2009 Draft Analysis

We waited all year for the 2009 NBA Draft and it came and went. The staff at NBA-Draft.com highlights the night.
Atlanta Round 1: Jeff Teague (19) Round 2: Serguy Gladyr (49) Taking Jeff Teague, offensively, was a good move. Standing at 6'1", Teague has a 6'8" wingspan and blazing quickness with the ball. He has trouble with his defense which is a combination of his immaturity and lack of playing experience. Look for Atlanta to move Mike Bibby with the acquisitions of Teague and Jamal Crawford. I think that the Hawks will try and develop Teague into a similar mold as that of Bibby, a scorer's Point Guard. At #49, the Hawks took the Ukrainian product Gladyr. Although a bit raw, Sergiy is a very good scorer, finishing with long distance shooting or slashing through the lane. He is a nice athlete and just needs a bit more time to develop.
Boston Round 1: None Round 2: Lester Hudson (58) With the third to last pick in the Draft as their only selection, Boston did well for themselves. Hudson is a nice combo guard who can do it all. He played well against big time talent at Tennessee-Martin, and is best known for his quadruple-double two seasons ago. Last year he was considered a borderline first round pick, so Boston gets great value here.
Charlotte Round 1: Gerald Henderson (12) Round 2: Derrick Brown (40, trade with New Jersey) No surprise here with Gerald Henderson at #12. Terrence Williams had a promise from Coach Brown and the Bobcats' organization after dominating fellow Guard Gerald Henderson in workouts, but after Williams was off the board, they took a great defender. Henderson is a bit undersized but with a 6'10" wingspan and as an excellent athlete, he plays much bigger. Derrick Brown is a great pickup at #40 as he can play both the Small Forward spot as well as Power Forward. He is a good athlete who can step out and hit the 3, or even handle the ball find the open teammate if needed. Both Henderson and Brown are great team players and should contribute this season. Coach Brown likes polished players and Henderson and Brown are just that.
Chicago Round 1: James Johnson (16), Taj Gibson (26) Round 2: None Sources have told me that the Bulls liked both James Johnson and Taj Gibson at #16, but truly desired Tyler Hansbrough. Unfortunately, Hansbrough went #13, and fortunately, the Bulls ended up with a few of their top rated Forwards. James Johnson has the athleticism and length to defend multiple positions with lots of upside. Taj Gibson on the other hand is a offensively raw 4, but was the co-Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year. He has good length, which leads to many blocks, deflections and above-average rebounding. Lacking a true post player since the Elton Brand era, the Bulls took the potential over question-mark filled post players like B.J. Mullens and DeJuan Blair, who could've been nice fits here.
Cleveland Round 1: Christian Eyenga Round 2: Danny Green (46, trade with Chicago), Emir Preldzic (57, trade with Orlando) Christian Eyenga, is a bit of surprise pick here with their front court needs and DeJuan Blair, Derrick Brown, Jeff Pendergraph still a round at the end of the first round, but my guess is that the Cavs are now comfortable with their frontcourt after acquiring Shaq. Eyenga and Preldzic are still very young and raw but show good promise. Danny Green on the other hand is more NBA ready then the other two. He is a very good team player, but is known for doing all of the small things. He does not demand the ball, but will score when the opportunities are right- whether its by slashing through the lane, putting home an offensive rebound or hitting the long-distance shot.
Dallas Round 1: Rodrigue Beaubois (25, trade with Oklahoma City) Round 2: Nick Calathes (45, trade with Minnesota), Ahmad Nivins (56, trade with Portland) The Mavs were certainly busy on draft night with all three picks coming as the result of trades. Beaubois is a lengthy but athletic guard with excellent speed and quickness but is still ways away as he is very inexperienced. He is a nice player to stash away for a few seasons. Nick Calathes has first round talent taken in the middle of the second round due to his recently signed contract with a Greek team and lack of explosive athleticism. Calathes is still a versatile player whose strengths lay with his passing, shooting and high basketball IQ. I think Ahmad Nivins will develop nicely, especially in Dallas' offensive system. He can score around the rim well and is an excellent rebounder. He is a better version of Brandon Bass and James Singleton due to his solid mid-range jumper and great energy. Dallas' got excellent value with its two second round picks as both could turn out to be second round steals.
Denver Round 1: Ty Lawson (18, trade with Minnesota) Round 2: None Ty Lawson, taken at #18, was traded to the Denver Nuggets for a future first round pick. Denver gets great value and picks up an excellent Point Guard in Lawson to backup and give Chauncey Billups a breather, as he seemed to fade in the late quarters of the season. Lawson brings stingy defense and like Billups, Lawson seems to always make the right decision. The UNC guard had a great assist: turnover ratio all season long and was even better when the NCAA tournament came along. The ACC Player of the Year will be a great fit in Denver.
Detroit Round 1: Austin Daye (15) Round 2: DaJuan Summers (35, trade with Minnesota), Jonas Jerebko (39, trade with Toronto) Detroit had a great draft acquiring three potential first round picks, two of them in the second round, but all three play the same position. All three also had question marks, Daye in terms of his weight/strength and motivation, Summers in terms of his drive and Jerebko in terms of his consistency. But in a few years down the road, the Pistons can look back with a great draft. Austin Daye has a great skill set, but measured out terribly in terms of athleticism and is the opposite of tough. He has a smooth shot, but in Detroit, he will have to put on strength to make it in the NBA. DaJuan Summers played well at Georgetown this past season, but seemed to disappear at times. He is a big and strong Small Forward who could match up against some 4s. He can handle the ball a little bit and hit consistently from mid-range. As for the third of this trio, Jerebko had an unbelievable showing at the Reebok EuroCamp. He refused to play at first stating he was tired from games a few days earlier, but when he did play, he did not seem to miss from outside. After having a "first-round promise", Jerebko falls into a crowded front court, but will stay overseas until Detroit calls on him.
Golden State Round 1: Stephen Curry (7) Round 2: None Golden State gets a solid player in Stephen Curry who should share back-court time with Monta Ellis sooner rather than later with the trading of ex-Warriors Jamal Crawford to Atlanta and potential trading of Marco Belinelli to Phoenix. Curry is a very good passer and perfect for Golden State's offense. He is a smooth shooter, a good ball handler and can run the floor well. His shooting ability should complement Monta Ellis' slashing ability well, but it will be interesting to see how two primarily-based Shooting Guard handle the Point Guard duties.
Houston Round 1: None Round 2: Jermaine Taylor (32, trade with Washington), Sergio Llull (34, trade with Oklahoma City), Chase Budinger (44, trade with Detroit) For starting off the night with zero draft picks and ending up with three players, the Rockets were certainly active in the second round. All three prospects add depth to Houston's back court with lots of potential to go around. Taylor is a pure scorer with an NBA body and athleticism. Llull, the other Spanish Point Guard, is an athletic playmaker who is still only 21, but is getting major minutes for Real Madrid. Like most European guards, Sergio will need to add strength and toughness to his game to make it in the NBA. Chase Budinger is the last of the three guards traded for by Houston, but had the highest rating in terms of draft position. He was seen as a late first-round pick, but slipped all the way to #44. Budinger is an excellent athlete, with a great vertical leap and a smooth outside shot. However, the knack on him was that he did not like to get physical and fight for the ball in traffic, whether its rebounding the ball or taking it to the rim.
Indiana Round 1: Tyler Hansbrough (13) Round 2: A.J. Price (52, trade with Dallas) It seemed clear that Indiana was going to take either a Point Guard or Power Forward at #13, but by trading back into the second-round, they were able to get one of each. Indiana filled a need at Power Forward with an all-time college basketball great, Tyler Hansbrough. However, there were better options with James Johnson and Earl Clark and even Jrue Holiday still around. Hansbrough should become a solid NBA player with the Pacers in their up-and-down offensive system, the same one Hansbrough played with in college. A.J. Price will be a solid NBA player who struggled at UConn with injuries (head, knee) and legal (laptops) troubles. Both players are "safe" picks, meaning what you see is what you get, so Indiana may still be looking for that one more special player to team up with star Danny Granger before they make another series of playoffs runs.
Los Angeles Clippers Round 1: Blake Griffin (1) Round 2: None The Clippers made the right (only) move and took Blake Griffin with the first overall pick. Despite having serviceable bigs Zach Randolph, Chris Kaman and Marcus Camby and even young, but promising DeAndre Jordan, the Clippers still finished in the bottom 10 of the league in rebounding per game. Coach/GM Dunleavy is exploring trade options to move one of these pieces and will find that Camby is the most likely to leave the Clippers in order to find some minutes for Griffin. In 2008, the team was hammered by injuries to Zach Randolph (missed 32 games with the Clippers), Chris Kaman (51), Marcus Camby (20), Baron Davis (17) and the early retirement of Cuttino Mobley lead to poor record. With Griffin on board and healthier players across the board, look for the Clippers to make strides in 09.
Los Angeles Lakers Round 1: None Round 2: Chinemelu Elonu (59) Many rumors among front office personnel linked the Lakers to Florida State Guard Toney Douglas or a true Point Guard, the Lakers decided to save the cash and trade their first round pick to the Knicks. Douglas has the potential to score from inside and out, as well as handle the ball, something any team could use. As for the 59th pick, Elonu had flashes of potential at Texas A&M, but he was way too inconsistent and will most likely not even make the Lakers NBA roster and will be spend a majority of his time in the NBDL.
Memphis Round 1: Hasheem Thabeet (2), DeMarre Carroll (27) Round 2: Sam Young (36) With the #2 selection, the Memphis Grizzlies took 7'3" former UConn Center Hasheem Thabeet. He seemed like the obvious pick adding defense and rebounding to the Grizzlies frontcourt. The only other choice worth taking here was Point Guard Ricky Rubio, but he came out and said he did not want to play in Memphis and who can blame him. By not drafting Rubio, the Grizz keep budding Point Guard Mike Conley as the starter where he really started to shine late last season. It was later in the draft, with the selections of Carroll and Young, where the Grizzlies got great value. Both players were good college players and led their respective teams to top rankings at some point during the season and both can come in this season and contribute. Carroll's energy, toughness and intangibles make him an upgrade over 1st year Forward Darrell Arthur. Sam Young could have easily been a first round pick, but fell and adds great depth to the Grizzlies behind O.J. Mayo and Rudy Gay.
Miami Round 1: None Round 2: Patrick Beverly (42, trade with Los Angeles Lakers), Robert Dozier (60, trade with Cleveland) All signs pointing towards the Heat taking combo guard Patrick Beverly in the second round. He had been highly rated by their front office ever since he blew the doors off the gym with his workout in Miami. He shot well and showed he can play some Point Guard. Robert Dozier is more of a project pick as he is a "tweener" in terms of position- he does not have what it takes offensively to be a Small Forward and lacks the defensive ability required for a spot at the 4. He is extremely athletic and runs the floor well though. Both players are nicely suited coming off the bench, although Dozier most likely will spend the season in the NBDL.
Milwaukee Round 1: Brandon Jennings (10) Round 2: Jodie Meeks (41) Milwaukee made a big splash a few days before the NBA Draft as they shifting into rebuilding mode, trading last year's best player Richard Jefferson to San Antonio. The Bucks seemed to have a plan to go after a Point Guard and a Power Forward entering the draft to perhaps fill a void left by restricted free agents Ramon Sessions and Charlie Villanueva. With Jonny Flynn gone at #10, Milwaukee took Brandon Jennings who is a great passer and has phenomenal potential. He needs to work on his inconsistent jump shot but should thrive under Coach Scott Skiles. Jodie Meeks is slightly undersized for a Shooting Guard, but can score in a variety of ways (just ask Tennessee who Meeks scored a career high 51 against) and is a solid backup to Michael Redd. They did not address the Power Forward position via the draft so look for Milwaukee to set their first priority as re-signing Villanueva.
Minnesota Round 1: Ricky Rubio (5), Jonny Flynn (6), Waye Ellington (28) Round 2: Henk Norel (47, trade with Miami) Ricky Rubio seemed to be the obvious choice for Minnesota at #5. He is a great passer with tons of potential and truly is a great building block for the franchise. Mixing him in with Al Jefferson and Kevin Love give Rubio steady and consistent low post scoring options. Jonny Flynn is a great player but with Rubio at the other guard spot, where does Flynn fit. How will he and Rubio work together? The Timberwolves say they like the combination of two guards who can handle the ball and does not plan on trading either. With a great shooter like Curry still around, you wonder why they didn't just take a better shooter and solid ball-handler in Stephen Curry. Now rumor has it that Rubio might not be coming over for at least another year or two, which should make for an interesting summer. Minnesota had fans in confusion after taking a third Point Guard at #18, Ty Lawson, but a few minutes later news broke that the Timberwolves had traded Lawson to Denver for a future first-round pick (Charlotte), which was a solid move. With the two Point Guards already on board, they looked to replace Mike Miller and Randy Foye's shooting ability with their fourth and final first-round pick, #28. Wayne Ellington is a solid player and an excellent value here at #28. He can flat out score from mid-range and deep and is still showing signs of improvement on the defensive side of the ball. Henk Norel in the second round makes him an interesting prospect who could become a decent role player in the NBA, but he will stay overseas until Minnesota and Norel are ready.
New Jersey Round 1: Terrence Williams (11) Round 2: None The Nets were one of the other teams to make a big splash on draft day before the actual draft began. They sent Vince Carter and Ryan Anderson to Orlando to acquire Courtney Lee, Rafer Alston and Tony Battie. Losing Carter and Anderson hurts but cutting costs (and in turn, saving about $40 million over the life of their contracts), while also getting young talents like Courtney Lee and Terrence Williams at #11 is a good move. Maybe the move does not make them better immediately; however, it should pay off in a year or two. Terrence Williams has good potential as he should have a bright NBA future with Point Guard Devin Harris and a young Center in Brook Lopez.
New Orleans Round 1: Darren Collison (21) Round 2: Marcus Thornton (43, trade with Miami) The Hornets were originally thought to enter the draft with the intentions to shore up their front court with players like DeJuan Blair, Taj Gibson or even B.J. Mullens. Mullens would have been nice at #21 since he would make Tyson Chandler expendable again as the Hornets will continually look to move him. Instead of the front court, the Hornets added veteran depth to their back court. As a veteran college player, Darren Collison understands the game and can run the pick-and-roll just as effectively when he gives CP3 a breather. He defends well with his long arms and quick hands and will serve as a nice backup to All-Star Chris Paul. Rumors circled around Marcus Thornton at #21, but most scouts agreed he was undersized and not so athletic. So New Orleans passed on him at #21 but was able to trade in to get him in the second round. He should replace Morris Peterson who the Hornets are not so fond of and have been secretly trying to trade for over a year now. His shooting will come in handy in this offense.
New York Round 1: Jordan Hill (8), Toney Douglas (29, trade with Los Angeles Lakers) Round 2: None The Knicks were drafting for the time when David Lee becomes a free agent next year and they can no longer retain him. Jordan Hill is still raw but a very athletic big who can rebound well and is still learning to score in a variety of ways. With floor generals like Jrue Holiday and Brandon Jennings still available, the Knicks went for the best available player at #8. The Lakers traded the rights to #29, Toney Douglas to the New York Knicks. Douglas is a strong defender who is a pure scorer. He has a nice mid-range shot and has shown a nice floater in the lane, which is how he gets around his lack of height as a Shooting Guard (6'2"). He is a good value pick here at #29 and should fit well in New York's system.
Oklahoma CIty Round 1: James Harden (3), B.J. Mullens (24, trade with Dallas) Round 2: Robert Vaden (54, trade with San Antonio) Beneath all of the smokescreens and rumors, the Thunder did what they had to and drafted Shooting Guard James Harden at #3. In 2008, the Thunder used a variety of players at Shooting Guard who all seemed to under-perform, but Harden is the perfect fit to fill this void. He can score (20.1 points per game at Arizona State), rebound (5.6) and pass (4.2 assists). The Thunder also took a very good shooting wing in Robert Vaden from UAB. He has shone at various points in his college career that he is a pure scorer and has shown flashes of potential. Center was the other gap in Oklahoma City's lineup as they manage to scrap together a serviceable rotation of Nenad Kristic, Nick Collison and Robert Swift. They Thunder traded with Dallas to acquire the rights to Ohio State product B.J. Mullens who is still a few years away but shows promise with his great size (7'1", 255 lbs) and athleticism.
Orlando Round 1: None Round 2: None Despite not having any picks in the 2009 NBA Draft, the Magic drastically improved. They traded away Rafer Alston (clearing up the situation that left him to backup All-Star Jameer Nelson), Courtney Lee and Tony Battie for Vince Carter and Ryan Anderson. Even though shooting teams suffer their slumps as a poor night shooting wise can lead to blow-outs (see Game 1 against the Lakers in the NBA Championship), the Magic just restocked their tools. Carter cannot find a shot he still doesn't like and can seemingly hit them from everywhere. Ryan Anderson is a 3/4 who loves to stroke it from outside. He can handle the ball and more importantly, hit the open 3-pointer. Dwight Howard's rebounding numbers could get even higher with these new shooters firing up shots from all over. This trade makes it very unlikely that the Magic will retain unrestricted free agent, Hedo Turkoglu. The Magic should look for another ball-handler that they lost when they seemingly let Turkoglu walk out the door.
Philadelphia Round 1: Jrue Holiday (17) Round 2: None The Sixers landed perhaps one of the biggest steals of the Draft when highly rated Point Guard, Jrue Holiday fell right into their laps. He offers good size and great length and should benefit from backing up current starter Andre Miller for some time. He brings good defense and above-average court vision to Philadelphia's fast-paced system. I know Philadelphia was planning on taking the best available Point, deciding between Lawson or Eric Maynor, but they were ecstatic when Holiday started slipping due to injury concerns. With top 10 talent at #17, they have to be happy.
Phoenix Round 1: Earl Clark (14) Round 2: Taylor Griffin (48) A lot of the buzz around Phoenix was not focused on their draft, but instead the trading of Shaquille O'Neal to Cleveland and the potential dealing of Amar'e Stoudemire to Golden State. It seems that the Suns are admitting their mistake of trading Shawn Marion for Shaq, and are going into rebuilding mode via trades and the draft. The Suns had a great pickup with Earl Clark at #15. Phoenix really missed Shawn Marion last season and Clark could potentially fill that void. With his length, skill set and potential, Clark could have a good start to his NBA career with veterans Steve Nash and Grant Hill. He adds youth and nice value to a player who can play both the 3 and 4. Taylor Griffin will be an interesting fit for Phoenix as he is undersized, but still athletic enough to make their roster. Most teams we talked to and most rumors suggested the Suns would take a Point Guard to eventually take over Steve Nash and my guess is that at #14 Clark was better than all of the remaining options and in the second round, Phoenix was not too high on those guards either. Phoenix should have taken St. Joe's product, Ahmad Nivins instead of Griffin. A tough, athletic player who can run the floor well and rebound extremely well. It would have been a good fit for Nivins.
Portland Round 1: Victor Claver (22) Round 2: Jeff Pendergraph (31, trade with Miami), Dante Cunningham (33, trade with Los Angeles Clippers), Patrick Mills (55, trade with Denver) The Trail Blazers drafted lottery pick like talent in Claver should sit overseas until he and Portland are ready. Victor Claver has great size and good skills, but a broken leg sidelined him and lowered his stock a little bit. Overall, this is an excellent pick. Portland wanted to add depth to their front court and did so with the lengthy Pendergraph and the tough and athletic Cunningham. I question why these two, especially Cunningham went when DeJuan Blair was still on the board, but only time will tell with Blair's past knee problems. Patrick Mills is a blazing fast Point Guard and has a smooth shot, but is another Blazer Guard who is not a great passer, but instead a scoring guard.
Sacramento Round 1: Tyreke Evans (4), Omri Casspi (23) Round 2: Jon Brockman (38, trade with Portland) Portland's main goal for the 2009 offseason was to get tougher and stop getting pushed around in every game. With Ricky Rubio still on the board, Tyreke Evans was a strong choice for Sacramento at #4. He can penetrate the lane with his strength and quickness and drop it off to one of his two big men (Jason Thompson and Spencer Hawes). He is still a developing his own shot but should open up plenty of opportunities for Shooting Guard Kevin Martin and the rest of the scoring options here. Omri Casspi and Jon Brockman are not afraid to butt heads with anyone and exemplify that element of toughness the Kings were looking for. Casspi is a 21 year old who is a very tough kid and played well this past year. He has shown a great finishing touch in the paint but needs to improve his outside shot and range. Brockman has always been a beast on the boards, but at 6'7", he is an under the rim player, but a good option off the bench.
San Antonio Round 1: None Round 2: DeJuan Blair (37, trade with Golden State), Jack McClinton (51, trade with New Orleans), Nando De Colo (53, trade with Houston) The Spurs had possibly the steal of this year's draft by taking lottery prospect DeJuan Blair at #37. ACLs or not, this kid can play. He has the length, strength and toughness for the NBA and despite doctor's medical records and Pittsburgh Coach Jamie Dixon's advice, teams seemed to avoid Blair like the plague. He should come in and contribute immediately. Jack McClinton is one that can also come in right away as a nice scorer off the bench. He has shown a smooth jump shot with very good range. At #53, Nando De Colo was a solid pick. He was probably the best player at the Reebok EuroCamp, showing up Patrick Mills and Patrick Beverly too. He has good size and vision but isn't in the mold of an NBA athlete. Still a little bit away, but De Colo can produce for the Spurs.
Toronto Round 1: DeMar DeRozan (9) Round 2: None Toronto got just what they needed- an extremely athletic wing who can rebound and defend. He was measured in at 6'6" and he boasts a 6'9" wingspan and a 38.5" vertical leap. His jump shot seemed to make strides as each game passed, but he still needs to continue to work on his consistency behind his jump shot but is a potential offensive force for the Raptors who will use him to most likely replace Shawn Marion who is not expected to return to the team.
Utah Round 1: Eric Maynor (20) Round 2: Goran Suton (50) Eric Maynor automatically becomes one of the best backups in the league after Utah drafted him at #20. He has a very high basketball IQ to match his excellent speed and quickness. He is similar to starting Point Guard Deron Williams in that he makes the players around him better by driving through the lane and finding the open shooters or slashers. He can take over a game as everyone so famously remembers him playing against Duke in the first round of the NCAA Tournament two years ago. Utah filled a need by adding depth to their back court, but could've also went in the directions of B.J. Mullens, DeJuan Blair or Taj Gibson to shore up their front court at #20. Instead, the Jazz picked up Michigan State and 2009 NCAA Tournament standout Goran Suton. He fits the system nicely as he shows a soft touch from mid range and runs the pick-and-roll very well as he did with Kalin Lucas this past season. Suton will probably spend this season overseas but is a nice pickup in the second round.
Washington Round 1: None Round 2: None The Wizards traded the #5 pick to Minnesota in exchange for backcourt depth in Randy Foye and Mike Miller. Between Arenas, Foye, Butler and Jamison, it seems the Wizards are collecting good scorers, but let's hope that Arenas is healthy enough to play and doesn't mind distributing the ball a little more. Foye can also play Point Guard but is best suited as the off-guard. With Miller's shooting abilities and Foye's scoring potential, the Wizards get a huge upgrade in the backcourt and have a fearsome starting 5 with whoever is lined up at Center.