Post by noves on May 7, 2009 16:02:54 GMT -5
1. Orlando Magic - C Gabe Aimetti - There seem to be 3 possibilities at #1 in Aimetti, Lane, and Strickland. However, Aimetti is a big man, and with there being fewer good young bigs in the league, the Magic will look to take Aimetti and hope he becomes an all-star caliber player. He's got a very unique game, and there are questions about his defense, but he is probably the most valuable player in the draft. Along with Robert Band and Ha-Lau Wa, should form a very nice future trio for the Magic.
2. San Antonio Spurs (From MIA) - SG Beep Lane - The Spurs got this pick for Myles Taylor, and boy, that deal worked out well for them. Beep Lane enters the league with an unheard of ability to score inside. The guy's only 5-9, but man, he's better in the post then guys a full foot taller. He's just dirty inside, and he can steal the ball. Very unusual player, but a very very good one. He and Jackie Skoals are the future for the Spurs, and should form a great back court tandem for many years to come.
3. Denver Nuggets - SF LaRue Strickland - Strickland seems to have the most upside of any player in the draft, but he's also very raw, so there's a chance he may never live up to that upside. The Nuggets have their franchise player in Rory Davis, now they just need to surround him with great talent. Last year's draft pick Mike Smith looks like a bust, so the Nuggets will go for a more prototypical player in Strickland, and hope to score big.
4. Dallas Mavericks - PG Will Henderson - After taking Ruslan Sergeyev and the Dial Brothers in last year's draft, the Mavs look to shore up their backcourt this year. They have Abdul Denton already, but he's turn-over prone, and will likely be dealt. Or, they can go with a Henerson-Denton back court. Henderson has received very high praise from scouts, and looks to enter the league and be one of the better young PG's in the league. Probably the best player available at this point as well.
5. Detroit Pistons - PF J.J. White - The Pistons are entering their contract year next year, so they need an impact player, a player who holds value at the same time, and a big man. This pick will be White or Garang most likely. I have them taking White solely because he's a solid defender and a great inside scorer, whereas Garang is a great defender and a so-so scorer. White's lack of rebounding is compensated by being paired in a frontcourt with one of the league's best rebounders, Theodore Lawson. The Pistons have a nice core already, and adding White should help them for next season. They'll need to make more deals though.
6. Indiana Pacers - C J.A. Garang - The Pacers already have quite a few good young complimentary players, but don't really have that franchise player yet. Kareem Melton and David Abernathy have shown flashes of being that player, but they seem like the 2nd and 3rd options for that team in the future. They won't get their franchise player in this draft, but adding a player like Garang will still be very helpful. He's a defensive phenom, and while the rest of his game is pretty awful, we've seen players like Serge Ibaka play huge roles for teams in the past, so Garang should be able to make himself a valuable asset to whatever team he plays for.
7. Seattle SuperSonics - PG Sergei Van Hardevaald - This draft is full of unique players, and SVH is no different. Defense aside, the dude can flat out ball. If his defense were a bit higher, he'd be a top 3 pick, as he's an incredible outside shooter, ball handler, and a good rebounder. The Sonics have Alexander at PG, but SVH looks to be the best player left at this point, and he could develop into a complete stud if he improves his defense a bit. Either way, it appears he will be a starter in the BBS, it's just not clear how good of a starter he will be.
8. Denver Nuggets (From LAC) - SG Patrick Dixon - Dixon seems to be a solid all-around guard, and having already drafted Strickland with their first draft pick, the Nuggs decide to go with Dixon as their SG of the future. He reminds some of Dexter Strickland, and the Nuggets would be thrilled if he becomes that good. The Nuggets should have a nice future with Davis, Strickland, and Dixon.
9. Detroit Pistons (From CHI) - PF Amon Cummings - With their first pick the Pistons took White, with this one, they take another one in Cummings. Cummings reminds a lot of scouts of Terric Harrison, and he looks to have a nice future at PF. He won't be a star, but he should be a very good big for a long time. He and White should help the Pistons a lot this year, and even if Jay decides he needs to deal them, they should both hold a lot of value.
10. New York Knicks (From SAS) - SF Keith Washington - The Knicks are the only playoff team with a lottery pick in this draft, and Washington might be the most BBS-ready player left at this point. Outlawz has always liked versatile players too, and Washington is just that. He looks to be a very good complimentary player, he could be a solid starter, but he seems to be destined to be a great 6th man. Either way, a great addition to an already deep team.
11. Atlanta Hawks - SG LaSavier Thomas - The Hawks have their franchise player in Maximov, and their second option in Johnson, and here they take their PG of the future in Thomas. He's listed as SG, but most scouts seem to think he'll transition well to PG, and while he's very different from Maximov and Johnston in terms of offensive games, he'll provide a nice balance to their outside scoring ability with his inside scoring ability.
12. Houston Rockets - C Marcus Hayes - At this point in the draft, there don't seem to be any real 'studs' left, and the Rockets are in a good position rebuilding wise, so they can afford to take a risk here and takes Hayes. He has the most bizarre game of anyone in this draft arguably, and that's saying A LOT. However, with that bizarre game comes bizarre talents. Those talents could make him a great player, and the Rockets will take a gamble here and hope they do.
13. San Antonio Spurs (From NOH) - SF Jeremy Ransaw - Ransaw has been compared defensively to Ron Artest, which is very impressive. However, he's raw offensively, and doesn't appear to have the potential to become a legitimate offensive stud. He's also a below average passer and rebounder, which hurts his value. At this point though, he's a nice pick-up for the Spurs. They could also decide to go with the more boom or bust pick in Edward Lansing here.
2. San Antonio Spurs (From MIA) - SG Beep Lane - The Spurs got this pick for Myles Taylor, and boy, that deal worked out well for them. Beep Lane enters the league with an unheard of ability to score inside. The guy's only 5-9, but man, he's better in the post then guys a full foot taller. He's just dirty inside, and he can steal the ball. Very unusual player, but a very very good one. He and Jackie Skoals are the future for the Spurs, and should form a great back court tandem for many years to come.
3. Denver Nuggets - SF LaRue Strickland - Strickland seems to have the most upside of any player in the draft, but he's also very raw, so there's a chance he may never live up to that upside. The Nuggets have their franchise player in Rory Davis, now they just need to surround him with great talent. Last year's draft pick Mike Smith looks like a bust, so the Nuggets will go for a more prototypical player in Strickland, and hope to score big.
4. Dallas Mavericks - PG Will Henderson - After taking Ruslan Sergeyev and the Dial Brothers in last year's draft, the Mavs look to shore up their backcourt this year. They have Abdul Denton already, but he's turn-over prone, and will likely be dealt. Or, they can go with a Henerson-Denton back court. Henderson has received very high praise from scouts, and looks to enter the league and be one of the better young PG's in the league. Probably the best player available at this point as well.
5. Detroit Pistons - PF J.J. White - The Pistons are entering their contract year next year, so they need an impact player, a player who holds value at the same time, and a big man. This pick will be White or Garang most likely. I have them taking White solely because he's a solid defender and a great inside scorer, whereas Garang is a great defender and a so-so scorer. White's lack of rebounding is compensated by being paired in a frontcourt with one of the league's best rebounders, Theodore Lawson. The Pistons have a nice core already, and adding White should help them for next season. They'll need to make more deals though.
6. Indiana Pacers - C J.A. Garang - The Pacers already have quite a few good young complimentary players, but don't really have that franchise player yet. Kareem Melton and David Abernathy have shown flashes of being that player, but they seem like the 2nd and 3rd options for that team in the future. They won't get their franchise player in this draft, but adding a player like Garang will still be very helpful. He's a defensive phenom, and while the rest of his game is pretty awful, we've seen players like Serge Ibaka play huge roles for teams in the past, so Garang should be able to make himself a valuable asset to whatever team he plays for.
7. Seattle SuperSonics - PG Sergei Van Hardevaald - This draft is full of unique players, and SVH is no different. Defense aside, the dude can flat out ball. If his defense were a bit higher, he'd be a top 3 pick, as he's an incredible outside shooter, ball handler, and a good rebounder. The Sonics have Alexander at PG, but SVH looks to be the best player left at this point, and he could develop into a complete stud if he improves his defense a bit. Either way, it appears he will be a starter in the BBS, it's just not clear how good of a starter he will be.
8. Denver Nuggets (From LAC) - SG Patrick Dixon - Dixon seems to be a solid all-around guard, and having already drafted Strickland with their first draft pick, the Nuggs decide to go with Dixon as their SG of the future. He reminds some of Dexter Strickland, and the Nuggets would be thrilled if he becomes that good. The Nuggets should have a nice future with Davis, Strickland, and Dixon.
9. Detroit Pistons (From CHI) - PF Amon Cummings - With their first pick the Pistons took White, with this one, they take another one in Cummings. Cummings reminds a lot of scouts of Terric Harrison, and he looks to have a nice future at PF. He won't be a star, but he should be a very good big for a long time. He and White should help the Pistons a lot this year, and even if Jay decides he needs to deal them, they should both hold a lot of value.
10. New York Knicks (From SAS) - SF Keith Washington - The Knicks are the only playoff team with a lottery pick in this draft, and Washington might be the most BBS-ready player left at this point. Outlawz has always liked versatile players too, and Washington is just that. He looks to be a very good complimentary player, he could be a solid starter, but he seems to be destined to be a great 6th man. Either way, a great addition to an already deep team.
11. Atlanta Hawks - SG LaSavier Thomas - The Hawks have their franchise player in Maximov, and their second option in Johnson, and here they take their PG of the future in Thomas. He's listed as SG, but most scouts seem to think he'll transition well to PG, and while he's very different from Maximov and Johnston in terms of offensive games, he'll provide a nice balance to their outside scoring ability with his inside scoring ability.
12. Houston Rockets - C Marcus Hayes - At this point in the draft, there don't seem to be any real 'studs' left, and the Rockets are in a good position rebuilding wise, so they can afford to take a risk here and takes Hayes. He has the most bizarre game of anyone in this draft arguably, and that's saying A LOT. However, with that bizarre game comes bizarre talents. Those talents could make him a great player, and the Rockets will take a gamble here and hope they do.
13. San Antonio Spurs (From NOH) - SF Jeremy Ransaw - Ransaw has been compared defensively to Ron Artest, which is very impressive. However, he's raw offensively, and doesn't appear to have the potential to become a legitimate offensive stud. He's also a below average passer and rebounder, which hurts his value. At this point though, he's a nice pick-up for the Spurs. They could also decide to go with the more boom or bust pick in Edward Lansing here.