Sports101: June 2011

Here are my grades for the NBA Lottery Draft Selections.

1.Cleveland Cavaliers: Kyrie Irving (1) & Tristan Thompson (4). - They took the best prospect in the draft in Irving at #1, which was a no brainer. They now have a future star at point guard which is huge in the NBA now because it is now a point guard's league. They then pulled off a shocker at #4 and took Texas forward Tristan Thompson. Thompson is a good athlete but i don't know about the decision to take him at #4. Some people were expecting Enes Kanter or Jonas Valanciunas but they took someone that played in the NCAA in Thompson. Tristan has good potential but time will tell if he was worth the #4 pick over Valanciunas,Kemba Walker,Jan Vesely. Draft Grade: B+

2.Minnesota Timberwolves: Derrick Williams (2) - They took the second best prospect in Derrick Williams which was also another no brainer after Irving. He is very versatile, can shoot the three , grab rebounds, and is an explosive play maker. Some people don't know if he is a 3 or 4, which could make some people wonder if Williams was the absolute right choice for Minnesota. With 2009's fifth overall pick, Ricky Rubio finally arriving in Minnesota, the T-Wolves got Rubio another young star to work with and with Kevin Love and Michael Beasley already with the team, they have the makings of a very good young team for the future. Draft Grade: A

3.Utah Jazz: Enes Kanter (3) & Alec Burks (12) - Some people thought they would take Kentucky point guard Brandon Knight at #3 but they pulled off a bit of a shocker taking the big man from Turkey in Kanter who is profiled as a very good big who will do great in the NBA, i like the pick for the Jazz as it shows they're not giving up on Devin Harris at point guard who was acquired in February in the Deron Williams trade to the Nets. Kanter is another big man to put in the mix with Derrick Favors,Al Jefferson and Paul Millsap, so you would think they'll dangle one of the veterans Jefferson or Millsap in a trade. They took Alec Burks out of Colorado at #12 which isn't a bad pick as they needed help at guard, he can score and could be a two guard or provide a spark of the bench but he needs to work on defense. Draft Grade: A-

4.Toronto Raptors: Jonas Valanciunas (5) - The Raptors have had bad luck in the drafts but Valanciunas is a good pick although he may not be here next year but with a potential lockout looming, it may not be so bad and plus, Toronto isn't expected to contend anyway. Valanciunas gives the Raptors a future big who some people say is better then Kanter. Jonas has said that he reminds himself of a former Raptors player in Chris Bosh who left Toronto one year ago to join LeBron James and Dwyane Wade in Miami. If Valancuinas is here for the 2012-2013 season and shows why he was selected fifth overall, the Raptors will have finally made a good choice. Draft Grade: B+

5.Washington Wizards: Jan Vesely (6) & Chris Singleton (18) - Vesely is an animal, only 21 years old and stands at 6'11 and may still be growing, he can dunk with authority and can hit shots from deep. To me, Vesely is a no brainer at #6. They had the #18 pick and took Florida State forward Chris Singleton who many say is the best defensive player in the draft and should fit in fine with Washington. John Wall must have been very happy with the Wizards draft last night to get a big man and a versatile forward in Singleton. Good job by the Wizards last night: Draft Grade: A+

6.Charlotte Bobcats: Bismack Biyombo (7) & Kemba Walker (9) - They took a defensive beast in Biyombo from Congo but he terminated his contract and there is controversy there for breach of contract so we'll see how that plays out. He can rebound a lot, great shot blocker but he has absolutely no offensive game. They then took Kemba Walker at 9 who owner Michael Jordan likes a lot. Kemba is a national champion at UCONN and lit up the Big East in the Big East Tournament back in March and carried Connecticut to the National Title in the NCAA Tournament. He's a SG who can score and get his fare share of rebounds but his size at 6'3 is a drawback but he should fit in well with the Bobcats. Draft Grade: B+

7.Detroit Pistons: Brandon Knight (8) - They were really hoping that Tristan Thompson would fall to them at 8 but when Cleveland shook up the whole draft and took Thompson, Detroit had to look in another direction. They liked Biyombo, who Charlotte took one pick earlier and with Brandon Knight still available, it was a no brainer to take Knight the freshmen point guard out of Kentucky. Knight can now run the the point in Detroit, who need a lot of help. The Pistons already have a good down low player in Greg Monroe so things seem to be looking up in Detroit but more work has to be done to the team. Draft Grade: A

8.Sacramento Kings: Jimmer Fredette (10) - The Kings really liked Jimmer and got a great young front court in Jimmer Fredette and Tyreke Evans. Jimmer doesn't offer any defense and not much of a true point guard but with no actual PG in Sacramento, its his job for the taking in day 1. If Jimmer can work on his defense, the Kings may have a great back court in Jimmer and Evans. It may be the Kings last season in Sacramento, so they'll try to make it a memorable one. Draft Grade: C+

9.Golden State Warriors: Klay Thompson (11) - The Warriors always coveted him and didn't think he'd fall this far but they got there man. Thompson was once compared to Reggie Miller in that his body size is just like Millers and he can shoot the 3 very well. His size should give him no problem going against other shooting guards. He seems as if he's the most NBA ready player right off the bat. Draft Grade: A+

10. Phoenix Suns: Markieff Morris (13) - His brother Marcus is the better of the two but Markieff has a natural position at PF and should help out a lot on the defensive and offensive side of the ball in his rookie year in Phoenix. Not a bad choice but i might have considered Marcus. Draft Grade: B+

11.Houston Rockets: Marcus Morris (14) & Donatas Montiejunas (20) - Marcus Morris gets picked one behind brother Markieff. He has a better offensive game and can get shots to go down. He needs to work on his defense a little to be able to matchup good against other PF's in the future. Marcus is not a true PF as he is more of a 3/4. Donatas Montiejunas was acquired in a trade with the Timberwolves and he is a seven foot tall center who needs to get stronger if he wants to be Yao Ming's successor. Montiejunas is a force down low and is a good trade for the Rockets. Draft Grade: B

The Washington Wizards are my pick as the big winners in the lottery getting a good big man in Vesely and a defensive beast in Singleton to play small forward. Things sure are starting to look up in Washington.

Sports101

Friday, June 24, 2011

NBA Lottery Draft Grades

Thursday, June 23, 2011

NBA Mock Draft