NBA Draft 2011 Grades: Grading the Top Picks and Trades of the Night

With the 2011 NBA draft finally over and done with, all the attention will be on the pieces each team picked up through drafting and trades throughout the draft night.

With a few surprise picks to go along with the ones we all knew were happening, the 2011 NBA draft turned out to be quit the busy one for NBA general mangers.

Without further ado, here are the grades for the top picks and trades that went down last night during the NBA draft last night.

Clevland Cavs No. 1 Pick Kyrie Irving

With the speculation of the Cleveland Cavaliers taking point guard Kyrie Irving out of Duke at the No. 1 spot for awhile now, his selection was no surprise at all.

Though the Cavs already have a talented-when-motivated point guard in Baron Davis on board for next season—with a hefty salary that no team is sure to touch—the pick sent off immediate red flags.

The fact that Irving only played in 11 total games last year due to a toe injury also should have factored into the Cavs taking Irving at No. 1. I feel that Irving isn't as solid of a pick as taking Derrick Williams would have been, leaving the Cavs with the option to nab just-as-talented point guard Brandon Knight out of Kentucky.

Everyone knows that Davis has one of the bigger egos in the NBA, and the Cavs drafting someone that will take his place at some point has to put Davis on guard. This will make for some less-than-friendly instances between the two point guards.

In all, I feel the pick has too many hurdles to clear to make it successful out the gate. The Cavs had a chance to set themselves up pretty good next season, and they blew it with choosing Irving at No. 1.

Grade: C+

Minnesota Timberwolves No. 2 Pick Derrick Williams

The Minnesota Timberwolves taking Arizona phenom Derrick Williams was the best pick in the 2011 NBA draft.

The most NBA-ready out of anyone in this year's draft class, Williams will have an immediate impact for the Timberwolves.

The 6'8" forward can drive it strong to the hole and finish with thunderous dunks, and can step back and hit three-point shots; WIlliams is an all-around player that can jump out the building.

Williams is also a solid rebounder and uses his size and athleticism to his advantage on both ends on the boards.

The one knock on Williams' game is his defense. He needs to improve on his defense near the basket, be more forceful against players that are bigger than him and not let them get easy baskets down low.

There will be some debate to where Williams will play if the Timberwolves keep Michael Beasly on the team as well, being that they are eerily similar players. If they do keep Beasly, Williams will be used more as a small forward, where his weakness on the defensive end could be exposed more than if he is playing at the power forward position.

In all, the Timberwolves got themselves the most ready-to-play player in the draft, and should have the best season out of the 2011 draft class.

Grade: A-

Utah Jazz No. 3 Pick Enes Kanter

The Utah Jazz went against every person in Utah and did not select BYU's Jimmer Fredette with either of the first-round pick; instead, with their third pick overall, they took 6'11" Enes Kanter out of Turkey.

Kanter—who was supposed to play for Kentucky last season but was banned from the NCAA due to making money playing back in Turkey—has had no real game-time experience in over a year now, making this selection shaky for anyone who chose the center.

Kanter does posses a great deal of upside to his game and could turn out to be the perfect one-two combo down low with Derrick Favors for the Jazz.

He is a great rebounder that has great ball-handling for a big man. He can get in the lane and draw fouls as good as anyone in the draft this year, which ties into his aggressive playing style.

Kanter should turnout to be at least a solid 15-and-10 guy, making him a solid pickup for the Jazz.

Grade: B-

Cleveland Cavs No. 4 Pick Tristan Thompson

Surprising pretty much everyone watching the draft, the Cleveland Cavaliers' choice to take Texas forward Tristan Thompson at No. 4 doesn't make much sense.

Not expected to be taken until between picks No. 6 and 11, the Cavs could have easily traded up with one of the teams that came after them in the draft order and could have picked up an additional pick, a player and/or cash considerations and still drafted Thompson a few picks later.

Instead, they picked him too early, making his selection not as smart-looking as it could have been for the Cavs.

Don't get me wrong, Thompson has tremendous upside and is a rebounding machine. But his offensive game is something that needs some pretty major work, being that he is a one-dimensional scorer who needs to hone his perimeter game.

With the opportunity that the Cavs had to gain more from, drafting Thompson brings down their grade a full letter grade from what is should be.

Grade: C-

Toronto Raptors No. 5 Pick Jonas Valanciunas

The 7'0" tall Jonas Valanciunas is a risk pick, as is any foreign player in the NBA draft, but this is a risk that should pay off down the line for the Toronto Raptors.

The 19-year-old center has a great low-post game and is an excellent defender. All Valanciunas really has to improve on is his perimeter shooting to make his game more complete and add some weight to his 245-pound frame.

If he can at least get a consistent 10-15 foot jump shot in his repertoire and bulk up a little more, then Valanciunas can be one of the better big men in the NBA in three to five years.

Although the Raptors need all the help they can get right away, the waiting game they will endure with Valanciunas as he makes his game more complete should be worth it. But the fact the Raptors will have to wait for his impact to be felt brings their grade down a notch.

Grade: C+

Washington Wizards No. 6 Pick Jan Vesely

The Washington Wizards need all the help the can get when it comes down to scoring the basketball and rebounding, and they get some needed help in 6'11" Jan Vesely out of the Partizan Belgrade.

Vesely is a solid rebounder that can finish well at the basket and has great range for a player his size stretching all the way out to three-point land.

He'll need to add to his 240-pound frame to be able to battle with the NBA's low-post players, and needs to improve his back-to-the-basket game, as he tends to put up questionable shots when he is not playing facing the rim.

As with most of the Euro players this draft, he will need some time to adjust to the NBA game, and should fill in fine if he has the right mindset.

In all, the pick is a good one for the Wizards even if the have to wait for Vesely to become a steady contributor to their game, as he is slightly more polished than the Euros in this draft besides Kanter.

Grade: B-

Charolette Hornets No. 7 Pick Bismack Biyombo and Trade Pieces

Although it is officially the Sacramento Kings' pick, the player chosen was made for the Charlotte Bobcats, so for grading purposes I will grade the pick the Bobcats got in Bismack Biyombo and the pieces they got in the three-team trade with the Kings and the Milwaukee Bucks.

First off, the 6'9" Biyombo has impressive length in his body to go along with his great athletic ability. He excels in rebounding on both ends of the floor and his defensive game is rock solid.

As with most young players entering the league, Biyombo will have to work on strengthening his body to endure the rigors of an NBA schedule and most importantly, he needs to continue to work on his offensive game. Getting his offensive game on par with his defensive game will make Biyombo an impressive forward down the line.

Biyombo had a medical red flag put on him before the draft due to undisclosed back issues. If those pose no risk for him to get on his improvement right away, then the pickup of Biyombo will be a good one for the Bobcats.

Because of the uncertainty of his health and the fact he won't be a solid contributor right away, I will have to dock the grading a little bit.

Grade: C+

Now to the trade involving the Bobcats, the Kings and the Bucks. Giving up the team's top scorer in Stephen Jackson and the 19th overall pick to nab Biyombo and take in Corey Maggette in return is a dangerous situation for the Bobcats next season. With all the problems the Bobcats had with scoring last year, losing Jackson could hurt them even more.

But it's obvious that the Bobcats are rebuilding by bringing in some young talent and won't have an immediate impact next season; this trade should pay off in the long run.

Trade Grade: B-

Detroit Pistons No. 8 Pick Brandon Knight

The Detroit Pistons taking Brandon Knight was a little confusing. The Pistons are stacked in the backcourt with players like Ben Gordon, Richard Hamilton and Rodney Stuckey; adding another player into an already crowded situation seems like a bad idea.

What the Pistons really did is just pick the player who was thought to be the best choice available despite what position it was at. With the speculation that the Pistons want to get rid of Hamilton and the possibility they could trade Stuckey away if needed, the addition of Knight to the team is not as questionable as one might think.

Adding Knight gives the Pistons a solid defender, with good shooting range and the ability to finish strong around the basket. He didn't really prove himself at the point last year at Kentucky, but his pure talent level leads me to believe if he really puts his all into it, he can become a successful point guard in the NBA.

The Pistons are headed in the direction where they will need to rebuild so getting rid of a few older players to make way for a new one with great upside is not the worst scenario the Pistons could have followed.

Grade: B-

Charlotte Bobcats No. 9 Pick Kemba Walker

The Charlotte Bobcats adding UConn's Kemba Walker to the mix with No. 7 selection Bismack Biyombo gives the Bobcats two of the better picks in the draft.

Walker can step in immediately and put in meaningful minutes for the Bobcats. Walker's ability to score at will, whether it is from outside the arch or penetrating the lane, will help fill the scoring void left from the trading of Stephen Jackson.

Walker's one area of concern is his size. He is said to be 6'1" but he is more realistically a 5'11" player, which is very small by NBA standards. Walker's impressive athletic ability and overall will to succeed will help him overcome his size and become a solid NBA starter.

Kemba is a winner; his impressive run with UConn is testament to his huge heart and ability to take games over when needed and he's not afraid to take a late-game shot.

Kemba is a great pick this far in the draft as most experts had him going in the first six picks.

Grade: B+

Sacramento Kings No. 10 Pick Jimmer Fredette and Trade

Again, this is technically the Milwaukee Bucks' pick, but for the sake of keeping this organized we will call it the Sacramento Kings' pick since Jimmer Fredette was chosen here for the Kings as part of the three-team trade between the Kings, the Bucks and the Charlotte Bobcats.

Jimmer was the leading scorer in college basketball last year playing for the BYU Cougars, and took the nation by storm with his ability to pull up from seemingly anywhere and drain a shot.

His pure ability to score will be his bread and butter in the NBA, as no matter what you can't take that away from the player that possesses such a natural talent. Jimmer will be a solid bench figure for the Kings providing around 20 minutes a game or so and can be relied upon to come in and score in barrages when necessary.

Jimmer's defense has been in constant scrutiny leading up to the draft, with many saying he never played D because his coach at BYU, Dave Rose, rarely requested him too, wanting him to save all his energy for the offensive end. His other weakness for the NBA game is his lack of size, that I feel that he can make up for with his pure shooting ability.

Look for Jimmer to have a long and fairly successful career, who can be a key role player on a Kings team that should make some noise in the NBA a few years down the line.

Grade: B-

In the three-team trade, all the Kings gave up was Beno Udrih and got a quality scorer in veteran John Salmons and the Jimmer in return. The trade worked out great for the Kings, and in my opinion, they came out on top of the trade by adding two guys that can put up a good amount of points without sacrificing anything all that meaningful.

Trade Grade: A-

The Milwaukee Bucks' End of the Three-Team Trade

To finish off the Milwaukee Bucks, Sacramento Kings and Charlotte Bobcats three-way trade, I'll get into what the Bucks received in the draft-day trade.

The Bucks made out pretty god in the multi-team trade, swapping the No. 10 pick for the No. 19 pick where they received Tobias Harris—a multi-position, solid shooting forward who has a great basketball IQ.

The key piece to the trade for the Bucks is obtaining Stephen Jackson. Jackson is a solid shooting guard who averaged 18.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game last year. Jackson paired up with Brandon Jennings will be an intimidating scoring duo in the backcourt for the Bucks.

Also included in the trade for the Bucks were two point guards: Beno Udrich, who averaged 13.7 points and 4.9 assists last year with the Kings, and a decent bench player in Shaun Livingston who averaged six points and 2.2 assists per game last season with the Bobcats.

In all, for what they gave up and what they received in return the Bucks came out of the trade fairly decently.

Trade Grade: B-

San Antonio Spurs and Indiana Pacers Trade

The San Antonio Spurs were rumored to be shopping Tony Parker in a trade, but instead the Spurs got rid of his backup, point guard George Hill, to the Indiana Pacers for the No. 15 pick in the NBA draft, Kawhi Leonard.

I think the Spurs got the better of the trade picking up Leonard, a 6'7"—with a 7'3" wingspan—athletic player who will never give up on a rebound and has incredibly large hands to help reel in those rebounds. Leonard has been working on his offensive game—mainly his perimeter and three-point shooting—all summer long and should impress the critics that have said his outside shooting was his one main weak spot.

Leonard averaged a double-double last season—scoring 15.5 points and pulling in 10.6 rebounds per game—leading the San Diego State Aztecs to their first Sweet 16 appearance.

The Pacers got a backup point guard in George Hill, who will come in and play behind Darren Collison, who had a good year last season averaging 13.2 points and five assists per stanza. Hill will not make the impact that Leonard will next season, which tips the odds in the Spurs' favor in this trade.

Spurs Trade Grade: B+

Pacers Trade Grade: C-

Portland Trail Blazers, Dallas Mavericks and Denver Nuggets Trade

Yet another blockbuster three-team trade went down on Thursday night when the Portland Trail Blazers, the Dallas Mavericks and the Denver Nuggets exchanged players and draft picks.

The Mavericks received guard Rudy Fernandez, who had a down season last year, mostly in part to him demanding the Blazers let him go so he could go back to Spain. If Fernandez is happy to play once again, he can be a great addition to the defending world champs. He adds another scoring option off the bench.

The Mavs also received rights to former first-round pick, Finnish point guard Pettri Koponen. Koponen has been playing in Italy for the past three years working on developing his game for the NBA.

They gave up pick No. 26—Jordan Hamilton, who went to Denver—and pick No. 57, which turned out to be Targuy Ngombo, who was dealt to Portland.

For what they had to give up to get Fernandez, I think the Mavs came out a little bit ahead making the trade work in their favor.

Mavs Trade Grade: C+

The Portland Trail Blazers sent point guard Andre Miller packing to Denver in exchange for point guard Raymond Felton.

Felton—with five years in the league—is an upgrade to the aging Miller, who has 11 years in the league under his belt. This alone makes the trade worth it for the Trail Blazers. Felton averaged 15.5 points, 8.3 assists and 3.6 rebounds per game last season, as opposed to Miller who averaged 12.7 points, seven assists and 3.7 rebounds per game last season.  

In the midst of this deal, the Trail Blazers were able to get rid of once-disgruntled guard Rudy Fernandez as well, making it a win-win situation for the Trail Blazers on that front.

Add in the draft pick from the Mavs, Targuy Ngombo, and I would have to say the Trail Blazers got the most in return for their trade.

Trail Blazers Trade Grade: B-

Last but not least are the Denver Nuggets, who received point guard Andre Miller in exchange for point guard Raymond Felton, first-round draft pick Jordan Hamilton and a future second-round pick in 2013 or 2014.

As I stated earlier, the Nuggets got the short end of the Miller-Felton trade but getting the draft pick Hamilton out of Texas adds a good shooting, solid rebounding 6'9" forward to the Nuggets' mix—who has the potential to become a very solid contributor in the NBA.

With the downgrade at the point, the addition of a draft pick with a solid upside and a future second-round pick, the Nuggets took the short end of the trade in my opinion, but still did not make out horribly bad.

Nuggets Trade Grade: C-

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