NBA Draft Recap

By: Mike Wagenman

After last night's head spinning NBA Draft, the dust has finally settled and the fans and teams can now try to see where their new potential stars will fit in. As is the case with every draft, many trades were made, some teams had a great player fall right into their laps, and other teams made a bit of a stretch to draft a player. Although this draft was widely considered one of the weakest classes in recent memory, many teams came out winners and significantly improved their teams and addressed key needs. However, some teams left everybody wondering why they did what they did. Only time will tell how the newest members of the NBA family will pan out, and who really ended up winners and losers. As for now, here's my three biggest winners and losers from last night's 2011 NBA Draft

WINNERS:

1. Denver Nuggets: Last year, in the “post-Melo” era, the Nuggets were given a few new nicknames, such as the “Knuggets” or the “Baby Knicks” alluding to the fact that a good sized portion of their roster is made up of former Knicks. The Nuggets surprised many people last year when they had much success after trading superstar Carmelo Anthony. They improved and addressed key needs better than any team. With the 22^nd pick, the Nuggets landed one of the best rebounding talents in the past few years, Kenneth Faried from Morehead State. He, along with Chris “Birdman” Andersen, make up one of the best rebounding duos in the league coming off the bench. Also, the Nuggets had Texas star Jordan Hamilton fall right into their laps at pick number 26. Hamilton is an incredible athlete with a great shot. His versatility makes him an even better asset to the Nuggets. Finally, the Nuggets cleared the way for young point guard speedster Ty Lawson to shine full time. He has shown flashes of excellence in his split time with Chauncey Billups/Raymond Felton. The Nuggets swapped Felton for Blazers point guard Andre Miller. Miller is a veteran and can back up Lawson while teaching him the ins and outs of being a true NBA point guard. Grade: A

2. Golden State Warriors: Many experts are questioning the Warriors pick at number 11, when they drafted Washington State Guard Klay Thompson. However, I love this pick. Thompson can create his own shot, and knock it down. He was a bigtime scorer at WSU, and he will help stretch the floor, creating opportunities for 3-point assassins such as Monta Ellis, Stephen Curry, and Dorrell Wright. The Warriors also snagged Charles Jenkins, a guard from Hofstra, at pick 44. This is another player who can stretch the floor and even take the ball to the rim. He had one of the best NBA-ready bodies at of any draft-eligible player, according to many scouts and sources. Finally, an underrated acquisition was their obtaining the 39^th pick from the Charlotte Bobcats. With this pick, the Warriors grabbed a hard-nosed rebounder Jeremy Tyler. He will surely help out David Lee and be able to pull down boards by the bunch. Grade: A

3. Charlotte Bobcats: At first, being a Bobcats supporter, I was livid at the fact that Stephen Jackson was shipped off to Milwaukee. First Gerald Wallace, and now Stephen Jackson? Really? But the Bobcats did a great job and are widely considered the biggest draft winner. They took big man Bismack Biyombo from the Congo with the 7^th pick, which they got from the Bucks. Biyombo is a defensive force who can block shots and pull down rebounds for 48 straight minutes. His 7'7” wingspan will surely keep opponents wary as they try to attack the basket. At pick number nine, the Bobcats took Kemba Walker out of UConn. Walker is a Stephen Jackson type player, a lot of shots, but he is a great scorer. However, Walker is a proven winner; five wins in five days to claim the Big East title, not to mention a National Championship and a First Team All-America selection. Walker brings the “it” factor down to Charlotte. The Bobcats are young and seem to be on the rise. Grade: A-

LOSERS:

3. Toronto Raptors: The Raptors are the best of the three losers. At pick number five, Toronto snagged Lithuanian big Jonas Valanciunas. This is not to say that Valanciunas is not a good enough player to be a top-5 pick, because his is. The Raptors get a low grade because they took a center when they already have one, and a good one at that, former number one pick Andrea Bargnani. I guess they wanted a replacement for Chris Bosh? They could have taken Brandon Knight, Kemba Walker, etc. and that would have given them a legitimate player who can create for his teammates. Also, the Raptors did not make any trades to improve their last place finish from a year ago. Grade: C

2. Phoenix Suns: I'm not sure if the Suns accidentally mixed up the Morris twins, or if they really meant to take Markieff Morris over his more talented brother Marcus (who was taken with the very next pick by Houston). Marcus has clearly distinguished himself as the more talented player on both ends of the floor, and shows a higher basketball IQ. On top of that, there have been questions and Markieff's poor attitude. Nevertheless, the Suns stretched for Markieff Morris, heck it would have even been a stretch to take Marcus at pick number 13, which is when Phoenix pulled the trigger on Markieff. The only reason the Suns aren't the biggest loser is because they actually filled a big hole at power forward. The Suns made no other moves last night either, landing them with this... Grade: C- (P.S. Did anyone else see how shocked Marcus was that Markieff was selected first?)

1. New York Knicks: As much as it makes me cringe to put my favorite team as the biggest loser, I have to. I have no idea what was going on in the draft room when they took Georgia Tech combo guard Iman Shumpert at number 17. This is not to say Shumpert is not a good player, because he is (especially on the defensive end), but this was a huge stretch. What makes it worse was the fact that the Knicks needed rebounding help and a presence inside to help out Amare Stoudemire on defense. What makes it even worse is that Florida State's Chris Singleton, the best perimeter defender in the draft, was still on the board. The only reason the Knicks won't get a big, fat F in this draft is that they did address the league's worse defense per 48 minutes by taking Shumpert. It was just a bit too soon. Also, they selected Josh Harrellson from Kentucky. This big man is too short to play center, but too overweight to be a legitimate power forward. It really doesn't matter thought, because Harrellson doesn't have a prayer in making an NBA roster. Grade: D+

To leave my readers with something to look forward to, here are three players, drafted in the last 15 picks of the draft, who I think are great picks and will have more of an impact on their teams than some might think:

1. Andrew Goudelock (College of Charleston): The Lakers snagged on of the best scorers in college basketball with pick 46. This scrappy guard averaged 23.7 ppg last year, good for fourth in the country.
2. Josh Selby (Kansas): This wing player did not play much as Kansas this season because of suspension, but his high school tapes and limited play with the Jayhawks prove that he can score. Selby is a great find at pick 49 by Memphis, and the Grizzlies offense is one to look out for next year.
3. Isaiah Thomas (Washington): Mr. Irrelevant of the NBA Draft is a sleeper. Thomas is a proven winner, proven scorer, and proven teammate. He has the will, desire, and hunger to power his team on through tough situations, and will fill a nice role coming off the Sacramento Kings bench.