2009 NBA Draft Grades

Atlanta - B
The Hawks stood their ground and waited to see which PG would slip to them. Teague is a solid value pick this late, though he is far from a sure thing, so Atlanta needs to keep Billy around until he develops.

Boston - C
Lester Hudson at #58 is nothing to complain about, but considering what some of the other contenders have done, Boston has been very quiet.

Charlotte - B+
Gerald Henderson is good value at #12 and also fills a major need. They should send New Jersey a thank you card for taking Terrence Williams at #11 and saving them from themselves. Derrick Brown is a very nice pick in the second round and he should make their team.

Chicago - C
Chicago clearly helped their team at the weakest spot, but I do not love either guy. Johnson is a bit of a tweener in the Corliss Williamson mold. Gibson is ok, but Blair would have been both a better player and fit at #26.

Cleveland - D
The Cavs, more than any other team in the league, should be in a win now mode. So why on Earth would they select a (very) long term project with DeJuan Blair still on the board? In Eyenga, they managed to draft a player in the first round that I have never heard of. This is the first time that has happened and no small task. The only thing keeping them from an F was that I liked the Danny Green pick and think he can make their team.

Dallas - C-
Again, Dallas is a win now team, and they took 3 projects. None of the 3 players chosen will be on their team next year. DeJuan Blair could have brought some much needed toughness to this team.

Denver - A-
Denver got a very good solid point guard in Ty Lawson who should be able to play right away. Not only can he learn from Billups, but he can provide a change of pace from him. Denver clearly helped themselves here.

Detroit - D
Only the Pistons can manage to select 3 guys I actually like and still get a D grade for it. I really like Daye, but they took him too early. Detroit had a chance to solidify it’s very thin frontcourt, but instead took a guy they have little need for. Daye is an upside guy, so this pick may look genius eventually, but it sure does not today. Jerebko and Summers are nice picks, but Budinger was the steal of the draft and Detroit dumped him. He would have fit perfect in Detroit and could have learned behind Rip and become a similar player.

Golden State - C
Curry is a good, but somewhat overrated player. Golden State needed another guard like I need a hole in my head. Jordan Hill should have been the pick here. He is the better prospect and the better for got Golden State.

Houston - A
The team with no picks may have had the best draft. Houston manage to give up very little but still get 3 guys that can really play. Both Jermaine Taylor and Chase Budinger are second round steals who will make the Rockets roster. Llull is a good point guard prospect who could develop overseas into a player. Well done.

Indiana - F
Hansbrough is a big time reach at #13. Indy is so devoid of talent that many other players could have helped them here. Bird stayed true to form and went with the lowest ceiling, most riskless white player in the draft. Hansbrough will be a career backup in the NBA. Danny Granger must be getting increasingly frustrated with the direction this team is going in.

LA Clippers - B+
This was the biggest no brainer in the draft. But, at least they did not screw it up. Which would have been such a Clipper thing to do.

LA Lakers - C
LA had no interest in being in this draft. They managed to sell off their pick and give themselves a better chance at bringing back Odom and/or Ariza.

Memphis - C
I really like all three guys Memphis took. Thabeet, Young, and Carroll are NBA ready and should provide toughness and defense to a team that needs some. If SF was their glaring weakness, this draft would be an A. But, their glaring weakness is at PF, and they did nothing to solidify that.

Miami - B-
Patrick Beverly has a chance to make the Heat, and that is all you can really ask for from a second round pick.

Milwaukee - B+
Brandon Jennings and Jodie Meeks should bring some youth and athleticism to a Milwaukee team in need of talent. Meeks will get a chance to learn behind Redd. Milwaukee still has a long way to go, but they helped themselves here.

Minnesota - C
After Rubio fell in their lap, they seemed headed for a no brainer A here. Then they used the #6 pick on another PG. As much as I like Flynn, this made no sense and apparently pissed off Ricky Rubio something fierce. It always amazes me how well run franchises always seem to catch breaks, and poorly run franchises always seem to shoot themselves in the foot. Minnesota sure did here. I like the Ellington pick at #28, but they had a chance to leave this draft with Rubio, DeRozan, 2 other first round picks, and the feeling of being one of the best young teams in basketball. They mucked it up though.

New Jersey - C-
Terrence Williams is just not a guy I am this high on. There were other guys on the board who could help the newly rebuilding Nets a lot more.

New Orleans - D
Collison is second round talent and plays New Orleans’ only non-position of need. This was a wasted pick by another team that could have used Blair, Budinger, Ellington, Gibson…

New York - A
The Knicks did the smart thing by staying put and taking Jordan Hill. There may have been sexier picks out there, but he was the best prospect left and filled a huge need. He is a better player and fit than Curry would have been. Douglas is a big defensive PG who can really score. I expect both he and Hill to be starters in New York for a good long time.

Oklahoma City - A
James Harden was not the BPA (that would be Rubio), but he was the best fit on the board. He will fit perfectly in the backcourt with Westbrook and his unselfishness and play making ability should make Durant look even better (no small task). Mullens was a great upside pick at a position of need for the Thunder. These 2 could go down as a slam dunk, franchise changing draft if Mullens lives up to his potential.

Orlando - N/A
Orlando had no picks. But, they did manage to trade for Vince Carter the night before. So a good week none the less.

Philadelphia - C
Jrue Holiday is not a great fit in Philly and a guy like Lawson or Maynor would have been better fits for a Philly team looking to win now. Holiday does have a lot of talent though and this pick could very easily go down as a great pick if he becomes the player he is capable of.

Phoenix - B+
Earl Clark is an absolute steal at #14 and Emir Preldzic is a good draft and stash prospect. The pick of Taylor Griffin makes no sense, as he was only an average college player, but all it will cost them is the price to fly him in to training camp.

Portland - B-
On one hand, Portland drafted a lot of solid players. Claver is a real talent who could develop overseas like Rudy Fernandez did. Pendergraph, Cunningham, and Mills are all second rounders who can make a team and eventually be productive. Unfortunately for them, Portland likely will not have the spots to keep them.

Sacramento - D
The glass half empty thought process here is that Sacramento got a big time prospect in Tyreke Evans and another very nice player in Omri Casspi. That may be true, but the fact still remains that somehow Sacramento managed to not take one of the 11 or so first round talent point guards and is now once again stuck with Beno Udrih at the top of their depth chart. Talk about an epic failure, you almost had to try to not draft a PG this year, just ask Minnesota.

San Antonio - A+
DeJuan Blair is such a good pick at #37 that he may actually start for the Spurs this year. He fits great with the rest of the Spurs team and will be an instant player. Nando de Colo is a very nice draft and stash player who could be the heir apparent to Tony Parker if he continues to improve.

Toronto - B
Toronto needed a talented athletic wing, so they took DeRozan. See how that works Sacramento? DeRozan has the talent to be a top 5 player in this draft.

Utah - C+
I love Eric Maynor, but Utah is one of the few teams that did not need a PG. Sutton is a solid second round pick though, and he could replace Okur if he bolts.

Washington - C
It is hard to fault the Wiz for taking Miller and Foye for the #5 pick in this weak a draft. Had Rubio not fallen to #5, they would look like geniuses. But, Rubio did fall to #5 and now they will look like morons if he becomes the player he is expected to be.