Breaking Down the 2009 NBA Draft
The 2009 NBA draft is now in the books and PopPickle is here to offer a breakdown and reaction to what went down Thursday Night in the Garden. There were some interesting selections to with some real head scratchers and some guys fell further than anyone could have ever expected. So let’s get started with a team-by-team breakdown of the festivities.
Atlanta Hawks -The Hawks selected combo guard Jeff Teague out of Wake Forest with the 19th pick and Ukrainian shooting guard Sergiy Gladyr with the 49th selection. With yesterday’s addition of Jamal Crawford Teague’s immediate impact will depend on whether the Hawks re-sign Mike Bibby or not, although, Teague’s selection tells me Atlanta is going to let Bibby walk without putting up much of a fight. If the Bibby returns to the fold, barring injury, Teague will be lucky to see any real playing time. If Bibby walks look for Teague to back up Crawford and Joe Johnson and provide instant offense off the bench. Gladyr has the look and feel of a European project player whom we will have forgotten about in three or four years time.
Boston Celtics – Did not have a pick until the 58th selection and took Lester Hudson out of Tennessee-Martin. Hudson can play both guard spots and is an explosive scorer. Playing against weaker competition probably hurt his status with NBA scouts but was still seen as a late first to early second round prospect by many so the Celtic got good value here and he should be able to contribute as a shooter off the bench for Doc Rivers.
Charlotte Bobcats – The Cats did what almost everyone thought they would do by taking Duke guard Gerald Henderson with the 12th pick and then landed Xavier forward Derrick Brown with the 40th pick. I am not entirely sold on Henderson being much of a pro. He did a little bit of everything at Duke but did not really excel in any one area. He arrived at Duke with a lot of hype around him and it just seemed like he never developed into the all around star player everyone was expecting him to be. He is a solid defender and amazing athlete but he does not always assert himself on offense and struggles to get his shot at times. He is also a streaky shooter.
I like the Brown pick though. He can play both forward spots and gives the Bobcats some much needed verstaility and athleticism off the bench at those positions. He is a solid shooter and should give them some rebounding. He should, at the very least, give them some quality minutes off the bench next season.
Chicago Bulls – Chicago took a pair of forwards with its two first round picks opting for Wake’s James Johnson at 16 and USC’s Taj Gibson at 26. It has been reported that the Bulls really wanted Hansbrough at 16 and were trying to move up higher in the draft to secure his services but it never panned out for them. Exactly how Johnson and Gibson fit into the equation in Chicago depends largely upon whether they are able to trade Tyrus Thomas and/or Kirk Hinrich and whether Ben Gordon signs elsewhere. If Gordon leaves then one can expect John Salmons to be moved over to the shooting guard to make room for Luol Deng to return to his starting spot at small forward. If Thomas is moved as well then look for Johnson and Gibson to compete for the starting power forward spot. If Chicago cannot find a taker for Thomas then one of the two face the prospect of being buried on the bench next season.
Johnson slipped down in the draft because he showed up to the pre-draft camp in Chicago 15 pounds overweight and teams starting questioning his dedication and focus. If Johnson gets his head on straight and stays in shape he should emerge as the better of the two picks initially and see more playing time. Gibson is too skinny to play power forward in the NBA and has no perimeter game to speak of so he will need to bulk up a bit and looks to be a bit of a project player at this time.
Cleveland Cavaliers – Not sure what the Cavs are thinking with this draft taking Christian Eyenga, whom many saw as a late second round pick and a guy who will need more seasoing in Europe before playing in the NBA, at the end of the first round when guys like Sam Young and DeJuan Blair were still on the board and would have stepped in and played right away. It is just a curious selection given the Cavs mentality of needing to win it all next year. The same can be said for Emir Preldzic who will need more seasoning before stepping on a NBA court.
I do like the selection of Danny Green with the 46th pick. Green is a jack-of-all-trades sort who can play and defend both the two and three. He worked extremely hard on honing his 3-point shot prior to his senior season and emerged as the Tar Heels top perimeter defender over the course of the season. I do not know that Green will ever be a starter in the NBA but I do see him being one of those guys who has a nice career being the first or second guy off the bench for a team due to his versatility, work ethic, and 3-point shot.
Dallas Mavericks – Not a huge fan of what the Mavs did here. Rodrigue Beaubois is a real reach at 25 and likely stays in Europe for another year or two and the Mavs need to get younger and more athletic now. Someone like a Wayne Ellington or Toney Douglas who would at the very least give them at least 8-10 points a game off the bench next year would have been better picks.
They got decent value with their second round picks with Nick Calathes who should develop into a solid point guard in a year or two and big man Ahmad Nivins who should at give them a solid back up to Errick Dampier and give them some rebounding, shot blocking, and toughness off the bench.
Denver Nuggets – Love the addition of Tywon Lawson to this team. Denver was the team rumored to be enamored with Lawson when he declared for the draft last year but without a first round pick to spend on him Lawson opted to go back to school for another year and enhance his draft status. He is going into the perfect situation where he will not be expected to start right away, can learn from one of the best in the league in Chauncy Billups, and gives the Nuggets a nice change of pace when they feel the need to push the ball.
Detroit Pistons – An interesting draft for the Pistons taking three forwards and no big men. They need front court players and got them taking Austin Daye at 15, DeJuan Summers at 35, and Jonas Jerebko at 39. This could be a boom or bust draft for the Pistons they either set themselves up really well for the next 10 years or they are going to be wondering what they were thinking 3 years from now.
I am not a huge fan of Daye. All we ever heard when he was at Gonzaga was how talented he was and how he was a top ten talent coming out of high school and he continually failed to deliver the goods playing in a pretty weak conference. He continually struggled with consistency and, like Henderson, I kept waiting for him to become a dominant player and it never happened. On top of that at 6′ 11″ and less than 200 pounds he is looks even frailer than Tayshaun Prince.
Summers falls into the same category as Daye. He was much ballyhooed coming out of high school and once Jeff Green and Roy Hibbert were in the NBA Summers was going to be the next big thing to come out of Georgetown and it just never materialized. He does not rebound particularly well and struggles to create his own shot he turned primarily into a jump shooter and never developed into the top scorer scouts thought he would. He started the season off strongly and looked like a potential lottery pick but seemed to lose interest once the Hoyas season went down the drain.
Jerebko will likely spend another year or two in Europe before suting up for the Pistons.
Golden State Warriors – Ended up with Stephen Curry at number seven but there is a lot of buzz that he is not going to be in a Warriors jersey by the end of the summer and that he could be headed to Phoenix in a deal for Amare Stoudamire. I am not sure how well he fits into Golden State’s plans as his game seems fairly similar to that of Monta Ellis’. Neither guy is really a true point guard and is more of a scorer than distributer.
Houston Rockets – With no picks of their own the Rockets spent the evening scratching checks for other team’s second round picks taking Jermaine Taylor (32nd) off of Washington’s hands, Sergio Llull (34th) off of Oklahoma’s hands, and Chase Budinger (44th) from Detroit.
Taylor is a big-time scorer and should give them instant offense off the bench and possibly sneak into the starting five depending on what happens with Ron Artest and Tracy McGrady this summer.
Llull is expected to remain overseas for the time being but is seen as a solid point guard prospect.
Budinger gives them some athleticism and versatility on the wing. He will likely come off the bench. He could potentially start if McGrady and Artest are playing elsewhere next season. He can shoot from anywhere in the gym and is one of the best in this year’s rookie class at getting up and down the floor. The main problem is he has no real half court game and plays defense only when the spirit moves him to do so.
Indiana Pacers – Love the pick of Tyler Hansbrough at 13. Hansbrough is going to be better than people think and he is going to a team that is not expecting him to be the focal point of the offense. He will give the Pacers the rebounding and toughness they have been lacking for a while now.
A. J. Price, whom they got from the Mavericks, could develop into a nice role player but he needs to improve on his consistency and commit to being an on-the-ball defender.
Los Angeles Clippers – Not much to say about the Blake Griffin pick that has not already been said. It will be interesting to see what shakes out with this team if the Clippers fail to move Zach Randolph and/or Marcus Camby over the summer.
Los Angeles Lakers – Nothing much to say here they auctioned off the rights to Toney Douglas and Patrick Beverly and took a long-term project player in Chinemelu Elonu. Did nothing to obtain any talent for the long term.
Memphis Grizzlies – I am not a huge Hasheem Thabeet guy he just looks like he has bust written all over him. He is just too soft to survive in the NBA and has little to speak of offensively but the Grizz need somebody in the middle who can blocks shots and rebound. It will not be surprising if Marc Gasol beats him out for the starting job at center.
Getting Demarre Carroll at 27 and Sam Young at 36 are nice pickups for Memphis. Young was seen by most as a mid-to-late first round prospect so they get great value for him at 36 and is a versatile offensive player who runs the floor well and can hit jumpers in the half court offense. Carroll and Young both have a bit of work to do but they should at least give the Grizzlies some much needed depth and versatility at the forward positions off the bench.
Miami Heat – Without any first round picks the Heat did not have the opportunity to do much to improve themselves last night. Patrick Beverley, whom they obtained from the Lakers, should see some minutes off the bench backing up Mario Chalmers at the point and could see some time at the off guard spot.
Robert Dozier, taken with the last pick of the draft, should give them some rebounding and a defensive presence at forward off the bench but he needs to bulk up a bit and refine his post game if he wants to be anything more than that.
Milwaukee Bucks – The Bucks may regret taking Brandon Jennings at the tenth pick. Considered by many to be the top player in his high school class he opted to spend the past year playing in Italy when he failed to qualify academically to attend Arizona. There is no denying Jennings’ athletic talent and ability but he has a lot of growing up to do and could be in for a rude awakening in the NBA. He called out Ricky Rubio as beeing overhyped and not much of a player and then backtracked, likely after his handlers mentioned it might be a good idea to do so, and then decided not to show up in the ‘green room’ at the Garden because he was afraid of how far his stock might be falling. Sebastian Telfair comes to mind when I see Brandon Jennings.
Second round pick Jodie Meeks could score with the best of them in college the only problem is that as long as Michael Redd is healthy enough to play Meeks is going to be buried on the bench and is likely to see little to no playing time.
Minnesota Timberwolves – I have no clue what the Wolves are doing by taking both Ricky Rubio and Jonny Flynn back-to-back at five and six respectively. It might make sense if one of them could conceivably play the two guard but neither one of them has the game to do so. Rubio is a pass first shoot second point guard whose shooting acumen is mediocre at this stage of his career while Flynn is quick off the dribble and can finish going to the basket but he lacks the size and the consistent jump shot to play off the ball. There are rumors now circulating that Rubio’s camp is not happy with the Wolves taking Flynn and is threatening to stay in Spain indefinitely. Surely the Wolves are going to be dealing one of these guys right?
I do like the addition of Wayne Ellington with the 28th pick though. After dealing both Randy Foye and Mike Miller the Wolves had a need for a shooting guard and Ellington fits the bill. I am not sure how good of a pro he is going to be initially though. He struggles at times to shoot off the dribble, he can be a very streaky shooter at times, and does not defend terribly well.
I don’t really see second round pick Henk Norel ever contributing much, if anything, for the Wolves.
New Jersey Nets – Terrence Williams is going to be a boom or bust type of player. He has no real half court game to speak of and his shot selection and decision-making skills can be non-existant at times. He has the body and ahtleticism that teams love it is just a matter of whether or not he reins in his skills and develops a better basketball IQ. With Vince Carter being shipped off to Orlando he will likely compete with Courtney Lee for the starting two guard spot and should get plenty of playing time.
New Orleans Hornets – The Hornets needed frontcourt depth and failed to add any in this draft. Darren Collison and Marcus Thornton are nice additions they simply don’t fill any pressing needs. Collison gives them a back up for Chris Paul but it seems like someone like B. J. Mullens or DeJuan Blair who would have given them some much needed depth in the frontcourt would have been better options at 21.
Second rounder Thornton gives them some needed scoring at the two guard spot.
New York Knicks – Opted for the best available player in Jordan Hill at 8 instead of the best available point guard. I am somewhat surprised they did not opt for Brandon Jennings as that type of point guard tends to thrive in Mike D’Antoni’s offense. One wonders if the addition of Hill means David Lee plays elsewhere next season.
Toney Douglas, whom they bought off of the Lakers, is a nice addition and with Quentin Richardson being shipped to Memphis on draft day he should see playing time right away at the shooting guard spot. Douglas tried marketing himself as a point guard but he is really a slower version of Ben Gordon.
Oklahoma City Thunder – The Thunder did fairly well for themselves adding James Harden, who most consider the best scorer in the draft, and a big man in B. J. Mullens to man the middle. Harden is seen as a guy who needs some work but given that he is joining a lineup that already features Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and Jeff Green they won’t need him to be a prolific scorer right off the bat.
Mullens, on the other hand, is an intriguing player. There are those who said he would have been one of the top two or three players taken had he been eligible for last year’s draft only to see his stock plummet after a lack luster season at Ohio State. Mullens has a ton of upside and is potentially a huge steal that late in the first round and in the right situation he could be a great addition to a young Thunder squad.
Orlando Magic – No picks.
Philadelphia 76ers – Arguably got the best value in the draft picking up Jrue Holiday with the 17th pick after some had him going as high as 4th to Sacramento. The consensus on Holiday is he would have been the top point guard in next year’s draft and he has some development ahead of him before he is ready to lead a NBA team which means the Sixers still need to find a veteran point guard to plug into the lineup for the short term until Holiday is ready to roll.
Phoenix Suns – Earl Clark is another one of those athletes that scouts fall in love with but only has minimal basketball skills to back it up on the court. Clark is lucky he landed in Phoenix where they like to run the ball a lot because Clark’s half court game is lacking and he is a bit soft and tends to get out-muscled in the post.
Second round selection Taylor Griffin is a career bench player and likely does not get picked if not for being Blake’s older brother.
Portland Trail Blazers – First round pick Victor Claver is seen as a guy not quite ready for the NBA and is someone they are going to have to wait on for a couple of years to see any real return on him. Second round acquisitions Jeff Pendergraph and Dante Cunningham give some depth forward off the bench but neither is expected to compete for serious minutes right away. Patrick Mills is a good value pick at the end of the second round and should give them some scoring and energy at the point off the bench.
Sacramento Kings – Tyreke Evans is a good prospect but how does he fit in the Kings lineup? The thing about Evans is he really is more of a scoring guard than a true poitn guard and they already have an elite scorer in Kevin Martin at the two guard spot. Omri Casspi will give the Kings some toughness off the bench at the small forward spot while Jon Brockman will do the same in the post.
San Antonio Spurs – Potentially got a steal grabbing DeJuan Blair in the second round. Blair should help take some of the rebounding burden off of Tim Duncan’s shoulders possibly affording him to play fewer minutes during the season and not have the Spurs miss a beat. Jack McClinton’s range is from anywhere in the gym and he gives them a guy who can come off the bench and fill it up from the outside a-la Eddie House. Given the Spurs track record with international players I won’t be surprised if Nando De Colo plays overseas next season.
Toronto Raptors – The Raptors needed a scoring guard and got one in DeMar DeRozan. The only problem is he is still very raw and lacks a 3-point shot so it may be a couple of years until they see any real production out of him. He likely would have emerged as one of the top two or three prospects for next year’s draft had he gone back to school.
Utah Jazz – Got the backup point guard they needed in VCU’s Eric Maynor. Maynor is widely considered one of the most NBA ready players in this year’s draft. He is a solid all around player who should contribute right away for the Jazz. It is expected that second round pick Goran Suton will spend next year overseas.
Washington Wizards – No picks. Dealt their first round pick for Randy Foye and Mike Miller and traded their second pick to Houston.
