First year head coach Sam Vincent will be looking to make a playoff push this season. Dudley provides them with an NBA ready guy who can produce from day 1. He may not have a true NBA position, but his intelligent playing style and nice perimeter stroke will allow him a place in Charlottes rotation this season.
The Sixers desperately needed a power forward going into this draft, and they managed to get a very talented one all the way down at #21 in Jason Smith. It cost them a bit of cash to get up there, but it makes perfect sense for them for where they were drafting. Smith is a super athletic power forward with intriguing perimeter skills and a great upside to continue to improve. He needs to get playing time and learn through his mistakes, and hell have the chance to do that in Philadelphia.
At #20, the Heat went with the best player available in Daequan Cook, and also managed to extort some extra cash out of Philly, who obviously wanted Jason Smith. The Heat are set at most other places except shooting guard, but Cook is a big time talent that gives Miami some much needed athleticism and perimeter shooting. The biggest question mark is whether Pat Riley will be willing to play him?
From the Knicks' perspective, the addition of Randolph gives them one of the most offensively talented frontcourts in the league, but Randolph and Curry won't impose fear in anyone on the defensive end. They've definitely pushed themselves into playoff contention with this move, but in the long-term, it's tough to see them legitimately contending for a title with frontcourt defense like that.
Belinelli probably fits into the NBA better than the European game, and he will fit in well with the way Don Nelson wants the team to play. He had an off season in Italy this season, choosing to shoot the three with limited success while choosing not to go to the basket. If he improves the accuracy while spoting up for three, he could become a nice fit for the Warriors in a couple years.
The Wizards could be a great spot for a young player to land, with some immediate playing time available. They go with Nick Young, who should contend for signficant PT right away. He has developed into a surprisingly well-rounded player over the past two seasons, and should complement Arenas well. The question with Young is where does he stick out? Early in his career, that midrange shot creating ability won't be as valuable. Nonetheless, you have to think Young is happy with this situation - even if he did slip a couple of picks.
The Knicks and Blazers have agreed in principle to a significant trade, where the Knicks will send Channing Frye and Steve Francis to Portland for Zach Randolph, Dan Dickau, and Fred Jones. The deal makes sense on some levels for both teams, with the Knicks adding a great impact player in Randolph, and the Blazers shedding some significant salary while adding a talented youth in Frye. Randolph has two less years on his deal than Francis, at the maximum level to boot.
Frye struggled in his sophomore season with the Knicks, and didn't really fit alongside Eddy Curry, not being the rebounding presence the Knicks needed. Frye is definitely a better player than he showed this past season, though, and he will be a nice complement to Greg Oden and Lamarcus Aldridge in the future. Steve Francis also had fallen out of favor in New York, and he was part of a log-jammed backcourt that the Knicks now freed up.
From the Blazers' perspective, they got younger and shed some salary, but they also gave up the most talented player in the deal by far, and Randolph had his best season as a pro this past year. This will hurt them in the short-term, but it's hard to argue with the great rebuilding project they have going there.
Julian Wright provides New Orleans with an athletic forward who will get up and down the floor well with Chris Paul. He has great potential defensively for the NBA, and a nice overall feel on the offensive end of the floor. If the Hornets play up-tempo, Wright can play either forward position. The Hornets bring back a solid core group led by Chris Paul, that made a strong playoff push despite an injury plagued season. Though their push for the postseason fell short, they bring back a very good roster that could make the playoffs in the deep west this season.
The 76ers throw a real curve ball in this draft by surprising everyone and taking Thaddeus Young. Some things just never change, and one of them is that bad franchises are bad for a reason. Nick Young , Al Thornton, and Julian Wright are all fiddling in their chairs right now. The Wizards and Nets are celebrating.
After adding Rodney Carney on the perimeter in last year's draft, the 76ers added the thunder to his lightning by selecting Thaddeus Young with the 12th overall selection this year. Young's potential and athleticism make him a solid fit for Philadelphia, but he may not be able to make the immediate impact that a player like Al Thorton would have been able to. He will enjoy the luxury of playing alongside one of the league's top distributors in Andre Miller, so he should see his share of opportunities. Young's ability to improve as a defender and rebounder will probably determine his minutes early in his career.
Gabe Pruitt and Derrick Byars are also here with their families respectively. Top International prospects Tiago Splitter and Rudy Fernandez have not been spotted yet, despite the fact that they were widely regarded as the next best International players this draft had to offer not named Yi Jianlian. Both Fernandez and Splitter have buyout issues, which could see both players drop to the second round unless some sort of resolution comes about.
The Hawks finally addressed their point guard position in this year's draft, and while many will take issue with their passing on Mike Conley at the #3 spot, something that could come back to hurt them down the road, they got a good player at the #11 spot in Acie Law. Law is one of the more NBA-ready players in this draft, and should be able to crack their rotation relatively quickly. His leadership and clutch scoring should be important for the team as the Hawks continue to move closer to legitimate contention, though there is some concern about his ceiling as a player, and someone like Javaris Crittenton could've reaped more rewards down the road if he develops. All in all, this was a very solid pick for the Hawks, filling a need and getting good value all at once.
The kings end up going with Spencer Hawes, a west coast guy who fits the mold Sacramento was supposedly looking at. It is an interesting pick for this team in a clear-cut transition period. They already have several players in the frontcourt, which allows them to bring Hawes along slowly. Hawes is a unique pick in that his upside comes from size/skill and not athleticism, but this pick could signal the beginning of an emphasis on the future in Sacramento.
This is a great pick for Chicago, and a great pick for Joakim Noah. A match made in heaven for both parties. The Bulls were saying that there is a "5% chance that they get Noah" earlier this week...but at the end of the day, they got the guy they would have taken #2 last year.
The biggest need for the Bulls going into this draft was low post scoring, while Joakim Noah doesn't exactly fit the bill there, he is a logical choice being the best player available. Noah is the kind of a guy coach Skiles likes and he should be able to crack the rotation immediately. Noah's winning attitude and contagious energy should help Chicago win games next season, even if he is somewhat limited offensively because of his poor shooting ability. We are still talking about a player that would have been a Top 3 pick last year and has won back-to-back Championships. Joakim will add even more to the very solid interior defense of Chicago and he helped them spread the floor with his very good passing skills. While Noah certainly lost a couple of millions by staying another year at Florida, he has to be satisfied considering that he is landing in an almost perfect situation.
With all the Kevin Garnett speculation, it appears he is staying put for now. With another lottery selection, the Timberwolves needed to make a choice between drafting a player to help now, or going for a potential guy as part of the rebuilding process. Corey Brewer brings a winning pedigree to the team, and fills a position of need with the Timberwolves. As a Minnesota guy, I think Noah would have been a better pick.
I get the feeling that Milwaukee may have drafted Yi for somebody else, potentially the Golden State Warriors. I dont think Yis people want him playing in Milwaukee, and it would make total sense if a trade is announced soon.
The Bucks made a nice addition to their young core with the 5th pick, taking Yi Jianlian, the intriguing Chinese power-forward center. Jianlian is not the most NBA-ready player of the top prospects in the draft, and this is a very good situation for him basketball-wise, as he'll have plenty of time to develop behind Charlie Villanueva and Andrew Bogut. Also, if the Bucks are out of playoff contention once again this year, that could open up a lot of garbage minutes towards the end of the season. While the pick makes sense from a basketball perspective, there may be a bit of controversy from the marketing angle, as Yi's agent was heavily pushing for him to go to a large market city with a sizeable Chinese population, criteria Milwaukee doesn't fit. It will be interesting to see if Milwaukee holds on to Yi, and if there's no further controversy if they do. If they retain Yi, as most think they will, he will be an excellent addition to their future plans, if he reaches his full potential.
With many of the top prospects sitting in the green room, it is always quite interesting to see which prospects will show up for the draft that are not invited. Potential international draftees Zoran Erceg, Stanko Barac, Marco Belinelli, and Marko Lekic have all been spotted. Likewise American born players Wilson Chandler and Arron Afflalo have been spotted in the stands, leading one to believe that these players are comfortable enough with their draft situations to believe they will be shaking someone's hand up on the stage, whether it be in the first or second rounds.
The draft really starts here at number 3. Oden and Durant were the expected number 1 and 2, and the Northwest division will be tough for years to come. It appears that Horford and Conley Jr. will be the next two picks, and it will be interesting to see who goes 5, assuming the pick is going to Seattle as part of a Ray Allen trade.
Very good selection here by Memphis. Conley Jr. gives them a pass first point guard who can lead the team for years to come. His shooting must improve, but he has all the tools to become a starter for years to come. It will be interesting to see who the next point guard draft is.
With the selection of Al Horford, the Hawks will bolster their frontcourt, having a nice tandem of big men with him alongside Zaza Pachulia and Shelden Williams. Horford may have the best potential of the group, and could develop into an excellent defensive-minded role player in not too long. Point guard is still a position the Hawks will need to address, though, so look for them to do that at No. 11.
ESPN has speculated about a potential trade involving Boston and Seattle in their pre-draft coverage, and the agent of one of the players involved has confirmed to DraftExpress.com that this trade is happening. It appears that Boston will send Theo Ratliff, Delonte West, and the #5 pick to Seattle for Ray Allen. Conventional thought says that this move is being made to appease Paul Pierce, but the deal has to be considered a huge boon for the rebuilding Sonics. No word yet on who the Sonics would consider with the 5th pick.
- It is pretty late over here in Europe, and until everything is said and done it will be around 6 am cet, but there are plenty of fans following the draft and looking out for thier countrymens. Especially Italians, who are waiting to see where thier star Marco Bellineli will end up.
-We're an hour and a half before the draft and things are eerily quiet on the mega-trade front. "Our phones are dead...its quiet as a mouse," tells us one NBA scout from a very active team directly from their war room.
-Mike Conley Jr. has been assured that he'll be drafted 4th. Arrangements have been made for his family to join him in Memphis for the press conference.
-We were just told that Sean Williams was in Philadelphia yesterday for a workout with Glen Davis and Carl Landry.
-Ike Diogu for the #26 pick is for real from what we are hearing. Or at least NBA people say it has legs. Houston already acquired a late 2nd round pick, but they are apparently trying to find a player who is willing to be stashed overseas because of roster spot concerns--either American or International.
-Atlanta is still seriously looking at the offer for Monta Ellis in exchange for the #11 pick.
-We've been told that Sammy Mejia was guaranteed he'll be drafted 57th by Detroit. I think we can all rest easy now.
-We've made a number of adjustments to our 2nd round mock draft based off what we're hearing, and might have more coming.
-Wilson Chandler is going in the first round. He's in New York City.
-Joakim Noah is an early favorite to win the "worst dressed" award from what we're told, wearing a white suit and a purple bow tie.
-We're relocating and will be back for more.