to me.

27. LA Clippers

12 - Yaroslav Korolev (6'9'', SF, Russia)
32 - Daniel Ewing (6'3'', PG, Duke, Sr.)

congratulations Clippers, your idiots. The Clips prove here why promises in the lottery are dumb and seldom done. They uphold their promise to take Korolev even though many better players have dropped to them at 12. Granger is and will always be vastly better than Korolev. Ewing was a reach with the 2nd pick of the 2nd round as well. Roko Ukic would have been a much better choice.

28. Minnesota

14 - Rashad McCants (6'3'', SG, UNC, Jr.)
47 - Bracey Wright (6'3'', SG, Indiana, Jr.)

Thank you Minnesota for making my Magic's draft look good. McCant's is an undersized SG who doesn't defend and has attitude problems. In other words, not a lottery pick. McCants can learn plenty from Spreewell about how to be a pro malcontent. In the 2nd round, Minnesota, who apparently was not satisfied with just 1 undersized scoring only SG added Bracey Wright, who will be playing in Belgium in 2 years. Way to not upgrade your team TWolves.


Dallas and Chicago had no picks. They still likely did better than Minnesota and the Clippers.