2008 NBA Draft Winners

The 2008 NBA Draft is in the books, and while it is much too early to come down with a verdict on the players or the teams who chose the players, there are some early winners and losers. LayupDrill.com predicts the five biggest winners of this years draft.

1. Minnesota - Though some will question trading the draft rights of OJ Mayo for Kevin Love, the deal works wonders for the Wolves present and future. Wolves GM Kevin Mchale was able to shed the bloated contracts of Marko Jaric, Greg Buckner, and Antoine Walker in return for one of the best shooters in the league in Mike Miller, servicable forwards Jason Collins and Brian Cardinal, and Love.

Adding Love to a team that has some great young talent in Al Jefferson, Randy Foye, Ryan Gomes, and Corey Brewer shows the rebuilding effort is in full effect. Fans of the wolves should be happy at this deal, and be patient. They are what the Blazers were two seasons ago. Now if they somehow can win the lottery next year, they will be a playoff contender in a few seasons.

2. Chicago - Yeah, the Bulls had the first pick, and though they were loaded in the backcourt prior to selecting Derrick Rose, you have to take the best available talent. Rose, a native of Chicago, will not only give the fans something to believe in for the underachieving Bulls, but also will make Loul Deng, Tyrus Thomas, and Joakim Noah better. Chicago will let Chris Duhon go, and possibly look to move Ben Gordon as well, but things are looking up in the Windy City.

3. Los Angeles - No, not the Lakers, but the Clippers. LA’s other team made a splash in the free agent market by landing Baron Davis, and picked up Eric Gordon and big man DeAndre Jordan in the draft. The last piece of the off-season puzzle for the 23 win Clippers will be if they can re-sign their cornerstone of the franchise, Elton Brand. If they can, LA may have two playoff teams playing in the Staples Center next season.

4. Miami - Pat Riley may not have openly been the biggest Michael Beasley fan before the draft, but LayupDrill.com expects Beasley will have the biggest immediate impact of any top 10 draft pick next season. Adding Mario Chalmers sures up their bench and was a steal in the second round. With Wade coming back off an injury plagued season, watch out for Miami to make some seriouos noise in the East.

5. Portland - The Blazers also went the way of Minnesota in unloading bloated contracts in return for future picks. The Blazers started by trading the rights to Brandon Rush, along with Jarrett Jack and Josh McRoberts for Jerryd Bayless, the flashy guard from Arizona with amazing potential. The Brandon Roy/Jerryd Bayless backcourt will be an all star duo for years to come.