(Photo by Joe Murphy/Getty Images)
Atlanta Hawks – A-
G Jeff Teague, G Sergiy Gladyr, G Jamal Crawford
Teague is a nice point guard prospect and the Hawks can let him come off the bench and ease into the starting spot in a couple of years.
For now he’s an energy guy with some scoring ability off the bench.
Crawford is an excellent addition as the Hawks lost nothing to get him after drafting Teague.
He is a great scorer and a severely underrated point guard. When given the slim opportunity in New York he easily proved he can run an offense in the half court and get the bigs involved.
If this move means the Hawks lose Mike Bibby, it’s an added plus. Bibby is a perennial choke artist and the team played better with Johnson running things.
Johnson and Crawford can switch off point guard duties. Together they’ll give NBA defenses all kinds of issues, especially with Josh Smith patrolling around and a center in Al Horford who can knock down a 12-footer.
The only minus sign is the second round pick. The Hawks need some front court depth.
Ahmad Nivins was available and is the type of player they still lack on their second unit.
Utah Jazz – C
G Eric Maynor, C Goran Suton
The Jazz drafted two solid players. The problem lies in where they fit in.
Maynor is an underrated point guard who can lead a team and score.
It seemed the Jazz were set on Ronnie Price as the backup to Deron Williams after his performance in the playoffs, but this move indicates he could end up elsewhere.
Suton is a decent center prospect who has solid rebounding and touch around the basket.
He’s basically a polished Kosta Koufos. Either this pick means Koufos isn’t coming along as planned or the Jazz are log jammed at center.
Either way, it doesn’t help the Jazz catch up to the contenders out west.
New Orleans Hornets – B
G Darren Collison, G Marcus Thornton
Collison is a quick point guard who can spell Paul for a few minutes.
The Hornets needed a backup point but Collison was a bit of a reach. They could've traded down easily and still had him, and the way the board unfolded there were probably teams interested in moving up.
With that said, Collison is an accomplished defender and can keep pressure on the ball like Paul.
Thornton is a nice acquisition and can light it up. The Hornets hope he can replace what they lost a couple years ago when they let Jannero Pargo go.
Portland Trail Blazers – B+
F Victor Claver, F Dante Cunningham, G Patrick Mills, F Jeff Pendergraph,
Claver is a talented player who the Blazers can stash overseas.
Mills is an absolute steal in the second round and will find himself on an NBA roster someday. Portland has no use for him right now and will ship him overseas.
Cunningham and Pendergraph give the Blazers some scoring depth in the front court. With Portland willing to wheel and deal, a spot should open up in the rotation for one of these two when the season starts.
Dallas Mavericks – C+
F Ahmad Nivins, G Rodrigue Beaubois, G Nick Calathes
Beaubois is supposed to be a talented point guard but will take years to develop. The Mavericks needed more of an immediate impact.
Nivins is a gritty hustle player, but the Mavs already have that kind of player in Brandon Bass.
Calathes could make or break this draft. If the Mavs still have Jason Kidd next year, they should try and bring Calathes over this season for Kidd to mentor him.
There is an element of Kidd in Calathes in how Calathes anticipates plays. On a team with an actual basketball IQ, he could blossom into a major steal.
He needs to become an offensive asset because he will never get it done in man to man defense in the NBA.
Cleveland Cavaliers – D-
F Christian Eyenga, F Danny Green, C Shaquille O’Neal
The Cavs were decimated by the Magic because they had no depth. They failed to address that glaring weakness in this draft.
Green gives the Cavs someone off the bench with shooting ability but he’s as inconsistent as the shooters they already have.
The deal for Shaq has been widely praised as a major move which steers the Cavs toward the NBA finals. I completely disagree.
Can Shaq guard Rashard Lewis? Hedo Turkoglu? Rajon Rondo? Paul Pierce? Kevin Garnett? Pau Gasol? Lamar Odom?
The Cavs were slammed by the Magic because they had no one to stop any of their key players. Skilled starting lineups can destroy Cleveland.
Now they have an aging Shaq who didn’t help Phoenix do anything.
He’s a much better fit in the Cavs half court offense but will also clog the lane and hamper LeBron James in his assault on the paint.
There is also the issue of what happens to Zydrunas Ilgauskas. You obviously can’t start both players and Z is a capable starter in this league.
Cleveland absolutely needs another major roster shakeup before next year, and odds are Z will have to be part of that deal.
As it is now, the Cavs have no front court bench and still have a midget back court which will struggle to stop championship contenders.
Once again, GM Danny Ferry is chasing a big name, but hasn’t helped his efforts to get LeBron a ring.
The only reason they don’t get an F grade is the fact that at least they finally turned Sasha Pavlovic into something.
Washington Wizards – A++
G Randy Foye, G/F Mike Miller
The Wizards are looking to win now. With their trade for Miller and Foye, they’re a top three team in the east if they stay healthy.
First off, they now have tremendous depth. They can start Arenas, Miller, Butler, and Jamison and have solid reserves at all positions.
Foye and Nick Young will anchor the second unit for some time and could eventually start themselves.
Getting Stevenson out of the starting lineup is another plus as he’s much better suited as a role player off the bench.
Andray Blatche and JaVale McGee should continue to develop and are nice options off the bench up front. One of them could also be involved in a trade to bring in an established center.
The Wizards now have tremendous firepower. It’s now or never for coach Flip Saunders.
If the Wizards can play under control, they’re the sleeper in the east.
Houston Rockets – INCOMPLETE
G Jermaine Taylor, G Sergio Llull, F Chase Budinger
The Rockets bought three useful players in the second round to bolster their roster.
Taylor is a cheap Aaron Brooks and Budinger gives the Rockets tremendous offensive talent for someone in the middle of the second round. He should have an immediate impact.
The Rockets needed depth and got it in this draft.
They don’t have a grade because of the impending departure of Tracy McGrady. It’s long overdue and if they get anything of value in return, the draft was a success.
San Antonio Spurs – A+
F DeJuan Blair, G Jack McClinton, G Nando De Colo, F Richard Jefferson
The Spurs continue to show why they are the best run franchise in the NBA. They had a tremendous draft given they were out of the first round.
Blair is an absolute steal and is a perfect replacement for the departed Kurt Thomas. He is tough as nails and is the best rebounder in the draft since Paul Millsap. He also has an underrated face-up jumper from ten feet.
He will immediately spell Duncan and Bonner in the rotation.
McClinton might be one of the best pure scorers in this draft and has ridiculous range for a second round pick. With Roger Mason getting major minutes next year, McClinton has a chance to become the bench guard scorer who can make some big shots when Ginobili or Parker doesn’t have the ball.
De Colo is a talented prospect and allows the Spurs to continue stockpiling talent overseas.
Jefferson is an excellent addition, especially for what they gave up.
The Spurs didn’t need Bowen anymore with George Hill and Ime Udoka.
Jefferson gives the Spurs a reliable scorer and should thrive not being a primary option. He also serves as major insurance should Ginobili go down again.
The Jefferson deal puts the Spurs back in contention for the west crown.
Miami Heat – C-
F Robert Dozier, G Patrick Beverly
For a team which needed better depth, the Heat didn’t accomplish much.
Dozier can block shots and get on the boards, but with the Heat picking up the option on Joel Anthony, Dozier either starts in the NBDL or will be cut.
Beverly is a defensive minded player who will have to fight to beat out Yakhouba Diawara and Dorell Wright for a spot on the team.
Los Angeles Lakers – INCOMPLETE
F Chinemelu Elonu
The Lakers sold their first three picks in an effort to save as much money as possible to get back Trevor Ariza and Lamar Odom.
This draft is a success if it helps the Lakers keep their title team together.
I’m sure Elonu can be had for the right price too.
Boston Celtics – B
G Lester Hudson
The Celtics might be in need of a shooter. Rumors are swirling about Ray Allen and Eddie House might actually opt out of his deal.
Hudson was the best shooter available.
If they landed McClinton, he would’ve been a perfect replacement for House if he skipped town, but the Spurs beat them to the punch.
Overall, the Celtics get a player who could make their roster, and that’s a plus at the bottom of the second round.
Orlando Magic – C+
G/F Vince Carter, F Ryan Anderson
The Magic traded their starting back court from the NBA finals to bring in Carter and a talented offensive minded bench player in Anderson.
Carter can still score but is a shadow of what he once was. He isn’t a good defender and is more of a volume shooter.
The Magic see him as an all star caliber player but he won’t help them win a ring.
He is another jump shot happy player and will stunt the growth of Dwight Howard as the few touches Superman got in the fourth quarter may have just vanished.
The Magic are a good team but aren’t aggressive enough in driving to the paint. They also don’t play enough smart basketball and take too many bad shots.
Carter doesn’t fix any of their problems.
If they also bring back Turkoglu, which just became even more of a costly move with the luxury tax situation attached to Carter’s contract, they have an offensive force of a starting five.
Defensively though, they are worse off. Lee was the closest thing they had to a shutdown defender in the starting lineup.
Pietrus is going to have his hands full coming off the bench to stop every wing player giving the Magic fits.
If Turkoglu isn’t back, then Pietrus is the starting two guard, which would kill a second unit already sure to lose Marcin Gortat.
Rafer Alston was expendable but Lee was developing into a very good player. If the Magic don’t reach the finals with Carter, they’ll regret trading Lee away in a couple years.
If they keep Turkoglu, their grade is elevated to a B-.
We're going to send you the most entertaining NBA articles, videos, and podcasts from around the web.
5 Comments
Loading more comments...
This comment and all replies have been deleted This comment has been deleted Undo delete