2008 NBA Draft - Team Grade

There was a lot of player movement in this draft and that will help the grade of some teams and hurt the grade of others.

Teams that traded a draft pick for “cash considerations” will automatically be graded low because this is the NBA, not ebay. Overall, I loved a few late picks and hated some of the early ones.




ATLANTA HAWKS

Round 1: None
Round 2: None

The Hawks had no picks in this draft and that isn’t acceptable for a team that only won 37 games. They need more help, but didn’t get any.

GRADE: F


BOSTON CELTICS

Round 1: J. R. Giddens, (30)
Round 2: Bill Walker (47), Semih Erden (60)

I’m not sure if he will make this roster, but Giddens is a very talented player. I believe that Walker can make the team and earn a few minutes, which means he was great value at #47. They did a nice job considering how low they were picking.

GRADE: B


CHARLOTTE BOBCATS

Round 1: D.J. Augustin (9), Alexis Ajinca (20)
Round 2: Kyle Weaver (38)

I have mixed feelings about their draft. I love Augustin and I think he might be their starting point guard very soon. Ajinca was a reach and they may have passed on better players for him. Weaver won’t make the team.

GRADE: B


CHICAGO BULLS

Round 1: Derrick Rose (1)
Round 2: Omer Asik (36)

I have repeated for months that Michael Beasley was the best player available in this draft. The Bulls decided that Rose was the best player for them at #1. He’s too good to disagree with them … for now.

GRADE: A


CLEVELAND CAVALIERS

Round 1: J. J. Hickson (19)
Round 2: Darnell Jackson (52), Sasha Kaun (56)

Hickson is small for his position, and he’s pretty raw. I’m not sure this was their best option at #19, but it’s not terrible either. Jackson is average at best and isn’t likely to make this team. Kaun will play in Russia next year and may never play in the NBA.

GRADE: C


DALLAS MAVERICKS

Round 1: None
Round 2: Shan Foster (51)

Their only pick was a second rounder that won’t make the team. I understand that their roster is loaded, but I think every team should seek to improve through the draft.

GRADE: D


DENVER NUGGETS

Round 1: None
Round 2: Sonny Weems (39)

They traded their first round pick for cash. Unacceptable. Weems is a pretty good selection at #39, but he probably won’t stick.

GRADE: D


DETROIT PISTONS

Round 1: None
Round 2: Walter Sharpe (32), Trent Plaisted (46), Deron Washington (59)

After a few draft day moves, they ended up with three players that will have a very difficult time making their roster.

GRADE: D


GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS

Round 1: Anthony Randolph (14)
Round 2: Richard Hendrix (49)

I don’t like these picks for the Warriors. Randolph is talented and a good pick for someone else, but he’s a project and he’ll likely need to play small forward because of his lack of strength. The Warriors needed a starting center, even if he has less “star” potential than Randolph. Randolph is too skinny and Hendrix is too short, and the Warriors still need a center.

GRADE: C


HOUSTON ROCKETS

Round 1: Donte Greene (28)
Round 2: Joey Dorsey (33), Maarty Leunen (54)

It was fashionable to knock Green during the draft process, but I like him. I think that the Rockets may end up with a very good small forward in Greene. They also got great value by getting Dorsey in a trade. He’s a bruiser at power forward and could be a part of their rotation next season. This was a good draft for Houston.

GRADE: A


INDIANA PACERS

Round 1: Brandon Rush (13), Roy Hibbert (17)
Round 2: None

I’m not really a fan of Rush and I think they would have been better off with Jarryd Bayless, the player they traded for Rush. I do, however, like Hibbert. He’s slow, but he’s big and skilled, the kind of player that other teams will regret overlooking once their skinny teenagers fail to live up to the hype.

GRADE: B-


LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS

Round 1: Eric Gordon (7)
Round 2: DeAndre Jordan (35), Mike Taylor (55)

Gordon is very talented, but I think that DJ Augustin and Jarryd Bayless were better fits for the Clippers, and Elgin Baylor is the worst GM in professional sports, so I am skeptical. Jordan can’t play and he will never live up to his physical gifts.

GRADE: C+


LOS ANGELES LAKERS

Round 1: None
Round 2: Joe Crawford (58)

They only had a second round pick after trading their first round pick (#28) to Memphis for Pau Gasol. That sounds like a fair deal to everyone in the greater Los Angeles area. Nevertheless, I’m only grading the actual draft picks. Crawford won’t make the team.

GRADE: D


MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES

Round 1: O.J. Mayo (3), Darrell Arthur (27)
Round 2: None

If Mayo reaches his All-star potential, this could be the draft that really started their turnaround. If he doesn’t, the NBA might consider sending the entire Grizzlies organization down to the D-League. Arthur could be a steal at #27. This actually looks like a great draft for Memphis.

GRADE: A


MIAMI HEAT

Round 1: Michael Beasley (2)
Round 2: Mario Chalmers (34)

I think that the Heat got the best player in this draft. Beasley can score and rebound and he has the most star potential of all the prospects. Chalmers is more of a combo guard than a true point guard, but he’s a very good combo guard and an excellent defensive player. The Heat may have drafted two future starters.

GRADE: A+


MILWAUKEE BUCKS

Round 1: Joe Alexander (8)
Round 2: Luc Richard Mbah a Moute (37)

I am always concerned about late bloomers. Alexander is a motivated guy, but he’s also a tweener that plays the same position as the newly acquired Richard Jefferson. They reached for Alexander, then they drafted Mbah a Moute, another small forward.

GRADE: C


MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES

Round 1: Kevin Love (5)
Round 2: Nikola Pekovic (31)

I really like Kevin Love, but I am concerned that he is essentially the same player as Al Jefferson. It’s hard to win with two power forwards and no center in your line-up. On the other hand, the Timeberwolves are terrible and it may not be a bad idea for them to get the best players available, regardless of position.

GRADE: B+


NEW JERSEY NETS

Round 1: Brook Lopez (10), Ryan Anderson (21)
Round 2: Chris Douglas-Roberts (39)

This is an excellent draft for the Nets. They probably didn’t get a star, but they got three guys that can help a lot. A few teams made questionable picks and that allowed the Nets to draft Lopez, the best center in this draft. I’m not convinced that Anderson is tough enough for the NBA, but he’s a crafty scorer. CDR is excellent value at #39.

GRADE: A


NEW ORLEANS HORNETS

Round 1: None
Round 2: None

No excuse for no picks.

GRADE: F


NEW YORK KNICKS

Round 1: Danilo Gallinari (6)
Round 2: None

I doubt any rookie will be under as much scrutiny as Gallinari. I want to be skeptical about this pick, but I really don’t believe that GM Donnie Walsh and Coach Mike D’Antoni would have done this if they didn’t really believe in this guy.

GRADE: B-


ORLANDO MAGIC

Round 1: Courtney Lee (22)
Round 2: None

Lee is a good player. He’s smart and mature, and I can see him contributing soon. He’ll have an opportunity to steal JJ Reddick’s roster spot.

GRADE: B


PHILADELPHIA 76ERS

Round 1: Marreese Speights (16)
Round 2: None

Nice pick. People too often assume that every draft pick should be for someone with a chance to be a star, but selecting a guy that has the look of a solid role player is very smart.

GRADE: B


PHOENIX SUNS

Round 1: Robin Lopez (15)
Round 2: Goran Dragic (42)

The Suns must have been overjoyed that the Warriors passed on this guy. He’s an instant role player that will play tough low-post defense and bring great character with him.

GRADE: B


PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS

Round 1: Jerryd Bayless (11), Nicolas Batum (25)
Round 2: None

I really like Bayless and I think he fell too low. Then Indiana made a mistake by sending him to Portland. He has a chance to start for the Trailblazers as a rookie. Batum is very good, but he may have a heart condition that is concerning. This team has become excellent at drafting (and/or trading for) talent.

GRADE: A


SACRAMENTO KINGS

Round 1: Jason Thompson (12)
Round 2: Sean Singletary (42), Patrick Ewing Jr. (43)

Thompsom looks like a reach, mostly because he hasn’t played against top competition, but he does fit a low-post need for the Kings, so I will be cautiously optimistic about this pick. Neither Singletary nor Ewing Jr. has much chance to stick.

GRADE: C


SAN ANTONIO SPURS

Round 1: George Hill (26)
Round 2: Malik Hairston (48), James Gist (57)

The Spurs have made numerous picks of obscure players, and although that has been very good for them in the past, the obscure George Hill won’t make their team. Neither will Hairston or Gist. This was not a good group of prospects.

GRADE: D


SEATTLE SUPERSONICS

Round 1: Russell Westbrook (4), Serge Ibaka (24), D.J. White (29)
Round 2: DeVon Hardin (50)

I think they reached for Westbrook and will regret passing on better players. If they are stashing Ibaka overseas to avoid salary (as rumored), then that is exactly why they no longer compete in the NBA, winning can be expensive. They need help, and first round draft picks shouldn’t be wasted because you can’t pay the guy. White is just average and Hardin is talented, but a real underachiever.

GRADE: C+


TORONTO RAPTORS

Round 1: None
Round 2: Nathan Jawai (41)

Because of other moves, they ended up with just a second round pick. I do, however, like that second rounder. Jawai is a big, burly low-post player and he knows how to score and rebound. They needed a few more big guys and got two of them (Jermaine O’Neal, Jawai) in just a few days.

GRADE: B


UTAH JAZZ

Round 1: Kosta Koufos (23)
Round 2: Ante Tomic (44), Tadija Dragicevic (53)

They wanted size and they got it. Koufos isn’t a great player, but he is a great pick for this team. He’s big, fundamentally sound, and has the game that will translate to the style of the Jazz. Tomic and Dragicevic won’t arrive for a year or two, but when they do, the Jazz will get two experienced players with excellent size.

GRADE: B


WASHINGTON WIZARDS

Round 1: JaVale McGee (18)
Round 2: None

It’s not a really bad idea to draft a big, athletic project that needs more time to develop. They probably weren’t going to find someone to crack their line-up at #18 anyway, but McGee is much more athlete than basketball player and those guys almost never become NBA players.

GRADE: C