# Draft Winner & Losers



## E.H. Munro (Jun 22, 2004)

Normally these threads are started draft night. And if I hadn't been out at a draft party I probably would have done it myself. Anyway, my initial thoughts:

*Winners*

*New Orleans*- Obviously they got the Unibrower, but i love the Austin Rivers selection too. If they can turn around and work out a Gordon for Granger swap with Indy they may be in the playoff picture next year. And if they can Williams into signing then contention is basically a year away.
*Philadelphia*- When I was growing up these guys were Boston's real rival, and I used to hate them. It's hard for me to hate them these days because I love the guys on this team, and walking away from draft night with Moe Harkless & Arnett Moultrie is huge (especially since I expect them to amnesty Brand).
*Boston*- Sullinger slips to them at 21, which would seem to spell an end to the Celtics career of the guy that would have been the surefire #1 pick if only he were 50lbs bigger, and they use 22 on Melo. Normally that'd be a mixed bag except that intial reports (including quotes from the front office) indicate that the Hawks love Melo, so I'm viewing him as Josh Smith bait. And if that works this draft is a huge win for Boston. Kris Joseph is Mikael Pietrus insurance, and probably spells the end of the E'Twan Moore era. I guess he won't be starting in Boston after all either.
*Detroit*- At #9 you have to take a swing at Drummond. If he pans out they've got two starting quality NBA centers, which makes it a lot easier to take the next step (because teams are always looking for centers). I also love their second round. I'm a big believer in Khris Middleton and think that he can be an above average NBA starter. I also love Kim English, who I expect to have a decent career as a backup 2.
*Toronto*- I'm probably one of the few people outside Raptor Nation that likes their draft. After years of seeing DeMar DeRozan's masonry getting to see a shooting guard that can actually shoot will probably be a novelty for Toronto fans. I also love Quincy Acy. He's the sort of swing forward that every team needs on their bench.
*Charlotte*- Gained a couple of real solid wings to go along with Benji Gordon & Gerry Henderson. Playing time for all these guys is destined to be a problem, though.

*Incomplete*

*Chicago*- Rose is out so they drafted a future backup point guard. Tough to say how Teague works out under the circumstances.
*Indiana*- Needed a big goofy white guy to replace Jeff Foster and got one.
*Cleveland*- Waiters at #4 rates a *WTF?*, doubly so since he seems the exact opposite of what you'd be looking for in a running mate for Kyrie Irving. Tyler Zeller will probably be a decent starting center, though.
*Houston*- If Lamb & White are part of a package to land Howard, this is a great draft. If Houston's keeping all of them someone needs to lace Morey's smart water with a massive dose of insecticide. 

*Losers*

*Portland*- You have the chance to trade #6 for a damned good NBA point guard, and you desperately need a damned good NBA point guard. What do you do? Why hold the pick and draft a guy that you pray will one day be as good as the guy you were offered is now. Of course, while you spend the next 3-4 years waiting on the new guy to develop your keystone player will just be getting older and you'll waste a good portion of his prime, but you're the Incrediblazers! And Incrediblazers don't ever trade kids. 

So, you're Meyers Leonard, you're athletic, seven feet tall, a bad honky mofo. The future's bright, right? Sure you've had a knee injury and a stress fracture in the foot, but all you need to do is play reasonably well for the next four years and _someone_ will offer you $10-$12 million per year. What could possibly go wrong? Enter the Trailblazer Curse. Pity, Mr. Leonard. You coulda been a contender. Seriously, Portland, What the ****? Have you not paid attention to your franchise's history? Don't ****ing draft a center. Just don't do it. Even Bill Walton could only hold off that curse for a few years. And only then by the power of that beard. Christ it hunted down and killed Arvydas Sabonis despite his best attempts to escape it.
*Phoenix*- Kendall Marshall? Really?
*Denver*- Ivanna Fournier? Are they expecting to play in the WNBA? Izzit Turkeymaltz? Yes. What a terrible idea for a beer.


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## PD (Sep 10, 2004)

I would include OKC and CHI as winners in case. They got great values for the 28th and 29th picks.


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## rocketeer (Oct 7, 2002)

i think boston did well. sullinger at 21 is a great pick and their other guys all should have a shot at playing a specific role.

dallas cheaply filled some roster spots with guys who could excel in limited roles. if free agency works out in their favor, they did great. if not, they'd probably rather have gotten a higher caliber player.

i like detroit's 2nd rounders. drummond was great value at 9 and is a really good fit next to monroe. in the likely event that he doesn't pan out, hopefully for their sake they get something in a trade instead of giving him a deandre jordan contract.

really like golden state's draft. green was great value in the 2nd. festus gives them some bogut insurance. barnes fills a need and has star potential.

love the rockets draft from a talent collection standpoint. overall it's going to all depend on where things go from here.

thunder got great value. i don't expect anything out of perry jones, but still a very good pick.

i like toronto's draft too. acy can be a role player in the league and ross was my favorite swing guy still available.

don't like the cavs draft at all. nothing good to say about it. same with the pacers.

really like lamb for the bucks. hate henson.

i hate the austin rivers pick.


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## seifer0406 (Jun 8, 2003)

I would add Sacramento as a winner. I love the combination of Cousins/Thomas Robinson. Washington should be a winner as well. Wall/Beal is a great backcourt foundation to go with what they're doing up front.


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## Bogg (May 4, 2009)

E.H. Munro said:


> *Detroit*- At #9 you have to take a swing at Drummond. If he pans out they've got two starting quality NBA centers, which makes it a lot easier to take the next step (because teams are always looking for centers).


Is it just me, or is Monroe skilled enough to play as a full-sized power forward? If Drummond pans out, they'd be able to keep Monroe at the four and make teams absolutely miserable inside. I don't think I'd be looking to trade him.


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## hobojoe (Jun 20, 2003)

Absolutely love what the Hornets did. Davis is a no brainer, but bringing Rivers in as well makes this an A+, franchise-changing draft. 

I think Washington put themselves in the playoffs next year by getting Beal. They got rid of the knuckleheads (Blatche better not be back), they started to gel and play better as a unit last year. Nene was a great pickup, guys like Singleton and Booker are young, talented and willing to do the dirty work and the small things to win, Vesely is talented, Crawford can light it up. If Beal comes in and does what he's capable of doing, it's all on Wall to lead this team to victories now. He has the pieces, he has enough experience at this level where it's now time to start winning. 

I hate what Portland did, they're headed nowhere really fast. Puzzling picks, a couple reaches in the lottery and not much direction. 

I hate Cleveland picking Waiters, but love them getting Zeller. How Meyers Leonard went ahead of Tyler Zeller is beyond me, but the Cavs should be ecstatic with that.


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## UD40 (May 12, 2005)

Pacers were losers in my book.

Miles Plumlee...for real?


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## Vermillion (Mar 23, 2004)

I think Phoenix got Marshall because all their prospects were taken, Waiters/Ross/Rivers/Lamb. The cupboard was really bare at that point.


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## Geaux Tigers (Apr 26, 2004)

Is Phoenix still committed to playing absolutely no defense and going full speed all the time? Cause if so then Marshall is their guy. Not even saying that it's a bad thing.


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## shmip (Dec 12, 2010)

its even fournier not ivana.. also i dont really like the rivers pick.. he is just like EG , they both are the same player.. non of them is a PG .. bad pick.. plumlee is for sure the worst pick of the draft .. dont like the ross pick either


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## RollWithEm (Jul 16, 2002)

E.H. Munro said:


> *Winners*
> 
> *New Orleans*- Obviously they got the Unibrower, but i love the Austin Rivers selection too. If they can turn around and work out a Gordon for Granger swap with Indy they may be in the playoff picture next year. And if they can Williams into signing then contention is basically a year away.


I didn't like the Rivers pick very much. They have not shown any interest in a Gordon sign and trade. Deron Williams has already signed with Brooklyn. They overpaid a role player (Ryan Anderson) who is great at hitting open jumpers without actually having anyone to draw double teams or penetrate and kick to him. Oh, and they are still pretending Austin Rivers can help them at the PG position. Ouch.


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## E.H. Munro (Jun 22, 2004)

The Anderson signing is indeed bizarre, because Davis' highest and best use would be in a prime Garnett/Josh Smith type roving engine of defensive destruction role, and instead Demps is going to get him beat to piss in the post. It's almost like he's actually working for another team and doing his best to undermine the Hornets. They had no choice on Gordon, though, they couldn't let him walk and due to the CBA couldn't trade him until next summer once he signed the offer sheet. So I have no beef with them letting Rivers come off the bench for a year while they try to build trade value with E-Go. In the long term I think Rivers is the better player, anyway. Maybe they're hoping to package Anderson and Gordon for a center next summer?


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## shmip (Dec 12, 2010)

E.H. Munro said:


> The Anderson signing is indeed bizarre, because Davis' highest and best use would be in a prime Garnett/Josh Smith type roving engine of defensive destruction role, and instead Demps is going to get him beat to piss in the post. It's almost like he's actually working for another team and doing his best to undermine the Hornets. They had no choice on Gordon, though, they couldn't let him walk and due to the CBA couldn't trade him until next summer once he signed the offer sheet. So I have no beef with them letting Rivers come off the bench for a year while they try to build trade value with E-Go. In the long term I think Rivers is the better player, anyway. Maybe they're hoping to package Anderson and Gordon for a center next summer?


Cant really see rivers being better than EG , EG is a much better D player and we shouldn't even open a discussion on who is the better atlethic guy between those 2... anderson is also a weird move.. its not like Davis is a post beast like D12 and teams with double up him.. Dont really understand what Hornets are doing.. 
Also the Raptors with some shitty moves (not talking about lowry cause that was a good move) cause picking Ross was a bit higher imo , also why the hell they signed Fields on an offer shit.. Fields , Derozen and Ross all are SG non of them isnt strong enough to play a SF.. thats strange


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## Diable (Apr 26, 2005)

As a Duke fan I am completely biased against Rivers. In fact I am happy to see him go pro.


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## E.H. Munro (Jun 22, 2004)

shmip said:


> Cant really see rivers being better than EG , EG is a much better D player and we shouldn't even open a discussion on who is the better atlethic guy between those 2... anderson is also a weird move.. its not like Davis is a post beast like D12 and teams with double up him.. Dont really understand what Hornets are doing..


The thread started the day after the draft. As for Rivers v. Gordon, as much as I love e-Go, he's never been able to stay healthy. It's very likely that he's a 50-60 game per year guy in the future. Austin can shoot the shit out of the ball, no matter what the Wages of Stupidity guys think. 



shmip said:


> Also the Raptors with some shitty moves (not talking about lowry cause that was a good move) cause picking Ross was a bit higher imo , also why the hell they signed Fields on an offer shit.. Fields , Derozen and Ross all are SG non of them isnt strong enough to play a SF.. thats strange


I don't really see anyone drafted after Ross that's in anyway superior. While the 2012 draft was deep, it's in terms of NBA rotation players, not stars. The Raptors desperately needed a shooting guard that can actually shoot the ball, and occasionally play some defense. Neither of which DeRozan does. Swinging for the fences with Drummond was certainly an option, but that was a really high risk move with a team that couldn't afford a bust.


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## Diable (Apr 26, 2005)

Rivers is more chucker than shooter. He is never going to be able to play the point because of his mentality and his total lack of ability as a point guard. Given his size it's hard to believe he's ever going to be more than a run of the mill sixth man.


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## Pacers Fan (Aug 25, 2002)

Diable said:


> Rivers is more chucker than shooter. He is never going to be able to play the point because of his mentality and his total lack of ability as a point guard. Given his size it's hard to believe he's ever going to be more than a run of the mill sixth man.


What about his size? Dude measured out at 6'5". He's 1/4" shorter than Jeremy Lamb. He's taller than Bradley Beal, John Jenkins, Doron Lamb, and Dion Waiters.

He's comparable to James Harden and Tyreke Evans, and taller than Marcus Thornton, OJ Mayo, and Eric Gordon.

Basically, he doesn't have to play the point. He has SG size.

Now, he might be looking at the 6th man role in N'awlins, but they seem committed to running him and EG at the same time. Honestly, it probably doesn't matter who plays the 1 and who plays the 2. The Hornets are trying to create a Monta Ellis/Stephen Curry kind of backcourt, and it could work.


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## shmip (Dec 12, 2010)

E.H. Munro said:


> The thread started the day after the draft. As for Rivers v. Gordon, as much as I love e-Go, he's never been able to stay healthy. It's very likely that he's a 50-60 game per year guy in the future. Austin can shoot the shit out of the ball, no matter what the Wages of Stupidity guys think.
> 
> if EG will stay healthy , they dont really need EG ... and if they are planning in matching his offer shit so i also dont understand why they draft rivers..only if they want to trade him
> 
> I don't really see anyone drafted after Ross that's in anyway superior. While the 2012 draft was deep, it's in terms of NBA rotation players, not stars. The Raptors desperately needed a shooting guard that can actually shoot the ball, and occasionally play some defense. Neither of which DeRozan does. Swinging for the fences with Drummond was certainly an option, but that was a really high risk move with a team that couldn't afford a bust.


im not a J.Lamb fan but i think he is a better player than Ross.. his long wingspan will help him in the league..and if so why the hell they need fields if ross will answer all the thing you mentioned.. also they could have gotten a SF , which they really need


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## shmip (Dec 12, 2010)

Pacers Fan said:


> . The Hornets are trying to create a Monta Ellis/Stephen Curry kind of backcourt, and it could work.


this back court havn't proven nothing in the NBA.. lack of D maybe


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## asiasportwriter (Nov 13, 2012)

Celtics picked up a pair of quality big men, and having a players with so much experience, I wouldn't be surprised if they﻿ turned out to be one of the winners! they actually deserve it a lot.


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## RollWithEm (Jul 16, 2002)

E.H. Munro said:


> *Losers*
> 
> *Portland*- You have the chance to trade #6 for a damned good NBA point guard, and you desperately need a damned good NBA point guard. What do you do? Why hold the pick and draft a guy that you pray will one day be as good as the guy you were offered is now. Of course, while you spend the next 3-4 years waiting on the new guy to develop your keystone player will just be getting older and you'll waste a good portion of his prime, but you're the Incrediblazers! And Incrediblazers don't ever trade kids.


This is funny to read.


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