CHICAGO BULLS- Well, I said it yesterday in my Draft predictions post. "You've got to feel excited about the possibilities if you're a Chicago Bulls fan. After a tremendous season last year and an even more impressive playoff showing, the Bulls sit nicely at #16 and #26 and are in position to further their already solid depth. This draft could likely put Chicago over the hump and in with the Eastern elite." And that's exactly what the Bulls did. James Johnson was a great pick for this team at #16. He's not a spectacular player on either side of the ball but he has a nice frame to work with and will provide toughness inside. Taj Gibson was an equally good pick. I watched Taj play many times during his career at USC and while there were games where he disappeared or got into foul trouble, their were just as many where he was an absolute game changer. Both Johnson and Gibson compliment the Bulls post players in that Johnson and Joakim Noah will be relied upon for offense, while Gibson can tag team with Tyrus Thomas as defensive threats.
DENVER NUGGETS- Denver didn't do much. In fact, they didn't even make a selection. But they ended up with Ty Lawson in the end through a Minnesota trade and what a steal it was. Chauncey Billups will provide Lawson with a fantastic mentor during his early years and when Billups retires, Lawson will be more than ready. I also like this pick because as Billups ages and needs time on the bench to rest, Lawson can come in and really give the Nuggets another tempo. With the UNC product on the floor, Denver should have a gear that can really separate them from opponents on the floor and on the scoreboard.
HOUSTON ROCKETS- The Rockets had zero selections in the 1st round but needed to make some major moves if they wanted to keep up with the West, a conference that never seems to get worse, only better. Houston did well enough to keep them in the mix with the best in my opinion. As a Washington Wizards fan, I was excited when my D.C. boys picked UCF star Jermaine Taylor. That excitement shot to disappointment quickly when they shipped his rights to Houston. Taylor is a phenomenal scorer and is a player to keep an eye on, especially in the Rick Adelman system. Later in the 2nd round, the Rockets added depth for Aaron Brooks with Spanish PG Sergio Llull via yet another trade. Llull has shown promise in Europe and with Houston still unsure if Brooks is "the guy", Llull will be a capable backup plan. Finally, in a trade with Detroit, the Rockets got a huge steal in Chase Budinger. Many believed Budinger would be a late 1st rounder and instead he slipped to #44. No more worries in southern Texas now when Tracy McGrady goes down with another injury because Budinger will be a player for many years with his great athleticism.
MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES- For the second year in a row my Memphis Grizzlies had a phenomenally well executed Draft. Sure, Hasheem Thabeet is an offensive project. But the Grizz didn't need an offensive post man with last year's addition of Marc Gasol. They needed a presence on the defensive side of things and a player who can bang inside to get loose balls. I'd say Thabeet can do all of those in the league with his current frame, not to mention with weight I expect him to put on in his first year. DeMarre Carroll was another great pick in the late first round. Just as he was in college, I think Carroll's biggest asset is something he can't even control. He is a huge match-up problem for opponents because he does have the mentality to bang inside and rebound as a PF, but he also is athletic enough to play a swing position. Put him inside and he's too quick for power guys. Put him outside and he's too big for forwards to handle. If he can get some consistency on an outside shot, he'll be a prominent bench player immediately for the Grizzlies. Then with their last pick, Memphis snagged Pittsburgh swing man Sam Young. Yet another guy who is a match-up problem for coaches because of his size. Though he's not the aggressor that Carroll is , he is a hard nosed player who isn't afraid to take the ball to the basket. He's got a great head on his shoulders, like Carroll, and comes to the league with a wealth of big time experience having played 4 years in the Big East. Each of these players give Memphis hope in the near future.
SAN ANTONIO SPURS- You know, I for one was not buying all this talk about the Spurs instantly challenging the Lakers for Western supremecy just by acquiring Richard Jefferson. After this draft though, I'm starting to see L.A. fans sweat a little and I'm becoming more of a believer. DeJuan Blair had to go to a team with a prominent big man for him to thrive. He needs another player to draw defensive double teams in order for him to pick up rebounds and get easy put-backs as he did at Pittsburgh. There are only a few teams that this could've worked best with and San Antonio was one of them with Tim Duncan. Keep Blair healthy and he will be a very solid reserve for as long as Duncan is in the league. Jack McClinton from Miami is a scorer and there's not much more you can say. He is big, in your face, has a quick first step to the basket, and can pull up and hit buckets from just about anywhere on the floor. Defensively, he won't be a Bowen replacement, but with Jefferson, the Spurs won't need him to be. Lastly, we all know it wouldn't be the NBA Draft without a San Antonio selection of a non-United States player. In 2009, they went back to a country that's been good to them in the past, picking Nando De Colo from France. I know nothing about him, but when have the Spurs gone wrong overseas?
UTAH JAZZ- You can talk all day about how good Rubio, Jennings, and Curry will be. I don't care. Utah got my guy with their first round pick. VCU's Eric Maynor will make his mark with Jazz and I firmly believe he will come back to haunt teams that passed on him. He's a little skinny, but Jerry Sloan will add some muscle to his frame. I completely agree with ESPN's Chad Ford when he assessed Maynor's possibilities: "The Jazz really needed to find a competent backup for Deron Williams, and in my opinion, they walked away with the most underrated player in the draft. Maynor is a pure point guard who sees the floor well, makes players around him better, isn't afraid to take over a game late and rarely makes mistakes. On top of that, he's a great kid and a hard worker who should fit perfectly in Utah." You heard it here first though- Eric Maynor is about to make some serious noise. Moving on to the second round, I really liked the picking of Michigan State's Goran Suton. He's a "Sloan type post player" and Utah is the one team that I think can and will get the most out of him. Suton can't do a whole lot because, well, he's just not that great of an NBA prospect. But as we've seen in the past in Salt Lake, you don't have to do everything- just focus on what you do best and let a teammate take care of the other stuff.
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