2010 NBA Draft Do-Over: How We Would Re-Draft Based on NBA Season So Far
The 2010 NBA Draft didn't look very deep at the time, and now, with only John Wall looking like a bona fide player that could be a franchise guy, it looks even weaker.
The rookie stat list is filled with guys who were either drafted in previous years and spent a few seasons in Europe, or guys that were injured a season ago.
This year's rookie of the year is going to be a guy that was drafted in 2009 unless something miraculous happens, and at best, this draft is ripe with role players and flops as of right now.
Evan Turner hasn't lived up to expectations at all, and may even need a trip to the D-League to get his act together, and many players that went undrafted are doing better than a handful of first rounders.
I would like to go back and take a look at 2010's draft, and give each team a do-over, and decide what they would do if they were given a second chance.
Note: Because of how complicated and convoluted things can get if I try to reevaluate draft-day trades, I will leave the trades how they were carried out then, as it is impossible to tell how many teams would be trading away their draft picks if they had this hindsight.
1. Washington Wizards, John Wall
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There is no question about it, even with a couple of injuries here and there this season, Wall has been the best player from the 2010 draft.
He is the only player in this draft that seems like he could end up leading a team to anything more substantial than an eighth seed in the playoffs.
Wall is still the man from the 2010 draft.
2. Philadelphia 76ers, DeMarcus Cousins
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Philadelphia fans are on the verge of tarring and feathering Evan Turner, so you'd better bet they don't use their pick on Turner again.
While he may still have some upside for the future, Turner has not panned out as well as they would have hoped.
Cousins is a much better choice for them at this point.
This gives them a real center with real potential (sorry Spencer Hawes), and will actually end up helping Philly, rather than giving all of their fans ulcers from what seems to be a wasted pick at this point.
Cousins will provide a big, tough man down low who, after a few more seasons, could be a big body in the east to give Dwight Howard fits.
3. New Jersey Nets, Derrick Favors
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New Jersey had their hearts set on a good big man that could help them in the future, not one that could put up big numbers immediately.
It seems that, with Favors still available in the re-draft, the Nets would go the same route.
He isn't putting up huge numbers right now, but he is improving from game to game and is playing pretty good defense.
4. Minnesota Timberwolves, Ed Davis
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Wesley Johnson, Minnesota's original pick, still has the potential to be a very good forward, but right now, Ed Davis looks to be the best forward coming from the draft.
He is making quite a good impact coming off the bench in Toronto, and would probably do the same on Minnesota.
5. Sacramento Kings, Greg Monroe
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After grabbing what looks like the best big man in the original draft, the Kings end up getting the shaft from a re-draft.
They needed a center as they could not go another year with the likes of Jason Thompson and Spencer Hawes (yep, two digs at Hawes in the space of just four slides) filling up the middle.
Greg Monroe is the best option they have left here, and that still isn't a terrible choice for them.
Monroe isn't a terrific scorer, but he is a great defender and a good rebounder, so it's not as if they are going from Bill Russell to Shawn Bradley here.
6. Golden State Warriors, Landry Fields
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Some will say that Landry Fields' stats are inflated by the offense that he plays in with the Knicks, which makes him the second most efficient player from the 2010 draft.
I would agree with this, but that doesn't change the fact that he would fit in just as well with the up-tempo offense of the Warriors..
With Steph Curry and Monta Ellis running around, and Landry Fields draining threes and grabbing boards, Golden State would show a much better record than what it is now.
7. Detroit Pistons, Evan Turner
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The lure of such a good potential player still available for Detroit at No. 7 in the re-draft is just too much for the Pistons.
With no good big men left on the board, they are turning to the best remaining talent available.
Turner may not be much to look at right now, but that doesn't mean he is going to stay that way for the rest of his NBA career.
Detroit either gets a steal at No. 7—or takes a calculated gamble and misses. Either way, it's a good pick for Detroit.
8. Los Angeles Clippers, Wesley Johnson
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Originally, Los Angeles grabbed forward Al-Farouq Aminu with this pick, and getting Wesley Johnson would be an improvement at the same position.
Johnson not only gives them a guy who is just as good a rebounder and defender, but Johnson is a better scorer with a higher ceiling than Aminu.
9. Utah Jazz, Ekpe Udoh
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Gordon Hayward, Utah's original pick has been nothing near what he seemed to be so far this season.
Udoh is an improvement at the same position for Utah, giving them a better defender and rebounder. Plus, he is a guy that can play up-tempo with Deron Williams.
10. Indiana Pacers, Eric Bledsoe
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Indiana took Paul George with their original draft pick, but with Eric Bledsoe still available in the re-draft, there is no way they can pass him up.
Bledsoe has started 22 games for the Clippers this season, and has done a good job shooting the ball and playing the passing lanes, while also gathering a steal per game.
He can be teamed with Darren Collsion for a small back-court, or they can use him as insurance for their rebuilding process that is underway.
11. Oklahoma City Thunder (via New Orleans Hornets), Al-Farouq Aminu
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Unfortunately for Oklahoma City, there are no big white centers in this draft that would make sense, as did Cole Aldrich back in June.
Here they get a better backup for Kevin Durant, which gives them a better second unit—something that has been their downfall this season.
With Aminu they have a good scorer and decent rebounder and defender.
12. Memphis Grizzlies, Paul George
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With the Grizzlies looking to get a combo SF/SG to stretch out defenses, this pick was originally Xavier Henry.
Well, Paul George does just that, but has done it better than Henry.
George, like Henry has a last name that could double as a first name, and can score just as well as Henry. However, George has been a much better defender and rebounder so far this season.
13. Toronto Raptors, Larry Sanders
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The Virginia Commonwealth forward would take the place of Ed Davis, who Toronto drafted originally back in June.
This is definitely a downgrade from Davis, but he is not without his upsides.
Sanders is decent at everything, with no huge weaknesses. Though he he doesn't really excel in any particular category, he may improve with more time on the floor.
14. Houston Rockets, Patrick Patterson
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While not many other teams would likely take a chance on Patterson earlier than this, Houston seemed to have their hearts set on Patterson, so I gave him back to them.
He has not played much this season, and when he has played he has been decent, so it is believable that Houston would still like to re-draft him with the lack of talent left in the draft.
15. Milwaukee Bucks, Trevor Booker
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With their original pick, Larry Sanders, already gone, Milwaukee is going with the rookie out of Clemson, Trevor Booker.
This gives them a decent forward prospect with great length to defend in the 3-spot, but not much value this season.
He could end up a decent player down the road but he isn't going to make a big difference for them this season.
16. Portland Trail Blazers (via Minnesota Timberwolves), Damion James
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After picking Luke Babbitt the first time around, Damion James is a definite improvement the second time through.
James is a better player right now—and a better player for the future. Luke Babbitt, meanwhile, is looking to be Brian Scalabrine 2.0, at best.
17. Washington Wizards (via Chicago Bulls), Kevin Seraphin
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The first time around, Washington traded up to draft Seraphin. With him still available at this point, and looking to be around the 15th-20th best player in the draft, it seems that Washington would do it again.
Seraphin isn't doing great this season, but then again, not many rookies are. Washington must have seen something in his game to want to grab him at 17th.
18. Los Angeles Clippers (via Oklahoma City Thunder), Xavier Henry
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Originally, Los Angeles traded up to get Eric Bledsoe, who ended up moving up quite a bit from 18th in the re-draft.
So here the Clippers get a guy who hasn't exactly been what was expected so far this season but still has the potential to be a very good player.
Overall, it isn't a bad downgrade, but it is still a downgrade.
19. Boston Celtics, Grevis Vasquez
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Boston wanted a guard who can shoot the ball the first time around, so the second time around they will probably be looking for the same thing.
Grevis Vasquez is a definite improvement over their original pick of Avery Bradley. He has much more potential to blossom into a good player than Bradley.
20. San Antonio Spurs, Jordan Crawford
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The need for a shooting guard struck San Antonio as their biggest in the summer and that still seems to be the case.
James Anderson has been decent for the Spurs this season, but has only played in six games. A guy like Crawford, who is struggling this season but still has a big upside, is an improvement for the Spurs.
21. New Orleans Hornets (via Oklahoma City Thunder), Jeremy Evans
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Originally, the Hornets were looking for a guy who could play either forward position and score when asked, so they grabbed Craig Brackins. He isn't even in the NBA this season.
Here, taking Jeremy Evans would give them the same thing they were looking for in Brackins—but a guy who is actually in the league.
22. Portland Trail Blazers, Ish Smith
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The speedy little point guard Ishmael Smith has proven to be a good point guard for the Houston Rockets this season and he could possibly be better with Portland.
With the more viable options on Portland's second unit, Smith could end up racking up more points and assists, giving them a good boost from the bench.
23. Washington Wizards (via Minnesota Timberwolves), Quincy Pondexter
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After getting John Wall with the first pick in the draft, the next thing on Washington's wish list was an athletic forward with rebounding and shooting skills.
Well, they took Trevor Booker the first time and he is off the board in the re-draft, so Pondexter is their next best bet.
He may not be the best rebounder in the draft class, but he is one of the better shooters and can score from anywhere on the floor. He just needs to adjust to the NBA still.
24. New Jersey Nets (via Atlanta Hawks), Armon Johnson
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Damion James was their first choice here in the summer, but he is already gone in the re-draft, so Armon Johnson makes sense here.
Johnson, a backup point guard for Portland, is a good all-around guard and is steadily improving this year, bringing him up from the early second round to late first round in our re-draft.
25. Dallas Mavericks (via Memphis Grizzlies), Derrick Caracter
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The Mavericks originally took a guard here, Dominique Jones. But the best talent left is a big man who has shown promise, which is hard to pass up on in this late stage of the draft.
In limited minutes for the Los Angeles Lakers, Derrick Caracter has not put up very good numbers, but he has shown to be a pretty good big body against some of the weaker power forwards around.
26. New Orleans Hornets (via Oklahoma City Thunder), Ben Uzoh
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Ben Uzoh was undrafted this summer, but he has come on quite strong for New Jersey lately.
Originally going for Quincy Pondexter, another guard in the re-draft makes sense. Uzoh, a good all-around player, would go nicely with New Orleans.
He can shoot quite well, he's a fair defender and is a good rebounder for his size. Not much to dislike about the little guy.
27. Atlanta Hawks (via New Jersey Nets), Alexey Shved
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Atlanta wanted a long guard in the draft, and with their original pick they got Jordan Crawford.
Crawford has been one of the better rookies this season, and was taken earlier in this re-draft, so they will have to look elsewhere.
There are not many viable options left at this point, so it is Alexey Shved, the slick-shooting and quick Russian who will end up in the league within a few seasons.
28. Memphis Grizzlies, Manny Harris
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Memphis drafted two shooting guards in the first round of the draft, Xavier Henry and Grevies Vasquez.
Unfortunately for them, their later pick Vasquez is doing a bit better than many of the players that were drafted ahead of him. But they can still grab a hidden gem in Manny Harris.
Undrafted out of Michigan, Harris has only played in 15 games this season, but he has been decent in the games that he has played in.
Harris is emerging as a deep threat and a pretty good defender.
29. Orlando Magic, Charles Garcia
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Orlando was set on grabbing a good forward in the 2010 draft, but by this time, anybody who would be any bit productive for them this year would be gone.
Charles Garcia, from Seattle was a wildly good yet wildly inconsistent forward in his lone college season, and could only be described as a raw talent.
Orlando could send him to Europe to develop for a few years. If he works out, then great, and if not, it's hard to call this a wasted draft pick.
30. Minnesota Timberwolves (via Washington Wizards), Miroslav Raduljica
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At the time, Miroslav Raduljica was considered one of the better players in the Adriatic League in Europe, but it was uncertain of whether he would end up coming to the US this year or four years down the road.
Wasting a first-round pick on a guy who might not play until 2014 seemed a little shortsighted, but now, it seems savvy.
At 7'1", Raduljica is a physical player and a great low-post man in Europe, and his game could translate to the NBA well.
Teams at the bottom of the first round would definitely reach for some of the European talent if given another chance.
