2007 NBA Draft Analysis - Western Conference
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by user Wyanlambert85
Dallas Mavericks - The Mavericks had two draft selections in the second round and picked Renaldas Seibutis and Nick Fazekas. He just signed a 3 year contract extension with his European club, Olympicianos. He can buy-out his contract if he chooses to pursue a roster spot on the Mavericks, but that is his only way to get out of the recently signed contract. Seibutis is a very fundamentally skilled 2 guard who could fit in well with the transition shooting game of the Mavs. Fazekas is a great face-up post player who can step out and hit shots 17 feet out. He will be able to spell Dirk for a few minutes and do some of the things Dirk does.
Denver Nuggets - Nothing, which is unfortunate because they could use some help seeing their cap is locked up until 2010, unless some trades are made.
Golden State Warriors - After having a very successful season the Warriors looked to having a promising future. The moves made by Chris Mullin on draft night may have set them back for the next year or two, but it certainly helps them further down the road. The most significant move would be the trade of Jason Richardson to the Bobcats for Brandan Wright. Jason Richardson is a great wing player for Don Nelson's style of play because J-Rich is super athletic and can hit the 3-point shot at a high percentage. Unfortunately, Jason was due to make more than 50 million dollars over the next three seasons and the Warriors would not be able to afford his contract without being over the luxury tax. ***Luxury Tax is a dollar for dollar tax that a team has to pay to the NBA if they are over a certain salary amount, the current CBA states the luxury tax is 61% of Basketball Related Income (BRI) minus projected benefits, the salary cap is roughly 51% of BRI...so about 63 million would be the level at which the tax would kick in for NBA teams.*** The financial aspect of Jason Richardson is what made him expendable, plus the Warriors needed an athletic 4 to run in Nellie's system. Wright does fit that bill. Furthermore, the Warriors receive a trade exception that can be used to free up cap space for another team they trade with in the future. The other move by the Warriors on draft night was the selection of Marco Belinelli, who will be able to come in and consume most of Jason Richardson's minutes. Belinelli is an excellent shooter and will have lots of fun playing with the Warriors.
Houston Rockets - I am going to be blunt....the Rockets do not know what they are doing. Plain and simple. Look at the roster they have compiled over the past months. Chuck Hayes, Justin Reed, Steve Novak, and Yao Ming are the only players who are taller than 6-8 on the team. Novak is not a great rebounder or interior defender so he really shouldn't be counted as a big. Then Justin Reed is nothing more than a role player coming off the bench for 10-15 minutes. Clearly, one would have anticipated the Rockets to get a big guy with there pick...nope! Carroll Dawson must love small point guards who like to think score first because he has just picked another one in Aaron Brooks. Brooks is a 5-7 guard who can attack the basket, but he is very small and a liability on defense. Furthermore, he is not much of a playmaker for his teammates. Add that to the fact the Rockets have Rafer Alston signed til 2010, Mike James signed til 2010, and John Lucas signed til 2009 already at the point, why would you add another mediocre small guard. Honestly, John Lucas is a better prospect than Brooks and he was an undrafted free agent two years ago. The Rockets got two second round selections as well and picked Brad Newley, a wing player from Australia, and Carl Landry, a post player from Purdue. Landry will provide good back to the basket offense and a tenacious rebounder. Newley may stay in Australia another year, if not, he will not get much PT with Snyder, McGrady, and Wells ahead of him.
Los Angeles Clippers - The Clips did very well on draft night. They were able to get Al Thornton with their first round selection. Thornton is a phenomenal scorer from both inside and out. He is 24 years old so he has a very NBA ready body and IQ to get in a position to score. With Maggette on the block and Mobley getting older, Thornton is a great young asset for the Clips. He will be able to contribute immediately and I would not be surprised seeing him get over 15 ppg. In the second round the Clippers drafted a perfect backup point guard in Jared Jordan. Jared is a guard who thinks pass first and has the tools to make some great plays. He proved his athleticism is good enough to defend NBA guards through his production at the predraft camp and combine. With Cassell being 80 years old, still gotta love the guy, and Livingston having the worst knee injury in history it made perfect sense for the Clippers to draft a young point.
Los Angeles Lakers - Not gonna lie, the Lakers are my squad (as long as Mr. Bryant doesn't get dealt) so I was very eager to see them do something good on draft night. Well, I will have to admit that I am frustrated with the picks. Javaris Crittenton is a very good prospect, but he is not ready to contribute just yet. The triangle offense is one of the most difficult to learn and at Crinttenton's age he will take a year, probably two, before he understand the offense. Plus, Jordan Farmar showed good promise near the end of the season to fulfill the role of point guard. Honestly, the Lakers needed to get a veteran guard to come in and the funny thing is Derek Fisher a perfect fit is now available. So if they do sign Fisher, then Crittenton is nothing more than a project who could be a great player but not for another two or three years, when Kobe is saying peace to LA. In the second round the Lakers took two international kids. Marc Gasol and Sun Yue. Gasol is Pau's younger brother and I had him ranked as a top 4 center in the draft because of his high IQ, good rebounding skills, and quality defense. Marc though will be in Europe another year so once again the Lakers, a team in need of help now, is planning for the future. Sun Yue, well he came on strong through some workouts and international camps because of his skill set. He is a 6-9 kid who can handle the rock and make plays. Regardless, he is doing this against subpar talent internationally and probably does not have the tools to succeed in the League. Hopefully, he proves me wrong. It just baffles me how the Lakers take all these young projects who will not be able to help them this upcoming season when Kobe Bryant is saying to them get help immediately. Lakers could have picked up a player like Morris Almond of Arron Afflalo who could help relieve some pressure off of Kobe by being a shooting threat. In the second round they could have chosen guys like Reyshawn Terry, D.J. Strawberry, Derrick Byars, Stephane Lasme, Chris Richard, and other guys who have the experience to play now.
Memphis Grizzlies - With the only the fourth pick in the draft the Grizzlies took Mike Conley. I love Conley because he is a winner. He knows how to read and react off of the pick and roll (which is what all teams in the League run), has the quickness of a Tony Parker, willing to d up, and with some practice will have a good jumper. The only other option at this spot would have been Corey Brewer and he would be a good fit in Memphis too alongside Rudy Gay, but with Damon Stoudamire and Kyle Lowry at the 1 that spot needed an upgrade. Lowry still has some great promise, but Conley has a higher ceiling. Marc Iavaroni wants to play a wide-open game like his mentor did Mike D'Antoni in Phoenix. Iavaroni knows the need for a great point guard for that system and Conley fits the bill.
Minnesota Timberwolves - Congratulations Kevin McHale for not really screwing up the Timberwolves. If he had picked Joakim Noah or Spencer Hawes then the Wolves should just reserve a seat in the 2008 NBA Draft Lottery. The Wolves needed a wing player to compliment Randy Foye. Foye is an excellent scorer from all areas of the floor and with Brewer alongside him he will open things up even more because of Brewer's ability to shoot outside and slash. Brewer also brings spectacular defense both on-ball and off-ball. He has long arms, quick feet, and the knowledge to be a defensive stopper. This will relieve KG some pressure of having to expend so much energy defensively. Minnesota also got Chris Richard in the second round and he will be a physical force for them. He will not be a threat offensively, but he can be a poor man's Ben Wallace and really harass people on the glass.
New Orleans Hornets - I cannot fault them too much for taking Julian Wright because he is a great athlete and running mate for Chris Paul, well actually I can. Al Thornton would have been a much better fit here. The Hornets need scoring and Thornton was the second best scorer in the draft besides Durant. Thornton also is athletic enough to run the floor just like Julian Wright. Wright is a player who is a tweener, he doesn't have the body to defend 4's, but he doesn't have the skills to be a true 3 in the NBA...atleast not yet. I do believe Julian Wright can be a great player, but when? Thornton provides the scoring punch, rebounding at the 3 spot, and transition game that the Hornets needed. Adam Haluska from Iowa was the second round pick of the Hornets and he will be able to give them a rugged role player at the 2 guard.
Phoenix Suns - Phoenix picked Alando Tucker and D.J. Strawberry...is that right? These guys cannot shoot how are they going to run with the Suns? I like theses picks a lot and believe that somewhat of an identity change is going to occur in Phoenix. With Steve Kerr making the roster decisions he is going to add toughness at the defensive end. He knows that while the wide open, quick paced game of the Suns is fun to watch and can win some games, it is not consistent enough to win a title. The Suns need some scrappers, they need someone who will punch a dude in the jaw if they try to do something cute. This will allow the Suns to have a deeper bench and give some different looks to allow them to grind out a win or two when it comes playoff time next season.
Portland Trail Blazers - Hands down the Blazers have had the best draft two years in a row. Not only did they get the perfect centerpiece in Greg Oden, they got rid of Zach Randolph and picked up Channing Frye and Steve Francis (he is going to get bought out so I expect him never to be a Blazer). Once again another GM gets to thank the Knicks and Isiah Thomas for making them better. The Blazers have the best young frontline in basketball with Oden, Frye, Aldridge, and Przybilla. These guys all bring something different to the table allowing Nate McMillan to use different combinations all season long. The Blazers are a slow paced half court team and that is exactly what Oden will excel at. Then the Blazers get two great european prospects who will be in Europe another year before they come to play for the Blazers. Petteri Koponen a 19 year old point guard with phenomenal vision and finishing ability and Rudy Fernandez a very skilled offensive player. They also got Taurean Green a very capable backup point guard in the NBA. Every pick the Blazers have made the past two years makes sense, great job out in Portland.
Sacramento Kings - How quickly things can change...the Kings are front-runners for the most ping-pong balls in 08. Taking Spencer Hawes at pick 10 is just dumb. Spencer may be a decent center in the league, but odds are not in his favor. He doesn't bring the toughness nor athleticism that is needed to succeed in today's NBA. He reminds me of a poor man's Brad Miller and the Kings have him. Spencer Hawes simply is not a very important piece to a championship puzzle. You can find a Spencer Hawes later in the draft or in free agency. The Kings need a lot of things so they should have picked the best talent. With Artest being kicked out the door in the near future, why not draft Al Thornton. (If you haven't figure it out yet I think Al has a bright future). Nick Young, Thaddeus Young, or Acie Law would have been better options then Spencer. All of them bring potential star qualities, while I just do not see Spencer ever being a star.
San Antonio Spurs - Once again the Spurs get quality players late in the draft. Tiago Splitter is a great get at the 28th pick. He is mature and has played against some of the best international competition for years now. He will be able to develop for another year under the Spurs and then take on the role of being the first big off the bench in a few years. Already Tiago is a great defensive player and he has good back to the basket moves, so he will be able to play some sort of role for the Spurs once he comes over from Spain. The Spurs also drafted Marcus Williams, from Arizona. He has a very high ceiling, but character issues were of question. The Spurs are like the Patriots, where if a troubled player cannot succeed there then I cannot see them succeeding anywhere. Lastly, they picked a European player late in the second round named Giorgos Printezis.
Seattle Supersonics - Sam Presti certainly put his stamp on the Sonics quickly. Taking Durant at number two was a no brainer and he will be a superstar who can lead a team to victory single handedly. Presti then was able to deal Ray Allen and his big contract to Boston for the 5th pick. I felt Corey Brewer made a lot of sense because of his great defense and ability to play the 2 or 3. Durant is a 3 in the league, so when the Sonics took Jeff Green another 3 it kind of perplexed me. Honestly though, Durant and Green are good compliments and will be able to play well with each other offensively. I am a concerned how they will matchup...who plays the 2 guard or the 4 when they are on the floor together? That is an important question that will only be answered as the season progresses.
Utah Jazz - Jerry Sloan got another perfect player for his system in Morris Almond. Almond is a no nonsense kid who can stroke the ball. He brings the shooting the Jazz need to take it to the next level. With the continuing development of Deron Williams the Jazz have a very bright future. The other player the Jazz got in the draft is Kyrylo Fresenko, a European big who will be able to provide some size inside. I think he stays in Europe another year or so.
