A Look Back In Time: 2005 NBA Draft in Review

Most analysts agree that a draft can only be accurately judged three years down the road. That gives enough time for the players to develop their game and adjust to the league, while giving managers, coaches, and fans the chance to see what a player can do, what he can’t do, and what role he can serve on his team.

With that as an introduction, I present my analysis of the 2005 NBA Draft. Overall, the 2005 draft class turned out more quality NBA talent than the 2004 or 2006 classes, but was nowhere close to the superstar-laden class of 2003. Two players, Chris Paul and Deron Williams, have already emerged as franchise carriers, but the majority of the class is made up of high energy role players and athletic forwards and centers.

As always, there were a number of picks traded on Draft Day, before Draft Day—and in the case of the final pick of the second round, eight years before the June 28, 2005 draft. Trades involving draft picks occurring a year before the draft will be counted as part of the draft, because in some circumstances actual players are more important than picks.

To give context of how each player turned out in relation to what number he was drafted, I’ve created a list of the top five players at each position, and the top 10 players overall, based on talent, impact on their team to date, and player potential.

Top 5 Centers:

1) Andrew Bynum

2) Andrew Bogut

3) Andray Blatche

4) Channing Frye

5) Johan Petro

Top 5 Power Forwards:

1) Jason Maxiell

2) David Lee

3) Brandon Bass

4) Marvin Williams

5) Hakim Warrick

Top 5 Small Forwards:

1) Danny Granger

2) Linas Kleiza

3) Ryan Gomes

4) Joey Graham

5) Gerald Green

Top 5 Shooting Guards:

1) Monta Ellis

2) Francisco Garcia

3) Martell Webster

4) Rashard McCants

5) Antoine Wright

Top 5 Point Guards:

1) Deron Williams

2) Chris Paul

3) Jarrett Jack

4) Raymond Felton

5) Nate Robinson

Top 10 Overall Players:

1) Deron Williams

2) Chris Paul

3) Andrew Bynum

4) Monta Ellis

5) Danny Granger

6) Jason Maxiell

7) David Lee

8) Brandon Bass

9) Marvin Williams

10) Francisco Garcia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2005_nba_draft

* Order of team grades will be determined by which teams had the earliest remaining pick. Grades will take into account players drafted and picks traded. A number in parenthesis indicates the number of pick. A player in parenthesis indicates what player a traded pick turned into.*

Milwaukee Bucks

Picks involved in: (1) Drafted Andrew Bogut. (36) Drafted Ersan Ilyasova.

Review

Ersan Ilyasova is a slightly built, finesse forward who’s been too young too make a difference in the U.S.

Andrew Bogut is a wide body, has an effective right hook, and is an adequate rebounder. Maybe, somewhere down the line, historians can look back and say Bogut had a nice Joe-Smith like career. The problem is that first picks aren’t supposed to develop into serviceable role players. They’re supposed to be franchise carriers that force opposing teams to make radical adjustments to slow down.

The three number-one picks taken before Bogut were Yao Ming, LeBron James, and Dwight Howard. One is arguably the most talented player in the game today, and the other two are clearly the best and second best centers in the NBA. Andrew Bogut is a run-of-the-mill banger.

To further compound the magnitude of how egregious the Bogut selection was, Chris Paul and Deron Williams were taken two and three spots after Bogut and both have already become two of the best three, if not the very best two point guards in the NBA, while the Bucks have fiddled around with Royal Ivey and Mo Williams, among others, to run the point.

There are many reasons why the Bucks have been plagued with mediocrity the last three seasons. Selecting Bogut is one of the primary ones.

Grade: F

Atlanta Hawks:

(2) Drafted Marvin Williams. (31) Drafted Salim Stoudamire. (59) San Antonio traded the No. 59 pick in 2004 to Atlanta for Viktor Sanikidze. Atlanta then drafted Cenk Akyol.

Players Received: Marvin Williams, Salim Stoudamire, Cenk Akyol
Players Lost: Viktor Sanikidze

Review

Despite needing an elite point guard, the Hawks passed on Chris Paul and Deron Williams to select yet another one of their beloved undersized combo forwards in Marvin Williams. Williams isn’t strong enough to be a good NBA power forward, doesn’t have the quickness or handles to be a good NBA small forward, and while his jump shot has improved, he doesn’t project to anything more than a useful athlete in an up-tempo system. Meanwhile, Paul and Williams will be All-Stars for a decade.

Neither Sanikidze or Akyol ever figure to play in the United States. Stoudamire is a classic streak shooting guard, capable of producing random wins and numbing losses depending on the heat of the tips of his shooting fingers. Too bad Monta Ellis was available.

Grade: F

Utah Jazz:

(3) Utah traded their No. 6 pick (Martell Webster), No. 27 pick (Linas Kleiza), and the No. 30 pick in 2006 (Joel Freeland) for Portland’s No. 3 pick. Utah then drafted Deron Williams. (34) Drafted C.J. Miles. (51) Drafted Robert Whaley.

Players Received: Deron Williams, C.J. Miles, Robert Whaley
Players Lost: Martell Webster, Linas Kleiza, Joel Freeland

Review

I value Deron Williams more than Chris Paul because as Boston, and before them, San Antonio, Miami, Detroit, the Lakers, and Chicago have shown, power basketball is the best formula for winning championships in the NBA. Plus, while Paul is certainly a fantastic athlete, Utah’s power system wouldn’t be a good fit for Utah or Paul.

Needless to say, the Jazz absolutely made the right decision to move up and select Williams to run their offense and will be rewarded with countless trips to the Western Conference Finals in the next decade.

Whaley didn’t last a full season before being traded to Toronto. Miles is a callow two-guard with legitimate athleticism still serving an NBA apprenticeship under Jerry Sloan.

Grade: A+

New Orleans Hornets:

(2) Drafted Chris Paul. (33) Drafted Brandon Bass. (57) Traded Darrell Armstrong to Dallas for Dan Dickau and the No. 57 pick (Marcin Gortat). Then traded the pick and Jim Jackson to Phoenix for Casey Jacobson, Maciej Lampe, and Jackson Vroman.

Players Received: Chris Paul, Brandon Bass, Dan Dickau, Casey Jacobson, Maciej Lampe, Jackson Vroman
Players Lost: Darrell Armstrong, Marcin Gortat

Review:

The Hornets needed a superstar and got a superstar in Paul. Arguably the best point guard in the game, Paul’s speed, quickness, lob passes, and right hand dribble are the best in the game, bar none. Plus, his active hands and instincts will have him perennially atop the league’s steals lists for years to come. Whether Paul’s the best or second best point guard to come out of the 2005 draft, the Hornets will be blessed with numerous trips to the Western Conference Finals with Paul zigging, zagging, and buzzing right passed overmatched opponents.

Brandon Bass is a big time jump shooter, defender, and finisher. Too bad for New Orleans, it took Bass two years and another team to recognize it. Marcin Gortat, Jackson Vroman and Maciej Lampe have had inconsequential NBA careers, while Casey Jacobsen was simply an expiring contract. Dickau was younger than Armstrong and was worth seeing if he’d develop.

Drafting Paul alone makes for a great draft, and the pick of Bass was a great pick; New Orleans just didn’t realize it. A draft easily worthy of an A+

Grade: A+

Charlotte Bobcats

(5) Drafted Raymond Felton. (13) Acquired the No. 13 pick (Sean May) and cash in 2004 from Phoenix. Charlotte agreed to select Jahidi White from Phoenix in the 2004 Expansion Draft. (32) Traded the No. 32 pick (Daniel Ewing), and the No. 34 pick in 2006 (Paul Davis) to the Clippers for Melvin Ely and Eddie House. (37) New York traded the No. 37 pick (Ronny Turiaf) and Michael Doleac to the Hawks for Nazr Mohammed, and traded Keith Van Horn to Milwaukee for Tim Thomas. Milwaukee sent Joel Pryzbilla to Atlanta. Atlanta traded the pick to Charlotte for Peja Drobnjak. Charlotte traded the pick and a 2009 pick to the Lakers for Kareem Rush.

Players Received: Raymond Felton, Sean May, Jahidi White, Melvin Ely, Eddie House, Kareem Rush
Players Lost: Daniel Ewing, Paul Davis, Peja Drobnjak, 2009 pick

Review

Raymond Felton is quick and athletic, but his awareness, defense, and jump shooting are mediocre at best, and undeserving of such a high pick.

Sean May is an undersized big best suited to being a backup power forward. However, more dynamic backup-type power forwards like Hakim Warrick, Jason Maxiell, David Lee, and Brandon Bass were taken well after him. May does have more traditional post-up skills than many of the listed players though, so I can’t kill the pick.

None of the players traded by the Bobcats have had meaningful roles in the NBA. Melvin Ely and Eddie House were simply roster filler and fared better than Paul Davis and Daniel Ewing would have. Despite his selfish one-dimensional play, Kareem Rush filled a niche as a scorer in 2004-2005.

The actual players acquired had more successful runs in Charlotte than their two first round draft picks. Still, the picks aren’t complete busts and the players have run into unexpected misfortunes (May’s injuries, Felton’s regression under the arrogant Sam Vincent), mitigating their lack of progress. Not a horrible draft, but not a productive one either.

Grade: C-

Portland Trail Blazers:

(3) Traded the No. 3 pick (Deron Williams) to Utah for the No. 6 pick (Martell Webster), the No. 27 pick (Linas Kleiza), and the No. 30 pick in 2006 (Joel Freeland). (22) Drafted Linas Kleiza. (35). Drafted Ricky Sanchez. Then traded the rights to Kleiza and Sanchez to Denver for Jarrett Jack.

Players Received: Martell Webster, Joel Freeland, Jarrett Jack
Players Lost: Deron Williams, Ricky Sanchez

Review

Since Linas Kleiza was traded for and traded away on Draft Day, he doesn’t count at being received or lost. Jarrett Jack and Martell Webster have evolved into quality young guards with limited upside. Still, Deron Williams is a franchise carrier and infinitely better than Webster and Jack.

Grade: F

Toronto Raptors:

(7) Drafted Charlie Villanueva. (16) Denver traded the No. 16 pick (Joey Graham), the No. 20 pick in 2006 (ended up in New York as Renaldo Balkman), and the No. 22 pick in 2006 (Marcus Williams) to New Jersey for Kenyon Martin. New Jersey traded the No. 16 pick, the No. 20 pick in 2006, Aaron Williams, Eric Williams, and Alonzo Mourning for Vince Carter. (41) Drafted Roko Ukic. (58) Traded Albert Mirales in 2004 to Miami for Pape Sow and the rights to the No. 58 pick (Uros Slokar).

Players Received: Charlie Villanueva, Joey Graham, Aaron Williams, Eric Williams, Alonzo Mourning, Roko Ukic, Pape Sow, Uros Slokar
Players Lost: Vince Carter, Albert Mirales

Review

The Vince Carter trade was made because the Raptors felt the franchise needed to go in a new direction. The players acquired in the Vince Carter trade were all for salary cap reasons, and Joey Graham hasn’t found his niche in Toronto. Considering what the Raptors could have received for Carter, Joey Graham and cap space doesn’t seem like a fair trade off, especially as the Raptors haven’t acquired any big name free agents the last few seasons.

Charlie Villanueva never passes, never defends, and only wants to hoist up pull up jumpers despite his above-average speed and stocky body. While talented, Charlie V is a loser and was shipped to Milwaukee as soon as the Raptors had the chance. Considering Danny Granger was available after Villanueva and Graham, it’s clear to see that the Raptors swung and missed in 2005.

Grade: D

New York Knicks:

(8) Drafted Channing Frye. (21) Chicago traded the No. 21 pick (Nate Robinson) and Jackson Vroman in 2004 to Phoenix for Luol Deng. Phoenix then drafted and traded Nate Robinson with Quentin Richardson to New York for Kurt Thomas and the rights to No. 54 pick Dijon Thompson. (30) New York traded Jamison Brewer and Nazr Mohammed to San Antonio for the No. 30 pick (David Lee), the No. 29 pick in 2006 (Mardy Collins), and Malik Rose. (37) New York traded the No. 37 pick (Ronny Turiaf) and Michael Doleac to Atlanta for Nazr Mohammed and traded Keith Van Horn to Milwaukee for Tim Thomas. Milwaukee sent Joel Pryzbilla to Atlanta.

Players Received: Channing Frye, Nate Robinson, Quentin Richardson, David Lee, Mardy Collins, Malik Rose, Tim Thomas
Players Lost: Kurt Thomas, Dijon Thompson, Jamison Brewer, Ronny Turiaf, Michael Doleac, Keith Van Horn

Review

With so much turnover, the Knicks players involved in the 2005 draft have to be compared individually. Keith Van Horn was physically soft, perennially inconsistent, and did much of his damage against the NBA’s ugly sisters. Tim Thomas still is physically and mentally soft, perennially inconsistent, one of the dumbest players in the league, a selfish malcontent, a loser, and does much of his damage against the league’s ugly sisters. Give the Knicks an F for that swap.

Channing Frye is little more than a pick-and-pop jump shooter who was taken way before he should’ve been. Michael Doleac was little more than a pick-and-pop jump shooter himself. That’s a wash.

Ronny Turiaf plays with non stop hustle and heart. So does David Lee, and Lee is a better rebounder and scorer though an inferior defender. Give the Knicks an A on that one.

Malik Rose is smart, tough, a great passer and post defender, a locker room presence, and woefully overpaid. Kurt Thomas is smart, tough, an elite post defender and pick-and-pop jump shooter, a locker room presence, and a better player than Rose. The Knicks get a D on that one.

Mardy Collins and Quentin Richardson have proven to be slightly less useless than Jamison Brewer and Dijon Thompson. Give the Knicks a solid B.

The difference is Nate Robinson. He’s narcissistic, immature, pint-sized, spectacularly athletic, creative with the ball, and unable to resist the urges of playmaking to simply run an offense. He’s slowly adjusted his ego and his game over the first three seasons of his career, and there aren’t too many guard prospects taken after him that the Knicks shouldn’t have passed up, though Monta Ellis is a huge exception. The Robinson selection, like the Knicks draft, earns a B-.

Grade: B-

Golden State Warriors:

(9) Drafted Ike Diogu. (40) Drafted Monta Ellis. (42) The Clippers traded the No. 42 (Chris Taft) pick to New Jersey for Kerry Kittles. New Jersey then traded the No. 42 pick and the No. 46 pick in 2007 (Stephane Lasme) to Golden State for Clifford Robinson.

Players Received: Ike Diogu, Monta Ellis, Chris Taft, Stephane Lasme
Players Lost: Clifford Robinson

Review: While Chris Taft and Stephane Lasme aren’t NBA-caliber prospects, the ancient Clifford Robinson was no use to the middling Warriors franchise. Ike Diogu is an average NBA big man taken one spot ahead of Andrew Bynum. Monta Ellis makes this draft for the Warriors. One of the most athletic players in the NBA, Ellis is raw offense from 20 feet and in. To pick up the fourth best player in a draft is impressive. To do it in the second round is exceptional.

Grade: A

Los Angeles Lakers:

(10) Drafted Andrew Bynum. (37) The Lakers traded Kareem Rush to Charlotte for the No. 37 pick (Ronny Turiaf) and a 2009 second round pick. (39) Drafted Von Wafer.

Players Received: Andrew Bynum, Ronny Turiaf, Von Wafer, 2009 second-round pick
Players Lost: Kareem Rush

Review

The Lakers gambled on the child-man Andrew Bynum and begun to reap the rewards as early as this season. Only 20 years old, Bynum has an underground cavern to fill in terms of raw potential. Not overly strong or smart yet, Bynum has terrific shot blocking, leaping, and screen-slipping skills with a good face-up game and improving hook shots. He has a long way to go, but his potential is second among NBA centers only to Dwight Howard. Even if he doesn’t improve at all, Bynum still rates ahead of Andrew Bogut as the best center in the 2005 Draft.

Getting rid of the selfish Kareem Rush was addition by subtraction, and picking up someone with an endless motor like Turiaf is never a bad second round decision. An all-around solid draft.

Grade: A

Orlando Magic:

(11) Drafted Fran Vazquez. (20). Denver traded Jameer Nelson to Orlando in 2004 for the No. 20 pick in 2005 (Julius Hodge). (38) Drafted Travis Diener.(44) Traded Drew Gooden, Stephen Hunter and Anderson Varejao in 2004 to Cleveland for Tony Battie, the No. 44 pick in 2005 (Martynas Andriuskevicius), and the No. 54 pick in 2007 (Brad Newley). After drafting Andriuskevicius, traded him to Cleveland for the No. 55 pick in 2006 (Ejike Ugboaja).

Players Received: Fran Vazquez, Jameer Nelson, Travis Diener, Tony Battie, Brad Newley, Ejike Ugboaja
Players Lost: Julius Hodge, Drew Gooden, Stephen Hunter, Anderson Varejao

Review

Orlando’s draft is still a mystery because Fran Vazquez’ FC Barcelona team hasn’t allowed Vazquez out of his contract, preventing him from playing in the states. Vazquez supposedly has talent, but nobody knows what to expect from him if he ever plays a game in the NBA.

While he’s best suited to being a third guard, picking up Jameer Nelson for Julius Hodge was a shrewd move for Orlando. Travis Diener has stuck around in the NBA because he’ll pass and shoot. Giving away Drew Gooden, Stephen Hunter, and Andy Varejao for essentially two gym socks has to hurt. Tony Battie is a useful backup, but Andy Varejao is a quality defensive big, Stephen Hunter can block shots, and though he’s scatterbrained, Drew Gooden is a talented scorer and rebounder.

The fate of their draft will depend on just how good Vazquez is.

Grade: C

Los Angeles Clippers:

(12) Drafted Yaroslav Korolev. (32) Traded Melvin Ely and Eddie House for the No. 32 pick and the No. 34 pick in 2006 (Paul Davis). Then drafted Daniel Ewing. (42) Traded the No. 42 pick (Chris Taft) to New Jersey for Kerry Kittles. New Jersey then traded the No. 42 pick and the No. 46 pick in 2007 (Stephane Lasme) to Golden State for Clifford Robinson.

Players Received: Yaroslav Koroloev, Paul Davis, Daniel Ewing, Kerry Kittles
Players Lost: Melvin Ely, Eddie House

Review

Even with a lottery pick, all the Clippers got out of the 2005 draft was 11 injury-riddled games from Kerry Kittles, 53 injury-riddled games from Paul Davis, and 127 games out of Daniel Ewing in which he averaged 3.4 points per game. Then again, what else would you expect from the Clippers?

Grade: F

Minnesota Timberwolves:

(14) Drafted Rashad McCants. (47) Drafted Bracey Wright.

Review

Rashad McCants has often been a petulant malcontent in Minny, but he can put the ball in the basket. It isn’t a surprise that under Randy Whitman, McCants cooled down some and turned in the most consistent season of his career last year. Still, most of the picks taken below him, like Danny Granger and Francisco Garcia, were safer picks, and even Nate Robinson has more upside than McCants. It’s hard to get too excited over a 6'4" two-guard who won’t defend and has attitude problems.

Grade: D

New Jersey Nets:

(15) Drafted Antoine Wright. (16) Denver traded the No. 16 pick (Joey Graham), the No. 20 pick in 2006 (ended up in New York as Renaldo Balkman), and the No. 22 pick in 2006 (Marcus Williams) to New Jersey for Kenyon Martin. New Jersey traded the No. 16 pick, the No. 20 pick in 2006, Aaron Williams, Eric Williams, and Alonzo Mourning for Vince Carter. (42) The Clippers traded the No. 42 (Chris Taft) pick to New Jersey for Kerry Kittles. New Jersey then traded the No. 42 pick and the No. 46 pick in 2007 (Stephane Lasme) to Golden State for Clifford Robinson. (43) Drafted Mile Ilic.

Players Received: Antoine Wright, Marcus Williams, Vince Carter, Clifford Robinson, Mile Ilic
Players Lost: Kenyon Martin, Aaron Williams, Eric Williams, Alonzo Mourning, Kerry Kittles, Stephane Lasme

Review

New Jersey made a number of moves trying to figure out just what direction they were heading in towards the future. They dumped Kenyon Martin and his cowardly attitude for Vince Carter and his fraudulent superstar status. Since Carter’s a much more creative scorer and is as good a passer as K-Mart is a rebounder, the Nets get a slight edge for choosing Carter over Martin.

Aaron Williams, Eric Williams, Alonzo Mourning, and Kerry Kittles were too old and sent packing, while Clifford Robinson was too old and brought in. Antoine Wright should have been Danny Granger, and Mile Ilic and Marcus Williams could have been Louis Williams and anybody else.

Not a particularly strong draft, and one of the many reasons why the Nets sunk to the bottom of the New Jersey swamp last season.

Grade: C-

Indiana Pacers:

(17) Drafted Danny Granger. (46) Drafted Erazem Lorbek.

Review

Granger isn’t a star but he’s a valuable talent who rebounds better than small forwards, handles better than power forwards, and has range out to the three-point line. At a place in the draft where inconsistencies and unsure bets where drafted (Rashad McCants, Antoine Wright, Gerald Green, Julius Hodge), Granger’s been a steady force. Lorbek is still in Europe and may never play in the NBA, but you don’t expect much out of mid-second round picks anyway.

Grade: A

Boston Celtics:

(18) Drafted Gerald Green. (50) Drafted Ryan Gomes. (53) Drafted Orien Greene.

Review

The Celtics, seduced by his athleticism, selected high school phenom Gerald Green with their first round pick. Green never learned shot-selection, defense, or how to play five-on-five and is now out of the NBA. Ryan Gomes is a heady player who exercises sagacious court awareness to compensate for his limited talents. Gomes will likely be a welcome role player for years. Orien Greene was a punk whose brain never caught up with his athleticism and in three years went from being a touted backup, to roster filler, to out of the league. Balance out Gomes’ A+ with D-’s for the two Green(e)s ,and the Celtics overall grade comes out to a C+.

Grade: C+

Memphis Grizzlies:

(19) Drafted Hakim Warrick (48) Seattle traded Andre Emmett in 2004 to Memphis for the No. 48 pick (Mickael Gelabale). (55) Seattle drafted Lawrence Roberts and traded him to Memphis for the No. 53 pick in 2006 (Yotam Halperin), the No. 37 pick in 2007 (Carl Landry), and cash.

Players Received: Hakim Warrick, Andre Emmett, Lawrence Roberts
Players Lost: Mickael Gelabale, Yotam Halperin, Carl Landry

Review

Mickael Gelabale and Carl Landry are NBA talents, while Emmett and Roberts are nothing but D-League fodder. Hakim Warrick is an athletic shot-blocker, court runner, and jump shooter who is too lean to be a reliable post presence or post defender. David Lee, Jason Maxiell, and Brandon Bass were all available and are all better players. A very poor draft for the Grizz.

Grade: D-

Denver Nuggets:

(16) Denver traded the No. 16 pick (Joey Graham), the No. 20 pick in 2006 (ended up in New York as Renaldo Balkman), and the No. 22 pick in 2006 (Marcus Williams) to New Jersey for Kenyon Martin. New Jersey traded the No. 16 pick, the No. 20 pick in 2006, Aaron Williams, Eric Williams, and Alonzo Mourning for Vince Carter. (20) Traded Jameer Nelson to Orlando in 2004 for the No. 20 pick in 2005. Then drafted Julius Hodge. (22) Drafted Jarrett Jack. Then traded Jack to Portland for Linas Kleiza and Ricky Sanchez. (52) Drafted Alex Hervelle.

Players Received: Kenyon Martin, Julius Hodge, Linas Kleiza, Ricky Sanchez, Alex Hervelle.
Players Lost: Joey Graham, Marcus Williams, Jameer Nelson, Jarrett Jack.

Review

Since they traded Andre Miller, The Nuggets now need a point guard and the moves they made during the draft resulted in their missing out on three capable backup, borderline starter-type guards. However, Denver needed more offensive punch in 2005, so the decision to essentially pass on three point guards is excusable.

Instead, Denver has the oft-injured, self-promoting Martin whose NBA skills include running, dunking, juvenile screaming after every dunk, not showing up on the road, and tallying miserable performance after miserable performance in the playoffs. His attitude, his contract, and his injuries negate the fact that he has more talent than Marcus Williams and Joey Graham.

Linas Kleiza is a quality scorer in a pinch, Ricky Sanchez never amounted to anything, and Alex Hervelle was a late second round pick with almost no expectations.

The Nuggets needed scoring in 2005 more than they needed a point guard, so choosing Kleiza makes sense. Adding Kenyon Martin is subtraction by addition, and choosing Hodge over Nelson is an F in every circumstance.

Grade: C

Phoenix Suns:

(13) Traded the No. 13 pick (Sean May) and cash to Charlotte. Charlotte agreed to select Jahidi White from Phoenix in the 2004 Expansion Draft. (21) Chicago traded the No. 21 pick (Nate Robinson) and Jackson Vroman in 2004 to Phoenix for Luol Deng. Phoenix then drafted and traded Nate Robinson with Quentin Richardson to New York for Kurt Thomas and the rights to No. 54 pick Dijon Thompson. (57) New Orleans traded Darrell Armstrong to Dallas for Dan Dickau and the No. 57 pick (Marcin Gortat). New Orleans then traded the pick and Jim Jackson to Phoenix for Casey Jacobson, Maciej Lampe, and Jackson Vroman.

Players Gained: Kurt Thomas, Dijon Thompson, Jim Jackson, Marcin Gortat.
Players Lost: Sean May, Jahidi White, Luol Deng, Nate Robinson, Jackson Vroman, Quentin Richardson, Casey Jacobson, Maciej Lampe, Jackson Vroman

Review

In typical Phoenix cost-cutting fashion, the Suns traded away a number of expensive, or potentially expensive players and took on only Jim Jackson and Kurt Thomas as players of value.

In fairness to Phoenix, it’s hard to envision Luol Deng and Sean May playing well in Mike D’Antoni’s open court system with its premium on athletes and shooters, and the Suns already had a Nate Robinson-type player in Leandro Barbosa. At least Kurt Thomas was an exceptional defender and mid-range shooter. Plus, Jim Jackson’s inconsistent shooting and moody personality were slightly more useful than Quentin Richardson’s debilitating back injuries.

None of the lesser players have contributed much in the league. All things considered, the Suns' main rotation improved although their depth was completely slashed.

Grade: B-

Sacramento Kings:

(20) Drafted Francisco Garcia.

Review: With only one pick, the Kings made a solid selection in the long, wiry, Francisco Garcia, who may the most versatile two-guard in the draft because of his length, his defensive skills, and his more versatile offensive game compared to Martell Webster. He’s not as explosive as Monta Ellis, or as versatile as Granger, but he’s a solid pick.

Grade: A-

Houston Rockets:

(21) Drafted Luther Head.

Review

Luther Head is little more than a three-point shooter, but he’s capable at what he does.

Grade: B

Seattle Supersonics:

(25) Drafted Johan Petro. (48) Traded Andre Emmett in 2004 to Memphis for the No. 48 pick. Then drafted Mickael Gelabale. (55) Drafted Lawrence Roberts and traded him to Memphis for the No. 53 pick in 2006 (Yotam Halperin), the No. 37 pick in 2007 (Carl Landry), and cash.

Players Received: Johan Petro, Mickael Gelabale, Yotam Halperin, Carl Landry.
Players Lost: Andre Emmett, Lawrence Roberts

Review

While Carl Landry was traded the day he was drafted, he turned out to be a much better pick than Lawrence Roberts. Gelabale is a better player than Emmett, and Petro is an athletic project big man whose still refining his game with the potential of developing into a dependable starter in the league. A solid, if unspectacular draft.

Grade: B

Detroit Pistons:

(26) Drafted Jason Maxiell. (56) Drafted Amir Johnson. (60) Drafted Alex Acker.

Review: Without any premium picks, the Pistons picked up two athletic specimens, one of whom they’ve developed into a fearless shot-blocking, rebounding, dunking menace around the rim, and arguably the second-best power forward in the draft. Maxiell and Johnson are testaments to the great work done by Joe Dumars in building a franchise.

Grade: A

San Antonio Spurs:

(28) Drafted Ian Mahinmi. (59) Traded the No. 59 pick in 2004 (Cenk Akyol) to Atlanta for Viktor Sanikidze.

Players Received: Ian Mahinmi, Viktor Sanikidze
Players Lost: Cenk Akyol

Review

Coming off a second championship in three years, San Antonio didn’t have too many holes on their roster that needed to be filled through the draft, so they picked up a project center in Mahinmi whose begun to make progress in the D-League and has cracked the Spurs roster. When you have a great team, you can afford to gamble on nurturing a pet for the future.

Grade: B

Miami Heat:

(29) Drafted Wayne Simien. (58) Toronto traded Albert Mirales in 2004 to Miami for Pape Sow and the rights to the No. 58 pick (Uros Slokar).

Players Received: Wayne Simien, Albert Mirales
Players Lost: Pape Sow, Uros Slokar

Review

Miami didn’t need a draft pick in 2005-2006 as they won the championship, but passing on David Lee, Brandon Bass, and Ronny Turiaf has left the Heat with no present frontcourt depth and a profound lack of athleticism. The Heat needed the right energy guy in this draft, and came up empty.

Draft: D-

Philadelphia 76ers:

(45) Drafted Louis Williams.

Review

The Sixers lost their first-round pick in 2001 in a Derrick Coleman trade. Despite their only pick coming midway through the second round, Philadelphia picked up a young, talented backup point guard, and the last guard taken who still has a role on an NBA team. Williams began to channel his potential this year, helping the Sixers to sneak into the playoffs. With continued refinement, Williams may end up as the eventual replacement for Andre Miller down the line.

Grade: A

Washington Wizards
(49) Drafted Andray Blatche.

Review

Andray Blatche is young and prone to making bad decisions and losing focus on both ends of the court. Still, few players in the NBA feature Blatche’s combination of size and athleticism and the youngster has shown enough big-time athleticism to make fans salivate.

Grade: A-

Chicago Bulls:

(21) Phoenix traded Luol Deng to Chicago in 2004 for the No. 21 pick (Nate Robinson) and Jackson Vroman.

Players Received: Luol Deng
Players Lost: Nate Robinson, Jackson Vroman

Review: Deng has a multitude of skills, his most pronounced ones, the ability to knock down mid range jumpers and his ability to drive and spin past inferior defenders at the rim for layups. Unspectacular athletically, Deng’s strength lies in his versatility. He’s a safer, a more mature, and a more reliable player than Nate Robinson, and is worth the number 21 pick in a draft.

Grade: A-

Cleveland Cavaliers:

(44) Orlando traded Drew Gooden, Stephen Hunter and Anderson Varejao in 2004 to Cleveland for Tony Battie, the No. 44 pick in 2005 (Martynas Andriuskevicius), and the No. 54 pick in 2007 (Brad Newley).After drafting Andriuskevicius, Orlando traded him to Cleveland for the No. 55 pick in 2006 (Ejike Ugboaja).

Players Received: Drew Gooden, Stephen Hunter, Anderson Varejao, Martynas Andriuskevicius
Players Lost: Tony Battie, Brad Newley, Ejike Ugboja

Review

Picking up two-thirds of a conference-winning power forward/center combination for a spare part and two picks which will almost certainly never develop is a steal, and an important reason for Cleveland winning the Eastern Conference in 2007.

Grade: A

Dallas Mavericks
(57) Traded Dan Dickau and the No. 57 pick (Marcin Gortat) for Darrell Armstrong.

Players Received: Darrell Armstrong
Players Lost: Dan Dickau, Marcin Gortat

Review

Darrell Armstrong was older and wiser than Dan Dickau in 2005, and Armstrong was a valuable bench presence on Dallas’ 2006 Western Conference Finals team because of his pesky defense, his ever-positive attitude, and the trust he bestows in his teammates—qualities the young Dickau lacked. Gortat is simply roster filler.

Grade: B-