2011 NBA Draft Review: Kemba Walker, Bismack Biyombo and the Charlotte Bobcats

At first I was angry.  Then I was skeptical.  Finally, I accepted it, and am cautiously optimistic for the 2011 draft class of the Charlotte Bobcats.  

At the beginning of the night, I hoped and expected Michael Jordan and the Charlotte Bobcats to draft Chris Singleton and MarShon Brooks, solidifying the shooting guard and small forward spots for the future. To be quite honest, I had hyped up those two players so much in my mind that I was going to be disappointed if the outcome was even slightly different.  So I guess, in a way, I was setting myself up for disappointment, no matter the outcome.

When Charlotte traded Stephen Jackson, the 19th overall pick, and Shaun Livingston for Corey Maggette and the rights to the seventh overall pick, I was very excited.  I have always liked Maggette as a solid complementary player and a shooter.  He may not be on the Bobcats once they start to win, but he will certainly go a long way in mentoring them.  

I don't know who I was expecting at seventh overall, but my gut reaction when Biyombo was selected was one of pure frustration.  I love Biyombo's length and defensive capabilities, but I wasn't thrilled with a 6'9" power forward without any offensive ability whatsoever.  

I then read that because of his 7'7" wingspan and his 9'1" reach, he would play center, and that eased my mind a little. A dominant defensive center with no offense is Ben Wallace..and I'm more than fine with that.  If Biyombo can eventually get a little bit of a jump shot,enough to keep defenses honest, and be able to dominate defensively even as a 6'9" center, then he will be a great success from the seventh pick.

It wasn't until almost a full day after the Biyombo selection that I came to grips with the pick, and started to realize that Biyombo could pay huge dividends for Charlotte if he ever realizes his potential.  

Two picks later, I was ecstatic.  I love Kemba Walker, always have, and always will.  In addition to having my favorite name in all of sports, ESPN profiles Kemba as very fast, very quick, explosive, and an excellent athlete.  He gets to the rim at will, finds teammates off of penetration, has a flair for the spectacular, picks up a lot of steals, has a great jump shot, he's very tough, very clutch, and has a huge heart.  He's a leader, and a winner.  

Many question his ability to start as a point guard in the NBA, and think he's essentially Jason Terry: an undersized combo guard off of the bench that gives big minutes, and big points.  While there is certainly nothing wrong with Jason Terry, I think Kemba can be more.  That fire, that determination, that heart, that speed...these project very well as a point guard.  

He needs to improve his passing, but this will come with time.  Kemba should start at the point, relegating DJ Augustin to either a backup role, or to be traded to another team in order to find a more physical backup point guard, perhaps a pass-first veteran who can mentor Kemba.

So with the 2011 draft, Michael Jordan and co. have selected Charlotte's point guard and center of the future, but most importantly, have selected their leader, and face of the franchise.  There are obvious questions at shooting guard and small forward, but by grabbing a point guard and a big man, Charlotte is certainly headed in the right direction.  

I know it's too early to talk about the 2012 draft, but there are clearly two players that can fill a hole in Charlotte's starting lineup in Terrence Jones, the small forward out of Kentucky, and Harrison Barnes, the shooter from North Carolina.  By neglecting these two positions, perhaps Jordan was planning on taking one of these future All-Stars next year.  

Regardless, a formerly bland and sinking franchise has taken a major step forward in finding an offensive and defensive identity, so the 2011 draft was well-spent by Charlotte.     

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For more 2011 NBA draft coverage, stay tuned to Bleacher Report for NBA draft results and NBA draft grades.