So all the mock drafters had to be pleased with the outcome of the 2013 NBA draft right? I mean I think most people had Cleveland drafting Anthony Bennett with the first pick, right? And everybody had Nerlens Noel drop to sixth AND get traded away to Philly, no? This had to be the most predictable draft of all time. After all, everybody had agreed that there were no concrete superstar players, and so most of the top players are on the same level more or less. OK, I’m done being cynical (not completely- see below) but you get the point; this draft was as unpredictable and exciting as it has been in a long, long time. I suppose with David Stern calling his last draft, he had to make arrangements for him to go out with a bang. The Hakeem touch was nice though I have to admit (well played Stern, well played).

With a few days to let the wild trades and picks sink in, we now discuss the winners and losers of the trade. There were some great picks made by teams, and some questionable ones. Let us know below whom you thought emerged victorious and who whiffed on draft night.

 

Winners

 

Orlando Magic- Since losing Dwight Howard, Orlando has quietly done a nice job of accumulating young talent to build on for the future. With guys like Tobias Harris, Mo Harkless and Nikola Vucevic already in place, the addition of Victor Oladipo is a great one. Of all the guys in the draft, the one you had to feel the best about was Oladipo. His ability to play both ends of the floor, high motor/high energy attitude, and strong work ethic makes him a lock to be a very solid player at the very least. He’s a very solid defender, explosive athlete and a solid locker room guy who will make players around him better. Overall he’s a guy who could have very easily gone #1 overall, but he didn’t and Orlando has to be extremely pleased to have drafted him.

 

Portland Trail Blazers- GM Neil Olshey has done a tremendous job of drafting the last two years since his appointment as Portland’s GM. Last year his pick of Damian Lillard ended up paying dividends when Lillard won Rookie of the Year with his stellar play. This year Neil took another electric PG with his first round pick when he drafted C.J McCollum at #10. C.J is a flat out scoring machine, averaging nearly 24 ppg and shooting nearly 50% from the field as a senior at Lehigh. The kid has a ridiculous first step, can get to the basket, can shoot the ball and is great in transition. He has the ability to play the 1 or 2 positions and in tandem with Lillard, they are going to be one of the most exciting and electric backcourts in all of the NBA, much like Steph Curry and Klay Thompson of Golden State. And if that wasn’t enough scoring for you, Olshey also drafted Allen Crabbe who happens to be one of the best shooters in the draft. Throw in shot blocker Jeff Whitey with the 39th pick, and you can see how Portland won big in the draft.

 

Washington Wizards- Is it possible that the Wizards are actually moving in the right direction two years in a row? Last year they gave John wall a friend in the sweet shooter Bradley Beal. This year they’ve given him the well rounded stud Otto Porter Jr out of Georgetown. Porter is another hard working player, who excels at both ends of the floor, and whose work ethic will rub off on teammates. In the second round the Wizards took Glenn Rice Jr who also happened to win MVP of the D-league last year. Rice is athletic and can really shoot the ball, and is playing with a chip on his shoulder. He’s a steal of a pick in the second round, and look for him to make a big impact off the bench as soon as next year.

 

Losers

 

Charlotte Bobcats- Man the Bobcats just can’t get anything right can they? MJ blew yet another draft when he chose Cody Zeller with the fourth overall pick. Now don’t get me wrong, I think Cody is a decent player and can do some good things in the league, however with Noel and McLemore still on the board I don’t understand this pick. Noel was considered to be the top pick of the draft, and his drop to fourth was stunning. But even more stunning was MJ’s decision to overlook him and take Zeller instead. Even if Jordan didn’t like Noel, the decision to not take McLemore is also mind boggling. McLemore’s shooting and overall scoring ability was as good any player in the draft, and at 4 the Bobcats should have jumped at the chance to take him. He has the best chance of anyone in this draft to becoming a superstar down the road, and Charlotte blew it yet again.

 

Atlanta Hawks- It’s tough to judge the Hawks’ draft when three out of their four picks may not play for several years. Nogueira is thought to be the next Tiago Splitter, Dennis Schroeder is considered to be the top international PG, and Raul Neto is a Brazilian player with perhaps the most upside of the three international players taken. The problem with taking all these foreign players is that no one knows if/when these guys are going to come over, and no one truly knows how their game will pan out in the NBA. With the Hawks losing Josh Smith and perhaps Jeff Teague, Atlanta really needed to find players that could come in and play sooner rather than later. Mike Muscala was a nice pick who can do a little bit of everything, and can step in right away.  But with 3 other unknown commodities, Atlanta took a big risk in their draft that may or may not pay off down the road.

 

Second round steals

 

Isaiah Canaan- While the Rockets may be busy chasing Dwight Howard, they got one heck of a player in the mean time. Canaan was considered to be first round material, and one of the top PGs in the draft, and somehow Houston found him in the second round. This kid can flat out score the ball with his tremendous shooting range in combination with his elite athletic ability. Canaan may even challenge Jeremy Lin for serious playing time not too far down the road.

 

Jamaal Franklin- With no first round pick, Memphis still didn’t miss a beat picking up Franklin at #41. Franklin was rated by many as a top 20-25 player and to see him drop this far was shocking. At his best he projects to be the next Tony Allen with his elite defensive skills, long wingspan and nonstop activity. He will fit in perfectly with the Memphis culture.

 

Couple of the Year Candidates

 

This award goes for the best pairing of team and draftee, in which the player fits their respective team perfectly. The first candidate is Ryan Kelly getting drafted to the Lakers. Kelly is the perfect guy for Mike D’ Antoni’s system: a PF who can stretch the floor with his outside shooting ability. We saw what Mike’s system can do for a player like Earl Clark last year; now imagine what a player of Kelly’s skills can do? Expect Ryan to step in immediately off the bench and play a big role for the dysfunctional Lakers.

 

The next candidate is Trey Burke of the Utah Jazz. The Jazz came into the draft hunting desperately for a point guard, and they got a pretty good one in the National Player of the Year Trey Burke. Burke fell to ninth overall due to concerns of his smaller frame, but the former Wolverine knows how to run a team. He’s a natural leader with tremendous scoring and passing ability, and will bring a lot of intangibles to the Jazz. Utah loves its point guards (see John Stockton and Deron Williams), and while Burke isn’t necessarily a superstar, he will be a very solid player in the NBA for a long time.

 

Other Note-worthy Tidbits

 

Say what you want about the Cavs taking Bennett but I don’t have a problem with it. He’ll be a solid pick and roll player with Kyrie, and has a chance to be a 20-10 machine. Can’t ask for more than that.  The Pelicans did well to trade Noel for Jrue Holiday. No point pairing Noel with Davis as they are similar, but picking up the All Star point guard Holliday makes a lot of sense to pair with Eric Gordon and Anthony Davis. On the flip side Philly gave up too soon on Holliday but getting Noel in return with a first rounder next year and drafting Carter-Williams and Pierre Jackson this year is solid compensation. I have some concerns of Carter-Williams but if he pans out he can be special, and if not, Jackson is a pretty underrated PG himself. Assuming Dallas holds onto Shane Larkin, Larkin will be a good fit in the Carlisle pick and roll system with Dirk. Ricky Ledo is an intriguing prospect as well, and someone to keep an eye on. Many have criticizes the Bulls pick of Tony Snell, but I like the pick. He’s very talented and I think coach Thibs can get the best out of him. I like the Reggie Bullock pick to the Clippers, as well as Archie Goodwin to the Warriors. 

 

 

Written by: Zubair Khan

6/30/13