Post by Contract Year on Nov 25, 2009 9:36:55 GMT -5
2003 Draft Grades (Including Training Camps)
1. Los Angeles Lakers - LeBron James
Before TC: B+ C+ B C+ C+ A
After TC: B+ C+ A- B B- A
One of two sure fire superstars, LeBron James was the consensus #1 overall pick in the 2003 UOSLR Draft. There is nothing to mention that has not been already said hundreds of times. The high number of teams "rebuilding" should a huge indicator of the type of ability the kid possesses. Gaining a total of +5 through handling, defense and rebounding, LeBron winning the Rookie of the Year award is highly likely.
Grade: A+
2. Vancouver Grizzles - Dwyane Wade
Before TC: B C+ C+ B+ C A
After TC: B+ C+ C+ A- C A
Being the other sure fire superstar in the draft, Dwyane going any lower than #2 would have been unacceptable. Wade did not increase as dramatically as LeBron, but his improved inside scoring and defense should allow him to contend and possibly even beat out LeBron for the rookie of the year ward. Not much else to say here. Dude is a stud.
Grade: A
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3. Charlotte Hornets - Emeka Okafor
Before TC: B- D+ D+ A- B+ B
After TC: B C- D+ A- A- C
Despite claims of having mediocre potential, the defense stalwart out of UConn had an excellent training camp. With improvements in both scoring categories, as well as rebounding, the 20 year old big man already appears to be one of the better big men in the league. Should his defensive abilities translate well into the pros, Okafor could very well give both Wade and LeBron a run for their money in the rookie of the year race. Obvious, but excellent pick here for the Hornets.
Grade: A
4. Denver Nuggets - Kirk Hinrich
Before TC: C B+ C+ B C- A
After TC: C B+ B A- C- B
Upon seeing the draft day trade between the Boston Celtics and the Denver Nuggets, I immediately thought that the Nuggets were going to pay for their hasty actions. Although the future is obviously hard to predict, it's safe to say that the Nuggets got absolutely demolished in that deal. The combo guard out of Kansas managed to go +2 in both handles and defense. I had Jameer Nelson as the 2nd guard after Wade, but with Kirk looking eeriely similar to a younger Chauncey Billups at the moment, perhaps I was wrong to think so. It was a poor decision by mops to trade him so soon; nevertheless (
), I have to give him credit for a good pick.Grade: B+
5. Los Angeles Clippers - Danny Granger
Before TC: C+ C+ C- B C+ A
After TC: C+ B- C- B+ B- A
I was really skeptical about this pick because of how raw Granger looked. Scouts insist that his potential his through the roof, and while that may be the case, it's hard not to think that Danny was a "trap" player when you consider how many other players were simply better or at least on par with him. After a +3 training camp, including improves to outside shooting, defense and rebounding, this pick is looking really good for the Clippers. At the very least, Granger should be in this league for a long time because of his defense and rebounding. Don't expect him to do much in his rookie year though.
Grade: B
6. Toronto Raptors - Jameer Nelson
Before TC: C+ B C+ B- C- A
After TC: C+ B+ C+ B- C A
Loved this pick for the Raptors as I thought Nelson would have gone either 4th or 5th at the latest. He isn't much a point guard and is undersized at the 2, which may have hurt his stock slightly. However, the kid is a lights out shooter and after a very solid training camp, it would seem that Nelson has further improved his outside game. The Raptors organization really has to love the fact that Nelson is a C rebounder. The prospect of having 5 or 6 rebounds from your point guard night in and night out probably has Saga salivating. I have big expectations for this kid.
Grade: A-
7. Indiana Pacers - Darko Milicic
Before TC: B- C- C- B- C+ A
After TC: B C- C- A- C+ A
After seeing the selection by Indiana, I thought Milicic was the 2nd "eh" of the draft after Granger. I had Kendrick Perkins as the 2nd big man to be selected after Emeka Okafor... Good thing I didn't own this pick. Despite Kendrick looking good, it would have been a mistake to pass up on this new, improved Milicic. Just check out the great +4 training camp that he had. Sporting B inside and A- defense (jumping from B-, amazing...), the 18 year old big man out of Serbia looks like he may be a star in the making. The Pacers absolutely needed a clutch pick in this year's lotto and they got it.
Grade: A-
8. San Antonio Spurs - James White
Before TC: B C+ C C+ C A
After TC: B C+ C C+ C A
White got a pretty good review by the scouts, but unfortunately for the Spurs, White didn't make any letter improvements during his first training camp. There is plenty of time for the young high flyer to develop his game so I could but wrong, but I thought this was a very poor choice here by the Spurs. Looking over the wings available at #8, I thought Josh Howard would have been the best pick here, with some consideration given to both Boris Diaw and Mickael Pietrus. I also thought pairing up Shaq with a UOSLR ready forward in David West, while trading away an expiring Kenyon Martin would have been a very nice route to go as well. Not a good looking pick at the moment.
Grade: C
9. Minnesota Timberwolves - Chris Kaman
Before TC: B- C D C+ B A
After TC: B- C D C+ B B
The only letter movement for Kaman was a decrease in his scouted potential. What does that mean for the future? Perhaps nothing. However, Kaman isn't looking too promising right now. Have to show love to my man Perkins in this spot. Despite the uneventful training camp, Kaman looks solid at the very least. Ok pick here.
Grade: C+
10. Denver Nuggets - Channing Frye
Before TC: C+ B C- B- C+ A
After TC: C+ B C- B- C+ A
The Dirk-lite rookie out of Arizona had an uneventful training camp. To make matters worse for the Nuggets, the player they traded to get Frye had an explosion of a first training camp. Again, these nonexistent training camps don't necessarily mean anything in the grand scheme of things, but damn... Frye is still a very solid looking player, so I won't be too hard with the Nuggets' grade here. Tons of better options at this pick.
Grade: C-
11. San Antonio Spurs - Kendrick Perkins
Before TC: C+ C- D- C+ B A
After TC: C+ C- D B B+ B
The Spurs sort of make up for what may be a blunder in the James White pick. The high school big man was a bit on the raw side coming in, but I felt like his defensive potential alone should have made him a top 10 selection. After a training camp in which Perkins improved in handles (+1), defense (+2) and rebounding (+1), it would seem that the Spurs have a very nice option at the 5 should they decide to trade Shaquille. Kendrick is probably the lone bright spot on a seemingly confused franchise at the moment. This is a very solid selection here.
Grade: B
12. Vancouver Grizzlies - Josh Howard
Before TC: C+ B- C B C A
After TC: B- B C B+ C A
Looking strictly at talent, I think it's safe to say that Howard was worthy of a top 10 pick. Coming into UOSLR as a 23 year old rookie, however, is most likely the cause for the constant overlooking of Howard. After a great training camp in which he improved both scoring categories, as well as his defense, Howard is clearly the 3rd best wing in the draft behind LeBron and Wade. Just goes to show how good the Vancouver management has been over the years. The Grizzlies would later move Howard, as well as other pieces in a three way deal that would land them Tim Duncan from the Cavaliers. Great pick at 12.
Grade: A-
13. Charlotte Hornets - David West
Before TC: B C C- B+ B B
After TC: B C C- A- B B
At this point, anyone who would have selected David West would have been making a good choice. There aren't many rookie big men who can come in and be legitimate starters in this league. The 22 year old out of Xavier brings everything that one could want from a big man, and with his improved defense (+1 in TC), he should prove to be a very valuable player for the Hornets.
Grade: B
14. Dallas Mavericks - Boris Diaw
Before TC: C C+ C+ B- C+ A
After TC: C+ C+ C+ B+ C A
I'd say the draft officially becomes a crap shoot at this point. I really liked this pick by the Dallas Mavericks. He got solid reviews and he was certainly looking like a Lamar Odom clone coming in. Despite going -1 in his rebound rating this past training camp, he was able to move up a grade in inside scoring and 2 more grades in defense. The Mavericks recently traded Diaw in a deal for Larry Hughes, which is unfortunately seeing as it may have been worth it to put some effort into developing Diaw. Time will tell.
Grade: B
15. Phoenix Suns- Mickael Pietrus
Before TC: C+ B- C B C- A
After TC: C+ B- C B- C- A
I held Pietrus in high regard during the draft, but he was a completely dud throughout training camp. Hopefully he'll be able to bounce back.
Grade: C+
16. LA Clippers- Leandro Barbosa
Before TC: C B B- C C- A
After TC: C B+ B+ C+ C- A
The Los Angeles Clippers "doing work" in this draft is an understatement. After all, they did bring in 7 (!) new players with their selections. Throw on another good, no, great selection here in Leandro Barbosa. With improvements to his outside shooting, handling and defense, Barbosa is making a strong case for steal of the draft thus far. This is amazing value here for crazymike and the Clippers.
Grade: A-
17. Phoenix Suns- Zoran Planinic
Before TC: C+ C C+ C+ D+ A
After TC: ?
Meh... There's speculation on Planinic being a monster in the making, but I personally don't see the hype. Torching rejects like Yakhouba Diawara isn't exactly impressive. Will be interested to see what happens with dude.
Grade: Unknown
18. Charlotte Hornets- Carlos Delfino
Before TC: B- B- C- C+ C A
After TC: B- B- C B- C A
With improves to his handles and defense, Delfino already looks like he'll be a good bench player at the very least. Factor in his supposedly "good upside," and it's hard not to dig this pick for the Hornets. The only player left on the board that I might have over him is Ridnour, with Ebi probably being a wash. Will be interesting to see just how good of a scorer he is already.
Grade: B
19. Charlotte Hornets- Aleksandar Pavlovic
Before TC: B- C+ C C C A
After TC: B- C+ C B- C A
Not a bad pick by any means, especially after that jump from C to B- defense. That being said, I think the obvious pick here would have been to grab Ridnour.
Grade: C+
20. Denver Nuggets- Luke Ridnour
Before TC: C B B+ C C- B
After TC: C A- A- C C- B
The Denver Nuggets always seem to be in the mix with some rookie point guard. Either they are being criticized for skipping out on one (Jay Williams, who had a horrible training camp and thus it would seem that Mops made the right choice to skip over that scrub, but I digress...) or being accused of selecting too many point guards. Anyway, Luke Ridnour is nothing short of an excellent pick. After a nice looking +3 training camp, Lukey is looking like a young Steve Nash. Should Luke continue to improve, the Nuggets may have an even bigger steal than the Clippers with Barbosa.
Grade: B+
21. Dallas Mavericks- Ndubi Ebi
Before TC: C+ C C- B C+ A
After TC: C+ C+ D+ B+ C+ A
This pick does look a bit weird considering the Mavericks had already selected Boris Diaw, but I guess it's safe to say that Ebi was the best choice at this pick. Despite a decline in what was already a mediocre handling rating, Ebi looks like he may be worth grooming for a few seasons. Going by his perceived potential, this was a good choice here.
Grade: B
22. Utah Jazz- Marquis Daniels
Before TC: B- C+ C+ B- C B
After TC: C+ C+ C+ B C B
Daniels definitely flew under the radar. I had no idea he was in the draft. The trade off between inside scoring in exchange for defense definitely sucks, but seeing as Daniels is basically the shooting guard version of Boris Diaw, the Jazz may have something worth looking at for a little while.
Grade: C
23. Charlotte Hornets - Nick Collison
Before TC: C+ C C- C+ B+ B
After TC: C+ C C- B- B B
While focusing on improving his weak defense, Collison's best attribute (rebounding) suffered. The Hornets are probably content with that trade off anyway. Whatever pick here...
Grade: C-
24. Toronto Raptors - Mike Sweetney
Before TC: C+ C D B- B- B
After TC: C+ C- D+ B+ B B
Funny... I thought Mike Sweetney was going to be in the league purely for his potential in the offensive post. It would seem that the exact opposite would be what keeps this fat fuck in the league. With improves in ball handling, defense (+2) and rebounding, perhaps Sweetney really does have a solid UOSLR career in the making. Nice looking pick here by the Raptors
Grade: B-
25. Sacramento Kings - Zaza Pachulia
Before TC: C C+ D C+ C+ B
After TC: C C+ D C+ C A
The Kings went with potential here and sadly, it would seem that they may have been fooled. Not exactly a set back considering it's the 25th pick, but there were surely better looking players to be selected at this spot.
Grade: D+
26. Sacramento Kings - Kyle Korver
Before TC: C A- C C+ C B
After TC: C A- C C+ C B
Korver didn't have any letter grade movements, but you simply can't go wrong with a selection like this. Korver being a dead eye shooter will most likely keep him in the league as at least a journey man. Should he diversify his offensive game a bit, as well as improve defensively, he may be a good bench player for years to come. Solid pick here.
Grade: C
27. LA Clippers - Steve Blake
Before TC: C B B- B- D+ B
After TC: C B C+ B C- B
Great late pick by the Clippers. Despite the loss in handles, the improvement of both defense and rebounding make Blake look he has a career as a back-up guard at the very least.
Grade: C+
28. San Antonio Spurs - Maciej Lampe
Before TC: C+ C+ D+ C+ B- B
After TC: C+ C+ C- C+ C+ C
So in effect, the Spurs screwed over the Western Conference teams by allowing the Rockets to re-sign Bibby without any hard cap implications. No one would have had any problem with that if they weren't doing it for a scrub ;D
Grade: D
29. Milwaukee Bucks - Luke Walton
Before TC: C B- C+ C+ C+ B
After TC: C+ B- B- C C+ B
Nice looking player here at the 29th overall pick. Going down a grade in what was already a poor defensive rating sucks, but Lukey looks like he could be a very nice offensive player with his good handling, court vision, and jump shot.
Grade: C+
