Winners and Losers of the NBA Draft - Jakeness23's Blog

Jakeness23's Blog

Winners and Losers of the NBA Draft

Posted on June 27, 2014 at 08:38 PM.

(0)

I always thought these things came out quite a bit early, seeing as you really can't judge these players before they've played a game at the pro level. There will be diamonds in the rough, guys who slipped who looking back never should have, and of course the busts, but what the heck. I'll take a swing at this, based on what I've seen and read about the teams and the guys that they picked. (Keep in mind, I'm a Charlotte Hornets fan and may not know a whole lot about the other teams.) I also won�t be mentioning the Bucks or Cavs as winners because it is too obvious, Parker and Wiggins are two players that come around once in a generation.

Spoiler Alert: I have the Hornets as winners. Shocking, I know.

Now without further ado, this is my list.

We'll begin with the losers,

Orlando Magic
This is not because I think Aaron Gordon will be a bust, I think he will be a fine player. Elfrid Payton may be good too (some think he could be great), but I personally think they should've gone best player available at 4, who at the time seemed to me to be either Vonleh or Randle and then picked up Ennis or Napier at 12. I think Ennis and Napier are better pure point guards and definitely better shooters, which is exactly what the Magic needed at that pick after taking Gordon. I also think they could've found a MUCH better trade for Aaron Afflalo. Chicago I believe made a better offer and Charlotte definitely made a better offer. Based on who they got and who they COULD HAVE gotten, in the draft and in their trade, I gotta put them down as losers.

Chicago Bulls
McDermott is a great shooter, but so is Gary Harris. The difference is Harris is the better defender. Also, the Bulls could've picked up Josuf Nurkic as the backup for Noah that they desperately need. The Nuggets got another steal in trade form after basically stealing Afflalo from the Magic. Chicago could've addressed two big needs and moved Butler to his more natural position at the 3, but instead are risking it in McDermott. I do not think he is Adam Morrison 2.0, that comparison is ridiculous (Morrison could have been very good but was injured all the time). But again, look at who they got and who they could have had instead.

Toronto Raptors
Wow. That's all I could say when their pick came up. That and, "Who the **** is this guy?" I honestly don't know if we'll ever hear Bruno Caboclo's name again, not that I'll remember it anyways. They could've taken Napier (because it seems like they are going to sign and trade Lowry), but instead draft a player that worked out for no one and is a complete mystery except that he's, "Two years from being two years away." Wow Toronto, just....wow.

****Though I don't have the Bucks as losers, I have to ask, what were they thinking with that first pick in the second round? They already have The Greek Freak and just picked up Jabari. Surely, they could've filled a need somewhere else like a point guard or center. Complete mystery to me.****

Atlanta Hawks
I like Adrien Payne a lot, he�s a great person and a good ball player with exceptional athletic ability, but I do not like him for the Hawks. I think they should have addressed the wing as that is their biggest needin my mind. Verde could be a good pick, we�ll have to wait and see, but with Horford, I don�t see the need for him either unless they are planning on trading Al away. Not a horrible draft, but they didn�t address any real area of need in my opinion.

James Michael McAdoo
Two years ago was considered a top 5 pick. Oh how the times have changed. McAdoo ended up going completely undrafted. Someone will pick him up quick, but he�s got to be thinking of what could have been.

Now on to the winners,

Boston Celtics/Rajon Rondo
The Celtics seem to be moving on from Rondo and it looks like it will be beneficial to both sides in this case. The Celtics look to be rebuilding through the draft (usually a long process, but 2 immediate first round picks speeds things up a bit). Smart is a solid pickup at 6 and Young may end up as a minor steal at 17. Pairing them up with their young pieces looks really good. Now for Rondo, he can now get traded to a better situation, I could see him going to Dallas, who would be almost too perfect if they are able to land Carmelo Anthony, having him as the facilitator for Monta, Melo, and Dirk would be a nightmare for everyone (though Dallas trading for him would be tricky), Indiana, Atlanta, Sacramento, or even Houston. New York is also a possible destination with all of their young tradeable players. They have a ton of wing players that the Celtics may find appealing.

Utah Jazz
Utah could possibly of had the best draft of anyone depending on how the �Mystery Man from Down Under� turns out. I heard comparisons to a young Kobe and pairing that possibility with guys like Trey Burke, Derrick Favors, Enes Kanter, Alec Burks, and possibly Gordon Hayward as well, screams title contender potential (in 3 or 4 years, not right away, I�m not crazy). Heck of a draft by the Jazz, well done.

Los Angeles Lakers
The Lakers landed the guy they wanted all along in Julius Randle and I think he is a great pickup for them. He�s big and strong, handles the ball exceptionally for his size and is 19 years old. He still has time to improve his passing, shooting, and can still become a better athlete. Great pick for them. If LA somehow lands Melo and/or LeBron , this could be a title contending team (I don�t see them getting both obviously, but Melo could still be a possibility though LeBron is the better fit with Kobe, in my opinion). If they got both, then we can go ahead and peg them down as the Finals rep from the West.

Charlotte Hornets
I told you my guys would be here. I could not believe it when Noah Vonleh fell into our laps. Picking up a guy with top 5, or even top 3 potential at 9?! Yes, please and thank you. With our second pick we ended up getting my personal favorite player in the draft, in P.J. Hairston, and even picked up two 2nd round picks along the way (with this year�s #55 turning into cash for us from the Cleveland Cavaliers). Some people think it was a dumb trade for one of two reasons. They think Napier and Walker would have been a formidable back court (they wouldn�t have, both are undersized and having two guys that undersized in an NBA backcourt is never an advantage) or they think we helped the Heat too much. The Heat helped us. We took their 2nd round pick and turned it into cap room and still ended up drafting the guy that we wanted all along. They were going to get Napier anyways because Houston is stashing guys in Europe to save cap room. PJ addresses the Hornets� biggest need and that is wing scoring. He can do it all and he�s proven it against grown men in the D-League. PJ could go down as the steal of the last 5 drafts. I know that�s a lot of praise and a wild prediction, but I truly see super star potential in the former Tar Heel.

San Antonio Spurs
And the rich get richer. Kyle Anderson may not have a great rookie or even sophomore year in the league. But he is exactly the kind of player the Spurs like, want, and need. You can never have too many team players and that�s exactly what this guy is. Great pickup for the Spurs.

Philadelphia 76ers
If Embiid pans out along with Noel, we could be witnessing the birth of the NBA�s best frontcourt of the future. If he doesn�t Saric is a good insurance policy. They also got their pick back from the Magic and collected a good scoring guard in the late 2nd round. They seem to be the most active traders in the NBA and just find a way to keep collecting picks. Reminds me a lot of the New England Patriots and we all see how well that panned out for them.

That�s it! Let me know what you guys think, agree or disagree? What do you think about what your team did and their future? The possibilities are endless in this league, so many young teams are improving and just biding their time until they turn into serious contenders. The league seems top heavy right now, but looking around, you can see the new league taking form, a new era in the NBA with actual parity, where every team has a chance to bring how the title. Now, let the fun begin!