NBA Draft Grades

The summer has given us an opportunity to further assess the 2010 Draft class. Here are my grades:

 

MILWAUKEE BUCKS 
Round 1: Larry Sanders (15)
Round 2: Darington Hobson (37), Jerome Jordan (44), Keith Gallon (47)

Grade: A. Love the potential upside with Sanders, Hobson can contribute off the bench, and Gallon is a skilled big man.

  

TORONTO RAPTORS                                                                                                

Round 1: Ed Davis (13)
Round 2: Solomon Alabi (50)

Grade: A-. Love this draft. Replacing Bosh will be impossible, but Davis could have been a top-5 pick. Alabi could have been a first rounder too. Great values.

 

OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER  
Round 1: Cole Aldrich (11)
Round 2: Tibor Pleiss (31), Latavious Williams (48), Ryan Reid (57)

Grade: A-. Aldrich is a bit of a stiff, but he'll protect the rim which is something the Thunder needed badly last season.

 

BOSTON CELTICS 
Round 1: Avery Bradley (19)
Round 2: Luke Harangody (52)

Grade: A-. Grabbing a defensive stopper like Bradley with the 19th pick was a coup. Pairing him Rondo late in games will be a great weapon. 

 

LOS ANGELES LAKERS    

Round 1: None
Round 2: Devin Ebanks (43), Derrick Caracter (58)

Grade: A-. Grabbing two rotation players this late in the draft is a job well done.

 

NEW ORLEANS HORNETS 

Round 1: Craig Brackins (21), Quincy Pondexter (26)
Round 2: None

Grade: B+. I might be in the minority, but I like both of these guys. Brackins can score and Pondexter is a great athlete that can run the wing for CP3.

  

PHILADELPHIA 76ERS    

Round 1: Evan Turner (2)
Round 2: None

Grade: B+. With the second pick, the 76ers got the second best player. What else could you ask for?

 

CHICAGO BULLS               
Round 1: None
Round 2: None

Grade: B+. They used the #17 overall pick to unload Kirk Hinrich's salary which allowed them to sign Carlos Boozer. Nice move.

 

WASHINGTON WIZARDS     

Round 1: John Wall (1), Kevin Seraphin (17), Trevor Booker (23)
Round 2: Hamady N'diaye (56)

Grade: B. With the first pick, the team got the best player. After that though, more questions than answers. I do like Booker too.

 

NEW JERSEY NETS              
Round 1: Derrick Favors (3), Damion James (24)
Round 2: None

Grade: B. I would have preferred Cousins over Favors, but I think the James pick is an underrated addition.

 

LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS 

Round 1: Al-Farouq Aminu (8), Eric Bledsoe (18)
Round 2: Willie Warren (54)

Grade: B. Aminu's a tweener, but I like the risks they took on Bledsoe and Warren especially when we hear Baron Davis has ballooned to 260 lbs.

 

PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS    

Round 1: Luke Babbitt (16), Elliot Williams (22)
Round 2: Armon Johnson (34)

Grade: B. Blazers got more talent, but it seems like they have way too many players and not enough minutes.

 

SAN ANTONIO SPURS  

Round 1: James Anderson (20)
Round 2: Ryan Richards (49)

Grade: B. Classic San Antonio. With the 20th pick, they get a contributor for the 2010-11 squad.

 

ATLANTA HAWKS       
Round 1: Jordan Crawford (27)
Round 2: Pape Sy (53)

Grade: B-. Not sure how much they improved their team this year since Jordan Crawford seems to be a younger version of Jamal Crawford.

 

DALLAS MAVERICKS             
Round 1: Dominique Jones (25)
Round 2: None

Grade: B-. I like Jones as a player but don't the Mavs have plenty of these types?

 

HOUSTON ROCKETS        

Round 1: Patrick Patterson (14)
Round 2: None

Grade: B-. Solid player. Fits the system. Ho hum. 

 

UTAH JAZZ           
Round 1: Gordon Hayward (9)
Round 2: Jeremy Evans (55)

Grade: C+. White dude that strokes the 3. Good fit.

 

DENVER NUGGETS       

Round 1: None
Round 2: None

Grade: C+. Traded this year's first rounder for Ty Lawson, a deal that has worked out very well for the Nuggs. 

 

DETROIT PISTONS                 
Round 1: Greg Monroe (7)
Round 2: Terrico White (36)

Grade: C+. The Pistons needed a bruiser inside. Monroe plays like another guard. Is he talented? Yes, but he doesn't fit their needs.

  

SACRAMENTO KINGS         

Round 1: DeMarcus Cousins (5)
Round 2: Hassan Whiteside (33)

Grade: C. On talent alone, the Kings get an A+. However, both of these guys have character issues. Add them to a team whose best player just got arrested for driving 140mph and it seems like a recipe for disaster.

 

INDIANA PACERS                      
Round 1: Paul George (10)
Round 2: Lance Stephenson (40), Magnum Rolle (51)

Grade: C-. George plays the same position as the Pacers' best player. Is another deal in the works? If not, how does he fit? Hate the rumors surrounding Stephenson too. Hate them.

 

GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS  

Round 1: Ekpe Udoh (6)
Round 2: None

Grade: D+. Not only is Udoh injured, but if they planned to trade for David Lee, why would they take another PF? 

 

NEW YORK KNICKS          
Round 1: None
Round 2: Andy Rautins (38), Landry Fields (39)

Grade: D. Blah.

 

PHOENIX SUNS                      
Round 1: None
Round 2: Gani Lawal (46), Dwayne Collins (60)

Grade: D. Blah.

 

MIAMI HEAT      

Round 1: None
Round 2: Dexter Pittman (32), Jarvis Varnado (41), Da'Sean Butler (42)

Grade: D. Pittman might hit 400 lbs. before he sees significant minutes in the NBA, Varnado has already signed in Europe, and Butler is recovering from a gruesome knee injury. Could have done more.

 

MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES   

Round 1: Wesley Johnson (4), Lazar Hayward (30)
Round 2: Nemanja Bjelica (35), Paulo Prestes (45)

Grade: D-. Last year it was the point guards, this year it was the small forwards. Again, why no diversification? Johnson can be an above average 3, but the other picks seem wasted.

 

ORLANDO MAGIC               
Round 1: Daniel Orton (29)
Round 2: Stanley Robinson (59)

Grade: D-. Put simply, I don't believe in Daniel Orton. He did nothing in college. What did he do to deserve a first round grade? I really think Thunder GM Sam Presti put out false information that his team was interested in Orton to brew interest from other teams. Great move by Presti, terrible move by Orlando.

 

CLEVELAND CAVALIERS      

Round 1: None
Round 2: None

Grade: F. This team desperately needed something positive out of this draft and got nothing.

   

MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES         
Round 1: Xavier Henry (12), Greivis Vasquez (28)
Round 2: None

Grade: Inc. The Grizzlies still haven't signed Henry despite the fact their is a "hard" slotting system for all rookie salaries. Makes no sense to quibble over a few thousand dollars. Pay the man now so he's motivated when he takes the floor.

 

CHARLOTTE BOBCATS           

Round 1: None
Round 2: None

Grade: N/A.