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The Guru’s 2008 NBA Draft Review

Team By Team Breakdown of Draft Picks

After year two of the NBA’s “one-and-done” experiment, a new crop of kids will be collecting millions of dollars, having their name plastered across ugly overpriced shoes and either joining the list of draft busts or draft steals.  Though this draft wasn’t as deep as drafts past, it still had a lot of quality players available.  But, as they always do, NBA GM’s and big wigs will find a way to screw up the future of their franchise.

Here’s a report card of the winners and losers from Thursday night.Atlanta Hawks – D- (Picks: None)
The only reason I didn’t give the Hawks an F was because of their youth.  Marvin Williams is still young; Horford is very young and made a strong case for Rookie of the Year last season.  This team just needs a full training camp together and a better coach and they could be back in the playoffs.

Boston Celtics – C- (Picks: J.R. Giddens, 6 – 4 G, Bill Walker 6 – 6 F, Semih Erden, 6- 11 F/C)
The Celts main focus this offseason is bringing back Posey and House.  The only prospect that could potentially make the slightest impact is Walker.  He reminiscent of a young Bonzi Wells and could make an impression on Doc Rivers with his hustle and athleticism.

Charlotte Bobcats – D (Picks: D.J. Augustin, 5 – 11 G, Alexis Ajinca, 7 – 0 C, Kyle Weaver 6 – 6 G/F)
Michael Jordan’s “genius” has struck again.  It wasn’t as bad as “Kwame Brown #1 overall”, but it’s fairly close.  Though the Bobcats could have used another point guard, but I don’t think Augustin was the answer.  I’m not sure he’s going to be able to live up to Larry Brown’s impossible standards or defend the bigger guards in the East.  Plus, they were openly in the market for a big man so they could shift Emeka Okafor to his more natural 4 spot, yet they pass on Brook Lopez and go after a 7-foot Frenchman.  And when you say 7-foot Frenchman, you think [insert emasculating joke here].

Chicago Bulls – B (Picks: Derrick Rose, 6 – 3 G, Omer Asik, 7 – 0 C)
The Bulls did such a great job of hiding their infatuation with Rose.  Nobody could have ever guessed they would’ve gone with him.  Anyway, the Bulls had no choice but to take Rose.  Point guards are the new flavor of the month in the NBA and Rose fits the bill of what everyone is salivating over.  He should be able to come in from day one and open the floor up for guys like Luol Deng and Ben Gordon and allow Joakim Noah and Tyrus Thomas to do what they’re best at, catching the ball out of the air and slamming it through the hoop.  If they package together some of those now expendable pieces (i.e. Kirk Hinrich & Larry Hughes) and bring back a serviceable scoring big man (i.e. Elton Brand or Carlos Boozer in 2009-10) they could be a championship contender.

Cleveland Cavaliers – D+ (Picks: J.J. Hickson, 6 – 9 F, Sasha Kaun, 6 – 11 F/C, Darnell Jackson, 6 – 9 F)
The Cavs still haven’t filled their need of a point guard.  That needs to be priority number one for Danny Ferry and crew.  Hickson probably won’t be able to crack their rotation and will spend most of the season in a suit on the bench or in the D-League.  I see the Cavs making a strong run at getting Hinrich from Chicago.

Detroit Pistons – D+ (Picks: Walter Sharpe, 6 – 9 F, Trent Plaisted, 6 – 10 F, Deron Washington, 6 – 6 G)
The Pistons didn’t get anyone who will be able to crack their roster.  Dumars had a great draft last year, but this year’s leaves a lot to be desired.  Plaisted might be able to get a look if he can show some more toughness and consistent mid-to-long range shooting.  Other than that, this veteran laden team is going to make its biggest splash via trade.

Dallas Mavericks – D (Picks: Shan Foster, 6 – 5 G)
The Mavs are trying to win now.  They really aren’t looking to unearth that next great hidden gem of the draft.  Foster won’t play for them.

Denver Nuggets – F (Picks: Sonny Weams, 6 – 5 G)
This is the second straight year that the Nuggets haven’t had a substantial draft pick.  Although, Weams’ athleticism is Andre Igoudala-ish and he is a strong finisher at the rim.  But, I guess they are satisfied with being a mediocre ball club.

Golden State Warriors – B- (Picks: Anthony Randolph, 6 – 11 F, Richard Hendrix, 6 – 9 F)
Golden State’s main focus is retaining their laundry list of free agents.  They also need to dispel all of the rumors of them sending Baron Davis to Detroit.  Draft wise, I think Randolph will fit right in with the Warriors.  They don’t need a plodding big man; they need a nimble guy with some length that can grab a couple rebounds and swat a few shots, that’s Randolph in a nut shell.  Plus Randolph has enough offensive prowesses to contribute six to 10 points a game early on, maybe 12 to 14 if he can put on a good 15 or 20 pounds.  And with Andreis Biendrins being one of their many free agents, Hendrix could be a potential replacement.

Houston Rockets – C- (Picks: Donte Green, 6 – 9 F, Joey Dorsey, 6 – 8 F, Maarty Leunen, 6 – 8 F)
The Rockets traded away a very solid pick in Nicolas Batum and brought back two head cases.  Joey Dorsey can be the next Rick Mahorn/Charles Oakley and can aid in the “gangsta-fication” of Yao Ming.  Green is a very talented player, but I question his mental toughness and ability to play controlled basketball.  If he can stop being an erratic head case and focus on playing basketball he could be a very good player in this league

Indiana Pacers – B- (Picks: Brandon Rush, 6 – 6 G, Roy Hibbert, 7 – 2 C, Nathan Jawai, 6 – 11 C)
The Pacers made a couple of sound moves so far this offseason.  They got Jermaine O’Neal’s 42 million dollars off the books, and they brought in solid point guard in T.J. Ford who’s looking to prove himself.  I think Brandon Rush will be a great pro.  I’m not saying that he’ll be a perennial all-star, he just looks like a guy who is going to go out every night and do his job and do it the right way; something Indiana is looking for.  And Roy Hibbert’s best basketball is still ahead of him.  Now, how high of a level basketball that will be?  I don’t know…

Los Angeles Lakers – D- (Picks: Joe Crawford, 6 – 4 G)
Unless toughness and tenacity were available for drafting, the Lakers weren’t going to grade out well.  The Lakers already have what they need as far as players go, they just need to get a full training camp under their belt and a healthy Andrew Bynum back into the starting lineup and they’ll be right back in the Finals hunt.

Los Angeles Clippers – B (Picks: Eric Gordon, 6 – 4 G, DeAndre Jordan, 7 – 0 C, Mike Taylor, 6 – 0 G)
I think the Clippers did a good job in this draft.  I think both Gordon and Jordan are going to come in with chips on their shoulder to prove all of the nay-sayers wrong.  Especially Jordan, he’s a guy that was projected to go in the top ten back in May before he plummeted down draft boards.  And Gordon gives them that young backcourt scoring punch they desperately need.

Memphis Grizzlies – B (Picks: O.J. Mayo, 6 – 4 F, Darrell Arthur, 6 – 10 F)
The Grizz and the T-Wolves made a late night trade that brought Mayo to purgatory, I mean Memphis along with Antoine Walker, Greg Buckner, and Marko Jaric in exchange for Kevin Love, Mike Miller, Brian Cardinal, and Jason Collins.  This grade is all about O.J. Mayo.  I’m going to go ahead and agree with all the experts and Jay Bilas that Mayo is the most NBA-ready guy in this draft class.  He even looked like a NBA-er on draft night with the too-small suit and the faux-spectacles.  Mayo should give Memphis a player with star potential to be the face of their franchise.  The only bad part about this trade is now the Grizzlies won’t be able to use the best promo slogan in NBA history, “buy your Memphis season tickets today and experience all the Gay-Love action!”  That would have been priceless…

Miami Heat – B+ (Picks: Michael Beasley, 6 – 8 F, Mario Chalmers 6 – 2 G)
The Heat had a very good draft.  This almost makes up for them drafting Harold Minor, Khalid Reeves, and Martin Muresepp.  They had to take Beasley.  He WILL be an 18 and 10 guy as a rookie and probably will edge out Rose for Rookie of the Year because he’ll be on a better team.  I love Beasley’s commitment to rebounding, that alone will keep you in the league for double-digit years (ask Adonal Foyal).  Though, Beasley’s arrival could mean the departure of hometown mainstay Udonis Haslem.  But Haslem only gives you rebounds; Beasley brings the same 10 boards along with 20 points.  I’m not sure a couple of second round picks was worth dealing away Darnell Jackson.  But I do think they got a potential starting point guard in Chalmers.

Milwaukee Bucks – C+ (Picks: Joe Alexander, 6 – 8 F, Luc Richard Mbah A Moute, 6 – 7 G/F)
Even though the Bucks made a pretty good move to bring in Richard Jefferson, I’m not completely sold on it.  They still don’t have a reliable post presence that can at the very least grab rebounds and change/block shots.  I think Alexander will turn out to be a shorter version of Austin Croshere.  And I’m just interested in seeing how they’re going to fit Luc Richard Mbah A Moute on the back of a jersey.

Minnesota T-Wolves – B+ (Picks: Kevin Love, 6 – 10, Nikola Pekovic, 6 – 11 F/C)
After Kevin McHale donated KG to former teammate Danny Ainge, he finally made a trade that will help his franchise.  To bring in a frontcourt mate for Al Jefferson in Kevin Love, a lights out shooter in Mike Miller, and to get Antoine Walker off the books, the T-Wolves did a great job.  I think Kevin Love will turn out to be a decent pro.  He won’t be great, but he won’t be a bust either.  He shot up draft boards with his pre-draft workouts and weight loss, plus he is very fundamentally sound, something that is rare for American players nowadays.  Jefferson, Love, Miller, Gomes, and Foye starting, with Corey Brewer coming off the bench; I like the Wolves to win 30 games next season.

New Orleans Hornets – D (Picks: None)
New Orleans is another team that doesn’t completely fail because of their youth and their accomplishments last season.  They really don’t have any glaring needs, nor could they have upgraded any of their positions from where they were picking.  Dumping the picks and getting the cash was the best thing to do.

New Jersey Nets – A (Picks: Brook Lopez, 7 – 0 C, Ryan Anderson, 6 – 10 F, Chris Douglas-Roberts, 6 – 7 G/F)
The Nets were absolutely the biggest winners from this year’s draft.  They got it done with their pre-draft trade and they had two quality players fall right into their laps.  For them to get Lopez at 10 was a steal, a lot of people had him going as high as four.  But I think the biggest gift they received was CDR falling to the second round.  And not only did he fall to the second round, he fell 10 more spots in the second round to 40th overall.  And from the aspect of the trade, I think Yi Jianlian will be a serviceable rotation player, plus he’s more offensively inclined then any of the bigs the Nets currently have, so they win all-around.

New York Knicks – C (Picks: Danilo Gallinari, 6 – 9 F)
The Knicks fan in attendance booed Gallinari when David Stern called his name.  I don’t blame them; this was a blatant case of nepotism.  Gallinari’s dad played with D’Antoni back in Italy and now he’s picking his buddy’s son over all the other better qualified candidates.  I’m not sold on any guy nicknamed “the rooster”…

Orlando Magic – C (Picks: Courtney Lee, 6 – 5 G)
I’ve been high on Courtney Lee since the beginning of the draft process.  He strikes me as one of the guys that we’ll look back at this draft and say, “why did all those teams pass on him again?”  Another reason why I liked him was the fact that he stayed in college all four years and I got a chance to really assess his game.  He can knock down open shots and he can get the basket and finish fairly strongly.

Phoenix Suns – C- (Picks: Robin Lopez, 7 – 0 C, Goran Dragic, 6 – 4 G,)
It’s apparent the Suns are looking to get more defensive minded in their drafting of the offensively challenged Robin Lopez.  Lopez is what playground ballers would call a “self-check”.  But he is tall, and has a “great motor”, two things you can’t teach.  But I don’t think they are going to play him over rap-master Shaq, so this essentially is a pick for the future.

Philadelphia 76ers C+ (Picks: Marreese Speights, 6 – 10 F)
The 76ers grade could jump later, depending on Speights willingness to get in shape and play hard every night.  I always had him pegged in Philly because they need someone to produce offense from the power forward position.  He can provide that, but it’s all going to come down to his mental strength to want to do it.

Portland Trailblazers – A- (Picks: Jerry Bayless, 6 – 2 G, Nicolas Batum, 6 – 7 F/G)
The Blazers made out like bandits once again.  They drafted Brandon Rush, a proven shot maker to perch on the perimeter when Oden is getting doubled.  But then they pull off the Rush for Jerryd Bayless deal, that not only gives them a shooter to perch on the perimeter, but its gives them a big time scorer that can also facilitate the offense and take some pressure off of Brandon Roy.  They also made a couple of late moves to bring in French swing man Nicolas Batum.  Batum looks to be a slightly less skilled version of Boris Diaw.  The Blazers are a team on the rise.

Sacramento Kings – D+ (Picks: Jason Thompson, 6 – 11 C, Sean Singletary, 6 – 0 G, Patrick Ewing Jr., 6 – 7 F)
I did not understand the Kings’ draft at all.  I think taking Thompson at number 12 was major reach.  Its one thing to make sure you take the guy you want; it’s another thing to take the guy nobody wants.  Plus, they spent a first round pick on Spencer Hawes last year, and still have Mikki Moore and Brad Miller, all 7-footers.  They could really use some backcourt help for Kevin Martin, especially since they gave Bibby to the Hawks.  Ewing Jr. will give Luke Walton a run in the competition of who can look more like their father but probably won’t produce much on the court.

San Antonio Spurs – C- (Picks: George Hill, 6 – 2 G, Malik Hairston, 6 – 5 G, James Gist, 6 – 8 F)
The Spurs are most likely going to try and strengthen their bench through free agency opposed to the draft.  I don’t see Hill beating out a crafty vet like Jacque Vaughn for the backup point guard spot.  Nor do I see Gist being stable and consistent enough to stay on the roster in any capacity.  Hairston, however, is the type of player that the Spurs like to bring in.  He has a high basketball IQ and he is very unselfish with the ball.  He could bring some youth to their bench.

Seattle Sonics – B (Picks: Russell Westbrook, 6 – 4 G, Serge Ibaka, 6 – 10 F, D.J. White, 6 – 9 F, DeVon Hardin, 6 – 10 F/C,)
The Sonics filled their two biggest needs with their picks.  They needed a point guard to dish the ball to Kevin Durant and Jeff Green, they got that in Westbrook.  I didn’t think they would pull the trigger on him at four, but they were more comfortable with him than they were with Bayless.  Westbrook is also very quick off the dribble and will play lockdown one-on-one defense.  I like the Ibaka, its one I had pegged since my initial draft board.  And, probably most importantly, the Sonics got a couple of guys to grab rebounds when Durant pitches up those 30 shots a game in White and Kaun.

Toronto Raptors – B (Picks: None)
The Raptors got this high of a grade because of the trade they pulled off with the Pacers.  Bringing in Jermaine O’Neal, when healthy, could be the thing that takes the Raptors from being a niche playoff team to a true playoff contender that could make a deep run.  Bosh, Calderon, Moon, Kapono, and O’Neal is a big and skilled starting five that would give any team match up problems.  The big if is, if O’Neal is and can stay healthy.  He’s missed over 120 games in the past two seasons combined.  

Utah Jazz – C+ (Picks: Kosta Koufos, 7 – 0 C, Ante Tomic, 7 – 2 C, Tadija Dragicevic, 6 – 9 F)
The Jazz are only going to see one of the picks.  Both Tomic and Dragicevic are committed to their national club teams for the next three to five years, so they’re out of the equation.  Koufos could be a decent fit with the Jazz.  He can get up and down the floor pretty well, and he can score on the ball.  I think he’s going to have to improve his mental toughness and commitment to defense, especially since he’s going to go play for Jerry Sloan.  On the flip side, he could end up being a less skilled version of Mehmet Okur.  And I don’t think that’s what the Jazz were looking for…

Washington Wizards – C+ (Picks: JaVale McGee, 7 – 0 C)
McGee will fit in nicely with the Wizards.  He’s long and moves well up and down the floor.  Plus he’s more offensively gifted then Brendan Haywood.  It’ll be good if he can put on some weight so he can deal with the pounding he’ll take against bigger defenders.

One reply on “The Guru’s 2008 NBA Draft Review”

A Negative review? Why did you vote negatively on my article about Phil Jackson’s Coaching?  I would appreciate it if you gave me some feedback.  I felt my argument was clear and concise, and my stats were on the money.  Are you a Lakers fan?  Is that why?

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