Boo's were raining down from the rafters of the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ on Thursday evening throughout the NBA draft. However, the fans weren't booing the players. They were booing David Stern, commissioner of the NBA. I don't think I have ever seen someone enjoy getting booed as much as Stern did last night.
There are always going to be teams that draft better than others. Whether it be in the NFL draft, the MLB draft, or in this case, the NBA draft, some teams always come out better than others. I'll start with the positives from last night.
--The New Orleans Hornets had no problem at the top of the pecking order, selecting Anthony Davis with the overall number one pick, and then getting a dynamic guard in Austin Rivers at the tenth pick. I'm not quite sure where Rivers fits in on this roster, but I believe this was a situation where they drafted talent, not a need. Eric Gordon will likely resign with New Orleans this offseason, which is why I somewhat question where Rivers will play, but overall a fantastic draft for the Hornets. Throw in Darius Miller in the second round and things are looking up for this troubled franchise. Anthony Davis is the kind of player that can change a franchise with his defensive intensity and his improving offensive skillset.
--I absolutely LOVED the Raptors taking Terrence Ross at number eight. He will fill an opening that this team truly needs. He is extremely athletic, and improved his rebounding tremendously last season averaging over six boards a night. Watch out for this Raptors team next season. They will likey throw the kitchen sink at Steve Nash in free agency, and will pick up Jonas Valanciunas, their 5th overall selection from last year's draft. A healthy Andrea Bargnani will move to the power forward position, a spot he is more comfortable in. I could see the Raptors contending for a playoff spot next season.
There were a host of other teams that succeed in last night's draft, but now on to the less fortunate teams.
--Let's start with the Memphis Grizzlies, who only had one selection in last night's draft. This team needs help in a couple of places: shooting guard, and at point guard. They decide to draft Tony Wroten Jr, the PAC-12 freshman of the year. I'm not a big fan of this pick. Wroten has a lot of talent, don't get me wrong, but he just doesn't fit in with this team. Wroten shot SIXTEEN percent from behind the arc last season. He is the kind of player that likes to drive to the basket, with the opportunity to kick it out to a shooter. After all, Wroten shot only 44 percent from the field overall last season. If the Grizzlies had shooters, he could be a nice backup guard that could come in and find the open guy on the wing for a shot. However, the Grizzlies don't have shooters, which makes this selection irrelevant to me. Wroten will join the other young, inexperienced point guards on the Grizzlies roster that Lionel Hollins refuses to trust or even play.
--I also thought Portland wasted a couple of top eleven picks. They drafted Damian Lillard in the sixth spot, and Meyers Leonard at number eleven. Generally, if you have two picks this high in the draft, you would like to get a couple of players that are franchise defining players. To me, they are taking a major chance on both of these players turning out to be stars. Lillard played in a weak conference and faced no top 25 teams last season, but put up incredible numbers at the point guard position. Leonard is a true center that has a lot of upside, but isn't a great scorer. He improved dramatically at Illinois over two seasons, and rebounds the basketball pretty well. I just don't trust either of these picks by Portland, which is why I view their draft as a poor one. Throw in Will Barton and Tyshawn Taylor in the second round and you now will have nine guards on that roster next year. Yikes.
It was an amazing night for the SEC, as we saw the top three selections come out of their conference. It was also a big night for Kentucky and North Carolina, who each had four players selected in the first round. That will be a pretty decent recruiting tool for John Calipari and Roy Williams.
The NBA draft provides optimism for many teams headed into next season. It is always nice to pick up players that can make an immediate impact in the win/loss category. There were many teams that added crucial pieces to their rosters. Most teams are just hoping that their guys don't bust. There will be players that fan out, which is unfortunate, but this is a business. It is pretty simple: perform and get paid, or flop and you'll be looking for another job.
--GM
No comments:
Post a Comment