http://www.nbadraft.net/2005draftgrades001.asp

Gives us a D!

Atlanta Draft Grade Additions Comments
A-

2. Marvin Williams
31. Salim Stoudamire
59. Cenk Akyol
The Hawks made a great decision to hold onto their first pick and select Marvin Williams. In a weak draft at the top, Williams is likely the top player this draft has to offer. Williams has the potential to become a Jamal Mashburn type of offensive machine. He can shoot it from outside and has great strength and athleticism, plus he's a tremendous character guy. When you're building a team from essentially scratch, picking talent over need is the best philosophy. This team is a long way from competing, and sure there were players which would have fit positions more than Salim Stoudamire, but he brings the team a tremendous talent and much needed scoring. Cenk Akyol in the second round is a head scratcher. Especially with so many talented players available. But he could turn into something in 2-3 years time.

Boston Draft Grade Additions Comments
A-

18. Gerald Green
50. Ryan Gomes
53. Orien Greene
Some guys work harder than everyone else, and some guys are just incredibly lucky. Apparently Danny Ainge has both things working. The Celtics had a dream draft with a player who can come in and contribute right away that fall all the way to the 50th pick in Gomes. Plus they landed a prospect with as much upside as anyone in the entire draft at 18 in Gerald Green. To think there was one internet report that the Celtics were prepared to give away their franchise player (Paul Pierce to acquire the 3rd pick to select Green) and he slides all the way to their pick at 18! Orien Greene is a very talented kid from Florida who has a striking resemblance (face and game) to Tracy McGrady. The only knock you can really make is that all three picks are wings, and the Celtics already have a solid group of perimeter players in place. But that's nitpicking, the Celtics had a tremendous draft. Ainge's four leaf clover was working today.

Charlotte Draft Grade Additions Comments
B-

5. Raymond Felton
13. Sean May
No the Bobcats didn't select Re-run (from What Happening Now), although Felton looks a bit like him with the hat on in the photo....The Bobcats took the safe route again staying with their theme of drafting National Champions (last year they took Emeka Okafor 2nd coming off a national championship). Felton and May give them 2 local products which should only help to sell tickets. These were low risk picks and both should end up as solid but unspectacular players in the league. Unfortunately for Charlotte, this was an extremely deep draft, but weak in the mid to late lottery.
Chicago Draft Grade Additions Comments
I No Picks The Bulls traded away their 2005 pick (during the 2004 draft) for the Suns 7th pick in 2004. (The pick ended up being the 21st pic: Nate Robinson). Obviously a great trade for Chicago. A move which helped put them in the playoffs for the first time in years after landing Luol Deng with that pick.

Cleveland Draft Grade Additions Comments

B
44. M. Andriuskevicius The Cavalier's gambled and lost when they made the deal for Jiri Welsch. At the time they appeared playoff bound, but their pick lost it's protection, and they knew if they failed to make the playoffs their pick would go to Charlotte, which is exactly what happened. The Cavs sent their 2006 second rounder to Orlando adding a player who received a tremendous amount of hype in the past couple years: Lithuanian bigman Martynas Andriuskevicius. He was once projected as a top pick in the draft candidate. He has nice potential for the future, but as a surefire first rounder, made a big error by not entering last year's draft.

Dallas Draft Grade Additions Comments
I

No Picks A draft just isn't as much fun without the Mavericks in the mix! The Mavericks sent this years pick to Utah in the 2004 draft day deal involving Pavel Podkolzine. That pick subsequently was traded to Portland (3 for 6 & 27), and then to Denver (22 for 27 & 35) (then used on Linas Kleiza: 27th pick).

Denver Draft Grade Additions Comments

C-

20Julius Hodge
27. Linas Kleiza
35. Ricky Sanchez
53. Axel Hervelle Hodge is a quality player and pick, but he doesn't address the team's need for a shooter, and he lacks great upside. He'll give them an effort guy, a solid defender and someone that can fill in the cracks in a number of ways, but there were a lot of talented players available at 20. The Nugs also ended up sending their 22nd pick to Portland for their 27th (acquired earlier in the day from Utah) and 35th picks. Kleiza is a player the team has long been enamored with, playing at Missouri where Nuggets owner Stan Kronke and his son Josh (recently) played. Kleiza should turn out to be a nice pro, but could they have had him at 35? Sanchez has been shooting a gazillion jumpshots a day down in Florida at IMG Academy. He's been considered a top prospect out of Puerto Rico for some time and has a lethal jumpshot and good agility. At 18, how soon he'll be able to contribute is unknown. Hervelle is a bit of a tweener, but plays very aggressive and should continue to develop in Europe over the next few seasons.

Detroit Draft Grade Additions Comments

D
26. Jason Maxiell
56. Amir Johnson
60. Alex Acker Head scratcher. Maxiell is a bruiser, and he fits right into the Pistons mold of tough guys. He's small, but very strong and athletic and has a 7-3 wingspan. He's a bit of a poor mans Horace Grant, as he will do the dirty work with rebounds and defense, and also has a nice medium range jump shot. Maxiell was deserving of a mid second round spot, but taking him at 26 with so many talented players available was one of the draft's major reaches... Amir Johnson is an athlete to the nth degree, but is far from being a player that can contribute in the NBA. First order of business will be to figure out what position he is, and then begin to develop his skills, if it's a PF (most likely) adding 20-30 pounds of bulk (if possible). If he's a 3, gaining some perimeter skills. The form on his shot will have to be changed as well. Acker is a nice pick as a combo guard with good ball skills and has a shot to make the team. He unfortunately signed an agent, or he would have had the option to return to Pepperdine for a 5th year, after having graduated.

Golden State Draft Grade Additions Comments
A-

11. Ike Diogu
40. Monta Ellis
42. Chris Taft
Ike Diogu should turn into a quality pick at 9, even though he's seen as a bit of a reach. Coach Monty is very familiar with him after coaching against him for two seasons at Stanford, (prior to last season) so he likely played a part in this pick. The Warriors really made some noise in the second round. Taft was one of the big losers on draft night slipping out of the first round and all the way to the 42nd pick. Hopefully this will provide a wake up call for the talented bigman. Monta Ellis also had first round aspirations, but after signing an agent very early in the process was stuck in the draft with no options after struggling to perform in the athleticism tests in Chicago. The Warriors will hope his knee injury was a short term problem which scared teams off and allowed them to nab a player destined to be a lottery pick after a couple years in college.

New York Draft Grade Additions Comments

D

8. Channing Frye
21. Nate Robinson
30. David Lee
Quentin Richardson The trade of Kurt Thomas, the best bigman they had for Quentin Richardson (and his overpriced contract) only compounds their hopeless salary cap situation. Channing Frye is not the answer to all of their problems inside, despite having Spike Lee's approval on the pick. Acquiring Nate Robinson (21st pick) in the Quentin Richardson deal from the Suns gives them a scrappy backup point guard, but the Knicks focus should be on cutting down the salary cap before it begins to approach the national deficit. The deal adding Quentin Richardson is essentially one step forward two steps back. They are stockpiling overpriced perimeter players with no concern of their cap nor apparently winning a championship. All things being equal, Richardson is the talent in the deal, but the contract is out of hand. The Suns sure appreciate having a clueless GM like Isaiah Thomas around. They've been able to dump a number of their long term salary cap problems off on the Knicks (Marbury, and now Q). The Spurs were able to add the key piece (bigman Nazr Mohammad) to their team to win the title this year. The question many are beginning to wonder is how Isaiah still has a job.

Orlando Draft Grade Additions Comments

B+

11. Fran Vazquez
38. Travis Diener
56. Marcin Gortat The Magic did very well adding the top European prospect from this draft in Vazquez. He should be able to come in and contribute immediately with rebounding and energy. Travis Diener gives them a scoring point similar to Dan Dickau. Diener's best asset is shooting the ball, plus he's got leadership abilities, and toughness. But he may struggle defensively as he lacks great body strength... Gortat was traded for on draft night and gives the Magic an athletic but raw bigman. He'll likely stay in Europe another couple seasons developing his skills.

Philadelphia Draft Grade Additions Comments

C

45. Louis Williams "LW" doesn't have quite the same ring as "AI", but the Sixers hope they have found Iverson's heir apparent. Williams is a very talented kid and taking him at 45 means the risk is significantly lowered. Williams decision to leave school out of high school and sign an agent when he was projected by every team as a second rounder was questionable. It gives credence to the NBA's save-them-from-themselves stance for implementing the age limit.

Phoenix Draft Grade Additions Comments

B
54. Dijon Thompson
Kurt Thomas
Cap Space
Just as they did with their first round (7th) pick last year, the Suns traded away their first round (21st) pick in a move to clear salary space. The Suns top priority is resigning Joe Johnson this off season, and gearing up for Amare's pending maximum contract. Every bit helps, as the Suns see this as a less equals more move. The Suns grabbed Dijon Thompson at 54 with the Knicks late second rounder. Thompson is an athletic slasher who fits well into the Suns uptempo style. The Suns also took Polish center Marcin Gortat but elected to trade him to Orlando.

Portland Draft Grade Additions Comments

B-

6. Martell Webster
22. Jarrett Jack The Trailblazers traded down and took Webster over Green, a move NBADraft.net had predicted in the weeks leading up to the draft. Webster is a talented player, and should work out as a very good pick for Portland. But with as many talented players as there were available at the 27 and 35 picks, trading the two to move up for a backup point guard, granted a very good one seems like a foolish move. If Telfair was 32 years old, the move makes more sense, but Telfair is their PG of the future and has yet to turn 20. For a team that could have used some more young prospects, the move is questionable.

Sacramento Draft Grade Additions Comments

B

23. Francisco Garcia Garcia is a less athletic but more skilled and polished version of the pick they made last year in Kevin Martin. Garcia was a little bit inconsistent last year, but should turn into an excellent pick at 23. At 23 years of age, Garcia is one of the more NBA ready players in the draft as well, and should provide some instant productivity.

San Antonio Draft Grade Additions Comments

C

28. Ian Mahinmi Mahinmi's a player the Spurs likely could have traded for in the 40's. And not to sound too critical of them as they obviously do a great job, but by taking an obscure player, the Spurs get to feel that they're smarter than everyone else. (a few scouts have made comments along these lines). Mahinmi could turn out to be a nice pick but there were a lot of talented players available here. Roko Ukic and CJ Miles were both available. But the Spurs like Mahinmi as he's the perfect candidate to stay over in Europe for a few seasons, and come over as a more refined product.

Seattle Draft Grade Additions Comments

B+
25. Johan Petro
48. Mickaël Gelabale
Completing their French connection, the Sonics added Johan Petro, a player with immense talent, but scouts point to a number of question marks (both character and intensity level) and Mickael Gelabale, a player with less upside, but very solid. A number of scouts even thought Gelabale had a real chance to crack the first round. The Sonics benefited greatly from such a deep draft with both picks. Their later pick Lawrence Roberts was traded to Memphis.

Toronto Draft Grade Additions Comments

B

7. Charlie Villanueva
16. Joey Graham
41. Roko Ukic
59. Uros Slokar Villanueva is nearly everyone's top lottery bust candidate, but look for him to end up surprising people. After last year's debacle Hafael Araujo (Gesundheit!), this year's picks have to turn out better, how much better is the question. Villanueva has always been a supremely talented player, but has never developed any consistency. But if team workouts are any indication, he has a new found dedication to the game.Credit Babcock for rolling the dice with a player with far more upside (Villanueva) than the player many thought they'd take (Danny Granger)... Joey Graham gives the team toughness, and at 16 was one of the top players available at their pick. Getting Roko Ukic, a player they had considered at 16 at 41 in the second round was a steal. Uros Slokar is also a European who has been rated highly, but suffered through a tough season and saw his stock drop. After a couple more years in Europe, he could amount to a very nice pick.

Utah Draft Grade Additions Comments

A

3. Deron Williams
34. CJ Miles
51. Robert Whaley The Jazz had possibly the best draft of anyone putting together a backcourt for the future and a very good one. NBADraft.net has long been very high on CJ Miles. he slid out of the first round, but has the option to return to Texas without having signed an agent. Look for him to end up one of the top 3 players from his high school class. Deron Williams could end up the top player in this draft overall. he's that good. He's not flashy, but makes everyone around him better, and should be one of the top passers in the NBA before too long... Robert Whaley was a top 5 prospect in his high school days but got into some legal troubles which sidetracked his college career. He seems to have rededicated himself after playing at Div 2 Walsh College, and was impressive enough in Chicago to get drafted. he'll have a shot to make the Jazz if he continues working hard.

Washington Draft Grade Additions Comments

C
49. Andray Blatche Blatche had a very impressive Jordan Classic Game. So impressive that some even thought he had a chance to break into the lottery. But NBA scouts were too smart for that. He's a talent, but with a lot of question marks. At 49, he's worthy of a pick, but had he been a first rounder he likely would have been a disappointment. It's funny, the year before the NBA puts in the 19 year age limit the draft finally has a correction with 5/8 high schoolers falling into the second round. This likely would have made more kids think twice about it in the first place.

Posted by MikeFromNY:

For a site called nbadraft.net...they sure did spend a lot of time talking about freakin' slary cap ramifications of a trade involving NBA veterans, huh?

Why not tell us about the friggin' guys they picked in the draft?

Had the same impression...

Posted by VDesai:

The problem with an article is he gives as D largely on the merits of the Q trade, which doesn't make sense to me. Quentin Richardson's deal runs 1 year longer than Kurts. He's 25 and Kurt is 32. Essentially that impact on our cap situation isn't even that big, b/c while we might be paying one more year, its to a significantly younger player who is more likely to be worth his contract 4-5 years from now than the player we gave up. Secondly the deal made us younger, adding a solid 25 yr old player and a the 21st pick in the draft. If anything, that is better for our long term future.

If he gave us a C or D on the merits of our picks, I'd be fine with that (though I might not necessarily agree). But this is a criticism that makes no sense.

Yup, it's a off topic rant, not an assessment of the draft.

I agree that Isiah is making that cap problems worse, and that the Marbury trade was a mistake, but that's a separate issue.

This so funny.

The Suns got Q LAST YEAR!!!

So a year later he is a bad deal? Give me a freakin break, this guy is just a Knick hater, and this is coming from a guy who also thinks IT is a clown, but this "draft grade" hardly mentions the draft and is focused of a false monetary assesment of a side trade!

There are way too many people doing sports reporting that don't deserve to have their jobs.

No mention of Lee at all! Pretty pathetic review by them.

The guy can't even spell Isiah the right way

Ouch!

I believe our draft was definitely better than what this guy is saying. I don't think we have a championship caliber roster yet, but we've definitely made some strides toward becoming a playoff team with the right kind of depth.

Frye and our glut of PFs will make up for the production of Nazr/KT, more or less-- I'm not too worried about that. This basically forces us to commit to finding out whether Sweetney can develop into a starting PF (come on, he should have the talent to match Haslem's output this year-- at 6'8", Haslem averaged 11ppg/9rpg). Per 48 minutes, I think our production will be similar from the PF/C spots.

Q will be the main reason why we improve (assuming we haven't been duped with an LJ style degenerative back condition). The top assets he brings are his fearless 3pt shooting and rebounding toughness-- those and the fact that Tim Thomas will be reduced to a lesser role. This should spread the floor and make playing the game easier for our point guards.

I'm not 100% sold on why we have Nate Robinson... but his agressive style of play (and more obviously, his amazing game in such a small package!) should make him an instant fan favorite. I can't wait for the NY papers to cause some scandal the first time Robinson cuts into some of Marbury's 4th quarter minutes.