[BothTeamsPlayedHardParticipant]

They aren’t always wrong as this thread might suggest. They certainly get their fair share right. They all were extremely high on Danny Granger, Rajon Rondo, and Brandon Roy. Some of their analysis was just vague enough to seem reasonable, but the point of this thread is 1) to laugh, laugh, laugh; and 2) get across the message that just because a site has a comparison/grade/write up on a guy it doesn’t mean it is right.

MB: Marty Burns
DE: Draft Express
CF: Chad Ford
JH: John Hollinger
NDN: nbadraft.net

2003 Draft

http://sports.espn.go.com/nbadraft/d03/story?id=1572845

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/basketball/nba/2003/draft/news/2003/06/27/nba_grades/

CF: Darko is really one of a kind. He runs the floor, handles the ball, shoots the NBA 3 and plays with his back to the basket, so you can slot him in at the 3, 4 or 5 positions. OK, a few other guys can do that too; what sets Darko apart is his toughness in the post. You have to love a guy who has the footwork to spin by an opponent but still prefers to lower a shoulder and bang. Fact is, Milicic plays in attack-mode at both ends of the floor. The more you push, the more he pushes back. While he won’t be asked to carry the Pistons, he’s capable of doing this earlier than you think.

MB: Given their need for help in the frontcourt, it’s hard to argue with Joe Dumars for taking Milicic over Anthony. If he is as good as advertised, the Pistons could be in the NBA Finals next season. Delfino, meanwhile, could be another Manu Ginobili when he finally gets to the NBA — probably after next season.

CF on Collison: Ugh. We knew they loved him, but I know more than one Sonics fan hoped he was off the board. They needed a low post banger or someone with great size in the post who could also run the floor. Collison has none of that. He was one of my favorite college players, but I really wonder how he’ll translate that into a good pro career. Who does he guard? Can he back down anyone? Will he command double teams in the post? The Sonics love him. I’m not sure I do. I would’ve preferred Illinois’ Brian Cook.

CF on Reece Gaines: This is the guy they wanted all along. Doc Rivers loves big point guards, especially ones that can shoot the rock. This is the first pick that has made sense since the Raptors took Bosh at No. 4. Great pick for Orlando.

MB: Nothing against Pietrus, a good prospect, but the Warriors already have Jason Richardson. Meanwhile, they might lose point guard Gilbert Arenas to free agency. If Arenas leaves — and Marcus Banks, Luke Ridnour or Reece Gaines becomes a star — GM Garry St. Jean might never live this one down.

CF on David West: Not a bad pick. He’s kind of a shorter version of P.J. Brown. But why not take a flier here on Brian Cook? Cook is taller, a more well-rounded player, and could help stretch defenses with his perimeter skills. West will be a solid player. But at No. 18 you could get so much more.

CF: Planinic is one of the best European prospects. When you’re 6-foot-8 and considered a “pure” point guard, teams are going to notice. His surprising athleticism, lethal outside shot and knack for finding the open man making him one of the most intriguing European prospects in the draft. His ability to play three positions helps. He can back-up Kidd, Kittles and Richard Jefferson.

CF on Brian Cook: Great pick for the Lakers. His ability to play inside and outside reminds me a lot of Robert Horry.

CF on Delfino: In a recent workout in Detroit, he wowed them with his toughness and shooting ability. He reminds me of Michael Finley.

CF on Kendrick Perkins bring taken at 27: I don’t like these picks for the Celtics. I’m not sure how it helps them in the short term or long term.

CF: Barbosa has the potential to be a Gary Payton-like player someday.

CF on Maciej Lampe: The steal of the draft.

CF: Sanikidze is a real sleeper. He’ll stay in Georgia for a year or two.

[BothTeamsPlayedHardParticipant]

2004:

http://proxy.espn.go.com/nba/draft2004/columns/story?columnist=ford_chad&id=1828932

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2004/basketball/nba/specials/draft/2004/06/25/draft.grades.04/index.html

CF: I think Pavel will end up being the steal of the draft at No. 21. By pick No. 12, there was no one with his upside (with the possible exception of J.R. Smith) left on the board. You think, if he develops, Utah’s going to regret trading him away for a future first-round pick? –BTW, after 12 included Al Jefferson.

CF on Dorell Wright: He’s a couple of years away, but he reminds me of a young Tracy McGrady type.

CF on Howard over Okafor: Still, I believe the Magic should’ve taken Okafor. I think Howard has all the skills to be a great player, but does he have the heart?

CF on Sacramento: I think their draft was OK. I actually prefer Minard to Martin but can understand Martin’s appeal. He ranked second in the nation in scoring last season. With Gerald Wallace being drafted by the Bobcats, the Kings really needed a player who could step in and give them some minutes at shooting guard. Martin needs to gain strength and weight, but he’s a great athlete who knows how to score. Minard could be the next Ronald Murray, which would be a very nice addition in Sacramento.

CF on Araujo: This was probably a little early to grab Araujo, but I understand what the Raptors were thinking. They needed a center in the worst, worst way. Chris Bosh is much more comfortable playing the four. Outside of Okafor, Araujo is the only big guy in the draft ready to play right now. He’s strong, aggressive and isn’t afraid to beat up people. He’ll be a nice addition in Toronto, though he doesn’t have the upside of many of the other people on the board (read: Swift and Podkolzine).

CF on Utah trading the Pavel pick: But then, at No. 21 they trade away the rights to Pavel for a future first. Huh? I know the Jazz didn’t want three picks, but at 21, Pavel’s no longer a risk. How many No. 21 picks pan out? If he develops in Dallas, Kevin O’Connor will never forgive himself. BTW, the Jazz packaged the 1st they got from Dallas to help them move up to get Deron Williams.

[BothTeamsPlayedHardParticipant]

2005:
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2005/writers/marty_burns/06/29/draft.grades2/index.html
http://www.draftexpress.com/article/2005-NBA-Draft-Grades-1029/
http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/draft2005/columns/story?columnist=ford_chad&id=2096792

DE: Ukic is the kind of guy who has the potential to make every single GM that passed on him look like an absolute fool.

CF: They [Toronto] saved themselves from a grade of F by landing Ukic, a guy they flirted with at 16, with the 41st pick. Ukic has the ability to come in and dethrone Rafer Alston at the point immediately. He’s a great second-round pick.

CF on Marvin Williams: Can’t slam the team that ended up with the best player in the draft, but something just doesn’t seem right. Passing on Chris Paul and Deron Williams may come back to haunt the Hawks if they can’t land a decent point guard in free agency or via trade. Marvin was a want. Paul and Williams were needs.

DE on Marvin Williams: Marvin Williams was the player with the biggest upside on the board here and they did a good job in taking him, although I’m not sure that Chris Paul won’t end up being a better player and a better fit here.

MB: Some might say Raymond Felton and Sean May each went too high, but there was no guarantee the former would still be on the board at No. 13 and the latter is a proven winner even if he plays the same position as Emeka Okafor.

DE on the Knicks selecting Channing Frye, David Lee, and Nate Robinson: The Knicks had three first round picks in probably the deepest draft of all time to work with, but don’t really appear to have gotten that much better unfortunately.

CF on Knicks taking Lee: Lee was a safe pick at the end of the first round, though I think Isiah could have afforded to take a risk at No. 30 with a high school player like Andray Blatche.

DE: Although he probably won’t be an allstar, Diogu is an excellent pick for the Warriors for where they were drafting. He will bring them a lot of things that they are sorely missing right now, including scoring inside the post, toughness, work ethic, rebounding and a high character. We’ve been telling you for months and months about how underrated Diogu is, and the truth finally came out on draft night. Diogu was promised by the Warriors that he would not slip past them after he worked out for them a few days before the draft.

CF: Some will say the Warriors took Diogu too high. I don’t think so. I think the Elton Brand comparisons could be dead on. He’ll add much needed toughness and rebounding up front and he’s more skilled than teams give him credit for.

DE: In the 2nd round the Warriors took Monta Ellis, a player who was ridiculously overhyped by most scouting services all year, but was destined for the 2nd round since the day he declared because of his attitude and lack of PG skills. Ellis reportedly refused to work out for a couple of teams drafting in the late first round, citing that he had a promise already from another team. He then allegedly came in hung over to the combines at the pre-draft camp and narrowly edged out Luke Schenscher to save himself from ending up as the worst athlete in Chicago. At the end of the day he saw his stock fall to the mid 2nd round, where the Warriors got great value for a guy they can stash in the D-League for the next year or two until he’s maybe ready to back up Baron Davis or take his game to Europe.

MB: They got a solid NBA player in Julius Hodge, who boasts experience and feistiness to go with a good all-around game.

CF on the Lakers taking Andrew Bynum: If Andrew Bynum turns into the dominant big man that the Lakers believe he could be, the Lakers deserve an A+ for the draft. If he turns into the next DeSagana Diop, they get an F. (Aside: If a team scores more points than the other team, they’ll win the game.)

MB: Nothing against Luther Head, but this pick is a gamble. For one, the Rockets sorely need a power forward with some athleticism to play alongside Yao Ming. It seems like Wayne Simien would have been a more logical call.

DE: In the late 2nd round they acquired Marcin Gortat, an extremely raw big man who will most likely never see an NBA floor and was discarded by the Phoenix Suns for over 500,000$.

CF: Yaroslav Korolev may turn into a Toni Kukoc type of player in three or four years, but it’s hard to understand why the Clippers, on the verge of being a serious contender for the playoffs, would pass on the immediate help (and upside) that Danny Granger or Antoine Wright would have brought to the team. The problem appears to be that the Clippers made a promise to a player who didn’t quite deserve one.

DE: The Nets were targeting Antoine Wright all along in this draft, and were counting their lucky stars when they saw that he finally fell out of the lottery. Wright will immediately be considered their best shooter and one of their best defenders on the team right off the bat, and should contribute immediately playing alongside Kidd, Carter and Jefferson, as New Jersey is a team that is severely lacking in depth. In the 2nd round, the Nets were shocked to see Mile Ilic there and did not hesitate even one bit to snatch up a player that they fill compares favorably to another European on their roster, Nenad Krstic. Ilic has two more years left on his contact and will play at least one more season in Europe before coming over next year as his buyout should be easy enough to handle.

MB: Basically Green falling into their lap like he did makes this a successful draft.

DE: Some of the worst teams in the East just made sure that they will be much worse than the Boston Celtics for years to come. The Celtics somehow got Gerald Green to fall right into their laps at 18, and will now use their experience in developing high school talent to mold him into a star player with a chip on his shoulder to go and punish those that passed on him night in and night out. Green really couldn’t have found himself in a better situation, he’ll be playing for a young, but successful organization with a clear direction and vision, and a stable front office. If that wasn’t enough, the Celtics may have made two of the best picks in the 2nd round as well, nabbing one college superstar in Ryan Gomes who is smart, fundamentally sound and really knows how to play the game; and another stud with a huge upside in the athletic 6-5 pure PG and shut down defender Orien Greene. Greene was never even mentioned as a draft prospect by anyone outside of DraftExpress, but will still almost certainly make the roster and has a great chance of being a steal for the Celtics in the 2nd round.

CF: Danny Ainge pulled off one of the best drafts of 2004, but he topped himself this year — and he got two guys named Green/Greene to boot. Gerald Green should have been a top six pick in the draft based on his talent and potential. Al Jefferson from last year’s draft and Green from this year’s draft could be superstars down the road.

MB: Fran Vazquez was a safe pick for a team that needs a big man to help out Dwight Howard. Though more of a power forward than center, the Spaniard rebounds and blocks shots, and at 22, might be ready to step in and help immediately.

DE: The Sonics stole two outstanding French prospects in the late 1st and mid 2nd round. Both are athletic players with international experience who could have a role playing for the Sonics in the not too distant future. Petro will most likely be coming over to Seattle right away and will be brought along slowly as he learns the ropes. He has a huge upside at the tender age of 19 with the size and body to be a factor in Seattle’s plans in the next few years after seeing some seasoning in the developmental league. Gelabale will probably stay in Europe for at least another year or two, but has the potential to at least be a rotation player thanks to his defense and athletic ability.
CF: I think the Sonics did a great job getting maximum value late in the first round. Both Petro and Gelabale have great potential and the Sonics have the option of bringing them to the U.S. or continuing to develop their game in Europe. Look for Petro to come now and Gelabale to come later. In three or four years, we may look back at what the Sonics did as some of the best moves of the draft.
MB on Portland: They did the logical thing by trading down and still getting the stud prospect they wanted in Martell Webster. Though he’s not going to step right into their hole at shooting guard, he’s got an NBA-ready body and is more mature than fellow prep phenom Gerald Green. They then parlayed their second first-round pick (Kleiza) and their second-rounder (Sanchez) into a trade with the Nuggets that yielded Jarrett Jack, a solid point prospect to back up and push Sebastian Telfair. But if Deron Williams or Paul turn out to be better than Telfair some day, GM John Nash will look bad no matter what.

[BothTeamsPlayedHardParticipant]

2006:
http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/draft2006/insider/columns/story?columnist=ford_chad&page=draftgrades-060629
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/writers/marty_burns/06/29/draft.grades/index.html
http://www.draftexpress.com/article/2006-NBA-Draft-Report-Card–Part-One-1-10–1389/
http://www.draftexpress.com/article/2006-NBA-Draft-Report-Card–Part-Two-11-21–1390/
http://www.draftexpress.com/article/2006-NBA-Draft-Report-Card–Part-Three-22-Rest–1392/
DE: The Bobcats made out with what is certainly the best player in the draft right now, as well as possibly the best player down the road as well. Adam Morrison fills their needs perfectly on the wing with his scoring ability and should be a perfect compliment to Gerald Wallace’s versatility to defend either swing position equally well. Morrison’s winning attitude, work ethic and incredibly high skill level will be well appreciated by Charlotte’s staff, so it’s really difficult to see how they could have made out any better here.
CF: Bernie Bickerstaff played it safe again and went with the most proven player in the draft. Adam Morrison will score points and he’ll draw fans into the arena. The Bobcats continue filling the team with solid players who have good backgrounds — and with Morrison they may have found their first star.
CF: Another great draft for Bulls GM John Paxson. I had Tyrus Thomas ranked No. 1 on my board for the past two months, and the Bulls got him at No. 4 and picked up Viktor Khryapa in the process. I also am a Thabo Sefolosha fan, though I think Ronnie Brewer’s skill set was a little better fit for the Bulls. The Bulls had two glaring needs and addressed them both in the draft. Sefolosha is ready to play right now and Thomas will be soon. If the Bulls add a center via free agency (I see Joel Przybilla in their future) and find a trade for Tyson Chandler (I think he’s getting moved), they might be ready to advance in the playoffs. Or they’ll use all these assets to get their hands on Kevin Garnett. Either way, the future for the Bulls is bright.
MB: Though Thomas doesn’t solve Chicago’s desperate need for a low-post scorer, it’s doubtful Aldridge would have done so right away either.
CF: I like Patrick O’Bryant and think he’s one of the four or five best upside guys in this draft. And the Warriors had a need at center. So what’s the problem?
DE: At #32 the Rockets got another player who will play a valuable role sooner rather than later in Steve Novak. Novak is the perfect player to have next to Yao and McGrady, and should also flourish from the shots they create for him.
DE: Size is always at a premium in free agency for a somewhat unattractive team like the Hornets, so they did well in drafting two athletic big men with great size and length where they were picking in the 1st round. On a team that is led by a future allstar in Chris Paul, it makes sense to take two players with good potential as shot-blockers who can run the floor and finish in transition. Both are high character individuals off the court who will play their role and relish the tutelage of a steady veteran like PJ Brown. Simmons has the more upside of the two considering his youth, and the development of his 18 foot jump-shot will be very intriguing to watch. Armstrong is a very young senior who just started to come into his own in his last year in college and likely still has plenty of room to continue to grow both physically and skill-wise on the offensive end.
CF: They needed size in the frontcourt and got two of the top four bigs in the draft with Hilton Armstrong and Cedric Simmons.
DE: Considering that he was just one of two freshman picked in this entire draft along with Tyrus Thomas, Shawne Williams’ selection is one of the more difficult to evaluate at this early stage. He could very well have stayed another season or two at Memphis and developed into a top five pick, or he could have flamed out after four years in college and not been drafted at all. That’s how large the discrepancy is between his upside and downside. Unless the Pacers know for sure that they won’t be resigning Peja Stojakovic, this wasn’t a need pick either, as they just drafted Danny Granger last year to play that same 3/4 position that Williams is best suited for as well. Only time will tell how well this one turns out, and much of it will depend on how Williams reacts to what he has waiting for him in Indiana with the no-nonsense coaching style of Rick Carlisle. One thing that has to be said is that the criticism levied on him from the direction of the “analysts” dissecting this draft regarding not being a winner is completely ridiculous. Williams did not lose a game in his final year of high school and Memphis went 33-4 last season before losing to UCLA in the Elite Eight.
CF: I’m a big fan of Alexander Johnson, especially in the second round. He is a poor man’s Kenyon Martin and adds some toughness to their front line.
DE: Geoff Petrie has coveted a combo guard in the mold of Bobby Jackson to bring off the bench ever since he traded him away, and he managed to secure the 2nd most talented one in the draft despite picking 19th. Douby will bring Sacramento’s Princeton offense a new dimension with his incredibly deep range, outstanding toughness and ball-handling skills. He led the Big East in scoring while shooting terrific percentages for a reason despite being double teamed almost every single game, and has an NBA ready skill he can utilize immediately starting next season. Considering where the Kings were drafting, that’s about as much as you can ask for. Sacramento has many more issues to address, but those were never going to be solved strictly through the draft. (Just to clarify, Rondo, Shannon Brown, and Jordan Farmar went after Douby).
DE: Taking Renaldo Balkman with the 20th pick with a top 10 talent in Marcus Williams still on the board could end up being one of the worst draft picks made in the past decade.
CF: I’m not a huge Craig Smith fan, but Loukas Mavrokefalidis is interesting. He has great size and is putting up pretty impressive numbers in Greece.
DE: Considering the players they came away with, that mission was a clear success, particularly in landing Marcus Williams with the 22nd pick. Williams has a bit of Jason Kidd to his game in the way he controls the tempo of the game and finds the open man with his incredible court vision, but still needs to improve his defense and conditioning level, which hell have no choice not to do if he wants to play for conservative head coach Lawrence Frank. The Nets will be able to boast having one of the top backup point guards in the NBA very soon, and once Kidd begins to slow down, Williams should be ready to step right in without losing much of a beat. At 23 the Nets took a bit more of a risk in drafting fellow UConn junior Josh Boone. While Boone started off the season ranked way ahead of Williams on most mock drafts, his apathy and lack of mental toughness on the basketball court had many thinking he’ll end up being drafted in the 2nd round. Boone surely has the physical tools to succeed, including a wide frame, long arms, good hands and solid athleticism, but it remains to be seen whether he has what it takes to capitalize on his potential. Alexander Johnson would have been a better pick here considering his freakish athleticism and tenacious style of play, but concerns about past injuries ended up dropping him to the 2nd round.
CF: Obviously the Marcus Williams pick was a slam dunk.
MB: Williams (a.k.a. “the Landlord”) is an Antonio Davis clone who did a good job collecting the rent in the paint at Duke.
DE on Paul Davis: Paul Davis had a nice college career and we’ll now see if he can translate that into being a rotation player in the NBA. He certainly has the size and basic skill-set to do so, despite his below average wingspan.
CF on Paul Davis: Davis should be in the league a long time. He is big and skilled and can hit an 18-foot jump shot.
CF: In 2004, it was Robert Swift. In 2005, it was Johan Petro. This year, they got the rawest one yet, Mouhamed Saer Sene. I understand the appeal. Sene’s game resembles Dikembe Mutombo’s. He has a huge 7-8 wingspan and an excellent body. But he’s years away from contributing. Years.
CF: I think Olexsiy Pecherov could be a Keith Van Horn-type in the NBA. He can rebound and hit the NBA 3-pointer. He may need another year or two of seasoning in France, but he has a bright future, and he likely would have been a lottery pick if he waited one more year to be drafted.

[BothTeamsPlayedHardParticipant]

2007
http://www.nbadraft.net/node/3792
http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/draft2007/insider/columns/story?columnist=ford_chad&page=draftgrades
http://www.draftexpress.com/article/2007-NBA-Draft-Report-Card-2156/
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/writers/marty_burns/06/29/draft.grades/index.html
http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/draft2007/insider/columns/story?columnist=hollinger_john&page=ProRater
NDN: Brandan Wright #3 on the top prospects list
CF: In exchange for Jason Richardson, they got a player with great upside in Wright, who will be at home in Golden State’s up-tempo style. He also fits a need in the frontcourt.
CF: Dudley and Davidson were good value picks — especially Dudley, who has a chance to be a Shane Battier-type player in the NBA.
DE: Rudy Fernandez is an absolute steal at #24–if he ever comes over considering the very low slot he’s now slotted on the rookie scale. Petteri Koponen’s intangibles embody the culture that GM Kevin Pritchard has been talking about for some time—and he’ll be stashed to develop overseas for another season as well. Josh McRoberts was considered a top 10 pick coming into this season and still has that kind of ceiling if the light bulb comes on for him. Being one of Greg Oden could very well help both players make the transition the NBA smoother, while their games complement each other too. Taurean Green was fantastic value at #52 and might already be considered one of the best 3rd point guards in the league. All in all, this was another great draft for the Portland Trailblazers.
DE: The Hawks kept it nice and simple on draft night, making the two obvious picks of winning players with plenty of big-game experience who are ready to contribute right now. There isn’t much more to say than that really. For once we can give the Hawks some props—that is, until Mike Conley Jr. turns out to be the star that many predict he will.
CF on Mike Conley: The Grizzlies land the best point guard in the draft — a guy who can, with seasoning, become a Tony Parker-like leader on the floor.
DE: Great point guards are usually drafted, and incoming GM Chris Wallace made the right move taking Conley here. Some will say that Conley’s stock would have never been this high if it weren’t for the miracle shot Ron Lewis hit in the first round of the NCAA tournament against Xavier, which is probably true, but that would be ignoring the fabulous season Conley had manning the point for the national championship finalists in his freshman year. His poise, athleticism and intangibles coupled with his terrific production—highlighted by a fantastic assist to turnover ratio and an impressive field goal percentage—lead us to believe that Conley’s ceiling is high enough to warrant being picked right here. We’re not sure how Pau Gasol will feel, but in a few years this will look like a very good pick.
JH: Oden isn’t the only no-brainer on his college team. It might surprise some to see Conley rated so close to Oden on this list. No doubt that’s partly because Oden played all year with a bad wrist (again, an example of where scouting can augment what’s being done with numbers). But among point guards in the last six drafts, only Chris Paul rated higher than Conley. Suddenly it doesn’t seem so silly for the Hawks to take him at No. 3, especially given their glaring need at that spot.
NDN: Yi Jianlian #4 on the top prospects list
DE: This reeks of a panic move on Danny Ainge’s part to try and save his job after the flurry of trade rumors that never materialized. If this was a matter of trading for Ray Allen now or trading Paul Pierce for pennies on the dollar he might have made the right choice, but it’s hard not to feel like he could have gotten more value out of the #5 pick. If Ainge turns around and flips Theo Ratliff, Al Jefferson and change for Kevin Garnett then we’ll stand corrected, but right now there’s not a whole lot to get excited about here, besides the temporary excitement Celtics fans will get from being knocked out of the playoffs in the first or second round.
DE: Minnesota gets the best of both worlds here—drafting a proven player with Final Four MVP credentials underneath his belt, as well as a terrific upside to continue to improve. From what we’ve seen of Brewer, he will achieve that upside and then some. Kevin Garnett should take a look at Brewer and the tenacity he brings to the floor before he completely writes off the team he’s been playing for since 1995. Him and Randy Foye form a nice nucleus for the future moving forward.
DE: The rich get richer, as they say. Joakim Noah is a proven winner with the best motor in this year’s draft. He’s the perfect big man for Scott Skiles’ style of play, and they somehow managed to snatch him all the way down at #9. Noah is ready to contribute right away and should become a crowd favorite at the United Center. Many are questioning whether he fits their need for a low-post scorer, but the Bulls don’t have three years to wait on Spencer Hawes, and if Noah had a great back to the basket game he obviously would have been long gone by the time they picked. He’ll pick up 12-14 points a game just by running the floor and hitting the offensive glass every night. This isn’t the early 90’s anymore anyway, and that’s not how the Bulls play. At #49, the Bulls got fantastic value with a player that probably would have gone in the top 20 (likely to Washington at #18) had he kept his name in last year’s draft. Instead he stayed in school and became a better player, and the Bulls snatched him up in the late second round to help fill a need at the center position. He should develop into a solid backup center. At #51 the Bulls got a Jannero Pargo clone in JamesOn Curry—and anything they get out of him will be pure gravy at this point in the draft. (Some might not find fault with the analysis of Noah, but to say he is perfect for Skiles’ style of play only for Skiles to basically quit/resign/get fired when he said that he couldn’t win with the team Paxson assembled)
DE: Thaddeus Young was a reach at #12, and doesn’t really fill a need either. The drop-off from the end of the top 10 to here was pretty steep, but the Sixers had the assets to make a move had they wanted to.
JH: Brandan Wright #5, Nick Fazekas 7th highest rated player in the draft, Josh McRoberts #8, Kyle Visser #15, and Herbert Hill #16.
DE: The Wizards couldn’t believe their luck when a player they had ranked highly in Nick Young fell to them at #16. Young fills a need at the 2-guard spot and had the talent to easily get drafted in the late lottery. His athleticism and perimeter shooting on the wing will come in handy as Jarvis Hayes is finally shown the door. If he can learn to defend adequately and do the little things, the Wizards might have found their starting shooting guard of the future. In the middle of the second round, the Wizards got a player who we’ve liked all year in Dominic McGuire. He brings even more athleticism, as well as plenty of versatility as a combo forward. McGuire has been playing hurt for some time now, so we may not have even seen the best of him yet. All in all, the Wizards did a really nice job both filling needs and getting players with solid upside to continue to improve where they were drafting.
DE: At #18, it already seemed like there often weren’t enough balls to go around last year, and Marco Belinelli isn’t of much value unless someone is creating shots for him by the dozen.
CF: Belinelli also will thrive with Golden State. He loves to let it fly and Nellie will let him.
JH: Hawes has an unimpressive rebound rate, which is a huge red flag considering he was bigger than everyone he played against. And for all the talk of his great post skills, he had a run-of-the-mill 55.0 true shooting percentage and didn’t even have the best PER on his mediocre team (that belonged to Jon Brockman). A lot of folks think he can become a quality pro post player; based on his numbers, I just don’t see it.
CF on Wilson Chandler: Chandler has the athletic ability to be a very good NBA player — but does he have the heart and head of an NBA player?
DE: Wilson Chandler being picked at #23 was the second worst kept secret of this year’s draft, also a scoop broken right here at DraftExpress a week and change before the draft. This move makes very little sense considering the current make-up of New York’s roster, but is of typical Isiah Thomas fashion—length and athleticism over skills and intangibles. He clearly could have gotten Chandler 10-15 picks down at a lesser salary slot. Thomas then went out and traded what is probably going to be a very nice 2nd round pick next year to get into the bottom of the draft and pluck Demetris Nichols, yet another small forward. We actually happen to like Nichols, and he clearly fills a need as a shooter, but you have to wonder how he is ever going to get any playing time behind (or next to) Jarred Jeffries, Renaldo Balkman, Quentin Richardson and Wilson Chandler. The one saving grace that we can see here is the trade packaging Steve Francis and Channing Frye for a legit 24+10 player in Zach Randolph. Ignoring the salary cap ramifications, this has to be considered a very shrewd move considering the caliber of talent that was swapped. The Knicks just added some major firepower to their roster to compete in the East, and did so without giving up on all that much. How all that talent actually meshes on the floor is anyone’s guess, but for a team that has been looking to cut corners constantly for the past five years or more, this was definitely one of their better moves.
DE: A team with a very good track record in the draft seems to have made another couple of solid picks, despite drafting fairly low. Morris Almond fills a need as a perimeter shooter, has great value at #25, and also has the type of character and intangibles that the Jazz covet.
DE: If they took Brooks with the intention of keeping him, though, then we’re pretty stumped. Brooks is a player who clearly could have been had in the second round, besides the fact that he doesn’t fill any kind of need for a team that needs to win right now. The Rockets don’t have any power forwards on their roster at the moment (Chuck Hayes is a free agent), and there were a few players here that could have had value at this slot. Nick Fazekas, Josh McRoberts, Glen Davis, and especially Tiago Splitter come to mind. When Splitter comes over to San Antonio next year and starts contributing big minutes right away, people in Houston will almost certainly be smacking their foreheads for passing him up. Daryl Morey has been criticized for only being a “Moneyball” or “stat guy” by various sources, but Brooks doesn’t grade out particularly well on the sabermetrics scales. Carl Landry on the other hand, certainly does. He also fills a bit of the void we spoke about at the power forward position above, even though he can’t do it by himself obviously. Landry comes game-ready, though, at age 23, which is good considering how much they’ll need him right away if they don’t make a big move in free agency. Still, it’s hard not to come away thinking that the Rockets reached once again here.
JH: Actually, this formula doesn’t seem to be kind to players from L.A. Arron Afflalo rated even worse than the two Trojans; Afflalo, Nevada guard Ramon Sessions, and Florida guard Taurean Green are fringe first-rounders who are best to be avoided.
CF: Brooks is an undersized point guard who’s really more of a 2-guard in the Earl Boykins mode. Landry is tough and physical, which fits a need in Houston, but I don’t think he’s as good as Glen Davis, who was available.
DE: The rich get richer once again, as the best team in the league lands possibly the most NBA-ready player in the draft…all the way down at #28. That almost shouldn’t be allowed, it’s so unfair to everyone else. The reason this happened is because most teams preferred to draft backups who will play 10 minutes a game at most next year rather than wait another season for some real help. But that’s why the Spurs are the Spurs, and everyone else is everyone else. At #33, the Spurs again got some solid value in Marcus Williams, a player who was considered a lottery pick for much of the year before his season went and his stock dropped from working out poorly and for the wrong teams (for example Washington, selecting #16, the day before the draft). Williams isn’t quite the defender or perimeter shooter the Spurs covet on the wing as Michael Finley and Bruce Bowen continue to age, but he does have the upside to improve in those areas, being a very naturally talented sophomore with superb scoring instincts. He will have to restructure his shooting mechanics to reach his full potential, though.
CF: The Spurs continue to amaze with their ability to find gems late in the draft. Splitter would’ve gone 10 to 15 spots higher if he had been able to get out of his contract and come to the NBA next season. But next summer, he can exercise a buyout and join the Spurs. When he comes, he’ll be 23, battle-tested in the Euroleague and ready to supplant Fabricio Oberto in the middle. As a pure small forward, Williams also seems like a great fit, as long as he can get with coach Gregg Popovich’s team-oriented game plan.
CF: Jared Jordan is one of the best pure point guards in this draft class. He’s not big or athletic, but he has a sixth sense for seeing the floor that’s akin to the way injured Clippers point guard Shaun Livingston does.

[BothTeamsPlayedHardParticipant]

2008
http://www.nbadraft.net/node/1307
http://www.nbadraft.net/node/1301
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/draft2008/columns/story?columnist=ford_chad&page=DraftGrades-080627
http://www.draftexpress.com/article/2008-NBA-Draft-Report-Card-2956/
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/marty_burns/06/27/grades/index.html
http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/draft2008/insider/columns/story?columnist=hollinger_john&page=DraftRater-080620
CF: I’m not sure that Rose is the most talented basketball player in the draft
DE: There was plenty of reason to consider Beasley, but at the end of the day John Paxson decided to minimize his risks and go with the guy he trusted more, even though Chicago was, according to NBA team sources, leaning towards Beasley as late as the first week of June. Only time will tell if that was the right move—your guess is as good as ours at this point.
DE: Riley will likely end up feeling very fortunate that he decided to keep Beasley, and it’s now up to the player to prove that he can indeed live up to his potential. In the second round, the Heat made a very aggressive move targeting Mario Chalmers, an exceptional defender and spot-up shooter who could very well prove to be a terrific compliment playing next to a dominant ball-handler like Dwyane Wade. Chalmers was never talented enough to be considered the lottery-caliber value point guard that some analysts pegged him as on draft night, but his weaknesses (shot-creating ability, natural playmaking instincts) are minimized in a system like this alongside Wade, as he’ll be able to execute Miami’s half-court offense well enough and still provide plenty with the things he does well. He could emerge as a Derek Fisher type in time
NDN: Even if he’s not a “Riley guy,” you take “B-Easy,” hope he doesn’t become too swept up with South Beach, and watch him get his 20-10 for a year or two, then move him for another franchise talent. Riley was intrigued by Mayo, and although he’s got that new-car smell, the Heat made the only sensible choice with Beasley. The talent gap between him and Mayo is just too great.
CF: I hate to break it to what looked like a very sober, perhaps disappointed Pat Riley, but the Heat won this draft. They walked away with arguably the best player in the draft and then got a second-round steal at point guard, a position at which Miami really needed help. Beasley has a chance to be a superstar. With him and Dwyane Wade, the Heat have a terrific future. On top of that, Miami got a player at No. 34 who I had ranked as a potential mid-first-round pick. Chalmers is perfect for Riley: He is tough, plays defense, can shoot the lights out and is a winner.
JH on Brook Lopez: Taking Lopez third overall, as some have suggested, is clearly too high
DE: You have to take your hat off for Kevin McHale for once. Not only did he go out and get the player he coveted the most in this draft—Kevin Love—he also managed to pick up a terrific player to compliment him in Mike Miller, while also unloading two nasty contracts (with three years remaining) in Greg Bucker and Marko Jaric. That might even qualify as a home-run in our book. Don’t look now, but Minnesota has firmly entrenched themselves to be huge players on the much anticipated 2010 free agent market, if they have the patience to continue to maintain their flexibility. Throughout the draft process, we got the feeling like Minnesota’s staff was not enamored with Mayo as the third best talent in this draft, like he had been unanimously anointed by the mass media. Love was McHale’s guy, as we reported very early on back in May, and it was very shrewd of him to be able to get both him and everything else they acquired in this trade. Now we’ll have to wait and see what kind of player he turns out to be alongside Al Jefferson. The fact that Minnesota has not given up yet on Randy Foye is fairly significant too.
CF: For the first time in more than a decade, Minnesota’s Kevin McHale is earning an A from me. He did a really nice job getting value for Mayo at No. 3 and putting together a young team that could win 35 to 40 games next year. Love won’t be a superstar, but he’s going to be solid. Pairing him in the front court with Al Jefferson makes the Wolves a little undersized, but they now have two excellent low-post scoring options.
JH on Kevin Love: I’ve heard the concerns about Love being out of shape and a poor defender, but a big guy with this high a skill level is way too good a proposition to pass up. In fact, Love outrated both Oden and Durant from a year ago (though Oden, remember, was playing with one good hand for part of the season). Basically, you’re looking at the second coming of Brad Miller in terms of skill level for his size, but with a higher ceiling.
DE: Russell Westbrook is a player that may or may not prove to be worthy of starting at either backcourt position in the NBA, and taking him fourth was definitely a surprise looking at some of the other players that were on the board here. Is Westbrook enough of a playmaker to be a starting NBA point guard in time? And if not, is he big enough, and a good enough ball-handler, outside shooter and all-around scorer to start at the 2? He can surely defend well enough at either position, but considering that he might need a very particular type of lead-guard alongside him—was he worthy of being drafted fourth overall? On first glance the answer to that seems to be no, but Sam Presti might know something that we don’t…
NDN: Gm Sam Presti did a solid job to resist the temptation to add Brook Lopez and take a player with considerably more upside at the fourth pick in Russell Westbrook.
CF: I’m a D.J. Augustin admirer, and I think he’ll be an improvement over Raymond Felton eventually.
DE: Mbah a Moute at 37 doesn’t seem to make much sense at all this high in the draft
NDN on the Nets: The post-Jason-Kidd rebuilding era is off to a fine start. However, the final grade can’t be accurately tallied until the summer of 2010.
DE: With the 20th overall pick, Alexis Ajinca is the type of project you can afford to take a risk on at this point in the draft. (Ryan Anderson went #21)
JH: “Better Update That Passport” category included Ryan Anderson
NDN: The Cavs appear to be floundering, struggling to add talent around LeBron in the draft, free agency and trades. Hickson is an undersized four-man (6’8) with good length and solid muscle but lacks the upside of other freshman prospects. If he’s not able to bring the team much in the short term, there’ a good chance he will struggle to improve much over time.
JH: Darnell Jackson appears to be a potential second-round steal.
DE: With their backs against the wall, the Pacers managed to land a sweetheart deal by packaging Jermaine O’Neal to the Raptors for T.J. Ford (filling their void at point guard), Rasho Nesterovic (filling their void at center), and the 17th overall pick. This gave them the flexibility to target the best overall player on the board in the draft, and pick up a very nice asset in Jarrett Jack to put alongside two proven and polished college players — Roy Hibbert and Brandon Rush. All in all, this was definitely a homerun draft for Indiana. They are a better team, with better character in the lockerroom, deeper off the bench, and also more flexible financially to go out and continue to add pieces in their rebuilding process.
DE: Taking Hibbert over Kosta Koufos is another one we’ll have to wait and see on.
NDN: Taking Hibbert at 17 was also a mistake as he’s limited athletically, and will be nothing more than a solid center. While these picks might look solid in a year, they likely won’t appear so solid in 4-5 years when other players they could have taken (like Bayless and McGee) potentially become standouts.
DE: Anthony Randolph definitely had the potential to warrant being picked at this spot, but the jury is out on whether it made any kind of sense to take him considering the style of offense Golden State likes to employ. Randolph’s inability to make shots from the perimeter, along with his often selfish style of play and lackadaisical attitude on defense and as a rebounder are all exactly the opposite of what Golden State needs at this point in time, which makes it difficult to imagine him being overly successful early on under Don Nelson. Considering his overall profile, that could spell trouble down the road for him. In fact, we said many of the same things about Brandan Wright (a player Randolph somewhat resembles) exactly a year ago, but were a bit higher on his ability to score inside. We will see what direction Golden State heads in over the next few years and whether they’ll find a coach that can make use of the players their GM is drafting. Right now, the two definitely don’t seem to be on the same page, which might be the biggest concern. At 49, the Warriors did extremely well for themselves by drafting one of the players we pegged as possibly being one of the steals of this draft in Richard Hendrix. Hendrix fell quite a bit on draft night due to a knee problem that was discovered during the Orlando pre-draft camp. Thus, the parallels with Carlos Boozer continue, as he not only put up very similar numbers in college, but also was red-flagged for the exact same reason (according to one NBA team we talked to at least). We see Hendrix as more of a Paul Millsap type at the next level, and this is actually exactly what Golden State needs considering the type of players they currently have on their roster.

JH on Anthony Randolph: Yes, this is true. Seen in many quarters as a high lottery pick, Randolph has virtually nothing in his statistical record to justify such a lofty selection. In particular, his woeful ball-handling numbers are a major red flag. Randolph had more turnovers than any prospect except Beasley and Thompson, but those two players had every play run through them; I’m still waiting to find out Randolph’s excuse. Additionally, his 49.9 true shooting percentage is alarmingly bad for a guy who is supposed to dominate athletically. He can block shots, and the fact his team was such a mess probably didn’t help his numbers any, but gambling on Randolph with a high first-round pick looks like the basketball equivalent of hitting on 19 in blackjack. Hey, maybe the dealer throws out a 2 and everyone thinks you’re a genius, but chances are you’re going to bust. It appears he’s going to be drafted in the middle of the first round at worst, but even that appears to be a terrible mistake — there is no track record whatsoever of a player rated this poorly achieving pro success.

NDN: Bayless and Batum are two more excellent pieces to what appears to be a dynasty in the making.

DE on Koufos: Anytime you can get a 7-1 center with a 7-5 wingspan and an incredibly high skill level, you do it, particularly when that player is just 19 years old. Koufos could end up being one of the steals of this draft at this point.

CF: Hill is a nice player, but I don’t believe he’s a better point guard than Mario Chalmers.

NDN: Hill was a bit of a reach at 26, and they may be second guessed for passing on Mario Chalmers.

DE: San Antonio was very likely blindsided after being caught by the Rockets with their hand in the cookie jar trying to steal Nicolas Batum from the rest of the league, so much that they seem to have reached for George Hill, who they almost certainly could have had in the early second round. Hill’s numbers are off the charts and he did play extremely well at the Orlando pre-draft camp, but learning how to play the point guard position is not going to be the easiest task in the world for him.

NDN: The Wizards made a solid gamble taking McGee with their only pick. He’s an extremely long and unpolished center, in the mold of the Warriors Patrick O’Bryant. The big difference is that McGee has some fire to accompany his shooting touch and potential and and has a chance to develop into something special in a few years. While McGee slipped from a possible lottery pick, going 18 sets up an excellent situation for both parties.

DE: Giddens makes a lot of sense here, as he surely has the talent and athleticism to warrant being drafted this high, granted he realizes how blessed he was to get a second opportunity. Playing alongside warriors like Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce, Giddens should fall right in line. He needed the security of a two year contract to give him a cushion until he’s truly ready to contribute anything more than spot-defensive minutes, so it will be interesting to see how well he takes advantage of this opportunity.

NDN: The Mavs panicked after the Lakers pulled off the Gasol deal making a terrible decision to acquire Jason Kidd. At the time, it was obvious this team was not a legitimate contender even with Kidd and the team went overboard, giving away far too much to obtain the aging playmaker. If Kidd was 2-3 years younger, the deal would make sense, but giving away a young, talented point guard like Devin Harris plus Diop and 2 first rounders was a huge mistake.

[TRC1991Participant]

haha lol with the “two outstanding french products in mickael gelabale and johan petro”

oh and ricky minard over kevin martin was laughable also

[quinceyhodges]

i used to ,and still do ,say the same thing about a. randolph. remeber reading that stuff awhile back on darko and laughed thinking det made a HUGE mistake passing on melo. marvin williams is another guy i thought was good but wasnt very high on. i know his team won the title and he has talent but i never saw a super star talent in him

[GreenLanternParticipant]

This post exposes Chad Ford perfectly has a complete hack. He literally is right .00005 times a year.

[arman]

what mistake did pistons made…. just imagine them with Bosh/Anthony/Wade….. they could have at least 3 titles so far

[BothTeamsPlayedHardParticipant]

bump

[ilike.panochasParticipant]

I will never forget that name. This was like Darko slipping outside the 1st round.

[BothTeamsPlayedHardParticipant]

"I will never forget that name. This was like Darko slipping outside the 1st round."

Maciej Lampe finished with 26 points and 11 rebounds in the Eurocup final a week ago.

Chad has crazy skills at finding potential lottery picks who can turn into solid Eurocup players by the time they are in their mid-20s.

[marcusfizer21Participant]

 I remember NBADraft.net giving an A- grade on the Hawks for drafting Marvin Williams…haha

Maciej Lampe was compared to Dirk Nowitzki…

Chad Ford: I’m not sure that Rose is the most talented basketball player in the draft

Well, fast forward now Ford, look at how Derrick Rose is doing…

[sittinseneParticipant]

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[sittinseneParticipant]

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[sittinseneParticipant]

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[sittinseneParticipant]

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[Author]

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