2012 NBA Draft Recap

New York Goes Overseas

In a pick I definitely did not see coming, the Knicks selected Kostas Papanikolaou out of Greece. Although I was hesitant at first, I grew to, more or less, like the pick. I can honestly say I have never heard of this player nor have I seen any video of him. However, Fran Fraschilla spoke very highly of him (although which international player does he not speak highly about? It seemed like every international pick during the draft was a “great” or “solid” pick). 

In addition, the Knicks are trying to win right now and in doing so are taking a page out of the San Antonio Spurs’ draft manual by aiming for a championship while also looking towards the future in developing young players overseas, as Papanikolaou is not expected to enter the NBA for a
few years. They also do not need to be spending unnecessary money on a  young developing player when they need to be spending it on bringing the right pieces to a team that should be in championship contention given their level of talent. Use the money to try and lure Steve Nash to New York while you have Papanikolaou getting more experienced in Greece.

Winners

New Orleans Hornets

This team needs to start over and who better to start over with than Anthony Davis? He is clearly the best and one of the most NBA ready players in the draft and will be a great player. I like Austin Rivers and he is going to be a spark for them without a doubt but I am curious as to how he and Eric Gordon fit in. Both are two guards who like to shoot. Unless they plan on turning Rivers into a point guard, I could see the Hornets doing a sign and trade with Gordon to bring in a future draft pick or two and a solid veteran starter. They also got Darius Miller in the second round who can bring athleticism and solid three point shooting to the table off the bench.

Golden State Warriors

This is the second year in a row I have the Warriors as a winner in the draft. With their first pick, #7 overall, Harrison Barnes fell to them. Barnes, in my opinion, should have been a Top 5 pick and I believe should have gone to the Cleveland Cavaliers at #4. Barnes dropped to the the Warriors at seven and Golden State got a great scorer who can create his own shot and score from just about anywhere on the court. He didn’t have as great of a college career as people thought and needs to get more assertive, but there is no denying that he can score. 

With their next pick in the draft, 30th (last in the first round) they drafted center Festus Ezeli out of Vanderbilt. In Ezeli they get a shot blocking center who can back up Andrew Bogut, a very injury prone player who has only averaged 45.5 games per season the last 4 seasons and is still recovering from a gruesome elbow injury that held him to only 12 games last season. 35th overall the Warriors picked Draymond Green who to me was deserving of a first round selection. A lot of people have doubts about Green in terms of what position he is going to play but I feel like that is such a small problem for a player who has great experience with four years under Tom Izzo at Michigan State and is only the third player in NCAA history to record multiple triple doubles in an NCAA tournament. The other two? Oscar Robertson and Magic Johnson. That’s pretty good company to be in.

Boston Celtics

The one and only thing I was afraid of going into this draft was that Jared Sullinger would fall to the Celtics at 21 and my fear came to fruition. Sullinger’s bad back drew red flags from doctors at the NBA combine and as a result he plummeted in the draft. Sullinger is a Top 10 talent who the Celtics got at the end of the first round. He can certainly score both inside and out but has yet to master the art of defense. Keven Garnett can definitely help him develop on the defensive end as well as with his midrange jumper.

With the second half of their back-to-back picks, the Celtics chose center Fab Melo out of Syracuse who is a great defender who anchored Jim Boeheim’s menacing zone defense. A major problem with the Celtics since trading away Kendrick Perkins is the lack of an interior presence on defense. That problem was displayed big time in the playoffs this past year when they played the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals. Whenever Kevin Garnett was on the bench resting, there was absolutely nobody patrolling the paint and protecting the rim for Boston. Melo fits that mold perfectly. Melo was suspended for the NCAA tournament last year so if there are any issues, Garnett can help whip him into shape and help him become a true shot blocking threat. They also took another Orangemen, Kris Joseph, to add much needed depth to a team that may lose Ray Allen and has Jeff Green coming off serious surgery.

Oklahoma City Thunder

There were rumors that the Thunder was looking to move up to a Top 3 pick, but they stayed with there one pick at #28 and somehow, and I emphasize SOMEHOW, managed to get a lottery talent. Perry Jones III, like Sullinger, plummeted in the draft. The Thunder clearly took the best player available at the spot and in doing so could have solved a major free agency problem they would face. The Thunder really only have room to re-sign James Harden or Serge Ibaka, unless both want to sign for less money than they deserve. However, now that Jones is on the team, he can replace Ibaka if Ibaka leaves for greener pastures. Both are very lanky players with absurd wingspans who go after shot blocks and can handle the ball outside the paint and hit the midrange jumper. I have liked Perry Jones III all year and am still shocked that he fell so hard in the draft due to a slight knee problem. Even if Ibaka stays, Jones can still bring a shot blocking presence off the bench for when Ibaka gets into foul trouble, which occurred on a regular basis during their NBA Finals loss. Pretty soon GM’s will be kicking themselves for letting the Western Conference champions get such a productive player.

Portland Trail Blazers

They have a lot of holes to fill assuming Raymond Felton and Jamal Crawford do not resign with the team this offseason (and they are not expected too). They drafted players to replace those voids, Damian Lillard (#6) and Will Barton (#40) and filled the need at center with Myers Leonard at # 11. Lillard can come in and replace Felton at point, he is a willing passer and and very good scorer. Barton could have been taken at the end of the first round or very beginning of the second round, he is a a very solid second round pick who can bring a lot of energy to the team as he can score and is very athletic for if he has to crash the boards.

Although I cannot say I completely agree with the selection of Leonard, (if they were set on a center I would have gone with Tyler Zeller) they needed a center to play alongside LaMarcus Aldridge and they got one. The team is trying to build around Aldridge and forget about the Greg Oden/Brandon Roy injury-riddled era, they are off to a good start.

Dion Waiters

While Sullinger and Jones’ draft stocks were falling, Waiters was rising. He went from a mid first round pick to a lottery pick in a short amount of time and was projected to go somewhere around #8 to the Toronto Raptors, but the Cavs shocked me by taking him at #4. Waiters not only gets more money by getting drafted earlier than expected but goes to a rebuilding situation with a player who has one of the brightest upsides in the NBA in Kyrie Irving.

However, I don’t like this pick for the Cavs. Waiters did not start a single game for Syracuse last season and I am always hesitant when that comes up about a player getting picked so high in the draft. The last player to not start a game the year before the draft who got taken this early? Marvin Williams out of North Carolina who to the Atlanta Hawks number two overall in 2005, passing on players like Deron Williams, Chris Paul, and Raymond Felton. I feel like Harrison Barnes would have been a better pick at #4 for the Cavs.

Losers

Players Who Came Back For Their Sophomore Years Last Year

That list includes Harrison Barnes, Jared Sullinger, and Perry Jones III. All three could have entered last year’s draft and would have been lottery picks but they all came back for their sophomore years. Barnes still got drafted in the lottery (but like I said earlier, should have gone before #7) and Sullinger and Jones, two Top 10 talents last year, fell to the twenties thanks to overreactions from all teams regarding back and knee injuries, respectively.

Sleepers

Jared Sullinger/Perry Jones III

Top 10 talents who fell to the end of the first round due to worries about injuries. These big men will make a significant impact for their respective teams in the years to come.

Scott Machado

I have to say I was a little surprised that the NCAA leader in assists per game last  year went undrafted. He has tremendous vision but the knock on him is that he is not very athletic. I think everyone sees these slashing point guards around the league (i.e. Derrick Rose, Kyrie Irving, Rajon Rondo) and the thought process is now that you have to be super athletic to be a point guard. Machado isn’t going to get the crowd on their feet with a thunderous dunk off a drive, but he is a smart passer who can find the open man. He’ll make for a good backup to a team with a veteran guard.

Draymond Green

I’m a sucker for a four year college star who shows tremendous leadership by example. Green is definitely one of those guys. I understand that he is too short to be a power forward and not quick enough to be a small forward, but I cannot see many people working harder than him on the court. He is not great at one thing but is very good at just about everything.

Bernard James

This was probably one of the most heart warming stories of the draft (up there with seeing Thomas Robinson break into tears during his interview after he was drafted by the Kings, if you don’t know Robinson’s story I would suggest looking it up). James is a 27 year old out of Florida State who spent a number of years serving for the Air Force. When he got drafted the crowd at the Prudential Center gave a standing ovation and broke out into “U-S-A” chants. James, I believe, has the ability to be a defensive force for the Mavericks. He may be much older than all other rookies, but like he said in his interview, he hasn’t been playing basketball for as long as the others and therefore does not have worn out parts of his body (i.e. His knees are still strong compared to other players his age. The Mavs are still looking to win right now so a young, developing player really is not what they are looking for right now. James is a major shot blocker who could help the team forget a little bit about the loss of Tyson Chandler last season. Also, coming from the Air Force, you know that he is going to work hard and bring a positive presence into the locker room.

My pick for rookie of the year: Anthony Davis (Although I do like Thomas Robinson a lot too).