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Western Conference
1. Dallas Mavericks
Round 2 (56) Ahmad Nivins 6-9 242 PF St. Joseph's
The Mavericks got Nivins four picks from the end of the draft.
Considering his good size and strength inside, he could prove to be quite a steal.
Nivins potential is looked at as poor because he stayed in school for all four years, but his senior season left quite an impression on scouts. He averaged almost 20 points and over 11 rebounds per game, while shooting over 61 percent, and also blocking 1.8 shots per game.
Nivins could prove to be a serviceable body and capable defender is his first year, as Dallas tries to groom him, as they had been doing with Brandon Bass.
Trade: Dallas shipped off B.J. Mullens, who they drafted with the 24th pick, and received Rodrigue Beaubois in return.
Mullens would have been a good investment for the future, but Beaubois is an interesting prospect, hailing from France.
Considering Dallas only has one point guard, J.J. Barea, under 32, adding some talent and youth to the position was essential.
Grade: C
2. Houston Rockets
Trade: Obtained Chase Budinger's rights through Detroit, and gave up a future second-rounder and some cash.
Budinger could be a future replacement for a possibly departing Ron Artest, or he could be a future replacement for the often injured Tracy McGrady. Either way, the Rockets have a lot of depth at the wings, and grabbing a steal like Budinger only increases the competition.
Budinger is athletic and strong enough to make it in the NBA, but getting even tougher would only help him.
The Rockets did not have any draft picks outside of acquiring Budinger, and they'll wish they had some.
With the on-going issues that Tracy McGrady has, and now the status of Yao Ming up in the air, Houston is suddenly without any star power. Throw in the likely loss of Ron Artest, and Houston's best player is suddenly Aaron Brooks.
Houston needs to make a splash in free agency, or cut ties with Artest, trade McGrady, and hope Ming can be okay with a year off.
If that's the case, Aaron Brooks can gain more experience, while Chase Budinger is thrown into the mix as a starter.
That, or the franchise will cave and stop being competitive.
Grade: D
3. Memphis Grizzlies
Round 1 (2) Hasheem Thabeet 7-3 267 C UConn
Thabeet gives the Grizzlies instant defensive help down low, while allowing Thabeet to "come into his own" naturally on offense. With O.J. Mayo and Rudy Gay manning the wings, Thabeet won't be demanded to make things happen offensively. If he can just relax and concentrate on defense, he and the Grizzlies could become very dangerous.
Round 1 (27) DeMarre Carroll 6-8 207 SF/PF Missouri
The Grizzlies got another guy they throw behind either Rudy Gay or Hakim Warrick.
Carroll has the toughness and tough to fight around the basket, while also showing in his senior year that he has the range to pop outside and shoot three's.
Carroll needs to hit the weights if he wants to stay inside the paint in the NBA, but his good versatility may stop that from being a huge issue.
Round 2 (36) Sam Young 6-7 223 SF Pittsburgh
Young fell out of the first round, which was very surprising, considering his great size and excellent scoring ability.
Young's movements aren't always as fluid as GM's would like, but his athleticism is no worse than Arizona State's James Harden. Quite honestly, it's not an issue; it's an asset.
The Grizzlies added some more depth at forward, while also having the option of throwing Young in at guard.
Memphis addressed their wings with two solid picks, while adding a potential elite shot-blocker to their post game.
Grade: B
4. New Orleans Hornets
Round 1 (21) Darren Collison 6-2 166 PG UCLA
When it comes to experience, getting to the hole, and leading a team, few are as good as Collison.
Consider him extra insurance for a Chris Paul injury, as well as one of the best back-up point guard prospects in the league.
His skills will allow Paul to rest late in games, and will eventually allow the Hornets to put two-point guard sets on the floor, if needed.
Trade: Sent their second round pick, Marcus Thornton, to Miami for two future second rounders.
New Orleans traded two future second round picks to Miami for the rights to Thornton. Thornton, ironically, actually has a lot of the same abilities as Dwayne Wade, and could easily turn into a solid starter in the league.
He's a bit under-sized for the NBA shooting guard position, but is athletic and a good scorer. He could prove to be a fine addition to a Hornets team that could use an offensive boost.
5. San Antonio Spurs
Round 2 (37) DeJuan Blair 6-7 277 PF Pittsburgh
Blair doesn't have the height NBA GM's look for, but a ridiculous wingspan and good college production still leaves a lot of intrigue.
At 277 pounds, Blair is also probably a little heavy for his height, so the Spurs will want him to shed some weight. Regardless, San Antonio is all about defense and hard work: two things Blair knows better than almost every college prospect.
Round 2 (51) Jack McClinton 6-1 185 SG Miami (U)
The Spurs already have their do-it-all franchise point guard, but try picking out their back-up on their team.
For all intents and purpose, they don't have one. McClinton doesn't have the necessary size for a shooting guard, and doesn't have elite point guard skills, which will make him more of a combo-guard.
He could eventually be used like Boston uses Eddie House.
Round 2 (53) Nando De Colo 6-5 185 PG France
De Colo has tremendous height and range for an NBA prospect, and could carve a niche behind Tony Parker as a back-up.
He's exactly the kind of prospect the Spurs love; players who play hard, work on their defense, and have sound, well-balanced offensive games.
He could even be switched to shooting guard and be molded into a starter a few years down the road.
San Antonio grabbed some great defensive help, some offensive sparks, and three guys who can either help a little bit now, or at least will be a part of the franchise in two to three years.
Grade: B-
6. Denver Nuggets
Round 2 (34) Sergio Llull 6-3 175 PG Spain
He may not be Ricky Rubio, but Llull can definitely play. He'll probably go back overseas and work to get better. Besides, with Chauncey Billups in Denver, he won't do much good sitting on the bench.
Trade: Denver traded a first round pick for Ty Lawson, who was originally drafted at the 18th spot (round one), by Minnesota.
Ty Lawson is the perfect player to mold behind Chauncey Billups, as he excels on both ends of the floor, and is a proven leader and performer.
Billups should still be around for a few years, but it's realistic to think Lawson would be ready to take over in two years.
Grade: C+
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