NBA Draft Recap (V.2)

By: Corey Donetz

It's now two days after the NBA Draft, all of the sports analysts have given their best/worst, as has my counterpart, so now I’ll give mine. As I mentioned in my mock draft, this draft lacked “superstar” talent. Obviously it’s easier to do better if you have more picks right? Wrong. For some franchises that just gave them more opportunities to make bad picks.  I agree with two of my partner’s decisions for best/worst, but have a few different views for the others.

The Best (In descending order):

Denver Nuggets: (See below post).

Houston Rockets: On draft day the Rockets were able to acquire four players that can make an immediate impact. They drafted international center Nikola Mirotic, but then shipped him, Brad Miller, and a future first round pick to Minnesota in exchange for Jonny Flynn and the T-Wolves 20^th pick, Donatas Motiejunas. Flynn, who became expendable for Minnesota with the Ricky Rubio signing, has the potential to be a franchise point guard. Along with the acquisitions of those two, Houston also drafted one of the more talented players in the draft in Kansas forward Marcus Morris, and one of the most underrated players in the draft, Florida’s Chandler Parsons.

Utah Jazz: The Jazz were able to get arguably the most talented big man in the draft in Enes Kanter, and one of the best value picks with Alec Burks at #12. Utah was able to address not only needs with their picks, but also was able to get the best available player in doing so. Burks can share time at the point with Devin Harris, while also playing shooting guard, and even some small forward if he is needed. Kanter will take some of the pressure down low off of Al Jefferson by allowing him to obtain easier looks and also providing a big body on defense.

The Worst (In descending order):

New York Knicks (See below post).

Los Angeles Lakers: The Lakers draft would’ve been described as a bad draft unless they made a trade to upgrade their team by adding a superstar, or a player who could make an immediate impact. The Lake Show did not make that trade. Darius Morris was taken with the 41st pick, Andrew Goudelock was taken with the 46^th overall pick, and their late second round picks of Chukwudiebere Maduabum and Ater Mojik left many scratching their heads. Although Maduabum has since been traded for a future second round pick, the Lakers simply didn’t make any improvement this draft that will impact their season. With all this being said, if the Lakers are able to include Morris, Mojik and/or Goudelock in a trade for an impact player, they will no longer be mentioned as a worst. However, if they trade Bynum/Gasol they will regret not drafting a big man with the 46^th pick, passing on Keith Benson.  

Charlotte Bobcats: The Bobcats had two of the top 10 picks, and in my mind made the wrong decisions on their picks. Charlotte took international big man Bismack Biyombo with their #7 pick (acquired from Sacramento), but not only is Biyombo a raw talent, but he also has a buyout issue. While the buyout issue may not matter if the lockout does indeed occur, the Bobcats should’ve gone another route with this pick. They would’ve had a steal by selecting Kentucky guard, Brandon Knight (who was drafted one pick later by Detroit). If they drafted Knight, they could’ve still went with Kemba Walker at #9 playing Walker at point and Knight at shooting guard, or went with Klay Thompson, Jimmer Fredette, or Marcus Morris. By taking Walker/Biyombo and trading Stephen Jackson the Bobcats have an abysmal offense that will undoubtedly be a bottom dweller this upcoming season.

Best Steals of the Draft:

#8: Brandon Knight:

#12: Alec Burks (Utah Jazz)

#26: Jordan Hamilton (Drafted by Mavericks, traded to Nuggets)

#44 Charles Jenkins (Golden State Warriors)

#48: Keith Benson (Atlanta Hawks)

#60: Isaiah Thomas (Sacramento Kings)

Worst Picks of the Draft (Based on team who selected/acquired player & pick the player was drafted):

#7: Bismack Biyombo (Charlotte Bobcats)

#28: Norris Cole (Drafted by Bulls, traded to Heat)

#45: Josh Harrellson (Drafted by Hornets, traded to Knicks)

#58: Ater Mojik (Los Angeles Lakers)

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.