Post by martinez on Feb 5, 2010 10:28:49 GMT -5
1. Cleveland Cavaliers - Brandon Roy SG 6'6'' 207 22 B- B- C+ C+ C A Notes: Hands down the clear cut #1 pick in this years draft. Roy is a gifted and talented athlete able to play 3 different positions and play them well. Roy will give an added boost to the Cavaliers who are desperate for that franchise player after former top 3 pick Chris Bosh has failed to pan out so far.
The Cavalier future does look bright. With Swing-men Josh Howard and Rudy Gay to go along side Roy, Cavaliers fans finally have something to look forward too.
Grade: A
2.Philadelphia 76ers **FORFEIT**Draft Grade:D for dumbass
3. Houston Rockets - Andrea Bargnani PF 6'11'' 240 20 C+ B C- C+ C- A Notes: After Roy, there is a considerable drop off in talent as witnessed by the very raw Andrea Bargnani chosen with the #3 pick in the draft. Bargnani potentially could be the next Notwizki. He has a solid handle of the ball and at 6'11" will create a ton of match-up problems against most defenders. The problem is, at just 20 years of age Bargnani is still considered by many to be a project player. Some scouts feel that he is to soft to play in UOSLR and will never pan out, while others believe he will not only become the next Nowitzki he will be better than him. It's a risk pick but you can't pass up on someone with Bargnani's size with the abilities of someone much smaller. His biggest knock is his lack of defense which is standard with most European players.
Draft Grade: B
4. Charlotte Hornets - Rajon Rondo PG 6'2'' 171 20 B C- C+ B- C AI think Rondo could become a top 5 PG in this league one day. He reminds me alot of a young Jason Kidd. Great handles, great knack of finding the ball on defense, and terrible jumper. The Charlotte Hornets franchise is known for developing talent and developing them well. Rondo will heavily benefit from this. Rondo is not ready to contribute right now and he needs to really improve his jumper if he ever wants to succeed in UOSLR but Rondo could be a triple-double type player in the league one day soon. Surround him with talent, and you've just found your franchise PG.
Draft Grade:A-
5. Dallas Mavericks - LaMarcus Aldridge PF 6'11'' 234 21 B- C C- C+ B- AI think Lamarcus Aldridge was heavily underrated in this draft. Some scouts even had Aldridge falling down to the 8th or 9th spots but I feel Aldridge at the 5 is where he should go. Some could even argue he could have gone higher. Regardless, Aldridge has the skill set to be an all-around good PF. He's got the height, strength, and athletic ability to do so. Some will question his motivation to improve defensively but when interviewed at pre-draft workouts Aldridge has repeatedly stated that he has matured and is looking to prove his doubters wrong in UOSLR. I don't think Aldridge will ever become a dominant big man in this league but he will be the perfect complimentary player to whomever is playing at the 5 position.
Draft Grade:B
6. Detroit Pistons - Martell Webster SF 6'7'' 210 19 B- B- C C+ C A Notes: Many people expected Tyrus Thomas or Marvin Williams to go with the #6 but the Pistons surprised everyone and took the very young and raw Martell Webster. Webster is your typical young freakishly athletic wing man that everyone expects to blow up and turn into the next Vince Carter. While most never do, I think Webster will break that trend. Webster has great slashing ability and has enough range to hit from 3pt range. Webster could be thrown into a starting role in his rookie year as the Pistons starting lineup going into next season is not a welcoming site. Webster getting thrown into the spotlight early could end up hurting his development but could very well improve it.
Draft Grade: B
7. Denver Nuggets - Marvin Williams SF 6'9'' 230 20 B C+ D+ C+ C+ A The Denver Nuggets franchise just seems to enjoy making their fans ripping their hairs out but this time they went with fan favorite Marvin Williams and the #7 pick. The Nuggets with monetary woes ended up trading superstar Deshawn Stevenson for essentially future draft picks and players on rookie contracts.
From a basketball stand point, the pick of Marvin Williams here is highly questionable. Ryan Gomes has looked like a very promising player and bringing in Marvin Williams may have Gomes wondering if management has any faith in his ability. Tyrus Thomas would have seemed like the obvious choice here.
Draft Grade: C+
8. Sacramento Kings - Gerald Green SG 6'8'' 200 20 B- C+ C- B- C A The Kings take high flying young sensation Gerald Green here with the 8th pick. The Kings led by franchise guards Tony Parker and Dajuan Wagner had one of the worst seasons in Sacramento history and are looking to put that behind them. Gerald Green was essentially drafted as a trade-piece for a future deal which may see a superstar coming to Sacramento's way to team up with Wagner and Tony Parker. Until then, this pick is questionable as many scouts felt the Kings should have went with Tyrus Thomas who seems to be dropping down the charts.
Draft Grade:C+
9. Washington Bullets - Tyrus Thomas PF 6'8'' 217 19 B C- D+ C+ C A Notes: The Bullets are going into the new season with just one player under contract in their roster, the high flying young superstar Josh Smith so why not add another athletic freak in Tyrus Thomas to the mix? Tyrus was predicted to go as high as #5 so at #9 some could call this a steal for the Bullets. I believe Tyrus could be the perfect complimentary player to Josh Smith. the question now will be what can the Bullets do to surround these two young studs with talent?
Draft Grade:B+
10. Philadelphia 76ers - Shaun Livingston PG 6'7'' 195 21 B- C B B- C A The 76ers final season of having to forfeit 1st round draft picks finally comes to an end this season. They could have potentially had the #2 pick and Shaun Livingston to add to their rebuilding effort but management fuck ups did not allow that to happen this year. Livingston is still a solid pick here, some though Livingston would come straight out of high school but going to college really helped him develop nicely. Livingston has a history of injury problems though and is the main reason why his stock feel, but at 6'7" some consider Livingston to be the next Penny some say he will be the next Penny pre-injury while others say he will be Penny post-injury. We will see.
Draft Grade:B
11. Chicago Bulls - Yi Jianlian PF 7'0'' 230 18 C+ C+ C C+ C+ A The Chicago Bulls are beginning their post Etienne Preira era and do so with the selection of Yi Jianlian. Yi is very raw, a project player most would say. His athletic ability is undeniable though standing at 7'0" tall Jianlian is an incredible athlete, but hasn't been playing basketball for many years. It will take time and effort to develop Jianlian. The fact that Jianlian has the ability to play 3 or 4 different positions is quite amazing. Some question his strength though and feel he needs to really bulk up if he ever wants to become a starter in this league
Draft Grade: B-
12. San Antonio Spurs - Thabo Sefolosha SG 6'6'' 213 22 C+ B- C- B+ C B13. San Antonio Spurs - Shannon Brown SG 6'4'' 200 20 B C+ C C C- A
And to finish off the lottery picks the San Antonio Spurs select Thabo Sefolosha and Shannon Brown with the 12th and 13th picks respectively. I am personally a huge fan of both these picks. While neither Sefolosha nor Brown in my eyes will ever be consistent starters in UOSLR, I feel that both will be among tops in complimentary players in this league. Thabo is comparable to the Raja Bell or Shane Battier mold. Fierce defender, with a decent handle of the ball,and can beat you from 3pt range. Shannon Brown can just flat out score, expect him to be in the mold of an Eddie House or Leandro Barbosa. The ability to put up 30 or 40 in a game off the bench, but he's a scorer not a shooter. While he has teh ability to put that significant amount of points he could also go 0-for more times than not. Either way you can't go wrong with the two picks, considering the talent the Spurs already have developing.
Draft Grade:B+
