32 NBA GMs
on June 24th, 2009
This is what I would do if I were all of the GMs in the NBA and could make no trades in the 1st round. Oh yeah, this draft is really bad!!!
1. LA Clippers-Blake Griffin 6′10 252 (Oklahoma)-This is basically a no-brainer. You have to wonder if Zach Randolph is still going to be there because the clamor will be for Griffin to play early.
2. Memphis-Ricky Rubio 6′4 182 (Spain)-There’s a distinct possibility that Rubio will be traded because Memphis doesn’t really have a need for Rubio right now and he may be of more use in a trade.
3. Oklahoma City-Hasheem Thabeet 7′3 260 (Connecticut)-To me, this is the other no-brainer. The Thunder need a defensive big man that defends the paint and rebound. Give him some time and proper training and he could surprise people with his scoring too.
4. Sacramento-DeMar DeRozan 6′6 211 (USC). I’m a little stuck here. To me, the Kings have absolutely no athletic ability from their players and that’s something that DeRozan has. Another thing that DeRozan does is improve as time goes by. He may not be much now, but wait a little while.
5. Minnesota-Tyreke Evans 6′5 197 (Memphis). This was JUST the Wizards’ pick a day ago, but they traded it for Randy Foye & Mike Miller? Well, the Timberwolves would love to get this guy because he’s something they don’t have and that’s a scorer outside of Al Jefferson. Evans can score and should definitely become a bona-fide, big-time scorer eventually.
6. Minnesota-Brandon Jennings 6′1 170 (Italy via Cali). Don’t tell me that Minnesota is remotely ready for anything right now, so they need to set themselves up as Jennings is probably the most talented PG in the draft.
7. Golden State-Jonny Flynn 6′0 196 (Syracuse). One of the things the Warriors miss is a distributor; Baron Davis used to do it all. Flynn definitely fits that bill and may be a surprising scorer as well.
8. New York-Stephen Curry 6′3 181 (Davidson). This is too easy. Best scorer and shooter in college basketball available for Mike D’Antoni? There’s almost no doubt that if Curry is available, he will be a Knick.
9. Toronto-James Harden 6′5 205 (Arizona St). This may be a long drop for some people, but I don’t see Harden as a lot of people see him. I think he has a lot further to go as a scorer in the NBA than he thinks. Either way, he would be a huge improvement for Toronto at the 2.
10. Milwaukee-Jordan Hill 6′10 232 (Arizona). After Bogut & Gadzuric, the Bucks don’t have any big man under contract. I’m not a fan of Hill, but he can rebound and plays better defense than any Arizona player in recent memory.
11. New Jersey-Jeff Teague 6′1 181 (Wake Forest). This dude really may have been the best player in the nation in early January, but he did fall off. Even though he’s a PG, he does have a scoring mentality. If his perimeter game gets consistent, he’ll become solid.
12. Charlotte-DeJuan Blair 6′6 288 (Pitt). This is an “announcement” pick. The Bobcats have a productive front court, but they aren’t tough and neither is the team. Sean May is probably on his way out and since he hardly ever played, Blair will bring things May couldn’t. The only question is can he make sure that size doesn’t matter.
13. Indiana-Earl Clark 6′9 235 (Louisville). The Pacers have talented players, but like a lot of teams, they don’t have anyone that plays any defense whatsoever. Clark takes care of that and he has the ability to do a ton of things on the floor at 6′9, a lot like Lamar Odom.
14. Phoenix-Terrance Williams 6′6 222 (Louisville). The Suns may very well be moving this pick, but if they don’t, Williams is the type of player they need. When the Suns let Raja Bell & Boris Diaw go to Charlotte, they really missed their perimeter defense and their ability to create off of the dribble. Williams can do both of those well.
15. Detroit-James Johnson 6′9 232 (Wake Forest). Personally, I think someone should tell people that the Pistons are lying in the wait for front court players and I believe that Johnson is the perfect place to start. Defensively and rebounding won’t be a problem with this guy, but his offensive game is in transition. He can play inside and out, but he isn’t consistent at either one of them.
16. Chicago-Wayne Ellington 6′4 194 (North Carolina). I probably have Ellington higher than most, but I believe the Bulls will have serious issues signing Ben Gordon to a huge contract. If that is the case, then they could try for the closest thing in college, which is Ellington. Ellington has a lot in his offensive package, but his athleticism really takes away from him being a star in the league.
17. Philadelphia-Ty Lawson 5′11 195 (North Carolina). The 76ers like to run and there’s no one in college basketball that played in transition any better than Lawson. His speed and strength will make him an asset, but he has issues on the defensive end and shooting off of the dribble.
18. Minnesota (via Miami)-Jermaine Taylor 6′5 203 (UCF). The Timberwolves now need someone to put the ball in the basket and even though many haven’t seen Taylor play, he can fill it up. Went to Portsmouth Invitational and tore it up; everyone knew about his athleticism, but his perimeter game has improved every season.
19. Atlanta-Eric Maynor 6′3 180 (VCU). The Hawks could go a lot of ways here, so in this instance, they should take the best player available in one of the many need positions. No one is saying it, but Mike Bibby is also an unrestricted FA and he was already overpaid!! After that, it’s Acie Law. Uh, no!! Yes, they could go for size, but either way, Maynor should be good.
20. Utah-Tyler Hansbrough 6′8 243 (North Carolina). Welcome to Exhibit A of a player who didn’t leave early and who got criticized more simply because he was in college so long. Hansbrough is as tough as they come and will compete against anyone. There’s no one in the league who likes this more than Jerry Sloan. Add in the fact that Boozer opted-out of his contract, Millsap is a FA, and now there’s a need for a player like Hansbrough.
21. New Orleans-Gerald Henderson 6′4 214 (Duke). Don’t look now, but if Henderson drops down here, the Hornets have themselves a player. Defensively, Henderson is solid all-around and offensively, he is very good in the mid-range game. That means that Henderson also has limited range as well. The question is whether Henderson can keep getting better like he has done the last 3 years.
22. Dallas-Toney Douglas 6′1 196 (Florida St). Very quietly, like Atlanta, the Mavericks have their starting PG as an unrestricted FA who was already overpaid. Uh, oh!! Well, I thought Douglas was the best PG outside of Stephon Curry last season in college basketball. Has a scoring mentality more than a passing one, but he also like to compete.
23. Sacramento (via Houston)-Austin Daye 6′10 200 (Gonzaga). Even though he is rail thin, he is a very skilled player. Most teams are already talking about him and fatigue at the end of the season, but I believe the Kings can and will wait. He should be more athletic since he has had another year to heal from his ACL injury, but most even criticize his footwork as well. Daye has to get stronger, but now find a strength in his game too.
24. Portland-DaJuan Summers 6′8 231 (Georgetown). It’s not like the Blazers need much more other than experience, but Summers could bring them a defensive presence at the 3 position. He has long arms and surprising strength that make him NBA ready in these areas. Offensively, Summers is a bit limited, but Portland won’t need his offense too much.
25. Oklahoma City (via San Antonio)-B.J. Mullens 7′0 277 (Ohio St). Just keep loading up the big men for Oklahoma City. If Mullens is here, it’s a no-brainer even if they do get Thabeet because they really don’t have a center at all right now. This would be all potential.
26. Chicago (via Oklahoma City via Denver)-Chase Budinger 6′7 218 (Arizona). For some reason, people have Budinger as a 2 and I don’t see it. As a 3, he causes problems for a lot of them because of his versatility. The thing people should not forget is his shooting ability and even though he play a passive game, he is usually very productive.
27. Memphis (via Orlando)-Jrue Holiday 6′3 205 (UCLA). Some people have this guy in the lottery while I barely have him making the first round. To me, Holliday comes in the draft one-dimensional and all of it on the defensive end. He should be great eventually on the defensive end, but on the offensive, his best asset is his work on the offensive boards. His mid-range game is below average and his perimeter game is worst than that. He should be good in the open court, but he needs a ton of work.
28. Minnesota (via Boston)-Sam Young 6′6 219 (Pitt). The fourth of the 1st rounders would go to the 3. Young is a tough dude who will cause problems will his defense alone. Plus, he does have a post game where he has an effective turnaround J. Now you have some momentum as you basically drafted in the places that needed much improvement from the Timberwolves.
29. LA Lakers-Sergio Llull 6′3 179 (Spain). Assuming that the Lakers are going to be at or over the salary cap, the Lakers are going to get a good one in Llull. They have been raving about this dude and he isn’t going to be coming to the Lakers this year either. He’s a PG that reminds everyone of Jose Calderon, even though in an international competition against Toronto (and Calderon), he went for 17 & 12 and his club team, Real Madrid, won the game. Watch out in a year.
30. Cleveland-Marcus Thornton 6′4 213 (LSU). To me, the Cavaliers are going to look for scorers since they fell short to the Magic and they had better be careful. Thornton can fill it up, but it is mostly off of screens because he doesn’t really handle the ball well enough to put the ball on the floor.
