2011 NBA Draft Results: Who Are the First-Round Losers?

This turned out to be a pretty interesting 2011 NBA Draft.

Kyrie Irving and Derrick Williams went No. 1 and 2 just like we all thought they would, but there were a few trades that could have really shaken up the draft and the future of some players, but in the end didn't cause too much destruction.

When Sacramento traded away the No. 7 pick, Kemba Walker must've cried. No team after Sacramento needed him until New York at No. 17.

But Walker got lucky, and Charlotte ended up picking him at No. 9. 

Marcus Morris was crying when his brother Markieff's name was called at No. 13 (Phoenix)—perhaps not out of happiness, but out of despair. He's more skilled, and now he was going to fall all the way to Houston—at No. 14. Whew.

Every one of these guys and more had looks of pure joy and relief on their faces when they heard their names.

That is the exact opposite look Brandon Knight had. 

So on that note, since we are all so much more interested in the Miami Heat—the team that lost the NBA Finals—let's take a look at the losers of the first round 2011 NBA Draft. 

Jeremy Tyler

A few years ago, Jeremy Tyler was one of the top high school prospects in the country, and he had a scholarship offer from Louisville. But he decide to forgo his senior year and play in Israel. 

Big mistake.

Fast-forward to the past couple months, and his time overseas was not good, but he was still considered a mid-to-late first-round pick. However, he didn't impress anyone in workouts, so he fell all the way to 39th overall by Charlotte, but he was then traded to Golden State.

Hopefully Tyler can turn his career around so he doesn't regret his decision to the leave the U.S.  

Michael Beasley

Michael Beasley was starting to get his career on the right track, but with Derrick Williams now in the picture in Minnesota, Beasley is likely out of there.

To be fair, he had to know it was coming. 

Beasley seemed to mature, and he finally started to perform something like a No. 2 overall pick, but now he'll likely be on the trading block.

Who will be interested though? And what will Minnesota want in return?

There are some murky months ahead for Beasley, lockout or no lockout.

Monta Ellis will likely be in the same boat as him over in Golden State, thanks to Klay Thompson. 

Minnesota Timberwoves

Aside from drafting Derrick Williams No. 2, what was going on in the Minnesota front office?

Apparently, they're relying on Kevin Love, Williams and Ricky Rubio to carry them to the top. Problem is, Love and Williams will be on their own.

Rubio was the No. 5 overall pick by the Timberwolves two years ago, and he's showed nothing justifying that pick since then for Barcelona.

So Minnesota will once again be relying on their frontcourt, which didn't work out well last season.

Cleveland Cavaliers

The Cleveland Cavaliers took a huge leap with Tristan Thompson at No. 4.

With big men Jonas Valanciunas and Jan Vesely still on the board, and Thompson similar to J.J. Hickson, it was a little interesting. Thompson met with the team earlier this week, and Dan Gilbert may have fallen a bit too in love, and ignored his roster with this choice.

They almost had to take Kyrie Irving at No. 1, but they've got Baron Davis already, among others. Irving was the consensus best player on the board, but you don't always have to follow the crowd. 

Moving Davis will not be easy, and it's not like he can't run the team while Irving learns the NBA (not that Irving needs to learn the NBA). Davis could be the backup if and when Irving's foot causes him problems, but he's a pricey backup.

So that's two guys they drafted in the top five who will require some serious money, and they're already tied to two guys on the team for the same two positions.

Of all the losers though, this one has the biggest chance to pay off...and well. 

Sacramento Kings

Sacramento could've gotten Jimmer Fredette with the seventh pick, so it's not totally clear why they traded down to get him, but that's not the point.

With Jimmer in the lineup, Tyreke Evans can move to his more natural shooting guard position, which will hopefully pull him out of his sophomore slump, but there isn't a shred of defense on this team.

The Kings have plenty of shooters, but ask Phoenix how that game plan usually works out.

Jimmer will have to learn to defend to make it in the NBA, and he also needs to learn how to share the ball. He can't just pass it and expect to get it right back—Evans can run a few plays himself. 

Jimmer won't be the focal point of this team on the court at least. Rumor has it the Maloofs were high on the BYU star because of his marketability, and even though the Kings are fighting to stay in Sacramento, that really isn't the best basketball strategy.

This could all work out in a big way, but it looks like Sacramento got a little carried away with Jimmer-mania.  

Detroit Pistons

The Detroit Pistons are a shadow of the team that won the 2004 NBA Championship, and so are some of the players still hanging around from those days. 

They had the No. 8 pick in the draft, but they weren't involved in any trades. So they ended up watching their guy go by them, and they just had to take the best player left on the board.

That happened to be Kentucky's Brandon Knight, a point guard—something Detroit is not lacking.

Detroit needed a big man, namely Bismack Biyombo, Jonas Valanciunas or Jan Vesley, but they were all gone.

Biyombo was the most likely to fall to Detroit, but the three-team trade between Sacramento, Charlotte and Milwaukee left Detroit on the outside. 

Knight is a solid player with a high ceiling, but he creates a bit of a headache for the Pistons. The front office will have some work to do this offseason before the lockout. 

Brandon Knight

When you hear your name called by David Stern in the NBA Draft, it's supposed to be the happiest moment of your life—especially if it's in the top 10.

Brandon Knight just sat there, probably thinking, "What have I done to deserve this?"

For the longest time, Knight was projected to go at No. 3 to Utah. If the Jazz decided to go with the power of Enes Kanter, then Toronto would grab him at No. 5.

He did nothing to fall so far; it was more others players peaking at just the right time. He's clearly the better point guard than Kemba Walker and Jimmer Fredette, but teams were bending over backwards to trade for those guys and not him.

Now Knight is stuck with a team he didn't work out for, and one that doesn't really need him.

It's hard to say who's the bigger loser in this case, Detroit or Brandon Knight, but they can ban together in their shared disappointment and try to turn it all in their favor.  

For more 2011 NBA draft coverage, stay tuned to Bleacher Report for B/R's Big Board of Recruits, NBA draft rumors, NBA draft results and NBA draft grades.