Coming up big
The Cavs scored in landing Shaquille O'Neal, while Blake Griffin cashes in at No. 1. But not everyone looked good at the NBA draft on Thursday.
The Cavs scored in landing Shaquille O'Neal, while Blake Griffin cashes in at No. 1. But not everyone looked good at the NBA draft on Thursday.
| Pick | Team | Player | Pos | Ht | Wt | School/Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Round 1 1 (1) | ![]() |
Blake Griffin (video) | PF | 6'10 | 243 | Oklahoma |
Analysis: The good news for the Clippers is the 6-10 Oklahoman is expected by scouts to be a future all-star. The bad news is that they said the same in the last 20 years about former top picks Pervis Ellison, Joe Smith, Michael Olowokandi, Kwame Brown, Andrew Bogut, Andrea Bargnini and Greg Oden. To be polite, we won't mention the Clips' history with reconstructive knee surgeries. – Dan Wetzel |
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| Round 1 2 (2) | ![]() |
Hasheem Thabeet (video) | C | 7'3 | 255 | Connecticut |
Analysis: Size, shot-blocking skill, upbeat personality and home continent says this is another Dikembe Mutombo. Needs work offensively, but at least Memphis didn't pick (or trade for) a point guard for the first time in four years. A rare draft-night victory for common sense. -- Dan Wetzel |
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| Round 1 3 (3) | ![]() |
James Harden (video) | SG | 6'4 | 218 | Arizona St. |
Analysis: A surprise according to the mock drafts, but the big guy can score a ton and will give OKC another perimeter scorer to join Kevin Durant. Not known for his consistent effort and it's never good when the first item Stu Scott says about you is that you've "battled asthma since childhood." Best beard in the draft though. ... And any man who wears a purple bow tie doesn't lack for confidence. -- Dan Wetzel |
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| Round 1 4 (4) | ![]() |
Tyreke Evans (video) | SG | 6'5 | 205 | Memphis |
Analysis: At 6-5 he showed up at the University of Memphis as an off-guard only to have John Calipari move him to point early in the season. He improved by the day and perhaps found his future. He's an incredible athlete at the point, which is better than a lousy shooter at the two. – Dan Wetzel |
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| Round 1 5 (5) | ![]() |
Ricky Rubio | PG | 6'4 | 182 | Spain |
Analysis: Perhaps signability issues caused Rubio to drop to Minnesota (or whoever ends up with him should the T-Wolves pull another trade). Whatever it is, his game has been picked apart too much this spring. Forget the YouTube videos and Pistol Pete comparisons; at last summer's Olympics, while playing point guard for the Spanish National Team, Rubio took on the world's best and showed not just skill, but poise. He was 17 at the time. – Dan Wetzel Note: from Washington |
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| Round 1 6 (6) | ![]() |
Jonny Flynn (video) | PG | 6'0 | 172 | Syracuse |
Analysis: If he wasn't 5-11 he'd have challenged for the No. 1 pick. Of course, he is 5-11. The guy is a supreme athlete, can score and provides tremendous leadership. Unlikely to stay in Minnesota since taking two rookie point guards makes no sense. Someone is getting a great player as long as they can compensate for his height. – Dan Wetzel |
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| Round 1 7 (7) | ![]() |
Stephen Curry (video) | PG | 6'3 | 185 | Davidson |
Analysis: Golden State disappoints Knicks fans, and apparently Stephen Curry, by choosing Stephen Curry. He's a big-time shooter with rare range who fits in with the Don Nelson style of play. He's not particularly tall or strong, but he knows how to get shots off and will immediately be one of the team's most popular players. – Dan Wetzel |
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| Round 1 8 (8) | ![]() |
Jordan Hill (video) | PF | 6'10 | 226 | Arizona |
Analysis: A serious athlete at 6-10 who everyone says is raw. That may be because he had the good fortune of playing at Arizona the last three years, meaning he got a new coach every two months and got to watch first-hand lessons in backstabbing, lying and double-crossing. It's all about life skills in college hoops. Knicks fans booed him for not being a skinny 6-3 guy from Davidson. – Dan Wetzel |
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| Round 1 9 (9) | ![]() |
DeMar DeRozan (video) | SG | 6'7 | 220 | USC |
Analysis: ESPN hyped him as having "the most potential of anyone in the draft," which is a code for all sorts of potential issues. Your classic AAU star who during his brief tenure at USC could either star or disappear game to game. This one could go either way, but in this draft, especially for the Raptors, why not go with upside? -- Dan Wetzel |
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| Round 1 10 (10) | ![]() |
Brandon Jennings | PG | 6'1 | 170 | USA |
Analysis: The European Experiment winds up in the top 10. Jennings hails from Compton but circumvented the NBA's one and done rule by skipping out on college and playing professionally in Italy. He's a great athlete who says he matured during a tough year abroad through fundamental drills and the understanding of the pick and roll. That this gamble worked is the big story. – Dan Wetzel |
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| Round 1 11 (11) | ![]() |
Terrence Williams (video) | SG | 6'6 | 210 | Louisville |
Analysis: After the Vince Carter trade there isn't much left of the Nets, but they took Williams, a ready-to-contribute off-guard. Big, strong and versatile, a better rebounder than you usually get out of a guard. It's difficult to imagine he isn't at the very least a rotation player, if not a starter, for a long time to come. -- Dan Wetzel |
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| Round 1 12 (12) | ![]() |
Gerald Henderson (video) | SG | 6'4 | 215 | Duke |
Analysis: Michael Jordan violates all tenets of the UNC-Duke rivalry by making Blue Devil Gerald Henderson a millionaire. Tar Heels will forgive MJ. Who knows about Bobcats fans. Henderson has a great mid-range game – plus, he's from Duke and we know those guys always pan out in the NBA. – Dan Wetzel |
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| Round 1 13 (13) | ![]() |
Tyler Hansbrough (video) | PF | 6'9 | 250 | North Carolina |
Analysis: He's the ACC's all-time leading scorer, a good guy and the proverbial hard worker. He has more skill than he's given credit for, but he also got just about every call in college and scored a lot of baskets off weird trajectory shots that will be swatted in the NBA. And he's 6-8ish and doesn't appear capable of guarding power or small forwards. Other than that, he's great. Who knew MJ would make a better pick than Larry Bird? -- Dan Wetzel |
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| Round 1 14 (14) | ![]() |
Earl Clark (video) | SF | 6'8 | 220 | Louisville |
Analysis: He was the best pro prospect in the Big East last year, but he goes behind Thabeet and Flynn because most of the league thinks he may be a head case. We'll see. At that size, with that skill level and the Suns potentially dealing Amare Stoudemire, he's more than worth a shot. -- Dan Wetzel |
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| Round 1 15 (15) | ![]() |
Austin Daye (video) | SF | 6'10 | 190 | Gonzaga |
Analysis: A sign of how weak this draft is -- and how far the respect for Gonzaga has come. Daye was drafted one spot higher than former Zag John Stockton was in 1984. The second sign? Daye is 6-11 but weighs just 190 pounds. And he was almost a lottery pick. The second son of a former Boston Celtic (Darren Daye) along with Gerald Henderson Jr. (Gerald Henderson Sr.). -- Dan Wetzel |
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| Round 1 16 (16) | ![]() |
James Johnson (video) | PF | 6'8 | 200 | Wake Forest |
Analysis: Here's what to like about Johnson. He's a big athlete from Cheyenne, Wyoming, of all places. He says if the NBA doesn't work out, he'll give give mixed martial arts a try (he was a junior champion back home). And he supposedly talked so much trash to Chris Paul during summer pickup games at Wake Forest, that CP3 didn't want New Orleans to draft him. At least he's interesting. -- Dan Wetzel |
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| Round 1 17 (17) | ![]() |
Jrue Holiday (video) | PG | 6'3 | 180 | UCLA |
Analysis: This isn't to bash UCLA, a premier program with a great coach. But why Holiday ever went there is a baffling. He's a point guard who had to play shooting guard (out of position) because the Bruins already had a starter. Had he gone somewhere else (every school wanted him) he could've started and probably would've been a higher pick, which based on the fact he left after his freshman year was clearly his only goal in college. Very well may be a steal at this spot. -- Dan Wetzel |
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| Round 1 18 (18) | ![]() |
Ty Lawson (video) | PG | 5'11 | 195 | North Carolina |
Analysis: The unquestioned key to Carolina's national championship team becomes the third point guard selected by Minnesota. He was picked for Denver in a trade for a future selection, a sign that the Nuggets are upgrading also. Brilliantly fast player was born to play in Roy Williams up-tempo system, how does he do, especially at 5-11, in NBA sets? -- Dan Wetzel Note: from Miami, traded to Denver for future first-round pick |
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| Round 1 19 (19) | ![]() |
Jeff Teague (video) | PG | 6'2 | 175 | Wake Forest |
Analysis: Another strong and explosive, if slightly undersized, point guard. His game slid late in the season but he has the ability to be an NBA starter. Decent value at this spot. -- Dan Wetzel |
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| Round 1 20 (20) | ![]() |
Eric Maynor (video) | PG | 6'2 | 165 | VCU |
Analysis: King of the floater and a mid-major hero at VCU. The best thing about Maynor is he has a killer instinct when the game is on the line; a flat-out winner. Will be fascinating to see where all these point guards stack up in a few years. -- Dan Wetzel |
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| Round 1 21 (21) | ![]() |
Darren Collison | PG | 6'0 | 160 | UCLA |
Analysis: The guy who started over Jrue Holiday as UCLA's point guard last year. Really solid and an excellent outside shooter for a playmaker. Good backup for CP3. Insert other cliched descriptions of point guards that have been exhausted in this Draft of the PG. -- Dan Wetzel. |
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| Round 1 22 (22) | ![]() |
Victor Claver | PF | 6'10 | 218 | Spain |
Analysis: Portland may have wanted Collison but winds up with a 6-9 shooter that will stay over in Spain for a year or two while gaining experience. The Blazers already had a deep bench. -- Dan Wetzel Note: from Dallas |
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| Round 1 23 (23) | ![]() |
Omri Casspi | SF | 6'8 | 227 | Israel |
Analysis: Sacramento continues to stock up on perimeter players, grabbing what may be the first Israeli to ever make the NBA. He's a classic foreign player -- tall but with great face-up skills. -- Dan Wetzel Note: from Houston |
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| Round 1 24 (24) | ![]() |
B.J. Mullens (video) | C | 7'0 | 275 | Ohio St. |
Analysis: A 7-footer with good athletic ability and soft hands, but he's a project -- though better than most 7-foot projects. It's rarely a good sign when you only start two games for your college team, though. -- Dan Wetzel Note: from Portland, traded to Oklahoma City for No. 25 pick Rodrigue Beaubois |
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| Round 1 25 (25) | ![]() |
Rodrigue Beaubois | PG | 6'3 | 174 | France |
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Analysis: OKC immediately swaps the athletic Frenchman to Dallas for Mullens. Why didn't they just draft their guys in their original slots? Do you have to pay a trade fee like in some fantasy leagues? Seems like this would've been a spot to cut some costs. Anyway, OKC gets a potential center for the future, Dallas gets a raw athlete. What a draft. -- Dan Wetzel Note: from San Antonio, traded to Dallas for No. 24 pick B.J. Mullens and future second-round pick |
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| Round 1 26 (26) | ![]() |
Taj Gibson (video) | PF | 6'9 | 210 | USC |
Analysis: Second first-round pick out of USC, the Bulls are getting a small forward with good size and feel for the game. The Trojan program may be in ruins, but they did bring in some talent when they had it rolling, didn't they? -- Dan Wetzel Note: from Denver via Oklahoma City |
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| Round 1 27 (27) | ![]() |
DeMarre Carroll (video) | PF | 6'8 | 225 | Missouri |
Analysis: Even before Jay Bilas described him as "pretty good," Stu Scott begins the breakdown as such "here's a guy with liver disease." Scott went on to mention that a doctor doesn't think he'll need a transplant for 20 years. Ah, Memphis Grizzlies Basketball, feel the roar. -- Dan Wetzel Note: from Orlando |
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| Round 1 28 (28) | ![]() |
Wayne Ellington (video) | SG | 6'4 | 200 | North Carolina |
Analysis: Minnesota takes another guard, but at least Ellington will play off the ball. Great shooter and scorer who played well in a team system. Was a star at the Final Four and is the third Tar Heel taken thus far. -- Dan Wetzel Note: from Boston |
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| Round 1 29 (29) | ![]() |
Toney Douglas (video) | SG | 6'2 | 200 | Florida St. |
Analysis: If Toney Douglas had played on Tobacco Road, and not Florida State, it's possible he would've been picked 10 slots higher. He's another quick, strong athlete and certainly compares well with Jeff Teague, who went to Atlanta at 19. This pick is headed to New York, who sent the Lakers cash (maybe they paid for the championship parade). -- Dan Wetzel Note: traded to New York for future second-round pick and cash |
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| Round 1 30 (30) | ![]() |
Christian Eyenga | SG | 6'5 | 210 | Congo |
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Analysis: Cleveland gets a raw prospect who will stay oversees. They got Shaq. That's enough for this week. -- Dan Wetzel |
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