Like everything else this NBA season, Thursday night’s draft wasn’t so much a celebration of welcoming in a new group of players to the NATIONAL…BASKETBALL…ASSOCIATION (Get it? Like when Ron Jaworski calls the NFL the NATIONAL…FOOTBALL…LEAGUE?? Get it? Copyright Aaron Torres 2010). Instead, it was more about teams positioning themselves for this summer and free agency.

Draft day deals this year were marked by several teams not trying to improve themselves, as much as simply trying to dump bad contracts. Everyone in the league fell into one of two categories:

1. Teams shedding players and salaries for a big free agent push (i.e. the ability to sign 2-3 max contract players. Think Miami and Chicago)

2. Teams with no chance of signing the big boy free agents, and instead improving their rosters with everyone else’s leftover parts (think Oklahoma City).

Because of this, it’s pretty hard to gauge how teams actually did in this draft, since everyone’s motives were so different. However anyone who knows me knows how stubborn I am, and because of it, I’ve handed out 30 grades to 30 teams after the 2010 NBA Draft


Atlanta Hawks: C+

Round 1: Jordan Crawford
Round 2: Pape Sy

Thursday night, my buddy, a Nets fan, texted me and asked what I thought about the trade that sent the draft rights to Damion James to New Jersey for the draft rights to Jordan Crawford, who went to Atlanta.

While we’ll get to James later, I had mixed emotions on Crawford to Atlanta.

On the positive side, Crawford is a skilled player, who’ll be able to get his points off the Atlanta bench this coming season.

More importantly, I have a personal fixation on him, as he was key in the Xavier-Kansas State classic in this year’s Sweet 16, which was not only the best game of the 2010 NCAA Tournament, but also led to “Gus Johnson” being a top Twitter trend, and to this Youtube clip (Go to the 1:20 mark, where Gus literally has an on-air orgasm. I have one with him.)

On the negative side though, Crawford is also enigmatic. He is one of those guys who literally looks ready to pull a knife on his coach any time he’s removed from a game. While that means he’ll fit in perfectly with the Hawks, I’m not so sure that’s a good thing.

As for Pape Sy, well, I think Pape Sy is what my mom uses to marinate her barbecued chicken. And I promise you she makes a mean plate of chicken. I’m cool with the Pape Sy pick here.

 

Boston Celtics: B

Round 1: Avery Bradley
Round 2: Luke Harangody

I really like Bradley to the Celtics and here’s why.

In reading draft reports, everyone projected Bradley as a point guard, except, well, I watched probably 75 percent of the guy’s college games, and he’s not a point guard.

Believe me.

He’s best playing off the ball, creating off the dribble and scoring off screens. Had he gone to Toronto or somewhere else where he’d have had to play right away, Bradley would have been forced to be something he’s not, and it would have hurt his development in the long run. In Boston he can simply be who he is, provide good scoring off the bench, and eventually step into Ray Allen’s shooting guard spot.

As for Luke Harangody, I just have so many different directions I can go to with a joke here. Truthfully, everyone’s playing the “he’s the next Brian Scalibrine card,” but come on, isn’t that joke a little beneath me? Can’t we all agree that I can do better than that?

Personally, I’d much prefer we just stick him and Glen “Big Baby” Davis in a house together and start filming a reality TV show about a pair of undersized, white and black power forwards trying to make it in this crazy world of ours. What happens when Big Baby doesn’t do the dishes? What happens when Harangody brings home groupies after quiet hours?

Tune in Thursday to find out.

(These are just some of Aaron's grades on the NBA Draft. To read the REMAINDER , please click here , or visit him at www.aarontorres-sports.com )

 

Charlotte Bobcats: N/A

No Picks

Considering that Charlotte owner Michael Jordan was behind two of the biggest NBA Draft flops of the last 10 years (Kwame Brown in 2001 and Adam Morrison in 2006), think there’s any chance they traded all their picks on purpose? Just thinking out loud here.



Chicago Bulls: A-

First Round: Kevin Seraphin

For Chicago, what this draft was really about was clearing cap space in their run at free agents this summer. They did that with a trade of Kirk Hinrich to Washington before the draft, and Seraphin will be headed to D.C. as well when this all becomes a formality.

By the way, doesn’t Kevin Seraphin sound more like a 5’10" frat guy than a 6’9" French small forward? As in, “Who’s going to Seraphin’s tonight? He’s got a keg and jungle juice. Plus I heard the Theta girls are gonna be there.”


Cleveland Cavaliers: N/A

No Picks

Cleveland didn’t have a pick, which is probably for the best, considering that they don’t have a coach or a GM right now. Not to mention bringing in any new players would just add more money to the cap that can’t be used for a running mate for LeBron.

Needless to say, these are uneasy times on Lake Erie.

(Be sure to follow Aaron on Twitter @Aaron_Torres )


Dallas Mavericks: B-

Round 1: Dominique Jones

As I tweeted on Thursday, I love this pick for Dallas (originally selected by Memphis). I went to my junior prom with Dominique Jones, and believe me when I say, Mark Cuban and Co. will not be disappointed. If you know what I’m saying…

Kidding aside, I actually saw the real Dominique Jones in person at the Big East Tournament this year, and I was surprised at how impressed I was.

He was one of those guys that, because of his size, doesn’t really have a position, but it doesn’t matter because he’s just a really good basketball player. After all, you don’t average 21 points a game in the Big East by accident, especially when your supporting cast is weaker than Charlie Sheen’s in Two and a Half Men.

Jones will be a good, solid rotation player for a long time.


Denver Nuggets: N/A

No Picks

Although, supposedly Derrick Caracter is coming their way from the Lakers.

Hmm, just what this team needs, another whack job. Good thinking here Denver. What, are J.R. Smith, Kenyon Martin and Chris Andersen not enough? Why don't the Nuggets just sign the Menedez brothers to come off the bench while they’re at it?



Detroit Pistons: B

Round 1: Greg Monroe
Round 2: Terrico White

I have really mixed emotions towards the Pistons right now.

Let me try to put everything in context. Here's my best analogy: I’m guessing that everyone reading has attended at least one college graduation party at some point in their life. Is that safe to assume?

Anyway, you know how once you get to the party, nobody really knows anyone else, and everyone kind of breaks into their own cliques? The college friends are over here, high school friends over there, with the grandparents in the kitchen, the aunts and uncles on the porch and the little kids by the pool? Then the person who graduated spends the whole time stressing, trying to get everyone to loosen up and mingle, rather than just enjoying their own party?

That’s how I feel about the Pistons right now.

They’ve got a point guard in Rodney Stuckey that doesn’t want to pass the ball. They’ve got two undersized shooting guards who can’t defend the position. They’ve got a bunch of wing players that are mismatched. Down low they’ve got Ben Wallace’s corpse rotting away, and that’s it.

And you know what? Coach John Kuester is the guy hosting the grad party, trying to get everyone to loosen up and mingle.

Look, I like Greg Monroe’s game a lot, and he completely swung me this season. And I can’t blame the Pistons for taking the best available guy, especially when there was no one even close to his skill level left on the board. I just don’t know how Monroe’s game particularly fits with what the Pistons are trying to do.

After all, GM Joe Dumars has been saying all along that he wants his team to be tougher, and quite frankly I don’t blame him. Charlie Villanueva, Jonas Jerenkbo and Austin Daye are just as soft as the Jonas Brothers would be if they got thrown into an NBA game.

And that’s the problem. Monroe is another finesse guy, best catching the ball at the foul line, finding cutters and shooters and taking slower guys off the dribble. Which would be fine, except Detroit didn’t need that! They need someone to play with his back to the basket, crash the boards and be tough on defense. I wouldn’t have even killed them for reaching for Cole Aldrich here.

Again, I don’t blame the Pistons for taking the best guy available, and I don’t blame Monroe for simply being who he is.

Like the guy at the graduation party though, I just don’t see this ending well.

(To read the REMAINDER of Aaron's grades on the NBA Draft, please CLICK HERE , or visit him at www.aarontorres-sports.com .

And for his take on all things sports, be sure to add him on Twitter@Aaron_Torres and Facebook.com/AaronTorresSports )