Draft Grades

Atlanta Hawks: Surprisingly nice job by Hawks GM Billy Knight. I kept waiting for him to butcher this, but he did the right thing in taking Al Horford (#3) and got a solid point guard in Acie Law (#11). While Law is not exactly the pure point guard they need, he might be the most NBA-ready PG and should get major minutes as a rookie. Grade: A-

Boston Celtics: While acquiring Ray Allen is a bit questionable (though I like the move), the Celtics made up for it by getting good value out of their second round picks. Gabe Pruitt (#32) and Rajon Rondo pretty much have opposite skill sets, so they should complement each other well, and Glen Davis (#35) could be a steal in the second round. Grade: B

Charlotte Bobcats: Trading Brandan Wright (#8) for Jason Richardson is a good move. The Bobcats badly need scoring, plus someone to draw fans, and Richardson can do both. Wright has great potential, but he can't hit a shot outside of 8 feet and he has a questionable motor. Jared Dudley at #22 seems like a reach. Dudley could be a nice role player, but that's a bit early for him. Grade: C+

Chicago Bulls: The Bulls really should have traded the 9th pick, rather than take Joakim Noah, who is an energetic defensive-minded player in the Scott Skiles mold, but does not make the Bulls any better. Noah is basically a more skilled version of Anderson Varejao and will not be the low-post scorer the Bulls need. Aaron Gray (#49) might be able to help in that department, but I'm not sure he can keep up with the rest of the team. Grade: C

Cleveland Cavaliers: No draft picks this year. Poor LeBron... Grade: Incomplete

Dallas Mavericks: The only picks who will play for the Mavs this year are Nick Fazekas (#34) and Reyshawn Terry (#44). Fazekas projects, at best, as a poor man's Nowitski. What's with the Mavs bringing in these guys? First Keith Van Horn, then Austin Croshere, and now Fazekas. Are they trying to boost Dirk's confidence or something? Terry's shooting could help the team but it's hard to see him getting much playing time. The other picks (Renaldas Seibutis and Milovan Rankovic) will stay abroad for now. Grade: C+

Denver Nuggets: No draft picks this year. Grade: Incomplete

Detroit Pistons: The Pistons took three shooting guards, apparently looking to shore up their bench and perimeter defense. Rodney Stuckey (#15) should contribute as a combo guard off the bench, but is there really room for all these guards? Taking Stuckey is one thing, but following up with Arron Afflalo (#27) and Sammy Mejia (#57)? Makes you wonder if they're expecting Chauncey Billups to leave through free agency. Grade: B-

Golden State Warriors: Marco Belinelli (#17) will help make up for the loss of Jason Richardson. He's an outstanding shooter and should be a great fit. Hard to see how Brandan Wright meshes with this team, though maybe he becomes a part of another trade. Stephane Lasme could be a nice value pick at #46. He's one of the best shot-blockers in the draft and should help shore up the Golden State defense. Grade: B+

Houston Rockets: Why take Aaron Brooks (#26) when you already have Rafer Alston and Luther Head and you just traded for Mike James? Why not take a big man to fill the gaping hole at power forward? Not to mention, Brooks is listed at 6-0, 160 lbs. Few players of his stature can hold up in the pros. Glen Davis, Josh McRoberts, or Nick Fazekas would have made a lot more sense here. They did trade for Carl Landry (#31), but is he really better than the aforementioned power forwards? Grade: D-

Indiana Pacers: Traded for Stanko Barac (#39), a talented big man who will stay overseas to develop for a few years. Grade: Incomplete

Los Angeles Clippers: The Clippers may have been a bit surprised that Al Thornton was still on the board at #14. He is one of the more NBA-ready players in the draft and could have an instant impact, but do the Clippers have room for him? He'll be competing with Corey Maggette, Cuttino Mobley, and Tim Thomas for minutes. Nice job on the Jared Jordan pick (#45). Jordan may not be athletic, but you can't teach the court sense and basketball IQ he displayed at Marist. Grade: B+

Los Angeles Lakers: The Lakers needed another point guard, and addressed that by taking Javaris Crittenton (#19), but why not take a PG who can shoot a little better, like Gabe Pruitt? Crittenton is raw and doesn't seem to fit in the triangle offense. The other picks, Sun Yue (#40) and Marc Gasol (#48) are also a few years away from contributing. These are rebuilding moves and Kobe really could be on his way out the door. Grade: B-

Memphis Grizzlies: With all the sympathy the Celtics have gotten for their lottery misfortune, where's the love for the Grizzlies? They were the worse team and got that way with less tanking. Picking Mike Conley (#4) should help them avoid that fate next year, as he'll be a considerable improvement over Damon Stoudamire and Chucky Atkins. Grade: A

Miami Heat: Swapped picks with the Sixers and landed Daequan Cook (#21). Cook's shooting should help the Heat immediately, as he should get some open looks playing with Shaquille O'Neal and Dwyane Wade. Cook has very good potential and might turn out to be a steal down the road, but he's a few years from being anything but a shooter for the Heat. Grade: B

Milwaukee Bucks: The Bucks made a very bold move by selecting Yi Jianlian (#6) even though Milwaukee was not approved by Yi's representatives. Yi could be a very good fit in Milwaukee, but he has to agree to play there first. If they can't work something out, this could be a disaster. Ramon Sessions (#56) was a nice pick. He shined in the Orlando pre-draft camp and could serve as a replacement for Mo Williams. Grade: Incomplete (pending Yi's decision)

Minnesota Timberwolves: The fact that they didn't trade Kevin Garnett makes them the disappointment of the night, in my eyes. That said, Corey Brewer (#7) will upgrade the defense and might chip in a little scoring. Brewer, Randy Foye, and whoever Minnesota gets for KG could be a nice core. Chris Richard (#41) has decent potential, despite his limited playing time at Florida. Grade: B

New Jersey Nets: Sean Williams (#17) could have been a lottery pick if not for character issues, so this has to be considered a steal as far as talent. He'll give them shot-blocking, rebounding, and defense and he might even score a few times off lobs from Jason Kidd. Good solid pick, but did he learn his lesson after getting kicked off the team at Boston College? I'm just hoping for a sitcom involving Sean Williams and Marcus Williams. What kind of crazy high-jinks can we expect? The Nets are two bad apples away from becoming the new Jailblazers. Grade: B+

New Orleans Hornets: Julian Wright was the best player left on the board at #13, but Al Thornton or Nick Young would have been a better fit. I love Wright's athleticism, defense, and passing, but he has an atrocious-looking jump shot and I'm not sure he'll ever be a good shooter in the NBA. It ought to be fun to watch him and Chris Paul run the floor, but I'm not sure they get that much better. Adam Haluska (#43) was an odd pick, as few experts expected him to even get drafted, let alone go in the mid-second round. Grade: B-

New York Knicks: Wilson Chandler (#23) isn't quite Renaldo Balkman, but it was still a bit of a reach. I also want to take this chance to point out that no matter what anyone says, Balkman was a bad pick. I don't care if he's an All-Star this year. The fact is they could have taken him in the second round or maybe signed him after the draft because no one else was interested. Sorry, but it's a wasted pick. Why take him in the first round when you could still get him later and also add a Marcus Williams or Rajon Rondo? All that said, Chandler was an acceptable pick. Isiah gets a few extra points for the Randolph trade. Grade: B

Orlando Magic: Traded away their second round picks to Dallas and Houston. Grade: Incomplete

Philadelphia 76ers: This was a pretty good draft for the Sixers. Thaddeus Young (#12) worries me a little bit, as his poor rebounding reminds me a bit too much of Rodney Carney, but he's a phenomenal athlete, a better shooter than Carney, and is not as soft. He can defend any position but center and should look good running the floor with Andre Miller and Andre Igoudala. Even if he has a lackluster rookie year, he's only 19. I love the Jason Smith pick (#20). The Sixers needed a PF and Smith is one of the best in the draft. Philadelphia is apparently allergic to international players, as they drafted two and traded them both away. That said, Herbert Hill (#55) could be a big steal, coming off a great senior year. Grade: A-

Phoenix Suns: Questionable draft for the Suns, who pass up on a real talent, Rudy Fernandez (#24, traded to Portland for cash) and add two players who can't shoot: Alando Tucker (#29) and D.J. Strawberry (#59). Of course, if the Suns land Garnett then all will be forgiven. Grade: C-

Portland Trailblazers: They get a good grade just for taking Greg Oden, but what are they going to do with the rest of the players they added? Rudy Fernandez (#24) for cash is a great deal and Josh McRoberts (#37) is a good value pick considering how late he went. Demetris Nichols (#53) is a tremendous shooter and should find a niche. Petteri Koponen (#30) could be stashed overseas but what about Taurean Green (#52)? Not a bad draft at all, but where do they put these guys? Grade: A

Sacramento Kings: In Spencer Hawes (#10), the Kings basically get the next Brad Miller. Hard to say if that will help them much, since they already have the original Brad Miller, but it had to be between Hawes and Julian Wright, and Wright would not have found much playing time with Ron Artest and Kevin Martin already in Sacramento. Grade: B-

San Antonio Spurs: Tiago Splitter (#28) could work out great for the Spurs. They can afford to wait for his European contract to expire and he'll be a very nice addition in a year or two. Marcus Williams (#33) could also be a good pick. He's a very good athlete and has a decent jump-shot. The Spurs ought to be able to mold him into an effective role player. Grade: A-

Seattle SuperSonics: After the no-brainer Kevin Durant pick, the Sonics made an interesting move, sending Ray Allen to Boston and getting back, among others, Jeff Green (#5). Green and Durant can be used interchangeably and both are very versatile. Seattle will have some very interesting lineup options next year. Of course, now comes the hard part: re-signing Rashard Lewis. Grade: A-

Utah Jazz: Morris Almond (#25) will give the Jazz a shooter they badly need. He ought to be an improvement over Gordon Giricek and will battle last year's first round pick, Ronnie Brewer, for playing time. Utah also acquired Kyrylo Fesenko (#38) from the Sixers for Herbert Hill. Fesenko is very talented, but may develop abroad for a few years. Grade: B-

Toronto Raptors: Traded their 2008 second round pick to the Spurs for Giorgos Printezis (#58), who will stay in Greece for now. Grade: Incomplete

Washington Wizards: Nick Young (#16) was the best shooting guard available and he'll fill a need in Washington. His shooting should help the Wizards, though they still lack size and defense. Their other pick, Dominic McGuire (#47) may help with the defense, but it's not all that likely that he'll get many minutes. Grade: B+