We are anxiously awaiting the lotto results from ColtsGuy, but it was mentioned by someone on Skype that he was at church and will be getting to the lotto soon.
Keep up with my live reactions during the draft! I'll be back with an update once lotto results are through, with possibly a mock draft.
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We finally got the results and wow!
Current Order:
1 Miami Heat LeBron James SF
2 Denver Nuggets Carmelo Anthony SF
3 New York Knicks Dwyane Wade SG
4 Minnesota Timberwolves Chris Bosh C
5 Phoenix Suns Josh Howard SF
6 Charlotte Hornets Kyle Korver SF
7 Milwaukee Bucks Leandro Barbosa SG
8 Houston Rockets Luke Ridnour PG
9 New Jersey Nets Matt Carroll SG
10 Indiana Pacers Chris Kaman C
11 New York Knicks T.J. Ford PG
12 Los Angeles (LAC) Clippers Kirk Hinrich SG
13 Portland Trailblazers Mo Williams PG
Congrats to the Heat on the huge jump to #1, excellent timing with Gary Payton declining after serving as the face of the franchise for over a decade and eventually being traded to the Portland Trailblazers. Lebron is NBA ready, so it will be interesting to see how the Heat decide to build around him starting with this offseason. The Heat currently have Shandon Anderson, Alvin Williams and Theo Ratliff as their veteran players, and also acquired Raja Bell from the Wolves who will hit RFA next offseason. Fortunately, only Theo has a long-term contract and it's not a bad deal. Cap space flexibility of a projected $16 million gives the Heat some wiggle room to swing for a big time player or wait and rebuild around Lebron.
The Denver Nuggets didn't grab the ultimate prize, but their league-worst record was not in vain. The general consensus on the second pick of the draft is SG Dwyane Wade. The 6'4 junior out of Marquette helped lead his team to the 2003 Final Four with a notable performance against top seed Kentucky where he posted up a triple-double stat line. Wade has arguably the same athleticism and skill as Lebron James, but at the SG position.
Knicks also jumped in from either their original #4 or #5 spot, kicking out the Timberwolves and Suns from their projected Top 3 status. It will be interesting to see who the Knicks target, as the heavily favorite Carmelo Anthony is projected here. Honestly, aside from Yao Ming, the Knicks are void of any young talent. The freshman from Syracuse lived up to all the hype following his high school recruiting. Melo was the #1 ranked senior in the class of 2002, and he delivered by leading the Cuse to their first ever National Championship. Melo will be a prolific scorer for years, and the Knicks need points after having the league worst rankings in PPG and Offensive Efficiency.
Twolves still were able to grab the 4th pick, last from the group notably nicknamed Tier: Alpha. It's likely the Wolves will have their choice of Chris Bosh or Melo, and it's reported the Wolves owner is happy with either or. It's a bit of a funny spot for the Wolves, since they already have a SF in Prince and a PF in Scola. However, both are still developing, and the Wolves don't mind adding more talent to the wings. Maybe Bosh can play the Center position, but he's so light in weight and his strength leaves a lot to be desired. He is better suited at the PF position until he can receive Gym Rat trainings later to increase weight/strength to play C. I think the Wolves can afford the wait, as Scola will need time but can be the perfect PF next to a strengthened Chris Bosh and Tayshaun Prince.
This leaves the Suns with the fifth pick of the draft, and Josh Howard is considered a solid consolation prize outside of the other four. The Suns currently are void of any talent outside Joe Johnson, but I am not sure Josh Howard would be a complimentary piece next to Johnson. They are basically the same player in build and skill. While not ideal, no one else really stands out other than Howard. David West could be a decent player, but it's risky to opt for need instead of talent.
