Also Check Out the Eastern Conference Grades
Dallas Mavericks |
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#51 pick SG Shan Foster |
Grade : C- |
| Analysis - The Mavericks didn't have much to do in this draft after trading away their draft pick in the Jason Kidd deal. With their second round pick, they grabbed a solid scorer out of Vanderbilt that will need to work on his outside shot but is a good scorer from 18-feet in and will be able to make the team. | ||
Denver Nuggets |
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#39 pick SG Sonny Weems (from Bulls) |
Grade : D- |
| Analysis - The Nuggets traded out of the first round so that they could have a protected pick from the Charlotte Bobcats in most likely 3 years or more. The Nuggets could have had a shot at many players who would've been able to contribute right away. The only thing that kept this team from getting an "F" is that they made a trade of a second round pick and received Sonny Weems from Chicago in a 3-team deal. | ||
Golden State Warriors |
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#14 pick PF Anthony Randolph #49 pick PF RIchard Hendrix |
Grade : C+ |
| Analysis - I'm not as high on this draft as most experts. I love the pick of Richard Hendrix in the second round because he's an extremely tough inside player that will provide a presence off the bench. However, I don't like the Randolph pick at all. This is a team that needed someone who could help inside right away. Plus, they already have a clone of Randolph in Brandan Wright. Why duplicate your pickup from the previous year? | ||
Houston Rockets |
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#28 pick SF Donte Greene (from Grizzlies) #33 pick PF Joey Dorsey (from Blazers) #54 pick F Maarty Leunen |
Grade : B |
| Analysis - This was a pretty good draft for the Houston Rockets considering their position at #25. They turned Nicolas Batum (their original selection) into Darrell Arthur in a trade with Portland. Then they turned Darrell Arthur into Donte Greene and Joey Dorsey in a trade with Memphis. Now, while neither Dorsey or Greene happens to be better than Darrell Arthur, the combination of the two gives them a formidable duo off the bench. The Rockets added to their depth with this pick. The pick of Leunen was a waste. It's hard to get someone that late in the draft that matters but they could've gone with someone like Sasha Kaun to add to the depth inside. | ||
Los Angeles Clippers |
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#7 pick SG Eric Gordon #35 pick C DeAndre Jordan #55 pick PG Mike Taylor (from Blazers) |
Grade : A+ |
| Analysis - Arguably the best team of the night in terms of their selections. Eric Gordon was exactly the right pick for the Clippers. He's one of the top guards of the past two years and can be a scoring machine for Los Angeles. Then in the second round, they had DeAndre Jordan fall right into their hands. Jordan was rumored to be as high as the 4th pick in this draft and to get a potential star like that is a huge coup. Also, Mike Taylor could definitely be the backup point guard of the future. Great job by Elgin Baylor. | ||
Los Angeles Lakers |
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#58 pick SG Joe Crawford |
Grade : C |
| Analysis - Hard to do anything significant with the 3rd to final pick in the draft. The Lakers didn't grab anybody that will contribute to the team, let alone even make the team. But when you think about their first round pick went to Memphis for Pau Gasol, it evens out. That's why they got this grade. | ||
Memphis Grizzlies |
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#3 pick SG O.J. Mayo (from Wolves) #27 pick PF Darrell Arthur (from Rockets) SF Antoine Walker (from Wolves) PG Marko Jaric (from Wolves) SG Greg Buckner (from Wolves) |
Grade : A- |
| Analysis - I thought that the selection of Kevin Love was the perfect fit for the Grizzlies' young team. But the trades that they pulled off tonight brought down their grade a small amount. OJ Mayo will most likely be an All-Star and a star in this league because of his ability to score the ball so well. And Darrell Arthur was a steal in a trade. He has top-10 talent and all they had to give up was Donte Greene and Joey Dorsey to get him. But taking on the terrible contracts of Antoine Walker and Marko Jaric has to weigh negatively on a team that was allegedly cutting payroll. | ||
Minnesota Timberwolves |
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#5 pick PF/C Kevin Love (from Grizzlies) #31 pick C Nikola Pekovic SG Mike Miller (from Grizzlies) PF Brian Cardinal (from Grizzlies) C Jason Collins (from Grizzlies) Two 2nd Rd Picks in 2009 (from Heat) |
Grade : A |
| Analysis - I was behind the original drafting of OJ Mayo and thought that Kevin McHale had screwed up the draft when he twice passed on DeAndre Jordan in the second round. Then he drafted Mario Chalmers with the 34th pick, which I felt was a great second round pick. Then of course, he traded Chalmers for practically nothing. So I was ready to tear this draft apart despite the pick of Mayo with #3. But then he pulled off a trade and he actually came out on top. This was a steal of a trade. They get a great big man, a dead-eye shooter, and cap relief. As far as Pekovic, he's a nice Euro prospect but DeAndre Jordan would've been a better gamble. | ||
New Orleans Hornets |
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No Picks Acquired No Players Acquired Via Trade |
Grade : F |
| Analysis - They sold off their only pick, Darrell Arthur, to the Blazers for cash. Arthur was a steal considering he dropped so low and the fact that the Hornets sold him away is a terrible move. | ||
Phoenix Suns |
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#15 pick C Robin Lopez #45 pick PG Goran Dragic (from Spurs) |
Grade : D+ |
| Analysis - GM Steve Kerr has taken a lot of flak for making the Shaq trade since it didn't even get them to the second round of the playoffs, let alone a NBA championship. This year, they decided to not sell away their draft pick for some cash and were going to infuse their aging lineup with a good young player from the 15th pick. Instead they drafted the crappier of the Lopez twins, who happens to be a terrible fit for their style. Dragic was a nice pull from the Spurs in a second round trade because he could be a nice backup point guard in a couple of years. If Suns fans ever thought Robin Lopez could work, those hopes were dashed when a graphic on TV said, "Collects Disney Memorabilia." | ||
Portland Trailblazers |
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#11 pick PG Jerryd Bayless (from Pacers) PF/C Ike Diogu (from Pacers) #25 pick SF Nicolas Batum (from Rockets) Two 2009 2nd Rd Pick (from Chicago) 2009 2nd Rd Pick (from Clippers) 2009 2nd Rd Pick (from Nuggets) |
Grade : A- |
| Analysis - Another great draft by the most active team on draft night. They were able to use one of their point guards and their #13 pick to grab a top-7 talent in Jerryd Bayless. Adding a promising young point guard to a lineup like Portland's is almost unfair. Plus they were able to trade for Batum who should be a nice addition when he finally comes over and they grabbed Diogu to back up the best young front court in basketball. The thing that keeps this team from getting an "A+" is that they were able to trade for Darrell Arthur but then dealt him for Batum. Arthur will be the better pro. | ||
Sacramento Kings |
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#12 pick PF Jason Thompson #42 pick PG Sean Singletary #43 pick SF/PF Patrick Ewing, Jr. |
Grade : B |
| Analysis - Extremely solid draft by Geoff Petrie once again. Thompson was a stretch at #12, but he's a player under the radar in this draft and the guy they wanted ever since his workout. He will be their starting power forward by year 3 and will be great at it. They probably should've traded down for him, but you can't fault them for getting their guy. In the second round, they grabbed solid college players with back to back picks. Singletary should be able to come in right away and be the backup point guard. He's a great scorer and one of the toughest point guards in the draft. Patrick Ewing, Jr. will be a great athlete that Reggie Theus can utilize off the bench. | ||
San Antonio Spurs |
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#26 pick PG George Hill #48 SG Malik Hairston (from Suns) #57 pick PF James Gist 2009 2nd Rd Pick (from Suns) |
Grade : C+ |
| Analysis - This was a very curious night for the Spurs. They drafted George Hill in the first, who was probably a player they could've had in the second round. Then they drafted a typical Spurs pick in the second round with Goran Dragic who would've been great for them. Only they traded him to Phoenix for Hairston, who probably will not make it past their D-League team. Speaking of D-League, James Gist is a nice big man but probably won't make a championship team like San Antonio. | ||
Seattle Supersonics |
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#4 pick PG Russell Westbrook #24 pick PF Serge Ibaka #29 pick PF D.J. White (from Pistons) #50 pick C Devon Hardin #56 pick C Sasha Kaun |
Grade : A |
| Analysis - Arguably the best draft of the night from top to bottom. They grabbed a dynamic scorer in Westbrook who should develop nicely with the young talent being assembled. Then they got arguably the best athlete in the draft with Ibaka, who will take a few years to develop but could be the best power forward in this draft after Beasley and Love. Then they traded two second round picks for D.J. White who will be able to contribute right away and challenge for the starting job. Then they grabbed two very underrated big men in the second round with Hardin and Kaun. This front court looks loaded for the next 10 years and the Sonics look to be on the right path. Great draft by Sam Presti. | ||
Utah Jazz |
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#23 pick C Kosta Koufos #44 pick C Ante Tomic #53 SF Tadja Dragicevic |
Grade : B |
| Analysis - I'm not so high on this draft like most experts. But it was a solid draft. Koufos is a nice big man who reminds me a lot of Mehmet Okur. But he's a couple of years away from contributing. Tomic was a nice second round pickup. He's one of the top Euro projects in this draft. The pick of Dragicevic was a wasted pick. He'll never step on an NBA court. Good draft by Larry Miller, but could've been better by addressing more pressing needs. | ||