NBA Draft 2009 Diary Recap

So like most NBA fans, I was excited to watch the NBA draft last night especially after finding out about all pre-draft moves throughout the past two days.

After sitting through two rounds of the draft this is what I have concluded:

1) The Toronto Raptors will not make the playoffs next year

2) David Khan (Minnesota GM) is an idiot

3) Everyone except James Harden will need time to develop

4) Stu Scott and Jay Bilas should be banned for giving analysis

5) Dick Vitale reminds me of a drunk uncle that knows he’s drunk but won’t stop drinking

Here is my recap of the draft:

1. LA Clippers—Blake Griffin is determined to make the best of a bad situation, and he knows it. Blake please read Bill Simmons' letter because it will let you know exactly why the past in Clipper-land does matter.

2. Memphis Grizzlies—Many said Haseem Thabeet will be a bust and the comparisons to Mutombo are kind at best, but I believe he'll be in the NBA for a long time. Why? You cannot teach height.

3. Oklahoma City Thunder—James Harden was the safe pick here. I didn’t believe they needed Rubio and another player that can come in and contribute right away and I love what Presti is doing in OKC.

4. Sacramento Kings—Tyreke Evans is not a point guard, but the Kings loved how he bullied around Jonny Flynn in their second workout.  The problem is that Evans has 30 pounds and about four inches on Flynn, so what did the Kings brass expect was going to happen?

5. Minnesota Timberwolves—I refuse to hop on the Ricky Rubio bandwagon but his interview was priceless and he may just be an okay NBA player.

6. Minnesota Timberwolves—Jonny Flynn was not the right pick here no matter how highly rated you had him on the board. Frankly, I wouldn’t be surprised if they traded him.

7. Golden State Warriors—I am a huge Stephen Curry fan but the idea of him and Ellis in the backcourt equals no defense. Apparently Curry will eventually be moved to Phoenix in the Amar’e trade.

8. New York Knicks—Their selection of Jordon Hill doesn’t scream competence, however, with the type of style they play, this is actually a solid pick for them. His grasp of the English language as his interview progressed left much to be desired.

9. Toronto Raptors—DeMar DeRozan will need three years at least to become a serviceable NBA player. I do not believe he’ll be a star as he doesn’t look like he wants it bad enough. He couldn’t have stayed at USC, but it bothers me that he’s not "half the player he should be."

10. Milwaukee Bucks—I'm a bit surprised with the pick of Brandon Jennings, especially when I felt that Earl Clark, or even Gerald Henderson would have been a better pick/fit with this team.

11. New Jersey Nets—I've only seen Terrance Williams play once and he wasn’t very good. New Jersey appears to be interested in his defensive potential, as well as his all-around upside.

12. Charlotte Bobcats—Great pick in Gerald Henderson. He should be a solid rotation player and is exactly what they needed.

13. Indiana Pacers—It seems as though the Pacers acquired a 10-year veteran today in Tyler Hansbrough. He may not be a star, but he will give an all-out effort every day in everything he does, but I still feel that he was selected a bit high (I had him in the 16-24 range).

14. Phoenix Suns—I love the selection of Earl Clark here and I’m seeing him in a Shawn Marion light; another player who will need time to put it all together.

15. Detroit Pistons—The selection of Austin Daye is a curious one. I do not believe he will last long in the league because he just doesn’t have the look of a player who wants it bad enough in my opinion. He just looks too soft.

16. Chicago Bulls—I felt Ty Lawson would have been an excellent backup from the start however James Johnson is another project and he doesn’t really have a back-to-the-basket game they really need.  So I’m not sure what the thinking is here.

17. Philadelphia 76’ers—Jrue Holiday was a good selection here however I am concerned about why Holiday has dropped when most mock drafts had him top 10.

18. Minnesota Timberwolves—If I didn’t know that they traded their selection of Lawson to Denver I would have lost it completely. Three point guards?

19. Atlanta Hawks—Jeff Teague seems to already have a niche as the backup point guard if he can translate his success in college to the NBA. At the very least, he should be a very solid rotation player and that's why I love this pick.

20. Utah Jazz—Eric Maynor made the most sense for them and I applaud the pick. The most important thing is that he is not a converted shooting guard, or had to be moved to point guard because of his size. He’s been a point guard since day one.

21. New Orleans Hornets—Darren Collison was a good pick here but I thought that DeJaun Blair made more sense as Tyson Chandler may not be around much longer and the team might need more rebounders.

22. Portland Trailblazers—Victor Clava does not take up a roster spot, which is all that matters in Portland.

23. SacramentoKings – Omri Casspi was a great pick and he has the perfect mentor in Andres Nocioni to pattern his game after.

24. Dallas Mavericks—I loved the pick of BJ Mullins.  When I thought that he would be staying in Dallas, Mullins heads to OKC and Presti is clearly laying down a blueprint for franchise success. Mullins may never actually “get it” for those that were wondering.

25. OKC Thunder—Rodrigue Beaubois was a value pick at the back end of the first round, then he got traded to Dallas. I would have loved to see him in three or four years when he gets a better feel of the game.  

26. Chicago Bulls—Taj Gibson is not a good pick, flat out. The Bulls already have too many tall, lanky front court players and Gibson adds to that total. Wayne Ellington would have been a better selection in lieu of Ben Gordon’s free agency.

27. Memphis Grizzlies—DeMarre Carroll apparently is a great "energy guy" and has been compared to Renaldo Balkman so he’s not exactly screaming consistency at this point. Why didn’t they take Dejaun Blair? They could use some rebounding.

28. Minnesota Timberwolves—Ellington was a great pick by the Wolves who have actually not decided to play three short players and two medium tall guys. Ellington will stretch out defenses and be a solid contributor in his first season.

29. New York Knicks—Toney Douglas, is referred to as a poor man’s Ben Gordon with better defense, so his future appears to be bright and I believe he will succeed in D’Anotini’s system.

30. Cleveland Cavaliers—The Christian Eyenga pick was made not to add salary. This pick was made to save money in the long run as there is no way Eyenga makes more sense than a Sam Young, or Dejaun Blair at this point.

So the NBA Draft concludes it’s first round with lots of surprises and plenty of disappointments.

I will be doing a team analysis grading each teams picks for the two round affair later on, as we know what happens on draft day is just before the madness of free-agency, that begins on July 1.