Write On Sports LLC - "The NBA draft's winners and losers" by Jake Lloyd

The NBA draft's winners and losers

2007-06-30 02:06:50 | By: Jake Lloyd

It didn't have quite as many surprises as I anticipated. Not quite as many blockbusters as I thought. But it was an interesting night all the same. And just like the 2003 NBA Draft had an immediate impact on many teams in the league (Miami, Cleveland, Denver, Toronto, etc.), this one surely will as well.

Which teams will reap the benefits? Which teams will suffer? Here's my take.

THE REAPERS

Portland
Rumor has it, there is a new basketball team in town replete with young, innocent, good-natured players. No, not the Jail Blazers. The Trailblazers.

With Greg Oden at center, LaMarcus Aldridge, Channing Frye and Josh McRoberts at power forward, Demetris Nichols at small forward, Brandon Roy and Steve Francis at shooting guard and Jarret Jack backed up by Taurean Green at point guard, this is a fresh team with loads of talent (maybe a little too much) that just needs to mesh before becoming playoff ready.

Great draft by the 'Blazers.

Seattle
We knew the Supersonics were going to get Kevin Durant, but that wasn't their only action on draft night. Through the trade with Boston, they drafted Jeff Green, who could be a sidekick alongside Durant for several years, but Green won't be rushed into the rotation because they also received Wally Szczerbiak, who knows how to shoot (if nothing else).

The acquisition of Delonte West gives Seattle more than enough depth at point guard.

Good draft by the Supersonics

New Orleans
I know the Hornets had just one impact draft choice at No. 13, but they couldn't have picked a better guy than Julian Wright out of Kansas. He'll fit in perfectly with the Hornets, who want to run more with Chris Paul running the point.

With Wright, Desmond Mason, David West and Tyson Chandler all running the floor in front of Paul, the Hornets should be a high-octane team as long as they stay healthy.

Solid draft by the Hornets

Golden State
The Warriors are still going to be able to run, run and run some more. And they'll be able to do it ever better because they'll be a better rebounding team. That's what they did by trading overpaid Jason Richardson ($12 million a year) to Charlotte for first-round pick Brandan Wright (6-foot-10) and second-round pick Jamareo Davidson (6-foot-10) out of Alabama.

Both players are extremely athletic. They just need to become a little bit stronger. But they certainly fit into the Warriors' system. Richardson won't be sorely missed as long as Monta Ellis continues to improve and Al Harrington plays like he did in the playoffs.

Solid draft by the Warriors

New York
The Knicks only had one draft pick (No. 23), which they used on Depaul's Wilson Chandler, but they made sure to give their fans something to actually cheer about by trading for Zach Randolph.

With Randolph and Eddie Curry, the Knicks now have two legitimate low-post scoring options (they just have to keep both guys happy). They also got rid of the malcontent Francis and Frye, who didn't seem to like the New York pressure.

Now Stephon Marbury should feel comfortable as the starting point guard (Nate Robinson's not taking over, OK?), and he'll have a pair of really big guys to dish it to. Should make for an interesting year in the Big Apple.

Auspicious night for the Knicks

A COUPLE SUFFERERS

Philly
I don't think it was an awful draft for the 76ers, but I'm sure their tough fans aren't gobbling up season tickets to watch the likes of Jason Smith from Colorado State and Kyrylo Fesenko from the Ukraine.

The 76ers had a whopping four picks in the draft, and I don't see any of their selections — with the possible selection of Derrick Byars — being able to step in right away and help try to appease a trying fan base. Thaddeus Young, who played a single year at Georgia Tech, was a poor choice at No. 12 when Al Thornton (same player, much more mature) was still on the board. It looks like Philly will be back in the lottery next year.

Not a good draft for the 76ers

Charlotte
I like the fact that M.J. is taking a proactive approach in attempting to finally get this doomed franchise on the right track. But his moves on Thursday will do nothing more than give the fans some fresh, new, exciting players to watch.

And it will likely kick free agent Gerald Wallace, who happens to be a pretty good player, out of town. With Jason Richardson and Jared Dudley, two small forwards, coming to town, Wallace will likely opt to leave. Additionally, the Bobcats had Brandan Wright, a big man who could run the floor (a type of player they need when Raymond Felton is running the point), in their hands, but they ditched him for Richardson.

Now Wallace is likely gone. Richardson will have to be their main outside scorer. And Emeka Okafor and Sean May (two players not so inclined to run the floor) are their primary scoring big men.

Poor draft for the Bobcats

Milwaukee
It will be interesting to see what happens with the Bucks' No. 6 selection, Yi Jianlian. If they hold onto him, and he commits himself to playing for them, then he's a pretty good selection.

But the Chinese government is saying it won't let Yi play for a small-market team like the Bucks. As the No. 2 Chinese attraction in the NBA behind Yao Ming, it wants him to play for a team in a big market such as the Celtics, Knicks, Nets or Lakers.

If the Bucks are forced into trading Yi, they probably won't get his value in return. Thus the risk in this pick. A safer pick would have been Corey Brewer, who would have been a great complement to Michael Redd at the small forward position.

Risky draft for the Bucks

So there you have it — the reapers and sufferers from the 2007 NBA draft. Everyone else is in between.

It really wasn't that surprising of a draft. The Spurs took a foreign dude. The Hawks took a power forward (three years and counting now). And the No. 60 pick’s name is a National Spelling Bee word.

But it sure was entertaining. Like when Miami took Stanko Barac, only to drop his odor on the draft-pick-less Pacers.

When all the contracts have been worked out and the trades finalized, this draft will likely go down as one of the most influential in the NBA's history. And it might finally make basketball the sport to watch in the Great Northwest.

Comments

Gareth Sleger commented,
Wow, Jake, you are usually spot on with your articles. But, Boston was the ultimate sufferer. An aging PG in Ray Allen (32) and an under-sized, overweight PF/C in Big Baby aren’t worth a No. 5 pick in a deep draft.
July 2, 2007 10:27 a.m.

Jake commented,
Yeah, Boston was probably a sufferer, but to be honest, I had a little pity on the Celtics. They've gone through so much the past 20 years, I didn't want to submit them to more pain. And at least the Celtics can say that they have a Ray Allen and Allan Ray on their team. I bet that's never been accomplished before.
July 4, 2007 5:42 p.m.

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