My NBA Draft grades

The 2009 NBA Draft has come and gone but not without the drama that makes it all fun. In a draft that many of the “Experts" have called weak. I'd like to call it the "Now and Later" draft, you draft the player now and reap the benefits later. With all the trade rumors floating around, gave it a day to let the smoke settle before I

came out with my winners and losers. Here you go:

Atlanta Hawks

The Hawks acquired the pg from Wake Forest that they desire, just a few years late. Jeff Teague will be an awesome lead guard if he can become steady on the defensive end. Scoring won’t be a problem for this team but stopping people will. Now they have a guard heavy team, I’m not sure that they want to hand the team over to a young pg or if they want to give the team to shot happy Jamal Crawford (which they traded for wed night). It sure doesn’t look good for Bibby’s return to the Hawks. The second round pick Sergiy Gladyr will spend a few years overseas and might not make back over.

Boston Celtics

It was kind of hard for the Celtics to get better with there first round draft pick belonging to the Timberwolves this year. I was disappointed they didn’t make any trades to get into the first round for the simple fact that they are getting old. With the 58^th pick they grabbed a steal in Lester Hudson. He is a 6’3 combo guard that can do it all. He has a knack for scoring but the competition he faced at Tenn Martin wasn’t good at all. But they got a great player late in the draft.

Charlotte Bobcats

The Tar heels that run the Bobcats showed you can find success up the road after all by drafting Duke guard Gerald Henderson. With Raja Bell at the position now they needed an upgrade for the future. He is a excellent defender and athletically gifted, his offensive game needs polishing up. Derrick Brown, a small forward from Xavier, is a nice addition to there roster. He can play both forward positions and is improving his range.

Chicago Bulls

They came into the draft with a need for a inside scorer and came away with 2 players that wont help in that area. They drafted James Johnson with the 16^th pick, more of a small forward that may attempt to play a little big man. He may impress some but I know what he is capable of doing. Taj Gibson out of USC has the height and the skill to be a good player. He just lacks the huskiness to really be a beast down low. They now have 3 guys on the roster like that in T. Thomas and J. Noah

Cleveland Cavaliers

They really didn’t help themselves out at all in this draft. They wasted there first round pick on a guy that won’t help them for a number of years. They drafted Danny Green from Carolina who may be a solid Rick Fox type of guy in 2011.

Dallas Mavericks

I like all 3 of there picks in the draft because they went after a need. They selected 2 pg’s that can really help especially with Jason Kidd saying that he wants out. Rodrigue Beaubois and Nick Calathes are similar but Calathes is better now.

Denver Nuggets

They may have gotten the best pure pg in the draft, Ty Lawson. They acquired him in a trade with Minnesota for a future first round pick. He is exactly what they wanted and needed. He fits there system like I fit a pro club white t shirt. The one knock on him is he is very similar to Raymond Felton’s game and I’m really not a fan of his.

Detroit Pistons

Piston’s Drafted 3 forwards who can possibly play the small and power. The bad thing is all 3 are relatively inconsistent. I thought maybe they would go after one of the million guards in the draft. These were picks for the future, I hope.

Golden State Warriors

This was a great pick up for the Warriors. Stephen Curry can get an open shot at any time. He has been rumored in the deal that would bring Amare to the bay. The biggest question is will he be involved in the trade? If that does happen it turns into the worst pick possible.

Houston Rockets

For a team that didn’t have picks to start with, they came out like a fat rat on thursday. They picked up a lot of scoring in a major way. Central Florida’s Jermaine Taylor and Chase Buddinger out of Arizona are great scorers at any level. The question is when will they be able to contribute? Maybe as early as opening night!!

Indiana Pacers

This was a good draft for the Pacers. They filled a major need. I like teams that to this. Hansborough may not be a superstar in this league but he will most def be a starter for many years. AJ Price could come in handy if they trade TJ Ford or if they let Jarred Jack go.

Los Angeles Clippers

BLAKE GRIFFIN, nuff said.

Los Angeles Lakers

The Lakers traded their lone first round pick saving them almost 6 million. They are not trying to add guys to the roster unless their names are Ariza and Odom.

Memphis Grizzlies

To be such a horrible franchise they did pretty well Thursday night. They got the shot blocker that will help change and alter shot but that’s all they will get from him. Thabeet is Mutumbo x’s 2.They also got over aged Sam Young.

Miami Heat

With no first round picks they drafted 2 athletes in the 2^nd round. They are setting themselves up for a run at the big free agents.

Milwaukee Bucks

The rebuilding process has started in Milwaukee. They traded away Jefferson this week and really didn’t get better from it. B. Jennings will be legit once he begins to become complete on the floor. Until then its going to be rough. Meeks from Kentucky is just a scorer that’s it, he is a poor mans Ben Gordon.

Minnesota Timberwolves

Where do I start with this team? They came into the draft with a need at pg, so they drafted 3 of them. But it’s a smart decision. They drafted Rubio 5^th and Flynn 6^th with the thought that one of them won’t be there when training camp starts. Rubio has stated he won’t play there so the Flynn selection makes more sense. They drafted Lawson then traded him to Denver. Also they got Ellington from Carolina to shore up there perimeter need. Good draft.

New Jersey Nets

Terrence Williams is a nice addition to the Nets. He does everything well except for put the ball in the basket from the perimeter. Good grab

New Orleans Hornets

The Hornets may not have received the player they want but sure did get the position right. With so many point guards coming of the board early, they selected Darren Collison out of UCLA. He will be of great assistance in relief of CP3 and he is a lock down guy. Thorton from LSU is a good scorer who may be essential.

New York Knicks

The fans cried for Curry but they should have cried for help. The Knicks drafted Arizona big man J. Hill. He fits the prototypical pf role that D’Antoni likes. With a season playing behind David Lee, he will be ok. Toney Douglas is the scorer they need to compliment everything else.

Oklahoma City Thunder

A great great pick for them. He wasn’t heralded as the 3^rd pick but was the best guard in the draft. With him, Westbrook and Durant they are looking very enticing.

Orlando Magic

They had no picks this year but they made a trade to win NOW!! They traded for Vince Carter. This will be a good trade if we are playing on NBA LIVE but this is real life. They gave up the future for Vince, I hope it works out.

Philadelphia 76ers

I love the pick of Jrue Holiday for the 76ers. It fills a possible open spot that may be vacated if Andre Miller moves on. If he returns then it makes them that much better plus he can tutor Holliday.

Phoenix Suns

Earl Clark out of Louisville brings much of what Grant Hill didn’t have, athleticism and youth. He is still improving and will be a force. They also got Taylor Griffin… Right

Portland Trail Blazers

They drafted for the “just in case scenario”. Just in case one of the pg’s go down they have Patty Mills. He is very experienced and a lighting quick hooper. They also got Dante Cunningham from Nova, don’t know what to think about that one. And with there first round pick they got a good guard that will stay overseas.

Sacramento Kings

They chose Tyreke Evans over Rubio which may be good. With the trade for Sergio Rodriguez they have wiggle room. J.Brockman will be a force down low, something like Brad Miller. Overall pretty darn good job.

San Antonio Spurs

Some say the Spurs were the winner of the draft that night, I don’t see it that way at all. Yea they got a rebounding beast in Blair but he is only 6’6 and won’t be a factor like they say he will. Jack McCLinton gives them scoring but will he fit the system??

Toronto Raptors

Vince Carter version 2 is now in Canada. Demar DeRozen is there choice but he can’t shoot to save his life. Great upside but he may fall on his face.

Utah Jazz

They should have drafted a suitable fall back at forward just in case Boozer, Milsap and or Okur leave. Instead they Maynor fell in their lap. Good backup for D. Will.

Washington Wizards

No picks because they traded the 6^th pick to Minnesota for Foye and Miller. They received experienced guards but they had the chance to pick up Rubio. Can you imagine Rubio and Arenas in the backcourt together? They would have been “Showtime” of the East. This ultimately makes them the LOSERS of the draft.

*these are all opinions made by me!! i did not copy anyone elses words, thoughts or ideas

Guess Who's Coming To Town

I guess LeBron said since we couldn't beat Superman, we might as well have him join our team. The Cleveland Cavaliers, in need of stability at the center position, acquired Shaquille O'neal from the Phoenix Suns. In the blockbuster deal the Suns receive Ben Wallace, Sasha Pavlovic, a second round draft pick and cash consideration for the 15 time all star. The trade was first brought to light around this years trade deadline in february but never was completed. After failing to reach the NBA Final this spring, the Cavs needed to make a splash this summer and they did so by way of a 7 foot, 320 pound center.

Will this acquisition bring that coveted championship the city desperately desires? What will LeBron be, the man or the sidekick? Do the Cavs have enough to win? What will happen if the Cavs still cant get to the promise land?

First off, its way too early to tell if this will work out to the Cavs advantage or not. On paper it looks like a parade on the east coast 12 months from now. But it really isn't that easy to call. Yes they needed a big man because Zydrunas Illgauskas is just flat out awful now a days, as you seen against the Magic this year. Shaq brings that presence down low that draws a constant double team from most teams, something LeBron has yet to have since joining the league. Bron Bron will have to rely on his jump shot more this season than ever before. Shaq take up alot of space in the paint, wont be alot of room for Bron to rove the paint. Although it will create open opportunities for the perimeter players to hit wide open treys. How will Varejao adjust to being a mid range shooting power forward? We all know Shaq is a dominant force on offense but he is a huge liability on defense. Teams will take advantage of his lack of mobility in defending the pick and roll every game. When you have all the competitive teams in the east running the pick and roll all day it proposes a problem. Also, the new trend in the NBA is to push the rock up and down the court, can Shaq hang? I dont think Shaq can take the physical pounding of playing in the eastern conference day in and day out. This isn't the west where he goes against power forwards pretending to be centers. The east takes a toll on your body. I'm not here to bash the 'Big Fella' I'm just stating the facts.

You have 2 of the biggest stars in the league along with 2 of the largest personalities to ever play as well. They both love the spotlight, love the glory, so how will this work? Didn't Shaq have problems with all the with all of his other high "sidekicks" teammates? The answer is YES, but this is a different type of teammate. The difference is he is coming to a team where "The Man" is already established. He don't have to come in and be the Diesel. Now he can simply be the Jeep Cherokee and cruise. He is now playing with the ultimate teammate who loves to esteem others above himself (something like Magic Johnson). I kinda see it like Magic and Kareem in the 80's. One budding star just coming into his own and another on the tail end of there career. Two people who really need each other to win, one more than the other. But, you know Shaq will always be Shaq. Its kind of hard to tell a zebra to lose it stripes right? I just wonder will Shaq be man enough to take a backseat to King James and the Prince ( Mo Williams)? We shall see in due time.

With all that being said i don't think they have enough to win it all as of June 25th. They still need a prominent wing man to take the burden off LeBron and to just make plays. You can only count on D. West for so long before you say enough is enough! Especially with the loss of Pavlovic you need help, not saying Pavlovic was a factor. He was just another guy that was used as an option. I think that a guy like Shawn Marion or Matt Barnes would do wonders for this current roster. They also need a consistent back up behind Mo Williams. Boobie Gibson had that great run in the playoffs that one year but Keyshia Cole got him all messed up. What if they can come out of the draft with a solid point guard. Maybe someone like Eric Maynor from VCU. I'm not a GM so don't listen to ol Goat.

Do I think that this partnership will work? It has a fair chance but it all depends on the pieces that surround this big puzzle. And alot rides on Mike Brown too. He called only one play the whole playoffs, can he really coach? Or did he have the luxury of having LeBron take his team to new heights in the regular season? All these answers wont be answered until they lace em up this fall. For now we just have to settle for the what ifs and great debate in the barber shops.