NBA Draft 2011: Biggest Need That Each NBA Team Will Need to Address
The NBA draft is not around the corner. It isn't even down the street or a couple blocks over. That does not mean we can't discuss the needs of each team.
We have seen these groups play some hard fought round ball for enough games to know exactly what their strengths and weaknesses are. We know if they are a run-and-gun team in need of a field general. We know if they are an elite contender in need of depth.
Some of these teams may not get exactly what they need in the 2011 draft, but we can dream. Here is a rundown of all the teams in the wonderful Association. We have insight into exactly what they should be targeting.
Please note that some of these teams may not have a pick in the first round. We will sidestep those nuances in order to give you what they should target if all things were equal.
Whether it be from the draft, free agency or a trade, this is what each team needs heading into the offseason.
Cleveland Cavaliers
1 of 30
Let's see; what does Cleveland need? They really need a shaman to come into the building and raise whatever demons were left from the departure of Zydrunas Ilgauskas.
Oh, and LeBron James, if you are counting a franchise changing player, I guess.
Cleveland is a mess. They are thin on talent and rely too heavily on young talent that is a few years off from reaching their potential. The rebuilding phase hits the next stage.
The Cavs need a nice young talent that will light up the stat line and put butts in the seats. The Cavs are still a year off from exorcising the Baron Davis contract. It is doubtful they can consummate a trade that will net them a solid player.
My choice is a player like Jared Sullinger. For me, he is the most tantalizing player in the top 10. He is a budding talent that may breed some hope for the time being. That is all the Cavs can do; get some hope back.
Minnesota Timberwolves
2 of 30
The Timberwolves have finally found the man to fill the hole left vacant when Kevin Garnett left. Since that time, Minnesota was missing a star player.
They now have that in Kevin Love. Love is having a phenomenal season. The most remarkable thing is that he will get better. It is a scary thought for the rest of the NBA. For Minnesota fans, it is an exciting time. You have the main piece; now you just have build around him.
The T-Wolves need some perimeter shooting. They will also settle for a slasher from the wing. Hell, they could even use a center that isn't merely a player that racks up fouls and places soft defense. There are a great many things this team needs.
I like Enes Kanter at the moment for them. There isn't a shooting guard worth the high pick they are sure to get. Kanter may move from a top 10 pick by draft day, but it does not negate the fact that after Beasley and Love, there is nothing clogging up the middle.
Apologies to all you fans that bought a Nikola Pekovic jersey.
Sacramento Kings
3 of 30
The Kings are one of the worst teams in the NBA. This is nothing new to those with even the most passing of interests in the NBA. It isn't until you dig a little deeper that you find just how bad this lot is.
They have no sense of defense. They lack the one player that can lock down the opposition. Beno Udrih is a serviceable point guard. He just has nobody that can make a shot to pass to.
DeMarcus Cousins may turn into a special talent; that time may not be next season, though. All of this has me asking: Do you guys really want the team to stay in Sacramento?
The Kings need to boost their scoring with the draft and can get some added defense with some vets via free agency. Kyrie Irving is perfect for them. He can shoot. He can drive. Best of all, he knows how to defend.
Washington Wizards
4 of 30
Some believe the Wizards need a top flight player to command the team going forward. I feel like this is an extremely young team that just needs some time and depth to turn the corner. The Wizards are atrocious on the road.
It is a sign that this is an extremely young team that needs some veteran guidance. They do not need a star, though. I am enamored with the backcourt of John Wall and Nick Young. They may be the two players that make the Wizards a force in the future.
Adding a solid vet to calm the young ones is first a foremost. They would also do well to draft a versatile player that can run up and down the floor. Derrick Williams would mesh well in the high tempo game they aspire to.
Toronto Raptors
5 of 30
Can we dismantle the team and move it elsewhere? As it is, no big name player wants to stay there. The Raptors are cursed to draft great talent every few years and watch them take off or get traded when they are about to hit their peak.
The Raptors need a scorer on the wing. They have a few stiffs like Julian Wright there currently. There a ton of great small forwards that would give the Raptors some hope of turning things around. Did I mention that Caron Butler is a free agent?
I guess I just did.
Los Angeles Clippers
6 of 30
This is a tough one. I actually like the new look Clippers now that they have Mo Williams. This is one trade that made complete sense for the Clippers. There is hardly a player in the draft that will have the impact as their latest lottery pick in Blake Griffin.
I am ignoring Al-Farouq Aminu for the time being. The Clippers could use a solid point guard. The only one in the draft worth a top 10 pick, Kyrie Irving will be long gone before the Clippers get to him, especially if they keep playing the way they have been.
The other spot of note is at small forward, a position stocked in the draft. Maybe they can find some to place there that does not exude mediocrity like Ryan Gomes.
New Jersey Nets
7 of 30
I love the Nets. They are the only team that will buy into the fact that Deron Williams will be just as good a player as Carmelo Anthony going forward. They have to. He is their consolation prize, a not too shabby one either.
The Nets need one thing, and one thing only, going forward: scoring. When you count on Sasha Vujacic to bail you out every night, there are some huge looming issues. The Nets get by with the production of Deron Williams and Brook Lopez.
That is not nearly enough, especially in the very deep east. The Nets need to pull of another major coup. They need an All-Star caliber scorer by trade or free agency. The Nets have tried the "breeding young talent" avenue already. That hasn't worked out so well so far.
Golden State Warriors
8 of 30
The Warriors are an exciting run and gun team. They enjoy scoring so much that they allow their opponents to score at an amazing clip. The Warriors need a presence down low.
Andris Biedrins is nice and all, but I just scored on him and I am at a computer. The Warriors need defense. The main goal is to draft size in the draft, always a precarious investment. I would rather they get some size elsewhere.
Scoring 100 points a night is fantastic. It is allowing the other team to score 105 is the issue. The Warriors have some studs in Stephen Curry and Monta Ellis. Let's give these guys a breather with some defense and depth on the bench.
Detroit Pistons
9 of 30
The Pistons need to blow this thing up and start all over. Whether it be the head coach, the aging role players or the lack of depth, the Pistons are just no good.
The main thing they need to do is rid themselves of Rip Hamilton. Even if the shooting guard was not feuding with the coach, he is a ghost of his former self on the court. The man can't score and is nowhere near worth the money they are paying him.
It would take a miracle, as Hamilton is owed $12 million for the next couple of years. There is no team insight that would take on his contract. The only thing now is to get younger.
Terrence Jones may be around when the Pistons pick, especially if they hit a rough patch on the remaining schedule. Jones can score with abandon. He can start tomorrow and would make the pains of losing Tayshaun Prince dissolve if he is indeed out in Detroit this offseason.
Houston Rockets
10 of 30
Let's see here. We can either blow the whole thing up or wisely re-build. There is no either or. The Rockets will be bad for a while. The Yao Ming injury will haunt them for a while. I am also working under the assumption that he is a sneeze away from officially retiring.
This team does not yet have a discernible character. They were an uptempo team with Aaron Brooks. They look to be more of a half court set team now that they have Goran Dragic and Kyle Lowry running the point. I need more scoring from them on the wing.
Chase Budinger is a nice player. He needs to be coming off the bench. The Rockets need a consistent outside shooter to compliment what Luis Scola gives you on the other side of the floor.
Milwaukee Bucks
11 of 30
This team's biggest need is a GPS so that they can locate the basket. The Bucks were the budding stars of the league last season. They surged late and made some noise in the postseason. They completely reverted this season.
There is not one Bucks player that has found the basket with some consistency. Between Corey Magette driving wildly to the bucket and John Salmons clanking bricks, there is just no cohesion. The Bucks would be served by a consistent scorer.
Maggette's numbers are down, but he should rebound. Salmons, however, worries me. He had a terrific season last year, but that may have been a blip on an otherwise flat-lining career. There is no way this guy is a 20 point a night player. He is and always will be a low-teens scorer.
The main issue is the Bucks came into this season relying on guys that could not be counted on to replicate their fine season last year. Simply, it's time to get new guys. An off guard and power forward would do well nicely here.
Utah Jazz
12 of 30
This team needs time. That is all. They just got rid of their captain and driving leader whom they counted on for five and half seasons. Deron Williams was not only their point guard; he was their identity. In the NBA, teams are often shaped by their star player.
The loss is tremendous . It would be like Chris Paul leaving the Hornets, or LeBron...you know the story. I submit to you that the Jazz will be alright. I love Millsap and Jefferson on the low block. There just needs to be some outside shooting to counter their inside game.
Devin Harris is no Deron Williams, but he is a stout starting guard that could indeed make his way back to the All-Star game in the west.
I like Jordan Hamilton for them in the draft. The Texas small forward can score from anywhere on the court. He would mix in nicely with what the Jazz need.
Charlotte Bobcats
13 of 30
The Bobcats need Micheal Jordan to lose 10 years off of his age, sell the team and un-retire. Seeing as how we deal in reality. Let us look at the plausible scenarios.
Where of where do I start? First off, the Thrilla in Pryzbilla is a huge upgrade over Kwame Brown. That my friends is sad news for the dozen or so Bobcats fans that care. Stephen Jackson is the only player you can count on to net you consistent buckets.
I am a huge Boris Diaw guy. I think he does the...wait for it...intangibles that every great role player is asked to do. He just shouldn't be the second best player on a team, not if you hope to win. The Bobcats are not re-building. They are still trying to piece together a great team.
I thought I would never say this, but this team needs to tank the season and net a great pick. There are not many free agents that would jump at the chance to start for Charlotte. They need to groom a team from within.
Phoenix Suns
14 of 30
I want to give a bit of hard truth. The Suns need to trade Steve Nash. His contract expires in 2012, and the Suns are in danger of overpaying for an aging guard at that point.
It is a tough idea to wrap your head around. The Suns are simply holding their own right now. They do not have the pieces to be contenders with the current lot they have. They have tried ad nauseum to replicate the roster that pushed within minutes of a finals berth.
It is time for a preemptive strike. They don't need to re-build. They just need a different direction. Steve Nash may be holding this team together, but holding a team together is not the end game. It is winning a title.
The Suns are older and in danger of becoming the Spurs of the league minus the winning record. They need to get younger and take a new path. The time is passed where they can build around Nash. Get out while his stock is still high.
Indiana Pacers
15 of 30
The Indiana Pacers are in a tough spot. They have nice shooters from the outside. They can score from within. Roy Hibbert is only going to get better. The Pacers are missing just one piece, a solid play-making All-Star. Those grow on trees right?
The bad news is that they would have a horrible pick to draft a star that would produce for them right away. Stop playing with such decent acumen, Pacers. They do not necessarily have the most attractive of venues for star free-agents.
The Pacers will have to be creative and build a solid team around the lot they have. They do not have the pieces to pull off a mega trade. Larry Bird and David Morway have their work cut out for them. The best player around this time in the draft could be Jimmer Fredette.
If you buy into the fact that he could be the sharp-shooting NBA player that he is in college, he may just work out here.
Memphis Grizzlies
16 of 30
I am confident that the Grizzlies have the front court to be successful. They have issues at guard, though.
O.J. Mayo is playing his final days in a Grizzlies uniform. Memphis has a number of avenues to take. They can nab a guard in the draft like Kemba Walker and move Conley over. They could also net a shooting guard in a trade or free agency.
How much Mayo could get them in a trade is open to a great deal of conjecture. He has a tremendous amount of upside that has not exactly been showcased in Memphis. If they could pull off a trade for Stephen Jackson or a like player, they would be much better off.
Philadelphia 76ers
17 of 30
The surprise team of the year has to be the Sixers. I was just getting used to them wallowing away in the doldrums. They have negated their issues in perimeter scoring by going to an uptempo game.
As we well know, that makes you a solid regular season team, but their weakness on the wings will be highlighted come playoff time. The Sixers need an outside shot to spread the floor. The hope here is that a player like Jimmer Fredette continues to slide down the board.
If BYU flames out of the tournament, you can bet that Fredette will be a late first rounder. The Sixers would love a quick shooting guard that can consistently hit shots.
Portland Trailblazers
18 of 30
I like what the Blazers have done with the place. Adding Gerald Wallace shores up some of their deficiencies right off the bat. The team needed defense, and they got their man in Wallace. Now if this team would just get some boards every once in a while.
Marcus Camby has done a great job holding down the middle this season. They will enjoy getting him back from a knee injury.
I will go ahead and state the obvious. The Blazers would love to have a healthy Greg Oden in the mix. He would gain some depth and rebounding at the position, something they sorely need.
New York Knicks
19 of 30
The Knicks got their man. Carmelo Anthony is now in New York, but the celebration should stop there. The Knicks have been playing to mixed reviews as of late. That is the problem with a high scoring team. When they go cold, they are atrocious.
The Knicks biggest issues now are defense and depth. Defense can hardly be drafted or attained in free agency. Mike D'Antoni's teams have never been known for their predilection to defense. They can get deeper.
Now that they have a strong cast of vets in Melo, Billups and Stoudemire, they need to concentrate in filling in the holes around them.
New Orleans Hornets
20 of 30
The Hornets are pretty stuck on their current roster. They have fixed and fiddled for over a year to make Chris Paul happy. The only major parts left that could be moved are David West and Paul himself.
I like the Carl Landry move to New Orleans. I thought he could make an impact with more playing time. Now if they would just get him more playing time.
The Hornets have two holes that need filling. They would do well to get a back-up big man. New Orleans is thin behind Emeka Okafur. They also need some consistent shooting. Marco Belinelli does not exactly inspire confidence in me going forward.
Denver Nuggets
21 of 30
The Nuggets will try to be one of the few teams that stays afloat after losing a top five player in Carmelo Anthony. Any time you lose a franchise player, it is devastating. There is no way to aptly make up for what they gave you.
I think the Nuggets fared better than they might have. Danilo Gallinari will soon be a fan favorite in Denver. He has a great outside shot and he is a hard worker. The Nuggets now need to share the load scoring wise.
Carmelo netted this team 25-plus points nightly. It will be hard to make up the difference with Aaron Afflalo, J.R. Smith and Raymond Felton.
The Nuggets will be in the market for a consistent shooter or a player that can slash to the hole to free up the rest of the team. You can never replace Melo, but the sky is not necessarily falling in Denver.
Atlanta Hawks
22 of 30
The Hawks answered their biggest need during the past trade deadline. They now have a great defender in Kirk Hinrich at the point guard position. He is a small upgrade over Mike Bibby, and should help this team going forward.
The Hawks summer rests on how well they do in the post season. They have risen through the ranks, and need to make a second round push at the very least.
If they do that, they may make minor changes going forward. Jeff Teague may be the heir apparent at the one spot. If not, they could go shopping in the draft for a future starter at the point.
If the Hawks flame out, look for Josh Smith or Marvin Williams to be shopped.
Orlando Magic
23 of 30
The Magic may be an inspired bunch as of late, but they still have a gaping hole that will haunt them in the playoffs. The team greatly needs a lock-down defender on the perimeter.
Jason Richardson, Gilbert Arenas and Hedo Turkoglu are all great scorers. It is too bad that defense does not interest them. The need a player they can go to in crunch time to limit the opposition from the outside. Oh, and a legitimate back-up for Dwight Howard wouldn't hurt either.
Oklahoma City Thunder
24 of 30
The Thunder may be going through some growing pains without Jeff Green at the moment. All of that will go away once Kendrick Perkins returns from his knee injury. The Thunder are a much better team than they once were. That is a scary thought.
The one big hole the Thunder needed to fill was a big man inside. They just got one of the best. The offseason should be spent looking for an outside shooter. The Thunder a bunch of runners and slashers that like to get into the lane.
That may prove problematic with Perkins clogging the hole. A shooter from long range should remedy that issue nicely.
Miami Heat
25 of 30
The Heat's issues are chemistry, longevity and depth. The depth part is the easiest to remedy. They will get more help through subsequent drafts and free agency. The good news is that everyone and their mother wants to play for this team.
The chemistry and longevity issues are intertwined. You can't build a whole new team and expect them to gel in one season. This will take some time. The team has no idea who should be taking the last shot. Little nuances like that will work themselves out as they play with each other for a couple of seasons.
As of now, there is too big of a drop off after their star players. A better cast of characters and a worthwhile big man would make this team pristine.
Los Angeles Lakers
26 of 30
Now we are headed into the realm of teams that need no major overhaul. The Lakers are a conundrum. The seem to sleep for most of the season then flip a switch. It was their hope that adding Steve Blake and Matt Barnes would add some motivating elements.
They may have turned a corner recently, but their constant malaise is a problem. There are no trades or picks that can help them with that. The Lakers are standing pat. The only thing that will make them change key pieces is another Andrew Bynum injury.
Chicago Bulls
27 of 30
The Bulls need to clone Derrick Rose. That is the only thing that would make this team better. The man is simply amazing, and the Bulls are quite possibly the favorites in the east because of him.
The major hole on the roster is Keith Bogans. You will not find a suitable replacement at the two in the draft, especially this late. The Bulls will look to fill that gap first in the off season. Other than that, I rather like this team.
Dallas Mavericks
28 of 30
The Mavericks are a top tier team that needs to win immediately. The writing is on the wall, folks. The Mavericks are thin on the perimeter and Jason Terry is getting older with each jump shot.
Jason Kidd is fine for right now, but he is a liability on defense. There is no way he can handle the quicker guards he will see nightly in the postseason. He is due for a major drop off in production because of age and wear and tear.
The Maverick's backcourt is fine for right now. Dallas would do well to get younger at that end of the floor going forward.
Boston Celtics
29 of 30
The Celtics need a tough big man that they can count on during the playoffs. He needs to be a defensive bruiser that fends off the mad dashes of opposing cutters. Too bad they traded their big men away.
Trust me when I say that the Celtics will be sorry that they left the team in the hands of the brothers O'Neal. The Celtics finally got their uptempo slasher in Jeff Green, but at what price? The team is still among the best in the NBA without Perkins.
Look for the Celtics to get younger in free agency, or not. That Perkins deal still has me befuddled.
San Antonio Spurs
30 of 30
The Spurs are a tough team to dissect. They completely outplayed the Heat one night, and then they get lambasted by the Lakers at home. We may not know if these guys are truly the real deal until the playoffs.
The Spurs will do what they always do. They will sign quality role players that fill in the gaps of their star players. It may be time to start grooming the heir apparent to Tim Duncan. Duncan had issues contending with the Lakers defense recently.
He is a player that is only going to get older, not better. The Spurs are deep in the backcourt. I worry about their post game going forward. They need to address that before it becomes an epidemic.
