A little premature look at the 2009 draft

[logpmess]

As the evaluations of players for the upcoming NBA Draft is being created (viewtopic.php?f=7&t=2906), let’s take a look at the team needs of the top ten teams currently projected. Here is the current draft order with two SIMS left in the season:

1. Bulls
2. Warriors
3. Trailblazers
4. 76ers
5. Mavericks
6. Raptors
7. Rockets
8. Jazz
9. Pistons
10. Warriors (via Magic)

[logpmess]

A look at the team:
The Bulls have a mixture of both young and veteran talent. The team is going to be based around Manu Ginobli. He is the star of this squad. At point guard, Mike Bibby is still under contract for 2009. He is the second best option on this team. Both are aging players, which could mean a hit come training camp next season. The youth of this team is at the forward positions. Paul Millsap is going to be a really good player in this league. He is under contract through the 2009 season. He is going to earn a big pay day following his rookie contract. Nick Young at small forward is a scorer just one year into this league. Danilo Galinari coming off of the bench has the size to cover some minutes at power forward and the quickness to cover some minutes at the small forward position. The biggest glaring hole for this team is at center. Rasheed Wallace and Jerome James are on contract through the 2009 season, but both are aging fast and are mere shells of the players they were in the past.
With the number one pick in the draft, the Chicago Bulls select:
Stephen Curry, point guard out of Davidson
This pick is a no brainer. With no centers worth a pick in the lottery available in this draft, Chicago has to go the route of best player available. Stephen Curry is going to be an elite player in this league. This pick will allow them to have potential starters and backups at 4 of the 5 positions on the court.

Projected 2009 lineup:
C – Jerome James
PF – Paul Millsap
SF – Nick Young
SG – Manu Ginobli
PG – Stephen Curry

[logpmess]

A look at the team:
The Warriors are in full rebuild mode. The best current player is DeMarr Johnson. He is a really good small forward that can play both defensively and offensively. He has that position locked up through the 2010 season. The next big thing for Golden State is the rookie center of DeAndre Jordan. Although extremely raw and an offensive liability, Jordan is going to anchor this team for the foreseeable future. Marco Belinelli is a second year shooting guard that is good offensively and serviceable defensively. Steve Novak is going to be a backup player on this team at small forward. His size lends to an ability to be a power forward, but he is a complete liability on defense. This team is desperate for a quality point guard. The other two needs are at power forward and shooting guard. If the team decides to go shooting guard, it has depth added to the team with Beli. If the team decides to go power forward, the team would have a player walking in as the starter.
With the number two pick in the draft, the Chicago Bulls pick:
Blake Griffin, power forward out of Oklahoma
I have a theory that pairing the defensive stalwart of DeAndre Jordan next to the all-around quality power forward of Blake Griffin will have some success in the NBA. With so many quality point guards available later in this draft and another top ten pick, point guard was never an option here. Plus, the quality of players significantly drops off after the third pick. Choosing a project in Griffin to pair alongside a project in Jordan will allow this team to continue the rebuild and look for another top ten pick in the 2010 draft.

[logpmess]

A look at the team:
The Portland Trailblazers have a really solid core. Small Forward is locked down by aging stars Antawn Jamison and Caron Butler. They also have second year player Adam Morrison being groomed to take the helm for the future. At point guard, the Blazers sured up the future of that position last year by picking Derrick Rose. Nikola Pekovic, although raw, is going to be a solid center to compliment this team going forward. The glaring holes are at shooting guard and power forward. With the two quality small forwards, the Blazers have the ability to slot them at different positions, but playing either outside of the normal position is less than ideal. Also, with them being relatively older, training camp has to be a worry of this team.
With the third pick in the draft, the Portland Trailblazers select:
James Harden, shooting guard out of Arizona State
Another easy pick here. The last of the big three players available this draft. He is going to slot into the starting role of shooting guard and take over as the man on this team. He is an NBA ready player that is only going to further develop his skills to be a top player in this league. Drafting the guard means that Jameson will more than likely move to the power forward slot.

Projected 2009 lineup:
C – Nikola Pekovic
PF – Antawn Jamison
SF – Caron Butler
SG – James Harden
PG – Derrick Rose

[logpmess]

A look at the team:
The 76ers traded away all assets to move towards youth. Acquiring shooting guard Monta Ellis established a star for this team going forward. The small forward position is locked up with Carlos Delfino for the foreseeable future. Macin Gortat is going to be this team’s center for years to come as well. The biggest problem with the current state of this team is that both Gortat and Ellis are RFAs next year and will be demanding big time money. These players will be paid to stay as Philly has minimal salary next season. The two glaring holes are at point guard and power forward. Nene is a serviceable backup power forward, but not a real starter in the league. Nobody even listed as a point guard is coming back next season for the Sixers, although Ellis was originally drafted as a point guard so he could possibly transition over.
With the fourth pick in the draft, the Philadelphia 76ers select:
Jrue Holiday, point guard out of UCLA
A bit of a surprise here, but BallSoHard has always liked bigger bodied point guards. Jrue is definitely a project pick, but with both Marcin and Monta needed a little longer to develop, I think this is the correct pick. Picking Jrue allows his up to 3 years to develop on a potential 4 year contract matched during RFA for Gortat and/or Ellis. The sixers also have the 11th pick in the draft. I expect them to use it at the guard position as well and establish some depth, or draft a more NBA ready player to stat at point guard next season.

Projected 2009 lineup:
C – Marcin Gortat
PF – Nene Hilario
SF – Carlos Delfino
SG – Monta Ellis
PG – Darren Collison (projected pick 11)

[logpmess]

A look at the team:
With a lot of salary committed to aging, declining players in the upcoming years, the Mavs are on a complete rebuild. Damien Wilkins is the player with the most potential, and he is already 29. The center position is locked up though with the twin towers of Brook and Robin Lopez. Brook is the clear starter and is NBA ready at the moment. The other youth on this team is really all of backup caliber. Mario Chalmers will make a nice backup point guard. Brandon Rush will be a really nice backup shooting guard. Jeff Green is going to be able to be a somewhat serviceable player at the end of the bench. This team needs an impact player at any position other than center.
With the fifth pick in the draft, the Dallas Mavericks select:
Ty Lawson, point guard out of North Carolina
His size is a big deterrant. However, he is debatably the best available player here. This pick took me looking forward to the 2010 draft class to see the players coming out. The main thing about this pick is that point guards are going to be key to any teams future in the next few years. With Brook Lopez banging in the post, it makes sense to get a player who will be able to get him the ball when its available.

Projected 2009 lineup:
C – Brook Lopez
PF – Robin Lopez
SF – Vince Carter
SG – Damien Wikins
PG – Ty Lawson

[logpmess]

A look at the team:
The Raptors have a good, young center in Kendrick Perkins. Also, recent first rounder George Hill looks like he has the ability to be a serviceable starter or a really good backup point guard. The stud of this team Joe Johnson has his contract expiring at the end of the current season, but look for him to get paid and solidify the small forward position for another five years. Currently, the power forward position sees Tim Thomas lined up. However, he is a top power forward in the league for the past 8 years. He is currently 32 and is expected to see the training camp bug hit him soon. Best case scenario, he resigns with Toronto on a team friendly shorter deal, but I am rather expecting that he will not be with the team after this year. Jamal Crawford rounds out the starting lineup at shooting guard if he plans to exercise his player option for next year. The glaring needs are at either guard position and power forward.
With the sixth pick in the draft, the Toronto Raptors select:
Tyreke Evans, point guard out of Memphis
The versatility of this player is going to be appealing for Toronto. He has the ability to start at either guard position. Next year he would probably play the point guard position, and after Crawford leaves, he would slot over to the shooting guard position. He is big bodied and has some flaws, but he has too much impact potential to choose someone else here.

Projected 2009 lineup:
C – Kendrick Perkins
PF – Joe Johnson
SF – Tyreke Evans
SG – Jamal Crawford
PG – George Hill

[logpmess]

A look at the team:
Al Horford is a stud. He is going to be the best center in the league within the next 5 years. He is on his rookie contract still. The other three players on the roster for next year are on rookie contracts also. JJ Hickson could slot next to Horford down low. Ronnie Brewer at the small forward position is going to be a defensive stalwart, and Thaddeus Young is going to be a monster on both sides of the court at shooting guard. The glaring hole is point guard and power forward.
With the seventh pick in the draft, the Houston Rockets select:
Ricky Rubio, point guard from Spain
Ricky Rubio is going to be the perfect fit for this team. He is not going to be a scorer at all, which allows both Horford and Young to dominate the ball on the offensive end. However, with his A potential in both handles and pass, he will be able to distribute the ball to those players. His current ratings in these two categories also lets him walk into the starting role of point guard for this team. Just imagine the defensive potential for this team with Young, Rubio, and Brewer on the outside. Rubio, also, is not the quickest point guard in this draft, which is good because that is the biggest draw back for most other positions on this team.

Projected 2009 lineup:
C – Al Horford
PF – Free Agent Pickup
SF – Ronnie Brewer
SG – Thaddeus Young
PG – Ricky Rubio

[logpmess]

A look at the team:
The entire future of this team is currently built around Wilson Chandler. He is an undeveloped second year small forward out of Depaul that gets 11 minutes per game this year. He will be a good not great player for this team once he fully develops. The other players on this team going into next year are the aging Jason Kidd, who is on an extremely team friendly contract, and the ever so slightly less aged Bonzi Wells, who is on a contract from hell. This team has a need at every position.
With the eighth pick in the draft, the Utah Jazz select:
DeMar DeRozan, shooting guard out of USC
The Jazz have to be exstatic! A top five projected pick fell all the way to number eight. DeRozan is raw, but he is going to be a good player in the league, eventually. He has intangibles and size at this position that will allow him to create shots for himself on the offensive end. What a steal for a team that needs it all!

Projected 2009 lineup:
C – Free Agent Pickup
PF – Free Agent Pickup
SF – Wilson Chandler
SG – DeMar DeRozan
PG – Bonzi Wells

[logpmess]

A look at the team:
The Pistons have a solid young core in Dwight Howard at center, LaMarcus Aldridge at Power Forward, and Kevin Martin at shooting guard. Throw in an aging, but effective, Richard Hamilton, and the glaring need is point guard. With Martin and Hamilton’s size, either can slot over to the small forward position when needed. With a lot of cap room dedicated to not a lot of players, Detroit needs to knock this pick out of the park to solidify the future of this franchise.
With the ninth pick in the draft, the Detroit Pistons select:
Jeff Teague, point guard out of Wake Forest
The team went with the obvious need at point guard, although he is still a couple of years away from being fully developed. Defensively, he can slot right into a starting role. He isn’t needed to score right away with such prolific players on the team already. The big question mark is his passing ability at this point in his career. Hopefully his size and athleticism can make up for that in his rookie campaign.

Projected 2009 lineup:
C – Dwight Howard
PF – LaMarcus Aldridge
SF – Rip Hamilton
SG – Kevin Martin
PG – Jeff Teague

[logpmess]

A look at the team:
We already did a look in at the team above. This pick really hurts for the Magic who could use a top ten pick coming out of cap hell finally. They could have found the heir apparent for Tayshaun Prince by drafting Danny Green. But back to the Warriors. They just drafted Blake Griffin to play alongside DeAndre Jordan. This team is set up for a bright future, but they need some time to get there. The need is still at point guard, but Golden State can afford to bring along a less developed player at the moment.
With the tenth pick in the draft, the Golden State Warriors select:
Brandon Jennings, point guard from Compton, CA
I really like this player’s fit into this team. His size and quickness allows him to play the point effectively. He has B potential in handles and passing. He has B potentials in perimeter defense and steals. He is more of an inside player on offense that has the ability to hit a three. This is greatly going to compliment the new stud Griffin and the current players as well.

Projected 2009 lineup:
C – DeAndre Jordan
PF – Blake Griffin
SF – DeMarr Johnson
SG – Marco Belinelli
PG – Brandon Jennings

[IamQuailman]

Awarded 5 pts