Post by Kruwaukee on Oct 11, 2009 19:41:33 GMT -5
The Western Conference is back to playing 2nd fiddle to the East as their run was short lived with the Grizzlies. Now they're aging and they could use some new blood in the conference and new blood they got. How did they fare in this year's draft as a conference? Lets take a look at each team and see what they're looking like, grade them, and analyze. grade them, and analyze.
Minnesota Timberwolves- Timberrrrrrr! Yes things are falling down in Minnesota and they can't exactly go to the mall and buy some talent. The Timberwolves are coming off their embarrassing first round exit and are most likely finished with their current roster. Its a shame they couldn't have parted ways with some of their guys last season while they had more value so they could have gotten some picks for this year's draft. They did have their first round selection which netted them big man Jason Collins.
Draft Grade: D
Analysis: Well they took big man Jason Collins (who I didn't suggest to auto) as they will need some big men of the future so the selection of Collins makes sense.
Vancouver Grizzlies- The Grizzlies are in the same boat as the Timberwolves. They're aging! At the crossroads of whether to keep going for championships, retool, or reload? It should be interesting to see what they do this season but it would have been nice to have added some depth via draft.
Draft Grade: INC
Analysis: Surprised David Robinson didn't move for a pick this draft
San Antonio Spurs- The Spurs haven't been afraid to shake things up to climb the food chain out West. The Spurs had a winning season for the first time in a long time last season and this offseason they completely reloaded. Acquiring Kenyon Martin and Jason Terry to go for their youth movement allowed them to draft low risk high reward in Mo Williams. I
Draft Grade: B
Analysis: The Spurs have something cooking in San Antonio they have a young core thats quick and athletic. The backcourt of the two PG system of Terry and Mo Williams will be fun to watch. Oh yea they got that guy Carlos Arroyo too. PG's everywhere!
Houston Rockets- The Rockets took off in last years draft moving down to get two lotto picks as opposed to one. They are ready to compete and didn't need much so they just had to address an area where they had lack of depth and they went big and why not? Brendan Haywood and Joel Pryzbilla are probably the coolest duo since the bash brothers in Mighty Ducks.
Draft Grade: C+
Analysis:The Rockets got the most legitmate big man in the draft in Brendan Haywood who is an active 7 footer who also weighs 268lbs. I wouldn't be surprised to see Haywood be able to block some shots too. One thing is for sure he'll provide solid backup minutes and be able to defend and rebound.
Denver Nuggets- We're competing, we're rebuilding, we're competing, we're rebuilding. They call him GM Flip Mops and Chipper is thankful as he has taken some heat off of him. They finally made a step in one direction by parting ways with long time Nugget Terrell Brandon. However the got rid of him too late in order to get into this draft even though it wasn't for a lack of effort. Oh well
Draft Grade: INC
Analysis: We're glad he didn't rush into trading Brandon for a pick late in this draft and held out to get 2 future draft picks. Sometimes the best trades that are made are the ones we don't make.
Dallas Mavericks- There is a new sheriff in town in Dallas and GM Kobe is making his presence felt already. He's made a number of moves to get his own stamp on the team. He shipped Kenyon Martin for Kandi and then sent Kandi packing for Damon Stoudemire and Shareef Abdur-Rahim. It's always fun for new GMs to get players who they want instead of the guys the last GM had.
Draft Grade: B+
Analysis: Ok so you got me. They didn't make a draft pick and I gave them a B+ but they used their pick to acquire more talent and I'm happy Kobe is making his impression on the league.
Utah Jazz- The Jazz had an odd assortment of players who don't really seem to gel in any sort of scheme. It's not that they aren't talented but you got shooters, slashers, but one thing they have in common is that they are all very soft on defense. GM Dmoney took over a terrible situation to his defense he's done an admirable job at assembling talent and this draft they had the 19th overall pick where they selected PF Troy Murphy.
Draft Grade: D
Analysis: The Jazz could have selected Jamal Tinsley to push starter Rafer Alston or drafted Dasagana Diop to anchor their interior defense with Erick Dampier. Troy Murphy is a poor man's Pat Garrity. I'm surprised they didn't go with the athletic Jamario Moon to go along with athletes Darius Miles and Quentin Richardson. It will be interesting to see what moves will occur after TC this season for the young Jazz team.
Seattle Supersonics- The Sonics are the best team out west with their elusive outside offense that boggles opposing team's defenses. They unloaded their draft picks to acquire that talent and weren't a part of this draft and obviously thats ok as they have a good amount of depth.
Draft Grade: INC
Analysis: I still think the Sonics are a little overrated but they keep on proving me wrong. Steve Nash is real deal....2002 MVP anyone?
Los Angeles Clippers- The Clippers are another one of the teams who went without a draft pick but they utilized their pick well in the trade market to their advantage. Larry "Grand Ma Ma" Johnson has really propelled the Clippers from being a good team to a contending team. Hopefully Dirk stays in red and white this offseason and the Clippers can go to the next level. Serious contenders!
Draft Grade: INC
Analysis: I pretty much said all I have to say about the clippers in the above statement but I'll give a round of applause for them conquering their contract year with poise by not blowing their team up to do it. They stayed true and really built a nice franchise.
Portland Trailblazers:
Draft Grade: INC
Analysis Yea we left the above part empty on purpose. It's non existent just like their management.
Phoenix Suns: Jah got my vote for GM of the year last season. He did a tremendous job of putting together this team and managing it. They aren't flashy what so ever but the know how to win ball games. I said it before in this article sometimes the best trades we make are the ones we don't and Jah hasn't been too quick to rush into any trades. He had done a nice job at making all the pieces of the puzzle fit and he had a few picks this draft where he just made the puzzle a bigger picture.
Draft Grade: B+
Analysis: Lord knows that Jah loves his inside scoring big men and Eddy Curry fits the bill. Curry comes in with size and a knack to put the ball in the basket. He should fit right in with the scheme of things. Curry was the obvious pick and none of the guys beyond that made too much sense. He acquired a draft pick from the Bucks to move down 1 slot in the draft from 16 to 17. Looks like the Phoenix is rising from the Ashes(oh wait he's the commish we mean Jah)
Los Angelas Lakers- The Lakers are the team that tried to do too much too soon and tried to put together a winning team when they weren't ready to win. They have a solid team but they aren't going anywhere fast except maybe fishing. It's a shame that they dealt away their pick and couldn't participate in this draft. They will most likely unload whatever talent they have this season unless they keep their above .500 but not going anywhere in the playoffs delusional thinking.
Draft Grade: INC
Analysis: I hear the Clippers are running a special 2 for 1 jerseys if you trade in your purple and gold in favor of red and white.....oh yea what really hurts is this goes on at Laker home games. Kinda sucks playing in the same arena. Shenanigans!
Golden State Warriors- Oh no you didn't! (insert finger waiving and neck roll here) GM Aar was privileged enough to have the draft moderators pick for him and he was "I'm quitting" fuming mad that it happened. He later apologized for overreacting but it was still pretty funny for a few minutes. This will make a draft day memory for everyone that the Warriors could have had Dajuan Wagner but wound up getting Tyson Chandler. I think everyone will follow these two players' careers more closely because of this. The bigger new might have been their draft day trade which unloaded their starting PG and SF for young big man Michael Olowokandi. So they went from having no one in the front court to being loaded with big men.
Draft Grade: B-
Analysis: Dajuan Wagner FTW! Oh wait I mean Tyson Chandler. I hope it works out for the Warriors but I still think Wagner was the right pick.
Sacramento Kings- The Kings are one of the worst franchises in the league with one of the worst owners in the league both professionally and personally. The Kings are their own worst enemies as the best success they had last season was when they made trades and didn't put in a new DC as it was computer ran. I could go on and on about how the Kings GM (yea I'm pulling a Parcells) is the worst GM in the league but I'll save you from all of the King GM Bashing. They had two first round selections which turned into Al Harrington and Shane Battier.
Draft Grade: B+
Analysis: I really liked these two selections. I think Al Harrington was underrated in this draft but his years in college made him a better player. Also Shane Battier will be very interesting in his role on a rebuilding team. I wonder how he'll handle being an option as opposed to a pure complimentary player. He could really explode in Sacramento. They also shipped off all their later selections for future picks to save cap space and not get stuck with contracts for 4 years guaranteed. Good job by the Kings GM in this draft.
Minnesota Timberwolves- Timberrrrrrr! Yes things are falling down in Minnesota and they can't exactly go to the mall and buy some talent. The Timberwolves are coming off their embarrassing first round exit and are most likely finished with their current roster. Its a shame they couldn't have parted ways with some of their guys last season while they had more value so they could have gotten some picks for this year's draft. They did have their first round selection which netted them big man Jason Collins.
Draft Grade: D
Analysis: Well they took big man Jason Collins (who I didn't suggest to auto) as they will need some big men of the future so the selection of Collins makes sense.
Vancouver Grizzlies- The Grizzlies are in the same boat as the Timberwolves. They're aging! At the crossroads of whether to keep going for championships, retool, or reload? It should be interesting to see what they do this season but it would have been nice to have added some depth via draft.
Draft Grade: INC
Analysis: Surprised David Robinson didn't move for a pick this draft
San Antonio Spurs- The Spurs haven't been afraid to shake things up to climb the food chain out West. The Spurs had a winning season for the first time in a long time last season and this offseason they completely reloaded. Acquiring Kenyon Martin and Jason Terry to go for their youth movement allowed them to draft low risk high reward in Mo Williams. I
Draft Grade: B
Analysis: The Spurs have something cooking in San Antonio they have a young core thats quick and athletic. The backcourt of the two PG system of Terry and Mo Williams will be fun to watch. Oh yea they got that guy Carlos Arroyo too. PG's everywhere!
Houston Rockets- The Rockets took off in last years draft moving down to get two lotto picks as opposed to one. They are ready to compete and didn't need much so they just had to address an area where they had lack of depth and they went big and why not? Brendan Haywood and Joel Pryzbilla are probably the coolest duo since the bash brothers in Mighty Ducks.
Draft Grade: C+
Analysis:The Rockets got the most legitmate big man in the draft in Brendan Haywood who is an active 7 footer who also weighs 268lbs. I wouldn't be surprised to see Haywood be able to block some shots too. One thing is for sure he'll provide solid backup minutes and be able to defend and rebound.
Denver Nuggets- We're competing, we're rebuilding, we're competing, we're rebuilding. They call him GM Flip Mops and Chipper is thankful as he has taken some heat off of him. They finally made a step in one direction by parting ways with long time Nugget Terrell Brandon. However the got rid of him too late in order to get into this draft even though it wasn't for a lack of effort. Oh well
Draft Grade: INC
Analysis: We're glad he didn't rush into trading Brandon for a pick late in this draft and held out to get 2 future draft picks. Sometimes the best trades that are made are the ones we don't make.
Dallas Mavericks- There is a new sheriff in town in Dallas and GM Kobe is making his presence felt already. He's made a number of moves to get his own stamp on the team. He shipped Kenyon Martin for Kandi and then sent Kandi packing for Damon Stoudemire and Shareef Abdur-Rahim. It's always fun for new GMs to get players who they want instead of the guys the last GM had.
Draft Grade: B+
Analysis: Ok so you got me. They didn't make a draft pick and I gave them a B+ but they used their pick to acquire more talent and I'm happy Kobe is making his impression on the league.
Utah Jazz- The Jazz had an odd assortment of players who don't really seem to gel in any sort of scheme. It's not that they aren't talented but you got shooters, slashers, but one thing they have in common is that they are all very soft on defense. GM Dmoney took over a terrible situation to his defense he's done an admirable job at assembling talent and this draft they had the 19th overall pick where they selected PF Troy Murphy.
Draft Grade: D
Analysis: The Jazz could have selected Jamal Tinsley to push starter Rafer Alston or drafted Dasagana Diop to anchor their interior defense with Erick Dampier. Troy Murphy is a poor man's Pat Garrity. I'm surprised they didn't go with the athletic Jamario Moon to go along with athletes Darius Miles and Quentin Richardson. It will be interesting to see what moves will occur after TC this season for the young Jazz team.
Seattle Supersonics- The Sonics are the best team out west with their elusive outside offense that boggles opposing team's defenses. They unloaded their draft picks to acquire that talent and weren't a part of this draft and obviously thats ok as they have a good amount of depth.
Draft Grade: INC
Analysis: I still think the Sonics are a little overrated but they keep on proving me wrong. Steve Nash is real deal....2002 MVP anyone?
Los Angeles Clippers- The Clippers are another one of the teams who went without a draft pick but they utilized their pick well in the trade market to their advantage. Larry "Grand Ma Ma" Johnson has really propelled the Clippers from being a good team to a contending team. Hopefully Dirk stays in red and white this offseason and the Clippers can go to the next level. Serious contenders!
Draft Grade: INC
Analysis: I pretty much said all I have to say about the clippers in the above statement but I'll give a round of applause for them conquering their contract year with poise by not blowing their team up to do it. They stayed true and really built a nice franchise.
Portland Trailblazers:
Draft Grade: INC
Analysis Yea we left the above part empty on purpose. It's non existent just like their management.
Phoenix Suns: Jah got my vote for GM of the year last season. He did a tremendous job of putting together this team and managing it. They aren't flashy what so ever but the know how to win ball games. I said it before in this article sometimes the best trades we make are the ones we don't and Jah hasn't been too quick to rush into any trades. He had done a nice job at making all the pieces of the puzzle fit and he had a few picks this draft where he just made the puzzle a bigger picture.
Draft Grade: B+
Analysis: Lord knows that Jah loves his inside scoring big men and Eddy Curry fits the bill. Curry comes in with size and a knack to put the ball in the basket. He should fit right in with the scheme of things. Curry was the obvious pick and none of the guys beyond that made too much sense. He acquired a draft pick from the Bucks to move down 1 slot in the draft from 16 to 17. Looks like the Phoenix is rising from the Ashes(oh wait he's the commish we mean Jah)
Los Angelas Lakers- The Lakers are the team that tried to do too much too soon and tried to put together a winning team when they weren't ready to win. They have a solid team but they aren't going anywhere fast except maybe fishing. It's a shame that they dealt away their pick and couldn't participate in this draft. They will most likely unload whatever talent they have this season unless they keep their above .500 but not going anywhere in the playoffs delusional thinking.
Draft Grade: INC
Analysis: I hear the Clippers are running a special 2 for 1 jerseys if you trade in your purple and gold in favor of red and white.....oh yea what really hurts is this goes on at Laker home games. Kinda sucks playing in the same arena. Shenanigans!
Golden State Warriors- Oh no you didn't! (insert finger waiving and neck roll here) GM Aar was privileged enough to have the draft moderators pick for him and he was "I'm quitting" fuming mad that it happened. He later apologized for overreacting but it was still pretty funny for a few minutes. This will make a draft day memory for everyone that the Warriors could have had Dajuan Wagner but wound up getting Tyson Chandler. I think everyone will follow these two players' careers more closely because of this. The bigger new might have been their draft day trade which unloaded their starting PG and SF for young big man Michael Olowokandi. So they went from having no one in the front court to being loaded with big men.
Draft Grade: B-
Analysis: Dajuan Wagner FTW! Oh wait I mean Tyson Chandler. I hope it works out for the Warriors but I still think Wagner was the right pick.
Sacramento Kings- The Kings are one of the worst franchises in the league with one of the worst owners in the league both professionally and personally. The Kings are their own worst enemies as the best success they had last season was when they made trades and didn't put in a new DC as it was computer ran. I could go on and on about how the Kings GM (yea I'm pulling a Parcells) is the worst GM in the league but I'll save you from all of the King GM Bashing. They had two first round selections which turned into Al Harrington and Shane Battier.
Draft Grade: B+
Analysis: I really liked these two selections. I think Al Harrington was underrated in this draft but his years in college made him a better player. Also Shane Battier will be very interesting in his role on a rebuilding team. I wonder how he'll handle being an option as opposed to a pure complimentary player. He could really explode in Sacramento. They also shipped off all their later selections for future picks to save cap space and not get stuck with contracts for 4 years guaranteed. Good job by the Kings GM in this draft.
