2005
NBA Draft Grade by Lucky Lester
We'll
see soon enough whose draft was genius,
but for now all I can do is tell you what
I think. Lucky Lester here, showing you
who I thought did well and who did otherwise.
I thought about it long and hard and decided
to grade the talent of the athletes chosen
as well as the job done by the NBA teams.
Check out my player and draft grades and
let me win you over with my analysis. Let
the critique begin.
Atlanta
Hawks
- The Hawks picked a couple of great players.
Marvin Williams is touted as the player
with the most start potential in this draft,
and I agree. Salim Stoudamire is a lights
out shooter, who has the type of attitude
you want for a guy who needs to hit big
shots. I don't know much about Akyol, except
he's a 6'4" point guard whose only
18 years old. These players are great. But
were they the best for the big-man challenged
Hawks? I'm not sold. Williams plays the
same positions as Josh Smith, Josh Childress,
and Al Harrington. Salim is a 2 guard who
they may try to play at the point. For a
team that won less than 20 games, could
they have used a true point and a big? I
think so. I might have taken Chris Paul,
or Raymond Felton, but I can't argue with
taking the best player available. I just
hope they don't turn into the Knicks.
1
(2) - Marvin Williams, f, North Carolina
2 (31) - Salim Stoudamire, g, Arizona
2 (59) - Cenk Akyol, g, Efes Pilsen (Turkey)
Player
Grade - A
Draft Grade - B-
Boston
Celtics
- The Celtics stumbled upon a great draft.
Gerald Green, who was close to a consensus
top high-schooler, dropped all the way to
them at 18. This kid has Tracy McGrady upside
and Desmond Mason downside. So, he's going
to be good. You have to give them credit for
pulling the trigger though, there were other
teams that didn't. (See Toronto) Ryan Gomes
is a steal in the second round, and Greene
is a defensive stopper. There's always room
for players like him. The Celtics needed talent,
and they got it.
1
(18) - Gerald Green, f, Gulf Shores Academy
(TX)
2 (50) - Ryan Gomes, f, Providence
2 (53) - Orien Greene, g, Louisiana-Lafayette
Player
Grade - A
Draft Grade - A
Charlotte
Bobcats
- The Bobcats did everything they should have
done and more. They held tight and let the
draft come to them. They picked up two great
players who are National Champions, can play
now, and have tons of upside. Those out there
who say Sean May is too fat or short obviously
have had their heads up their butts for the
last year. This isn't the same Sean May who
came to Carolina as a freshman 3 years ago.
He's solid and can run the court. He has a
nice jumper, finishes well, shoots free throws
and will always box out and board, board,
board. I can't say enough about him. And then
there's Raymond. Felton is the fastest player
in the draft. He's a magician, Magic Johnson
like passer, a leader, a winner, and a balls-out
defender. I've yet to hear a bad thing about
him. It was popular to list Williams and Paul
1 and 2, but Felton is just as good. He doesn't
have a hole in his game. The Bobcats didn't
pick these two players because they were from
Carolina, they picked them because they're
as good as it gets in this draft, and they're
winners. I don't know if they needed Sean
May as much as they could have used Danny
Granger so I can't give them a perfect grade,
but they did well.
1
(5) - Raymond Felton, g, North Carolina
1 (13) - Sean May, f, North Carolina
Player
Grade - A
Draft Grade - B+
Chicago
Bulls
- The Chicago Bulls ended up winning on draft
day without a single pick. Last season the
Bulls brass traded this year's first round
pick for what ended up being Luol Deng. This
year's pick would have been 20th overall.
Good deal. The Bulls are young and talented,
we started to see that last year, and this
year should be even better. They didn't really
take place in this year's draft, but last
years picks should be recognized.
Player
Grade - NA
Draft Grade - B
Cleveland
Cavaliers
- The Cavs could have used any number of players
this draft had to offer, top to bottom to
un-drafted. But, they had no picks. Hopefully
they can add an all star caliber player (Redd,
Mobley, Hughes) to man the court with Lebron.
If not, don't be surprised if the Cavs slip
like they did after the all-star break a year
ago.
Player
Grade - NA
Draft Grade - NA
Dallas
Mavericks
- The Mavs didn't have a selection in this
year's draft, and it's a good thing they didn't.
They have oodles of young talented players,
as well as seasoned vets who get the job done.
The Mavs will always contend as long as Cuban
is running the team.
Player
Grade - NA
Draft Grade - NA
Denver
Nuggets
- The Nuggs needed a shooter or two and they
ended up picking none. I think Julius Hodge
could hustle himself on to an All Star team
or two in his career, but he's no shooter.
With Garcia on the board I thought they could
have helped themselves out a little more by
picking him. I can't say enough great things
about Hodge though. He's a gamer. He's every
bit as good as his career stats at NC State.
Don't sell him short. The Nuggets traded Jarrett
Jack to the Blazers for Linas Kleiza and Ricky
Sanchez. I think Jack is great, and I don't
know much about Kleiza or Sanchez. Many scouts
have talked up Axel Harville so he was a great
pick at 52. The Nuggs came away with good
players, and Hodge would help any team in
the league, but they didn't get the shooter
they are looking for.
1 (20) - Julius Hodge, g, North Carolina St
1 (22) - Jarrett Jack, g, Georgia Tech
2 (52) - Axel Herville, f, Real Madrid (Spain)
Player
Grade - B+
Draft Grade - C+
Detroit
Pistons
- I don't know what the Pistons are going
to do with Alex Acker, but Joe-Du knows what
he's doing. Maxiel is a small forward who
works his ass off and gives it his all. His
rough and tumble style would help any team,
and fit in just perfectly with the bad boys.
Amir Johnson is a 6-10 big man who is very
raw. He is an athletic jumper, but is limited
offensively, and his basketball IQ has been
questioned. But, with the 56th pick in the
draft, I'd say he was a great pick. Dumars
has done very well, and I think he continued
here.
1 (26) - Jason Maxiell, f, Cincinnati
2 (56) - Amir Johnson, f, Westchester HS
(California)
2 (60) - - Alex Acker, g, Pepperdine
Player
Grade - B
Draft Grade - B
Golden
State Warriors
- Chris Mullin's starting to pull it together.
The Warriors were one of the hottest teams
finishing out the year, and Chris just added
some ammo. Ike Diogu was one of the most underrated
players in the draft. His height was questioned,
but the bottom line is he can get the job
done. He was one of the best overall players
in PAC-10 history, and he's even more athletic
than people give him credit for. He can score
from anywhere on the floor, and will always
help defensively. He's a rebound machine,
and his effort and character are unmatched.
Monta Ellis is a scoring guard who needs to
grow or become a point. His upside is there;
we'll see if the Warriors can get him there.
Chris Taft thought he was going in the lottery,
okay, at least the first round, well, he got
drafted. Mullin took a chance on a kid who
never played up to his potential. Taft is
big and athletic. He will find a home on the
Warrior's roster.
1
(9) - Ike Diogu, f, Arizona St
2 (40) - Monta Ellis, g, Lanier HS (Mississippi)
2 (42) - Chris Taft, f, Pittsburgh
Player
Grade - A
Draft Grade - A
Houston
Rockets
- The Rockets had one pick. And with that
one pick they had one goal, get help on the
perimeter for T-Mac. Luther Head was one of
the most polished scorers in the draft. He'll
take advantage of open shots in Houston. Luther
was great in draft camps and in college. He's
a shooter, a slasher, and a flat out good
basketball player. He was a great pick. He'll
be big for Houston.
1
(24) - Luther Head, g, Illinois
Player
Grade - A
Draft Grade - A-
Indiana
Pacers
- Larry Legend has to be laughing. He sat
through 16 picks while the one kid who could
help his team most fell right to him. Danny
Granger does everything well. If he had played
at Duke or Carolina, or any big school he
would have been a top 5 pick. But once again
the morons who make decisions looked right
past Danny. That's why the Pacers have great
players every year. That's why they could
lose 3 of their best players for most of the
year and finish in the playoffs. Lorbek is
a big player whose potential trumps his ability
now, but that's what second round picks are
for. I do think they could have used John
Gilchrist to back up the oft-injured Tinsley.
Overall the draft went well for Indiana.
1
(17) - Danny Granger, f, New Mexico
2 (46) - Erazem Lorbek, f, Climamio Bologna
(Italy)
Player
Grade - A-
Draft Grade - A-
Los
Angeles Clippers
- Oh, Clip-Show, this is why you'll forever
be labeled LA's other team. When you pass
up players like Granger, Warrick, Wright,
Vasquez, May, McCants, Graham, and more to
pick someone like Korolev who will forever
keep you in the average pack of teams you're
in, you deserve that label. The Clippers stepped
out of their idiot zone and picked up do everything
guard Daniel Ewing, but they failed to get
help right now in the first round. Now all
they need to do is fail to sign Simmons and
make it an average Clipper offseason.
1
(12) - Yaroslav Korolev, f, CSKA Moscow
(Russia)
2 (32) - Daniel Ewing, g, Duke
Player
Grade - C
Draft Grade - D
Los
Angeles Lakers
- The Lakers suck. Bynum got the first round
guarantee no one could believe. He might turn
out to be good, but this obviously screams
"free-agents" for the lackluster
Lakers. Phil Jackson won't play Bynum, even
if the Lakers aren't going anywhere. Turiaf
was a good pick. He'll do a lot of little
things without demanding shots. Von Wafer?
John Gilchrist. The Lakers needed a point
that could be tough. John could have been
that guy. Maybe they'll pick someone up to
do the job.
1 (10) - Andrew Bynum, c, St. Joseph HS (NJ)
2 (37) - Ronny Turiaf, f, Gonzaga
2 (39) - Von Wafer, g, Florida State
Player
Grade - C-
Draft Grade - D
Memphis
Grizzlies
- The Grizzlies picked a better replacement
for Stromile Swift. I like Swift, but Warrick
can do more. He's got the same gifts athletically
with a better understanding of what to do.
Swift might figure it out, but Hakim has it
now, right out of college, and he knows how
to win. And lets all hope to God that he posts
someone up and dunks on their face. That's
ridiculous.
1
(19) - Hakim Warrick, f, Syracuse
Player
Grade - A-
Draft Grade - B+
Miami
Heat
- The Heat got a great player in Wayne. He's
a perfect fit for their team as well. He's
a better player than Haslem is. Hopefully
for the Heat, they can keep both guys around,
but if Haslem finds gold on another roster,
the Heat doesn't lose anything. Simien is
a ball player; he'll be a 10 and 10 guy in
Miami.
1
(29) - Wayne Simien, f, Kansas
Player
Grade - B+
Draft Grade - A
Milwaukee
Bucks
- The Bucks did what they needed to do. They
picked a 7 footer who can pass, shoot, and
handle the ball. I think Bogut is the safest
pick for rookie of the year. Ilyasova will
make the Bucks roster and end up getting good
minutes in the second half of the year. Even
better news than either of these picks is
the news the Bucks got the day before the
draft, T.J. Ford was cleared for full contact.
Bogut and Ford should really boost an average
team.
1
(1) - Andrew Bogut, c, Utah
2 (36) - Ersan Ilyasova, f, Ulker Istanbul
(Turkey)
Player
Grade - A-
Draft Grade - A
Minnesota
Timberwolves
- The Wolves took a chance on the most offensively
gifted kid in the draft, Rashad McCants. McCants
gets a bad wrap for saying everything other
college athletes think about, but there are
many big talkers with big time ability. Rashad
can flat out score, and his defense has improved.
He's a gamer. He'll hit the big shot, and
he'll thrive off the play of Kevin Garnett.
McCants is my surprise pick for rookie of
the year. The Wolves don't have an all around
scorer on their roster. I'm pretty sure McCants
will start day 1. Taking McCants over Granger
wasn't the safe pick, but he could be the
best player in this draft. Bracey Wright was
stuck on a talent challenged team last year,
and his game struggled because of it. Kevin
McHale's draft was very smart. Wright will
flourish on a team with the ultra talented
Garnett and taking a chance on Rashad will
turn out to pay dividends right now.
1
(14) - Rashad McCants, g, North Carolina
2 (47) - Bracey Wright, g, Indiana
Player
Grade - B+
Draft Grade - B+
New
Jersey Nets
- I would have loved to see Warrick go to
the Nets, but as far as talent level is concerned
I can't knock Antoine Wright. He really showed
me how talented he was this year. He can do
everything. He's a big guard who can muscle,
score, and flat out shoot the rock. He'll
play a huge role off the bench for a loaded
backcourt. But could they have drafted a starter
with this pick? Mile Ilic is a young 7 footer.
He'll be a work in progress for the next few
years, but payoff isn't out of the question.
1
(15) - Antoine Wright, g, Texas A&M
2 (43) - Mile Ilic, c, BC Reflex (Serbia
& Montenegro)
Player
Grade - B
Draft Grade - B-
New
Orleans Hornets
- The Hornets might have gotten the steal
of the draft. Chris Paul is a winner. He's
super talented, and can really run a team.
He does so many things well. The Hornets needed
a young floor leader, and Chris is that. Brandon
Bass had great pre-draft workouts. He's a
big tall forward who can do many things both
offensively and defensively. He'll be a great
addition to the Hornets. There were a couple
other players still on the board that I would
have taken before Bass, but he's no slouch.
The Hornets picked both talent and for need,
making this a perfect draft for them.
1
(4) - Chris Paul, g, Wake Forest
2 (33) - Brandon Bass, f, LSU
Player
Grade - B+
Draft Grade - A-
New
York Knicks
- The Knicks did alright. Frye was a good
pick for a team losing their best post player,
Kurt Thomas. And they picked up Nate Robinson
for Dijon Thompson. That was a good move by
Isiah. He got the trade he wanted and he got
a strong scorer in the first round. David
Lee was a rising player, and he was actually
a smart pick. Frye is hardly a center, but
he's got a shot, which is more than I could
say for the rest of the Knick bigs. Isiah
didn't sell me yet though, the loaded backcourt
without a true point will continue to cause
problems. I continue to see a roster full
of 2's and 4's.
1
(8) - Channing Frye, c, Arizona
1 (30) - David Lee, f, Florida
2 (54) - Dijon Thompson, g-f, UCLA
Player
Grade - B+
Draft Grade - B-
Orlando
Magic
- The Magic got help in the post with the
addition of the most NBA-ready international
player, Fran Vasquez. I can't believe they
passed up Danny Granger and Antoine Wright
though. Unless they think Deshawn Stevenson
is going to start at the 2, they don't have
one. Maybe Steve Francis will be a 2, but
then they start two guys in the backcourt
who are less than 6'1". Either way, they're
going to have an interesting line-up. Travis
Diener is a great shooter, and a better floor
leader than many give him credit for. But
still, he's a 6'1" point guard with little
defensive ability. Martynas makes this a great
draft for the Magic. I can't imagine they
thought he'd still be around with their second
pick in round 2, but he was, and they took
advantage. It's not too often a 7'3"
kid slips that far. He could end up being
the steal of the draft, and all he took was
a 44th pick.
1
(11) - Fran Vazquez, f, Unicaja Malaga (Spain)
2 (38) - Travis Diener, g, Marquette
2 (44) - Martynas Andriuskevicius, c, Zalgiris
(Lithuania)
Player
Grade - B
Draft Grade - B-
Philadelphia
76ers
- Just in case Allen Iverson gets injured,
the 76ers have an 18 year-old version of him
on their bench in Louis Williams. The Sixers
aren't good enough to make this pick. Williams
is a great high school athlete, a slasher
who was often bigger than his opponents while
being only 6'2". That won't happen in
the NBA. Is there a chance he matures and
becomes an NBA starter? Sure. But the Sixers
already have an Iverson.
2
(45) - Louis Williams, g, South Gwinnett
HS (Georgia)
Player
Grade - C-
Draft Grade - F
Phoenix
Suns
- Nate Robinson was a great pick for the Suns,
and then they went and traded him away. I
don't know why they felt they had to trade
this pick to NY to make the trade go through,
Isiah tricked them real good. With instant
bench help on the board like Nate, Garcia,
Simien, David Lee, Brandon Bass, and Daniel
Ewing among many, they traded away one of
their 5 productive players and their first
pick for Kurt Thomas. I can't see how this
will help them get to the next level, but
what do I know? They traded their second pick
away as well. Dijon Thompson is their only
player, and I guess he has a chance to help.
I wasn't impressed with the Sun's moves.
1
(21) - Nate Robinson, g, Washington
2 (57) - Marcin Gortat, f-c, Rhein Energie
Koln
Player
Grade - B-
Draft Grade - F
Portland
Trail Blazers
- The Blazers calmly walked away with a great
draft. They ended up getting the player they
were going to take at 3 anyway, plus the 27th
pick, and a first round pick via the Jazz
next year. (Which very well could be a lottery
selection) That's brilliant. Hooray for a
smart move out of the Blazers. Martell Webster
has been called the best shooter in the draft,
and I'll say he's at least top 3. He's young
and long and only getting better. The Blazers
got their man. They also picked up Jarrett
Jack in trade for their last two picks. Jack
will give them instant leadership, even if
it does come from the bench. Jarrett is as
tough as floor leaders come, and if he can
figure out how to control his turnovers, he
might be more competition than Sebastian Telfair
would like.
1
(6) - Martell Webster, g, Seattle Prep (WA)
1 (27) - Linas Kleiza, f, Missouri
2 (35) - Ricky Sanchez, f, IMG Academy (Florida)
Player
Grade - A
Draft Grade - A
Sacramento
Kings
- The Kings are about to lose Cuttino Mobley,
so they'll really need help at the 2. Garcia
is one of the best 2's in the draft. He's
solid in all respects, and a very good shooter.
Garcia is another player that would have gone
way higher if he were a major college player.
That always amazes me. Good kids come from
smaller schools. This was a great one-pick
draft for a perennial playoff team.
1
(23) - Francisco Garcia, g, Louisville
Player
Grade - A
Draft Grade - A-
San
Antonio Spurs
- The Spurs can't be questioned. I have no
idea who Mahinmi is, and unfortunately for
the 29 other teams in the league, neither
do most of them. What I have heard is that
Mahinmi will come over in a couple of years
to blow our socks off… sounds familiar.
What I do know is the Spurs got exactly whom
they wanted, that's worth at least a couple
B's.
1
(28) - Ian Mahinmi, f, STB Le Havre (France)
Player
Grade - B
Draft Grade - B
Seattle
Supersonics
- I was a little concerned with the Sonics
picks until I got to know them a little better.
Hearing my favorite coach talk so highly of
both Petro and Gelabale, I can't be happier
with their draft. McMillan said Petro will
come play right away for the Sonics and Gelabale
looks ridiculously athletic. I dig the hair,
too. Lawrence Roberts was a good pick, or
so I thought, until they traded him away to
the Grizzlies for something to be shared with
the public later. These two foreigners could
play big roles for a great team. With the
signing of Ray Allen on the 5th, the Sonics
need to get Nate back to keep the home fans
faithful.
1
(25) - Johan Petro, c, Pau Orthez (France)
2 (48) - Mickael Gelabale, f, Real Madrid
(Spain)
2 (55) - Lawrence Roberts, f, Mississippi
State
Player
Grade - B
Draft Grade - B
Toronto
Raptors
- I'm convinced that after the Raptors Brass
selected Chris Bosh, they started dabbling
with a plethora of hallucinogens. I don't
know if I want to slap Babcock or congratulate
him. As it turns out, or so the rumors say,
3 of the next 4 teams were set to pick Charlie.
So they beat the next 4 teams to the verbal
bashing block. Nice. Charlie could be a great
player. He's had people praising his ability
since I can remember, and where's a better
place to step up to your potential than the
NBA? But in Toronto? Next to Chris Bosh? They
are the same kind of player, except Bosh is
better, has more upside, and has began to
fulfill his potential. The Raptors need upgrades
in lots of places to pick a guy that plays
the same spot as your single star. Silly Raptors,
that trick's for Knicks. But the rest of their
draft is brilliant. Joey Graham could have
gone before Villanueva, and Roko Ukic has
been highly touted before league scouts. He's
a 6'4" point guard with floor general
skills. Slokar could develop into a good bench
player, but he's not ready yet, and he's already
22. Graham and Ukic make this draft reasonable,
and Charlie could really wow me and make this
draft great. But at 7? There were so many
options. I'd be surprised if this works out
for Babcock, and even more surprised if it
works out for Toronto.
1
(7) - Charlie Villanueva, f, Connecticut
1 (16) - Joey Graham, f, Oklahoma St
2 (41) - Roko Leni Ukic, g, Split (Croatia)
2 (58) - Uros Slokar, f, Snaidero Udinese
(Italy)
Player
Grade - A-
Draft Grade - D+
Utah
Jazz
- The Jazz gave up a lot to go get Williams,
maybe too much (next years 1st pick), but
I do believe he fits their system better than
Felton or Paul. That being said, they did
pretty well in the draft. C.J. Miles is a
very talented scorer but slipped because of
his inability to do anything great. Miles
could turn into a good player, but it will
take a few years. Robert Whaley could pan
out, but if he couldn't do it at Cincinnati
what makes the Jazz think he can do it in
the NBA?
1
(3) - Deron Williams, g, Illinois
2 (34) - C.J. Miles, f, Skyline HS (Texas)
2 (51) - Robert Whaley, f, Walsh
Player
Grade - B-
Draft Grade - B
Washington
Wizards
- The Wizards had one pick, and they got a
possible center in high-schooler Andray Blatche.
Blatche was one of the high school tumblers
on draft day, but has as good a chance as
Bynum to make it. They took a high-reward
shot with the 49th overall pick. Not a 10th
like the Lakers. I like what the Wizards are
doing. Now all they have to do is sign Larry
Hughes.
2
(49) - Andray Blatche, f, South Kent Prep
(Connecticut)
Player
Grade - B-
Draft Grade - A-
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