More Draft......

Since I talked about the Portland Trail Blazers yesterday, I figured I would talk about the rest of the draft lottery here. Like I said, its one of the most intriguing drafts ever, one that can set many teams up for a loooooong time.

Not a whole lot needs to be said about Seattle. I mean, they have by far the easiest position of anyone in the 1st round. Not hiring a GM until just over 2 weeks before the draft didnt really matter, since anyone who a heartbeat would know what to do. Whoever Portland passes over, Oden or Durant, Seattle just has to run up to the podium with their card and turn it in for the player who is left. Pretty easy move to make, and all that it will do is set the team up for the next 15 years with a superstar, and hopefully save the franchise in a great basketball city. What a shame it would be for the league to lose a team in Seattle.

Now we come to Atlanta. And, well, nobody knows what the hell Atlanta is ever thinking. Billy Knight is like a cat with 9 lives. He makes dumb decision after dumb decision, while making Atlanta a consistent bottom feeder. I know ownership is in an absolute mess with former owner Steve Belkin trying a takeover......but the situation is terrible, and someone needs to think for the basketball product and make front office changes. Anyway, Billy Knight has always been fascinated by big, real big, PG's. This allowed him to pass on Chris Paul. Yet, Deron Williams, who fits the bill for Knight, was inexplicably passed over for Marvin Williams. Yes, MARVIN WILLIAMS. Knight keeps reaching for forward prospects with all the athletic skills, who arent polished. And even though there is a top 5 caliber PG available in Mike Conley, they will pass him over most likely since he is too much like Paul, and doesnt fit wants Knight wants. Mainly, Conley is a small, quick jitterbug who like to run in the open floor. While Conley would be perfect for the Hawks, they are still going to take Al Horford. Horford will give them a solid low post factor, which probably is their 2nd biggest need. Although Horford should develop into a nice player, one would think Knight has learned from his mistakes and just take an available true PG while he has another chance.

The Memphis Grizzlies are an interesting story. They are in flux, with Jerry West moving out, and Chris Wallace coming in. Oh, and Chris Wallace also happened to be the Boston Celtics GM until this week, meaning he has all the knowledge of the team picking right behind his new one, the Grizzlies. I basically see Memphis taking whoever Atlanta doesnt pick between Horford and Conley. I could see Corey Brewer or Brandan Wirght slipping in here, but it isnt likely. Memphis really does need a PG, so they must take Conley if he is there. They have Damon Stoudimere, but he is old and could be traded soon. Chucky Atkins is a free agent and will leave. Kyle Lowrey barely played in his rookie year due to injury. They have some intruing forwards as it is, with Pau Gasol, Alexander Johnson, Hakim Warrick, Rudy Gay, etc. This team needs a young PG to build around, to push the tempo with these young athletic players. Marc Iavroni will play uptempo like Phoenix, and lord knows the PG means everything in this system. So, for Jerry West and Chris Wallace, this is a no-brainer: take Conley, and dont even hesitate.

Things start to get shaky here with the Boston Celtics sitting at pick #5. The early scuttlebutt was them zoning in on Yi Jianlian. I just dont like that for Boston. They have enough projects. They need a guy to come in who is proven, and can help out right away. I would like to see them draft Corey Brewer. Paul Pierce has morphed into a SF, so SG is wide open. I think Corey Brewer could fill in right away at SG. Brewer is what this team needs so bad. He can defend better than almost anyone, and will be an All-Star one day due solely to his defense. He is vastly underrated, and Boston would be nuts to pass him up. Then again, Danny Ainge is making this pick, so everyone could be thrown a curveball.

The Milwaukee Bucks are an interesting case. They dont need any guards (assuming Mo Williams is re-signed, which needs to happen). They obviously have a center, in #1 overall pick Andrew Bogut two years ago. So this team basically is taking a forward, and I think its likely a SF since Charlie Villanueve is still young and developing at the PF spot. Bobby Simmons is a shaky proposition for them currently at SF, after being hurt and not playing well after landing a big deal. Ruben Patterson is a free agent and probably wont be back. Soooooooo, I see the Bucks selecting either Jeff Green or Brandan Wright. Green is polished, and the sure thing. Wright is a wild card with loads of potential, but the ultimate boom or bust type of guy. I see GM Larry Harris taking Brandan Wright though. They have enough talent to take a risk, and this franchise needs a potential stud.

Minnesota has many options here. I just cant for the life of me believe that GM Kevin McHale is actually considering Spencer Hawes. Look, Hawes may be a good player one day. But this draft has future stars littered everywhere, and Hawes' ceiling just isnt that high. In the end, I see McHale surprising everyone and taking Joakim Noah. Minnesota just needs a center in the worst way. They need a guy with an energetic motor that Garnett will love (assuming he is still there come October). Noah is unselfish, and is a nice compliment to guys like Randy Foye and Ricky Davis who will shoot a ton. Many think Noah will flop in the NBA. I say no way. Guys like that who go all out will always do the little things, get under opponents skin, and find ways to win while becoming a fan favorite along the way.

At #8, Charlotte is in a tough spot. They would have loved Noah, but Minnesota snatched him up. They dont seemingly need anyone at any position, so I think they take the best player left, and that is Jeff Green. Adam Morrison looks like a future 6th man, and Green can help out a ton in the scoring department. He is also fundamentally sound and would be a great addition, and could really help this team out who could surprise people a lot this year. They should be very happy with Green if he is there.

I guess for Chicago this pick is almost too easy. Yi Jianlian, and it is pretty obvious. Could he flame out, a la Tskithvilli? Maybe. But he goes to a city China wants him to, and the Bulls do love him a lot. They actually have a need for him too. They could use another big man, who can do it all, and Yi does that. He isnt the strongest defender yet, but Scott Skiles will make sure to change that. This is the one situation where he could develop in the best way possible. He probably would be taken earlier, if it wasnt for the China blocking workouts with teams like Minnesota, Milwaukee, Memphis, Charlotte, etc.

Sacramento at #10 is a team that doesnt seem to know what is going on. It took them 2 months to find a coach, mainly because the Maloof ownership still squabbled with GM Geoff Petrie on whom to hire, even after they said Petrie would have sole authority due to the brothers botching the Eric Musselman hiring last year when they went above Petrie's control. Reggie Theus is the new coach, and will bring energy to the team. However, this team needs to be blown up. Ron Artest is a time bomb. Mike Bibby and Brad Miller have aged rapidly quick. Kevin Martin is a good player, but that is about it. They need to go young, and dump Artest and Bibby in any way possible. They also have a big enormous hole at the 4/5 spot. I think they will take Spencer Hawes, even though I am not a big fan. I'm not sure how much Theus will be on board with this, but Petrie makes the decision here. He wont be ready to contribute a ton this year, but Sacramento doesnt need him now. They need him to be ready when re-building is finished to team with Martin and others for success. If I were Sacramento, I would take Acie Law, to get the PG of the future. But im not the GM, and Petire takes Hawes.

The Atlanta Hawks must now take the PG for the future, dont they? I mean, if Billy Knight uses two lottery picks on guys other than PG's, he needs to be deported. Amazingly, I think he would take Javaris Crittendon over Acie Law. It baffles me to no end. Its as if GM's like him believe guys who have played 4 years of college have developed all they could and cant get any better. HELLO, guys like Law are only 22! Thats only 3 years older than Crittendon. And what has Crittendon ever proved? Yes, he is a big guy, fitting what Knight wants. But, he isnt a very good distributer, dribbles too much a la Steve Francis, and commits way too many turnovers. Oh well, there are always guys like Hawes and Crittendon who are overrated, and Billy Knight seems like the perfect sucker for one of them. Can you believe he in the last few years will have passed on Paul, Williams, Conley, and Law, yet the guy he takes is a project who may flop right out? Only in Atlanta.

If Julian Wright is still available here for the Philadelphia 76ers, they would be nuts not to take him. Rodney Carney, the pick a year ago, will never amount to much, and will always be a bench player. Wright is explosive, and is a downright steal. This pick almost seems too obvious. He is a huge upgrade over Korver and Carney. Philly has to do this. Has to.

Again, at #13, I think we have quite another obvious pick. How can it not be Nick Young. This team simply needs a shooter to put with Chris Paul in the backcourt. Devin Brown was an adequate fill-in last year, but isnt the future. Peja Stojakovic can be a good shooter, but is aging and will always have injuries. Picking Nick Young sets the Hornets up for the future in the backcourt. And with Tyson Chandler in the middle, this team could sneak up on a lot of people extremely soon.

Rounding out the lottery is the Clippers, and this comes down to two guys: Al Thornton or Acie Law. Shaun Livingston's career is in jeopardy, making Law a great pick. But then again, there is a whole at SF, and Thornton would bring instant explosiveness this team could use. If it was up to me, I think Law is a no-brainer. Anyone who watched him in college knows he is a stud. Ironically, if he was a sophomore, he would probably be a top 6 pick because he would have more "potential". Whatever. Law is one of the most clutch college players ever, and is one of the fiercest competitors around. I believe Elgin Baylor is leaning this way to, but it wouldnt stun me to see Al Thornton slide in there.