NBA Draft 2012 Grades: Who Settled, Who Went All In?

Now that we've had a good night's sleep to digest the results of the 2012 NBA draft, it's time to hand out draft grades!

A word of caution before we proceed. Instant reaction to events like the draft are completely subjective, and perhaps, a bit unfair because, in truth, we have no idea what these players will look like five years down the road.

But we love to make our best educated guesses!

Here's a look at how all 30 teams fared in the draft.

Atlanta Hawks

Grade: C+

Round 1: John Jenkins (23)

Round 2: Mike Scott (43)

Analysis: Meh. The Hawks needed depth and got some with a couple guys who can contribute right away. That said, neither player has great upside—sort of like the Hawks themselves.

Boston Celtics

Grade: B+

Round 1: Jared Sullinger (21), Fab Melo (22)

Round 2: Kris Joseph (51)

Analysis: It was a really positive draft for the Celtics. They couldn't package their two first-rounders to move up like they wanted, but they got possibly the best value in the draft in Jared Sullinger (if he stays healthy). 

Sullinger can contribute in a big way right off the bat, and adding a high-impact guy like him may keep the Celtics alive as contenders if they bring everyone back next year. 

Melo is a project, but if he develops correctly, he can use his size and athleticism to be a rebounding/shot-blocking force in the NBA. In Boston, he'll have a great chance to do that.

Joseph is intriguing, but questions remain about whether he can find a position in the pros.

Brooklyn Nets

Grade: D

Round 1: None

Round 2: Tyshawn Taylor (41, from Mavs), Tornike Shengelia (54, from Sixers), Ilkan Karaman (57)

Analysis: The Nets traded out of the first round of the draft to pick up Gerald Wallace at the deadline last season. That trade seems worse now when there were players like Harrison Barnes and Andre Drummond available at No. 6. Either of those guys would have been better trade chips in a Dwight Howard deal than Wallace.

Brooklyn did get nice value in Round 2 with the Taylor pick. They can groom him for the future if Deron Williams skips town.

Charlotte Bobcats

Grade: A-

Round 1: Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (2)

Round 2: Jeffrey Taylor (31)

Analysis: Everyone expected the Bobcats to trade away the No. 2 pick. Given that they kept it, I believe they made the right choice by taking MKG. He fits in anywhere, has a high motor and will have an impact on every game he plays. He can be the guy to change the culture of the organization.

For a second-round pick, Taylor is OK. He can be a decent role player off the bench. A team as devoid of talent as Charlotte would have been better off rolling the dice on a higher upside guy.

Chicago Bulls

Grade: A

Round 1: Marquis Teague (29)

Round 2: None

Analysis: Terrific draft for the Bulls. They got excellent value on Teague, getting one of the most talented guys in the draft at No. 29.

He fills a need too, in the absence of Derrick Rose. And once Rose comes back, Teague can be used as an enticing trade chip.

Cleveland Cavaliers

Grade: B

Round 1: Dion Waiters (4), Tyler Zeller (17, from Mavs)

Round 2: None

Analysis: Grabbing Waiters at No. 4 was a bold move, but pairing him in the backcourt with Kyrie Irving gives the Cavs a ton of scoring, especially when it comes to attacking the rim.

Zeller is a good value pick. He'll never be anything special, but he'll give them a nice big-man rotation playing behind Anderson Varejao and Tristan Thompson.

Dallas Mavericks

Grade: C

Round 1: Jared Cunningham (24, from Cavs)

Round 2: Bernard James (33, from Cavs), Jae Crowder (34, from Cavs)

Analysis: Would have liked to see the Mavs be more aggressive here. They traded down from No. 17 to pick up a couple second-rounders from Cleveland, but those picks weren't very impactful.

Cunningham is interesting, but he needs to show he can play the point in the pros—sort of like what they have in Roddy Beaubois. I would have liked to see Dallas keep the 17th pick and take a guy like Terrence Jones instead.

Denver Nuggets

Grade: B

Round 1: Evan Fournier (20)

Round 2: Quincy Miller (38), Izzet Turkyilmaz (50)

Analysis: Decent night for the Nuggets. They got a couple promising Euros who they can let develop overseas for a while. And they got great value for Quincy Miller. As talented as he is, he could end up being the steal of the draft.

Detroit Pistons

Grade: B+

Round 1: Andre Drummond (9)

Round 2: Khris Middleton (39), Kim English (44)

Analysis: Getting Drummond at No. 9 is a lot safer than moving up to take him at No. 5, so kudos to Detroit for staying patient. 

I like Middleton and think he can be a nice rotation player in the league. Ditto for English.

Golden State Warriors

Grade: A

Round 1: Harrison Barnes (7), Festus Ezeli (30)

Round 2: Draymond Green (35), Ognjen Kuzmic (52)

Analysis: Great night for the Warriors. They filled a need at small forward with a potential star in Barnes and got two other players who can contribute for them right away in Ezeli and Green.

Green in particular was a good pick. I believe he's a winner and will help any team he's on.

Houston Rockets

Grade: B

Round 1: Jeremy Lamb (12), Royce White (16), Terrence Jones (18)

Round 2: None

Analysis: The Houston Rockets did what the Houston Rockets do. They threaten to make a huge move but end up taking a slew of intriguing young prospects to add to their collection of assets. Solid but not spectacular.

Indiana Pacers

Grade: C-

Round 1: Miles Plumlee (26)

Round 2: Orlando Johnson (36, from Kings)

Analysis: Plumlee was a pretty big reach. There were a bunch of guys with tons more upside available for minimal risk at No. 26. Johnson is ho-hum. He may contribute, but there was no need to trade for him.

Los Angeles Clippers

Grade: D

Round 1: None

Round 2: Furkan Aldemir (53)

Analysis: The Clippers needed depth and had just one draft pick to get some with. They ended up taking an overseas project and trading him to Houston. Clearly, L.A.'s front office was more concerned with getting a deal done for Lamar Odom than paying attention to the draft.

Los Angeles Lakers

Grade: C

Round 1: None

Round 2: Darius Johnson-Odom (55, from Mavs), Robert Sacre (60)

Analysis: As usual, the Lakers did nothing in the draft. Unable to obtain a first-round pick, the Lakers purchased an additional second-rounder to take Johnson-Odom who may or may not ever play for them. The bigger news is that Pau Gasol is still on the roster.

Memphis Grizzlies

Grade: A

Round 1: Tony Wroten (25)

Round 2: None

Analysis: Memphis had one pick in the draft and made it count. They got a tremendous value in Wroten, who's one of the top talents in the draft.

It's a perfect situation for Wroten, who has some issues to work through to reach his potential. For now, he has no pressure on him and can take his time developing behind Mike Conley.

Miami Heat

Grade: F

Round 1: None

Round 2: Justin Hamilton (45, from Sixers)

Analysis: Miami whiffed big time in this draft. True, they're the defending champs, but they're still pretty thin after their Big Three.

Arnett Moultrie, whom the Heat took at No. 27 before trading him to Philly would have helped the Heat in a big way. Same with any other number of players available at that point. Miami did nothing to help themselves when the opportunity clearly presented itself.

Milwaukee Bucks

Grade: B-

Round 1: John Henson (14)

Round 2: Doron Lamb (42)

Analysis: Solid night for the Bucks. Henson fell to them at No. 14, but they already have a bunch of athletic shot-blocking bigs with limited offense. Lamb's outside shooting fills a need for Milwaukee.

Minnesota Timberwolves

Grade: C

Round 1: None

Round 2: Robbie Hummel (58)

Analysis: Not much to see here. Minnesota traded out of the first round to get Chase Budinger from Houston and picked up a potential role player in Hummel at the end of the draft.

New Orleans Hornets

Grade: A-

Round 1: Anthony Davis (1), Austin Rivers (10)

Round 2: Darius Miller (46)

Analysis: Obviously, there's no going wrong with taking Davis No. 1. Rivers gives me pause though. If they want him to be their point guard of the future, I think the Hornets will be disappointed. If they want him to play the 2, I'd much rather have Eric Gordon at that spot. I don't see Rivers as an ideal fit unless he's providing bench scoring.

New York Knicks

Grade: B

Round 1: None

Round 2: Kostas Papanikolaou (48)

Analysis: There wasn't much the Knicks could do in this draft. They made a smart move by selecting a promising player who can marinate overseas for a few years.

Oklahoma City Thunder

Grade: A

Round 1: Perry Jones (28)

Round 2: None

Analysis: Some teams just make their own luck. Perry Jones—who's one of the three most talented players in this draft—fell into their laps at No. 28 amid concern about his knee. If OKC can get that sorted out, they have another potential monster on their hands to throw out there with their young guns.

Orlando Magic

Grade: B

Round 1: Andrew Nicholson (19)

Round 2: Kyle O'Quinn (49)

Analysis: Orlando decided to play it safe in the draft. I would have liked to see them gamble a bit with their first pick and take a Sullinger or Perry Jones, but Nicholson will contribute.

I like the O'Quinn pick. He's big and willing to bang inside—useful qualities in the NBA.

Philadelphia 76ers

Grade: B+

Round 1: Moe Harkless (15), Arnett Moultrie (27, from Heat)

Round 2: None

Analysis: Harkless adds more young talent to the roster, but he's a bit redundant for a team that already has Andre Iguodala, Thaddeus Young and Evan Turner on the roster. Perhaps, this is a sign that Iggy will be moved by Philly sooner rather than later.

It was widely thought that Moultrie would be targeted by the Sixers at No. 15. It turns out they got him anyway via trade at a better value.

Phoenix Suns

Grade: B-

Round 1: Kendall Marshall (13)

Round 2: None

Analysis: If this is Phoenix's plan to replace Steve Nash, I don't like it at all. Marshall has great vision, but he's otherwise limited, especially as an athlete. As a reserve, Marshall can help a team though.

Portland Trail Blazers

Grade: B

Round 1: Damian Lillard (6), Meyers Leonard (11)

Round 2: Will Barton (40)

Analysis: I believe Portland reached slightly on both Lillard and Leonard. They didn't have much choice because Lillard would have been gone by the 11th pick, and there weren't any great center prospects left when they took Leonard. However, I don't think they got good values in either pick.

The Blazers did get good value on Barton though. He can score the ball and provides depth at the 2 for Portland.

Sacramento Kings

Grade: A 

Round 1: Thomas Robinson (5)

Round 2: None

Analysis: The Kings can count themselves lucky that Robinson slid to them at No. 5. Finally, they get a player who is willing to work hard on the court as opposed to just wanting to chuck up shots.

Robinson will be a great fit alongside DeMarcus Cousins, and the Kings should dominate the boards on a nightly basis. They may have the best young frontcourt tandem in the league.

San Antonio Spurs

Grade: B+

Round 1: None

Round 2: Marcus Denmon (59)

Analysis: Typical Spurs. San Antonio drafts another player who will fit into their system as a perimeter guy who can hit open threes, and I expect Denmon to contribute the way unheralded Spurs generally do.

Toronto Raptors

Grade: C+

Round 1: Terrence Ross (8)

Round 2: Quincy Acy (37), Tomislav Zubcic (56)

Analysis: All the top players on Toronto's Big Board were gone by the time their pick rolled around, so I feel they reached a bit on Ross. Trading down may have been the better option there.

Acy is a decent buy, but I would rather have seen them take the other Quincy from Baylor (Quincy Miller) to give them a small forward with a lot of potential.

Utah Jazz

Grade: B

Round 1: None

Round 2: Kevin Murphy (47)

Analysis: Utah's run of multiple lottery picks came to an end, but they picked up a decent second-rounder in Murphy. He's a typical Utah selection, and his long-range shooting ability may come in handy.

Washington Wizards

Grade: A-

Round 1: Bradley Beal (3)

Round 2: Tomas Satornansky (32)

Analysis: The Wizards got the man they coveted in Beal. He fills a glaring need at shooting guard and may be the best player in this draft not rocking a unibrow.

I feel like Washington could have made a bolder move with their second selection. There was a nice mix of big upside guys (Quincy Miller) and immediate contributors (Draymond Green) who would have been better choices there.