Grade your team’s Draft
Eric Maynor, VCU-to-Utah
The morning before the ‘09 NBA Draft, we asked you guys to act as your team’s GM. On the day after, now’s your chance to play critic and do the hindsight-20/20 thing. Grade how you think your team did on Draft Night:
76ERS — Jrue Holiday (17)
BOBCATS — Gerald Henderson (12), Derrick Brown (40)
BUCKS — Brandon Jennings (10), Jodie Meeks (41)
BULLS — James Johnson (16), Taj Gibson (26)
CAVALIERS — Christian Eyenga (30), Danny Green (46), Emir Preldzic (57)
CELTICS — Lester Hudson (58)
CLIPPERS — Blake Griffin (1)
GRIZZLIES — Hasheem Thabeet (2), DeMarre Carroll (27), Sam Young (36)
HAWKS — Jeff Teague (19), Sergiy Gladyr (49)
HEAT — Patrick Beverly (42), Robert Dozier (60)
HORNETS — Darren Collison (21), Marcus Thornton (43)
JAZZ — Eric Maynor (20), Goran Suton (50)
KINGS — Tyreke Evans (4), Omri Casspi (23), Jon Brockman (38)
KNICKS — Jordan Hill (8), Toney Douglas (29)
LAKERS — Chinemelu Elonu (59)
MAGIC — No picks
MAVERICKS — Rodrique Beaubois (25), Nick Calathes (45), Ahmad Nivins (56)
NETS — Terrence Williams (11)
NUGGETS — Ty Lawson (18)
PACERS — Tyler Hansbrough (13), A.J. Price (52)
PISTONS — Austin Daye (15), DaJuan Summers (35), Jonas Jerebko (39)
RAPTORS — DeMar DeRozan (9)
ROCKETS — Jermaine Taylor (32), Sergio Llull (34), Chase Budinger (44)
SPURS — DeJuan Blair (37), Jack McClinton (51), Nando De Colo (53)
SUNS — Earl Clark (14), Taylor Griffin (48)
THUNDER — James Harden (3), B.J. Mullens (24), Robert Vaden (54)
TIMBERWOLVES — Ricky Rubio (5), Jonny Flynn (6), Wayne Ellington (28), Henk Norel (47)
TRAIL BLAZERS — Victor Claver (22), Jeff Pendergraph (31), Dante Cunningham (33), Patrick Mills (55)
WARRIORS — Stephen Curry (7)
WIZARDS — No picks
June 26th, 2009 at 4:19 pm
Imperial-Mel says:
Shout out to Tenn-Martin and Lester Hudson doin his thing…He a sneaky scorer watch out for him
June 26th, 2009 at 4:30 pm
miamiVIS3 says:
Heat:C-
They left Jack McClinton on the table and he was honestly a great fit for them as he could’ve played spot minutes at point to bring som extra shooting instead we get Patrick Beverley who I’ve never heard of but I like Robert Dozier as a prospect for the future, to bring a young,long,atheletic big to the Heat something they’ve been lacking.
June 26th, 2009 at 4:31 pm
Pig says:
Nugz A They wanted Lawson and got him..he’ll be nice player
June 26th, 2009 at 4:35 pm
E$ says:
bunch of no-namers that will continue to be no-namers after it’s all said & done
June 26th, 2009 at 4:41 pm
karizmatic says:
The Lakers gets a D-
June 26th, 2009 at 4:42 pm
Let's Go Hawks says:
Hawks- B simply because it was either Teague or Maynor and they already tried to the whole “true point upper-classman point guard” thing with Acie Law IV
June 26th, 2009 at 4:45 pm
Arrogant says:
Chicago Bulls - C
the bulls should have package the picks or made a move … to have 3 pforwards and 3 centers… I hope they make a move… at least sure up the guard position…
This new gm soundin like he wants to keep things how they are while addin them forward… while other teams gettin superstars and future superstars…
June 26th, 2009 at 4:49 pm
Clutch says:
Lakers A
They got the money they will need to bring back Brown Ariza and Odom.
Knicks. B
Needed a power forward who can run rebound block shots hit mid range jump shots and as a rapidly improving post game. Though most Knick fans wanted Curry, Hill has legit star potential
Spurs A
Jefferson for the wings and Blair to help down low nuff saud
Wizards C-
So what did washington need more wing scoring and jump shooting, I am sure that has been their problem forever not the no defense and lack of rebounding.
June 26th, 2009 at 4:49 pm
calvin brodus says:
nuggies: B+
the lawson pick up is huge. the nuggs have blown off the draft the past 3-4 seasons, so it was nice to see them show up this year. i would have given them an A but they blew that 34th pick. mills, young and blair were all still on the board at 34 and the nuggs took some euro from who the fuck knows where. i still can’t figure out why they didn’t gamble on one those three mentioned above. they should have taken blair just to keep the fucking spurs from grabbing him.
next move is to try to ditch anthony carter. karl is talking about he wants AC back, but i would love to see lawson be the #1 backup at pg when the season starts.
June 26th, 2009 at 5:08 pm
the cynic says:
Lakers get an A if Odom and Ariza come back. They get a C if they lose out on one of them and a F if they lose out on both
June 26th, 2009 at 5:09 pm
JHUSTLE says:
DALLAS MAVERICKS. D+
when dallas first picked BJ Mullens i almost threw my remote thru the TV but then i saw they traded the pick to OKC for Beaubois. This dude is a no name prospect youngster with a supposedly big upside but with Wayne Ellington (a proven shooter),Sam Young (proven scorer) and Dejuan Blair (solid on D and an excellent rebounder/passer) im dissapointed in the pick. If this Frenchie turns out good then I was wrong but damn go with somebody who you’ve seen get it done at least at the college level before you take a chance on another EURO prospect (which the mavs have done over and over, draft after draft). This draft got real weak after about pick 12 anyway but the Mavs could regret this. Cuban’s gotta have a trade in mind cuz this sqaud is lookin weak right now we gotta make moves while Dirk is still on top of his game
June 26th, 2009 at 5:21 pm
abpin says:
SAN ANTONIO SPURS
Great pieces to fit the puzzle. Inside rebounding presence, outside shooting, and just overall good decisions from the brass. As long as they stay healthy, the Spurs are back in Championship talks.
Grade: A
June 26th, 2009 at 5:31 pm
Brad says:
Milwaukee Bucks: B
The grade is very dependent on whether Jennings is incredible or a complete bust. I feel like the odds at this point are 50/50.
Meeks, however, I think is a surely good pick. He’ll do exactly what Mike Redd did when Ray Allen was around: play some minutes here and there, score some points, and eventually take the helm at the two once we THANKFULLY get Redd the hell out of Milwaukee.
Note: This draft KIND OF makes up for drafting Joe Alexander.
June 26th, 2009 at 5:54 pm
ricky says:
I like Calathes but I would rather have Sam Young than Beaubois. Then they can play Kidd, Howard, Young, Dirk, and Dampier(man I hate him). As for the last guy they drafted, I don’t know anything about him…
June 26th, 2009 at 6:22 pm
doc says:
Sixers-Incomplete=We took the best talent available.
June 26th, 2009 at 6:31 pm
Baby Huey says:
Blazers - Inc. Looks like they are trying to save money for free agency/trade market. If they use their cap space to go out and get a veteran PG then they get a good grade. If they do nothing with that money then they get an F in my book
June 26th, 2009 at 6:53 pm
goonther says:
the cavs …
F+ … CLICK!
June 26th, 2009 at 7:22 pm
Pig says:
@9 They sold 2 round pick for 2.4 mil. so they can keep birdman and jones
June 26th, 2009 at 7:44 pm
Ashlov says:
The Heat did a great job picking up Patrick Beverely. After having some academic issues at Arkansas, this kid disappeared off the map into some remote Ukrainian team.
He’s got a great first step, a motor that’s always in overdrive, super long arms, and is a one mean motherfucker. He even averaged 1.6 bpg. I’ll call it right now and say that this kid can a very solid chance of supplanting Mario Chalmers as the Heat’s starting point guard.
June 26th, 2009 at 7:47 pm
BiG ShoT BoB says:
Warriors surprisingly A- because they didn’t go with the consensus and pick Jordan Hill. Plus they kicked New York in the balls. Anytime you can get New York to boo and it’s not about the Knicks you’ve done a good job…LOL
June 26th, 2009 at 8:04 pm
ticktock6 says:
Hornets: B+
Their biggest need is backup big, but a young point guard to back up CP is their second need. They got that in Darren Collison, whose stats compare pretty well to PGs taken above him. If he does a good job, then the team has just gotten themselves a $6M trade chip in Antonio Daniels’ expiring. I wanted them to take Blair, but in truth he’s sort of undersized, and we already start an undersized 4. And since no one else bit on him, I just have to trust these front offices.
Hornets didn’t have a second round pick, but they grabbed Thornton, a nice guard who they weren’t sure would fall to the 2nd round but who they liked in workouts, from Miami. He’s a local kid who fans will love (if he makes the team) and who will have an incentive to do well, in front of his friends and family.
So they didn’t get a big, but there weren’t many available. After their recent bad experiences with “he’s a project” bigs, I don’t blame them for not biting. They got one more player than expected in the draft, the bench is younger, and we’ll have to sign one less awful, 33 yr old, lovable, hardworking, journeyman scrub of the type that Byron Scott is so in love with. But I don’t give them an A because neither of those picks add size.
June 26th, 2009 at 8:06 pm
Ian says:
Spurs
A+ got a steal with blair and that eddie house clone.
June 26th, 2009 at 8:11 pm
LaMont says:
Knicks - A+
got J. Hill now they hold leverage against Lee, ditto for Nate as they also got T. Douglas. Milicic good backup if Curry comes back to at least 2007-2008 form (puts up numbers then gets shipped like Z-Bo for more cap space and/or talent and we still have Milicic and J. Hill to rotate at the 5). There will be a plethora of available and serviceable PG’s to sign on the cheap (maybe not a plethora but they’ll get a good one). And best of all they didn’t have to give up Wilson Chandler.
June 26th, 2009 at 8:14 pm
rangerjohn says:
i am very pleased with the spurs draft.
i am also laughing at the lakers and their people who think the 3 mil will be enough to help sign anyone. it was a “last ditch effort” type deal. odom is gone, ariza is will resign, brown might just be gone as well. they will also over pay for ariza.
flame away!
June 26th, 2009 at 8:58 pm
Luigi says:
Wizards - F!
i love my team. but we had a bad draft. instead of trading or selecting taylor wit that pick. we shuda draftd Homeboy DaJuan (Poor mans Ariza) Blair (poor mans millsap) or even Sam Young (poor mans matt barnes). either way we get a legit 3..or a power 4. which we kinda need. i mean Blair might be small but he has heart. somthing my wiz kinda need. Dajuan has a chance to be a really good defender n thats what the Wiz DONT have. and same with young.
also, if we drafted one of them n they made the rotation. it would make us much better than the team we have now. oh n if we wanted cash. we coulda just gave up Deshawn n Mike James but hell. who wants em?
anyways if we woulda drafted one of those 3 listed. we would have another piece to the puzzle. right now our team consists of 7 Guards. 5 Forwards. and 2 Centers….i wonder what happened to that need of a big man?.
im just being too harsh on my wiz. but whatever. i want to win now!.
June 26th, 2009 at 9:16 pm
Sam I Am says:
Wolves =
A ++
The rare Plus Plus
June 26th, 2009 at 9:31 pm
T.J. says:
Hawks A-
Teague has potential and if he can develop into a better distributor (and play some solid D) he could be the answer to my Atlanta Hawks Prayers!
June 26th, 2009 at 10:13 pm
QQ says:
It’s not about the draft, but I’ll give the Magic a B+ for trading for VC, meaning we’re REALLY FUCKING SERIOUS about winning the chip.
Don’t mess it up, VC, you dipshit.
June 26th, 2009 at 10:56 pm
MNTwolves says:
Wolves A
Even if I they were not able to take Evans, I think, a backcourt of Rubio and Flynn would be very sweet next season.
June 27th, 2009 at 1:02 am
p-dizzle says:
Hornets: C-
Man…….The chief is fuc**ng up!!
June 27th, 2009 at 1:07 am
ian says:
warriors-b+ they picked one of the six guys i don’t think will be arrested in 3 yrs
June 27th, 2009 at 2:49 am
POPPI GEE says:
Houston gets a “C”
They really needed a center. I mean considering Deke is gone and Yao’s left foot I think constantly is going out or getting broken or whatever they really need a center.
Getting the Jermain kid is the only thing that really keeps the grade from being F or D cause Chase is ok too. I seriously don’t see the point of the Lull kid.
You could even say Houston got a C+ considering they had no draft picks and they still managed to get in there with 3.
Dang they really need some type of center though.
June 27th, 2009 at 4:21 am
dmitry of jersey says:
Haaa haaaaa I’m sorry VC will not solve anyone’s championship puzzle. you are winning if dwight dominates, period.
NETS - I don’t know. Never seen our dude play bc college ball is foreign for me.
QQ don’t take it the wrong way, Vince is a solid player, but you could lose Hedo now… either way, VC will be interesting on that loaded team, but as a Nets fan, I am happy we got Courtney Lee off you… and that does say something considering Vince did get 20-5-5 easy and Lee is a rook
June 27th, 2009 at 12:46 pm
Kingsley says:
Pacers - C
By drafting a limited ceiling Tyler, we are heading towards mediocrity for many years (and wasting Danny’s prime years)
Thanks, Larry Legend…
June 27th, 2009 at 2:19 pm
Amar says:
Utah Jazz — B+
You’re not going to get all-stars when you are drafting at #20 and #50. And the Jazz certainly did not get all-stars with Maynor and Suton. What they did get is more depth at some of their more shallow positions.
Maynor doesn’t have freaky athleticism, crazy long arms (beaubois), isn’t a short shooting guard, and isn’t bereft of a jump shot (rubio). What he does bring to the table is a classic set of point guard traits, including a pass first mentality, better than average on the ball defense, legit NBA three point shooting range, and leadership abilities. It doesn’t hurt that he’s not afraid to make his own shot and win games either.
He spells the death of Brevin Knight (who just did not pan out in Utah, as much as we all thought it would be a great fit), and will push Ronnie Price (a short shooting guard) for the 8-14 mpg that Deron isn’t going to play.
Goran Suton provides the Jazz with another warm body who will play in the summer league and be asked to training camp. Utah already has three centers under contract (Okur, Koufos and Fesenko) with another a free agent (Collins) and another in Europe right now (Tomic). He should be a measuring stick to base opinions off of. At the very least, his height may be more suited to PF at this level, and he does a good job boxing out, getting defensive boards and can hit the 15-20 footer with some confidence. That’s just enough to get out of the way of everyone else.
Maynor will be a rotation player on a West playoff team down the line. That makes this draft a B+, Suton is an afterthought — at least he’ll push Fesenko a little bit.
June 27th, 2009 at 4:31 pm
Brown says:
Warriors = B-
Not sure if Curry will end up staying, but he wasn’t a horrible pick. He’s in a position to get the green light and should be a nice contrast to Ellis’ driving abilities, but that backcourt is small and will have a hard time guarding taller 1s and 2s. I see Curry being more of a scorer who comes off the bench to spell either guard spot. Offensively he should flourish, but he’ll struggle defensively.
Raptors = A-
DeRozan is a wild card who could end up changing this grade to an A+. Talent-wise, he’s what the Raps have been missing since the VC trade, an athletic wing who can create off the dribble. He won’t blow anyone away right away, but in 2-3 years, he should be an impact player and be a big part of the Raps core. My only questions are about his defense and whether he has the desire to put in the work needed to be more than just an athletic scorer.
June 28th, 2009 at 4:58 am
Soda says:
Raptors - A
DeRozan is a good kid who should be able to get the chance to flourish in T.O. He’ll have his growing pains, but moving forward he’ll be a huge part of the Raps future.
June 28th, 2009 at 6:18 pm
bill says:
pick for ROTY = 1. Griffin 2. Evans and 3.derozan