NBA Draft Thoughts

The NBA Draft is tonight for those of you not paying attention. After having their hopes of Greg Oden or Kevin Durant crushed by the ping-pong balls on May 22, the Celtics will have the fifth pick. Their options at No. 5 include Yi Jianlian, Corey Brewer, Jeff Green, Joakim Noah, Mike Conley Jr. and Nick Young. As I said in my Mock Draft yesterday, I believe the Celtics will select Jianlian. Although his age has been questioned (it ranges from 19-22), Jianlian is very talented. He is an athletic 7-foot, 250 pound forward who can face the basket. He will need time to adapt to the NBA but the natural shooting touch and offensive skills he possesses are obvious. Although there is something inside me saying that the C's should go with a proven college star like Brewer or Noah, the fact is that this franchise needs to dramatically upgrade its' roster and the potential of Jianlian could help them achieve that goal... Looking back on every Draft Lottery since it began in 1985, I have decided to give each one a grade. 1985 (D+) 1. New York Knicks: Patrick Ewing, Georgetown 2. Indiana Pacers: Wayman Tisdale, Oklahoma 3. L.A. Clippers: Benoit Benjamin, Creighton 4. Seattle Supersonics: Xavier McDaniel, Wichita State 5. Atlanta Hawks: Jon Koncak, Southern Methodist 6. Sacramento Kings: Joe Kleine, Arkansas 7. Golden State Warriors: Chris Mullin, St. John's The only reason this lottery receives a generous D+ is because Ewing did make the Knicks a serious contender (if not a champion) and Mullin was a five-time All-Star. But the likes of Karl Malone (No. 13 to Utah), Charles Oakley (No. 9 to Cleveland, traded to Chicago), Joe Dumars (No. 18 to Detroit), A.C. Green (No. 23 to L.A. Lakers) and Terry Porter (No. 24 to Portland) all came well after Benoit Benjamin, Jon Koncak and Joe Kleine. Imagine if the Hawks stepped up at No. 5 and took Malone. The Mailman might not have turned into the second all-time leading scorer without John Stockton but I'm sure he would have been just fine with Dominique Wilkins. 1986 (F) 1. Cleveland Cavaliers: Brad Daugherty, North Carolina 2. Boston Celtics: Len Bias, Maryland 3. Golden State Warriors: Chris Washburn, N.C. State 4. Indiana Pacers: Chuck Person, Auburn 5. New York Knicks: Kenny Walker, Kentucky 6. Phoenix Suns: William Bedford, Memphis State 7. Dallas Mavericks: Roy Tarpley, Michigan In terms of talent and expectations, the '86 Lottery should have been an A+. However, injuries (Daugherty and Walker) and drugs (Bias, Washburn, Bedford and Tarpley) wiped out this group. The remainder of the first round was nothing special either, other than Ron Harper (No. 8 to Cleveland), John Salley (No. 11 to Detroit) and Arvydas Sabonis (No. 24 to Portland). The 1986 Draft is actually most famous for its' second round. Mark Price, Dennis Rodman, Johnny Newman, Nate McMillan, David Wingate and Jeff Hornacek were all picked in the second round and Drazen Petrovic was taken in the third round. 1987 (C-) 1. San Antonio Spurs: David Robinson, Navy 2. Phoenix Suns: Armon Gilliam, UNLV 3. New Jersey Nets: Dennis Hopson, New Jersey 4. L.A. Clippers: Reggie Williams, Georgetown 5. Seattle Supersonics: Scottie Pippen, Central Arkansas (traded to Chicago) 6. Sacramento Kings: Kenny Smith, North Carolina 7. Cleveland Cavaliers: Kevin Johnson, California Not a bad Lottery but there were still some major misses. Horace Grant (No. 10 to Chicago), Reggie Miller (No. 11 to Indiana), Mark Jackson (No. 18 to New York) and Reggie Lewis (No. 22 to Boston) all should have been in the mix behind Robinson. Looking at this draft, this is where the Bulls dynasty was solidified. Pippen and Grant teamed with Jordan to win three straight rings from 1991-93 and then when Jordan returned from baseball, he and Pippen won three more in a row fro 1996-98. 1988 (F) 1. L.A. Clippers: Danny Manning, Kansas 2. Indiana Pacers: Rik Smits, Marist 3. Philadelphia 76ers: Charles Smith, Pittsburgh (traded to L.A. Clippers) 4. New Jersey Nets: Chris Morris, Auburn 5. Golden State Warriors: Mitch Richmond, Kansas State 6. L.A. Clippers: Hersey Hawkins, Bradley (traded to Philadelphia) 7. Phoenix Suns: Tim Perry, Temple Manning showed flashes of brilliance when he was healthy but his knees never allowed him to be the player he should have been -- and that is what really kills the 1988 Lottery. The '88 Draft as a whole was pretty weak. Other first round picks who should have been in the Lottery were Rony Seikaly (No. 9 to Miami), Dan Majerle (No. 14 to Phoenix), Rod Strickland (No. 19 to New York) and Brian Shaw (No. 24 to Boston). Second round picks Vernon Maxwell, Steve Kerr and Vinny Del Negro as well as third round steal Anthony Mason all should have been taken way earlier. 1989 (F-) 1. Sacramento Kings: Pervis Ellison, Louisville 2. L.A. Clippers: Danny Ferry, Duke 3. San Antonio Spurs: Sean Elliott, Arizona 4. Miami Heat: Glen Rice, Michigan 5. Charlotte Hornets: J.R. Reid, North Carolina 6. Chicago Bulls: Stacey King, Oklahoma 7. Indiana Pacers: George McCloud, Florida State 8. Dallas Mavericks: Randy White, Louisiana Tech 9. Washington Bullets: Tom Hammonds, Georgia Tech The worst Lottery ever, no arguments will be heard. When the No. 1 pick is lovingly referred to as "Out of Service" and the No. 2 pick heads to Italy, you know you're in for it. Elliott and Rice were solid players but the rest just weren't worthy of their draft position. Like 1988 this wasn't a deep draft but Lottery teams did skip over Tim Hardaway (No. 14 to Golden State), Dana Barros and Shawn Kemp (No. 16 & 17 to Seattle), B.J. Armstrong (No. 18 to Chicago) and Vlade Divac (No. 26 to L.A. Lakers) and the second round included Sherman Douglas, Cliff Robinson, Dino Radja and Haywoode Workman. Imagine if the Bulls had drafted Kemp at No. 6 and added him to to the Jordan/Pippen/Grant triumvirate. 1990 (D-) 1. New Jersey Nets: Derrick Coleman, Syracuse 2. Seattle Supersonics: Gary Payton, Oregon State 3. Denver Nuggets: Chris Jackson, Louisiana State 4. Orlando Magic: Dennis Scott, Georgia Tech 5. Charlotte Hornets: Kendall Gill, Illinois 6. Minnesota Timberwolves: Felton Spencer, Louisville 7. Sacramento Kings: Lionel Simmons, La Salle 8. L.A. Clippers: Bo Kimble, Loyola Marymount 9. Miami Heat: Willie Burton, Minnesota 10. Atlanta Hawks: Rumeal Robinson, Michigan 11. Golden State Warriors: Tyrone Hill, Xavier Coleman was such a let down, if he didn't dog it so much early in his career he could have redefined the power forward position. Payton is an all-time great at the point guard position. The rest of the 1990 Draft was undistinguished. Dee Brown (No. 17 to Boston) and Elden Campbell (No. 27 to L.A. Lakers) were the best of a bad bunch. 1991 (C-) 1. Charlotte Hornets: Larry Johnson, UNLV 2. New Jersey Nets: Kenny Anderson, Georgia Tech 3. Sacramento Kings: Billy Owens, Syracuse 4. Denver Nuggets: Dikembe Mutombo, Georgetown 5. Miami Heat: Steve Smith, Michigan State 6. Dallas Mavericks: Doug Smith, Missouri 7. Minnesota Timberwolves: Luc Longley, New Mexico 8. Denver Nuggets: Mark Macon, Temple 9. Atlanta Hawks: Stacey Augmon, UNLV 10. Orlando Magic: Brian Williams, Arizona 11. Cleveland Cavaliers: Terrell Brandon, Oregon Yet another weak draft. Johnson was a force when healthy and Anderson was a productive point guard. Mutombo was the best in this class, he is still contributing for the Houston Rockets and should be a Hall-of-Famer at some point. 1992 (A-) 1. Orlando Magic: Shaquille O'Neal, Louisiana State 2. Miami Heat: Alonzo Mourning, Georgetown 3. Minnesota Timberwolves: Christian Laettner, Duke 4. Dallas Mavericks: Jimmy Jackson, Ohio State 5. Denver Nuggets: LaPhonso Ellis, Notre Dame 6. Washington Bullets: Tom Gugliotta, N.C. State 7. Sacramento Kings: Walt Williams, Maryland 8. Milwaukee Bucks: Todd Day, Arkansas 9. Philadelphia 76ers: Clarence Weatherspoon, Southern Mississippi 10. Atlanta Hawks: Adam Keefe, Stanford 11. Houston Rockets: Robert Horry, Alabama By far the best Lottery up to this point. Shaq and Mourning are both headed for the Hall-of-Fame and Horry -- owner of seven NBA championships (two with Houston, three with the L.A. Lakers and two with San Antonio) -- could possibly join them. Still, mistakes were made. Doug Christie (No. 17 to Seattle) and Latrell Sprewell (No. 24 to Golden State) should have been taken earlier and P.J. Brown slid to the second round. 1993 (B) 1. Orlando Magic: Chris Webber, Michigan (traded to Golden State) 2. Philadelphia 76ers: Shawn Bradley, Brigham Young 3. Golden State Warriors: Anfernee "Penny" Hardaway, Memphis State (traded to Orlando) 4. Dallas Mavericks: Jamal Mashburn, Kentucky 5. Minnesota Timberwolves: Isaiah "J.R." Rider, UNLV 6. Washington Bullets: Calbert Cheaney, Indiana 7. Sacramento Kings: Bobby Hurley, Duke 8. Milwaukee Bucks: Vin Baker, Hartford 9. Denver Nuggets: Rodney Rogers, Wake Forest 10. Detroit Pistons: Lindsey Hunter, Jackson State 11. Detroit Pistons: Allan Houston, Tennessee Another solid Lottery. Webber was a perennial All-Star and if Penny Hardaway's knees didn't give out he would have been as well. Mashburn, Houston and Rogers all were solid pro's, as was Baker before he decided to change his last name to N' Tonic. Bradley was a tremendous bust. Hurley is tough to grade, the auto accident he suffered as a rookie destroyed his career. The 1993 Draft also gave the NBA Sam Cassell (No. 24 to Houston) and both Nick Van Exel and Bryon Russell in the second round. 1994 (C+) 1. Milwaukee Bucks: Glenn Robinson, Purdue 2. Dallas Mavericks: Jason Kidd, California 3. Detroit Pistons: Grant Hill, Duke 4. Minnesota Timberwolves: Donyell Marshall, Connecticut 5. Washington Bullets: Juwon Howard, Michigan 6. Philadelphia 76ers: Sharone Wright, Clemson 7. L.A. Clippers: Lamond Murray, California 8. Sacramento Kings: Brian Grant, Xavier 9. Boston Celtics: Eric Montross, North Carolina 10. L.A. Lakers: Eddie Jones, Temple 11. Seattle Supersonics: Carlos Rogers, Tennessee State "Big Dog" Robinson was a 20 point-per-game scorer while both Kidd and Hill (when healthy) became superstars. Marshall, Howard, Grant and Jones all were good NBA players. Other noteable first round picks were Jalen Rose (No. 13 to Denver), Eric Piatkowski (No. 15 to Indiana), Aaron McKie (No. 17 to Portland) and Mr. Heisman, Charlie Ward (No. 26 to New York). 1995 (C-) 1. Golden State Warriors: Joe Smith, Maryland 2. L.A. Clippers: Antonio McDyess, Alabama (traded to Denver) 3. Philadelphia 76ers: Jerry Stackhouse, North Carolina 4. Washington Bullets: Rasheed Wallace, North Carolina 5. Minnesota Timberwolves: Kevin Garnett, Farragut Academy 6. Vancouver Grizzlies: Bryant Reeves, Oklahoma State 7. Toronto Raptors: Damon Stoudemire, Arizona 8. Portland Trailblazers: Shawn Respert, Michigan State (traded to Milwaukee) 9. New Jersey Nets: Ed O'Bannon, UCLA 10. Miami Heat: Kurt Thomas, Texas Christian 11. Milwaukee Bucks: Gary Trent, Ohio (traded to Portland) 12. Dallas Mavericks: Cherokee Parks, Duke 13. Sacramento Kings: Corliss Williamson, Arkansas Smith was not worthy of being No. 1 overall but he was a contributor for over 10 years to many different teams. Stackhouse and Wallace both are in the midst of solid careers. KG is a future member of the Hall-of-Fame. Kurt Thomas is still rebounding and defending the paint. Some guys that slipped were Brent Barry (No. 15 to Denver, traded to L.A. Clippers), Theo Ratliff (No. 18 to Detroit), Michael Finley (No. 21 to Phoenix) and Travis Best (No. 23 to Indiana). Players slipping into round two included Donny Marshall, Eric Snow and Tyus Edney. 1996 (B-) 1. Philadelphia 76ers: Allen Iverson, Georgetown 2. Toronto Raptors: Marcus Camby, Massachusetts 3. Vancouver Grizzlies: Shareef Abdur-Rahim, California 4. Milwaukee Bucks: Stephon Marbury, Georgia Tech (traded to Minnesota) 5. Minnesota Timberwolves: Ray Allen, Connecticut (traded to Bucks) 6. Boston Celtics: Antoine Walker, Kentucky 7. L.A. Clippers: Lorenzen Wright, Memphis 8. New Jersey Nets: Kerry Kittles, Villanova 9. Dallas Mavericks: Samaki Walker, Louisville 10. Indiana Pacers: Erick Dampier, Mississippi State 11. Golden State Warriors: Todd Fuller, N.C. State 12. Cleveland Cavaliers: Vitaly Potapenko, Wright State 13. Charlotte Hornets: Kobe Bryant, Lower Merion HS (traded to L.A. Lakers) This was an excellent Lottery. Iverson and Bryant are HOF players; Camby, Abdur-Rahim, Marbury, Allen and Antoine Walker all played in at least one All-Star game and Kittles (before knee injuries ended his career) and Dampier were productive. The grade is lowered because of the players that escaped the Lottery. Peja Stojakovic (No. 14 to Sacramento), Steve Nash (No. 15 to Phoenix), Jermaine O'Neal (No. 17 to Portland), Zydrunas Ilgauskas (No. 20 to Cleveland) and Derek Fisher (No. 24 to L.A. Lakers) as well as second round steals Othella Harrington, Jeff McInnis, Malik Rose and Shandon Anderson. 1997 (C) 1. San Antonio Spurs: Tim Duncan, Wake Forest 2. Philadelphia 76ers: Keith Van Horn, Utah (traded to New Jersey) 3. Boston Celtics: Chauncey Billups, Colorado 4. Vancouver Grizzlies: Antonio Daniels, Bowling Green 5. Denver Nuggets: Tony Battie, Texas Tech 6. Boston Celtics: Ron Mercer, Kentucky 7. New Jersey Nets: Tim Thomas, Villanova (traded to Philadelphia) 8. Golden State Warriors: Adonal Foyle, Colgate 9. Toronto Raptors: Tracy McGrady, Mt. Zion Academy 10. Milwaukee Bucks: Danny Fortson, Cincinnati (traded to Denver) 11. Sacramento Kings: Tariq Abdul-Wahad, San Jose State 12. Indiana Pacers: Austin Croshere, Providence 13. Cleveland Cavaliers: Derek Anderson, Kentucky Not a great Lottery -- Adonal Foyle anyone? -- but Duncan (1999, 2003, 2005, 2007) and Billups (2004) have led their teams to NBA championships and McGrady is one of the best talents in the game. The biggest misses in this draft were Stephen Jackson and Mark Blount, both fell to the second round. 1998 (D) 1. L.A. Clippers: Michael Olowokandi, Pacific 2. Vancouver Grizzlies: Mike Bibby, Arizona 3. Denver Nuggets: Raef LaFrentz, Kansas 4. Toronto Raptors: Antawn Jamison, North Carolina (traded to Golden State) 5. Golden State Warriors: Vince Carter, North Carolina (traded to Toronto) 6. Dallas Mavericks: Robert Traylor, Michigan (traded to Milwaukee) 7. Sacramento Kings: Jason Williams, Marshall 8. Philadelphia 76ers: Larry Hughes, St. Louis 9. Milwaukee Bucks: Dirk Nowitzki, Germany (traded to Dallas) 10. Boston Celtics: Paul Pierce, Kansas 11. Detroit Pistons: Bonzi Wells, Ball State 12. Orlando Magic: Michael Doleac, Utah 13. Orlando Magic: Keon Clark, UNLV This draft is a great example of why the Clippers suck. They take Olowokandi -- a 7-1 British center with no more than five years of basketball experience -- over Bibby, Jamison, Carter and Pierce. If they really wanted a foreigner they could have traded down and taken Nowitzki, who at least had developed skills, just no body. Matt Harpring (No. 15 to Orlando), Ricky Davis (No. 21 to Charlotte) and Al Harrington (No. 25 to Indiana) and second rounder's Ruben Patterson, Rashard Lewis, Rafer Alston, Cuttino Mobley and Greg Buckner all should have been drafted higher than they were. 1999 (C+) 1. Chicago Bulls: Elton Brand, Duke 2. Vancouver Grizzlies: Steve Francis, Maryland (traded to Houston) 3. Charlotte Hornets: Baron Davis, UCLA 4. L.A. Clippers: Lamar Odom, Rhode Island 5. Toronto Raptors: Jonathan Bender, Picayune HS (traded to Indiana) 6. Minnesota Timberwolves: Wally Szczerbiak, Miami (OH) 7. Washington Wizards: Richard Hamilton, Connecticut 8. Cleveland Cavaliers: Andre Miller, Utah 9. Phoenix Suns: Shawn Marion, UNLV 10. Atlanta Hawks: Jason Terry, Arizona 11. Cleveland Cavaliers: Trajon Langdon, Duke 12. Toronto Raptors: Aleksander Radojevic, Barton C.C. 13. Seattle Supersonics: Corey Maggette, Duke (traded to L.A. Clippers) Some very good NBA players emerged from this draft but Brand, Davis, Odom, Hamilton and Terry all have played their best basketball away from the team that drafed them. The first round also produced Ron Artest (No. 15 to Chicago), James Posey (No. 18 to Denver), Jeff Foster (No. 21 to Golden State, traded to Indiana), Devean George (No. 23 to L.A. Lakers), Andrei Kirilenko (No. 24 to Utah) and second round picks Manu Ginobilli, Francisco Elson and one of my personal favorites (although he never did anything in the NBA) Chris Herren. 2000 (F-) 1. New Jersey Nets: Kenyon Martin, Cincinnati 2. Vancouver Grizzlies: Stromile Swift, Louisiana State 3. L.A. Clippers: Darius Miles, East St. Louis HS 4. Chicago Bulls: Marcus Fizer, Iowa State 5. Orlando Magic: Mike Miller, Florida 6. Atlanta Hawks: DeMarr Johnson, Cincinnati 7. Chicago Bulls: Chris Mihm, Texas (traded to Cleveland) 8. Cleveland Cavaliers: Jamal Crawford, Michigan (traded to Chicago) 9. Houston Rockets: Joel Przybilla, Minnesota (traded to Milwaukee) 10. Orlando Magic: Keyon Dooling, Missouri (traded to L.A. Clippers) 11. Boston Celtics: Jerome Moiso, UCLA 12. Dallas Mavericks: Etan Thomas, Syracuse 13. Orlando Magic: Courtney Alexander, Fresno State (traded to Dallas) Okay, an argument can be made that the 2000 Lottery was just as bad, if not worse, than the 1989 Lottery. Martin at least helped the Jason Kidd-led Nets to consecutive Eastern Conference championships in 2002 and 2003. Desmond Mason (No. 17 to Seattle), Quentin Richardson (No. 18 to L.A. Clippers), Jamaal Magloire (No. 19 to Charlotte), Speedy Claxton (No. 20 to Philadelphia), Morris Peterson (No. 21 to Toronto) and Primo Brezec (No. 27 to Indiana) all should hve gone higher. 2001 (D-) 1. Washington Wizards: Kwame Brown, Glynn Academy 2. L.A. Clippers: Tyson Chandler, Dominguez HS (traded to Chicago) 3. Atlanta Hawks: Pau Gasol, Spain (traded to Memphis) 4. Chicago Bulls: Eddy Curry, Thornwood HS 5. Golden State Warriors: Jason Richardson, Michigan State 6. Memphis Grizzlies: Shane Battier, Duke 7. New Jersey Nets: Eddie Griffin, Seton Hall (traded to Houston) 8. Cleveland Cavaliers: DeSagna Diop, Oak Hill Academy 9. Detroit Pistons: Rodney White, Charlotte 10. Boston Celtics: Joe Johnson, Arkansas 11. Boston Celtics: Kedrick Brown, Okaloosa-Walton C.C. 12. Seattle Supersonics: Vladimir Radmanovic, Yugoslavia 13. Houston Rockets: Richard Jefferson, Arizona (traded to New Jersey) Brown was an A+ bust in Washington, Jordan (then running the Wizards) should have gone for Battier. Gasol, Chandler, Curry and Richardson have shown flashes while Battier and Johnson have become very good players. The list of players who slid is impressive: Zach Randolph (No. 19 to Portland), Gerald Wallace (No. 25 to Sacramento), Samuel Dalembert (No. 26 to Philadelphia), Jamaal Tinsley (No. 27 to Memphis, traded to Atlanta), Tony Parker (No. 28 to San Antonio), Gilbert Arenas (No. 31 to Golden State), Mehmet Okur (No. 38 to Detroit) and Bobby Simmons (No. 42 to Seattle). 2002 (C+) 1. Houston Rockets: Yao Ming, China 2. Chicago Bulls: Jay Williams, Duke 3. Golden State Warriors: Mike Dunleavy Jr., Duke 4. Memphis Grizzlies: Drew Gooden, Kansas 5. Denver Nuggets: Nikoloz Tskitishvili, Italy 6. Cleveland Cavaliers: Dajuan Wagner, Memphis 7. New York Knicks: Nene Hilario, Brazil (traded to Denver) 8. L.A. Clippers: Chris Wilcox, Maryland 9. Phoenix Suns: Amare Stoudemire, Cypress Creek HS 10. Miami Heat: Caron Butler, Connecticut 11. Washington Wizards: Jared Jeffries, Indiana 12. L.A. Clippers: Melvin Ely, Fresno State 13. Milwaukee Bucks: Marcus Haislip, Tennessee Ming and Stoudemire are both franchise players with MVP potential. Williams lost his career to a knee injury while Wagner lost his to ... an intestinal disorder? Butler turned into an All-Star this season with Washington. Oversights in this draft include Tayshaun Prince (No. 23 to Detroit), Nenad Krstic (No. 24 to New Jersey), Dan Gadzuric (No. 34 to Milwaukee), Carlos Boozer (No. 35 to Cleveland) and Matt Barnes (No. 46 to Memphis). 2003 (A-) 1. Cleveland Cavaliers: LeBron James, St. Vincent-St. Mary HS 2. Detroit Pistons: Darko Milicic, Serbia 3. Denver Nuggets: Carmelo Anthony, Syracuse 4. Toronto Raptors: Chris Bosh, Georgia Tech 5. Miami Heat: Dwayne Wade, Marquette 6. L.A. Clippers: Chris Kaman, Central Michigan 7. Chicago Bulls: Kirk Hinrich, Kansas 8. Milwaukee Bucks: T.J. Ford, Texas 9. New York Knicks: Mke Sweetney, Georgetown 10. Washington Wizards: Jarvis Hayes, Georgia 11. Golden State Warriors: Mickael Pietrus, France 12. Seattle Sonics: Nick Collison, Kansas 13. Memphis Grizzlies: Marcus Banks, UNLV (traded to Boston) James, Wade and Anthony are the face of the NBA for the next decade and Bosh is close behind them. Hinrich is a top point guard. The bust is Milicic. Imagine the Pistons took Bosh or Wade ... wow! Boris Diaw (No. 21 to Atlanta), Leandrinho Barbosa (No. 28 to San Antonio, traded to Phoenix), Josh Howard (No. 29 to Dallas), Jason Kapono (No. 31 to Cleveland), Luke Walton (No. 32 to L.A. Lakers), Steve Blake (No. 38 to Washington) and Kyle Korver (No. 51 to New Jersey) all dropped. 2004 (C-) 1. Orlando Magic: Dwight Howard, Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy 2. Charlotte Bobcats: Emeka Okafor, Connecticut 3. Chicago Bulls: Ben Gordon, Connecticut 4. L.A. Clippers: Shaun Livingston, Peoria Central HS 5. Washington Wizards: Devin Harris, Wisconsin (traded to Dallas) 6. Atlanta Hawks: Josh Childress, Stanford 7. Phoenix Suns: Luol Deng, Duke (traded to Chicago) 8. Toronto Raptors: Rafael Araujo, Brigham Young 9. Philadelphia 76ers: Andre Iguodala, Arizona 10. Cleveland Cavaliers: Luke Jackson, Oregon 11. Golden State Warriors: Andris Biedrins, Latvia 12. Seattle Sonics: Robert Swift, Bakersfield HS 13. Portland Trailblazers: Sebastian Telfair, Lincoln HS 14. Utah Jazz: Kris Humphries, Minnesota Howard is a franchise center, Gordon and Deng have brought the Bulls back into contention, Harris contributes to the Mavericks, Iguodala is the man in Philly now that AI is in Denver and Biedrins has shown promise. Araujo was a complete waste, Jackson is on the brink of being out of the league with a bad back and Telfair should have gone to college. Al Jefferson (No. 15 to Boston), Josh Smith (No. 17 to Atlanta), Jameer Nelson (No. 20 to Denver, traded to Orlando), Delonte West (No. 24 to Boston), Kevin Martin (No. 26 to Sacramento), Anderson Varejao (No. 30 to Orlando) and Chris Duhon (No. 38 to Chicago) all fell lower than they should have. 2005 (Inc.) 1. Milwaukee Bucks: Andrew Bogut, Utah 2. Atlanta Hawks: Marvin Williams, North Carolina 3. Utah Jazz: Deron Williams, Illinois 4. New Orleans Hornets: Chris Paul, Wake Forest 5. Charlotte Bobcats: Ray Felton, North Carolina 6. Portland Trailblazers: Martell Webster, Seattle Prep 7. Toronto Raptors: Charlie Villanueva, Connecticut 8. New York Knicks: Channing Frye, Arizona 9. Golden State Warriors: Ike Diogu, Arizona State 10. L.A. Lakers: Andrew Bynum, St. Joseph HS 11. Orlando Magic: Fran Vazquez, Spain 12. L.A. Clippers: Yaroslav Korolev, Russia 13. Charlotte Bobcats: Sean May, North Carolina 14. Minnesot Timberwolves: Rashad McCants, North Carolina 2006 (Inc.) 1. Toronto Raptors: Andrea Bargnani, Italy 2. Chicago Bulls: LaMarcus Aldridge, texas (traded to Portland) 3. Charlotte Bobcats: Adam Morrison, Gonzaga 4. Portland Trailblazers: Tyrus Thomas, Louisiana State (traded to Chicago) 5. Atlanta Hawks: Shelden Williams, Duke 6. Minnesota Timberwolves: Brandon Roy, Washington (traded to Portland via Boston) 7. Boston Celtics: Randy Foye, Villanova (traded to Minnesota) 8. Houston Rockets: Rudy Gay, Connecticut (traded to Memphis) 9. Golden State Warriors: Patrick O'Bryant, Bradley 10. Seattle Sonics: Saer Sene, Senegal 11. Orlando Magic: J.J. Redick, Duke 12. New Orleans Hornets: Hilton Armstrong, Connecticut 13. Philadelphia 76ers: Thabo Sefolosha, Switzerland (traded to Chicago) 14. Utah Jazz: Ronnie Brewer, Arkansas The 2005 and 2006 draft classes just haven't had enough time to be evaluated. Both are promising though. So, what has all this information taught you? Probably not too much (other than the fact that by spending all this time writing, I have proven -- to myself at least -- that I don't have ADD). Seriously, what this shows is that the draft -- and especially the Lottery -- is a very inexact science. There is no guarantee that a Lottery pick, even No. 1 overall, will make an impact. In most cases, picks later in the first round or in the second round make more of a difference. Also, I didn't get too muh into the Celtics Lottery history because it's just too depressing. The facts are there, the discussions have been made -- the history of the Boston franchise has dropped more than WWE stock since taking Bias in 1986. Looking over all of this has made me temper my feelings on this draft. Other tha Greg Oden and Kevin Durant (who are not locks to be superstars), what is really out there? I like the Florida guys -- Horford/Brewer/Noah -- but I also thought the 2005 UNC foursome of Williams/Felton/May/McCants would set the NBA on fire and that hasn't been the case up until now. It's all a crapshoot, take it for what it is... Celtics rumors have been flying all day. Yi Jianlian. Jeff Green. Trade the pick and Theo Ratliff to Seattle for Ray Allen. Right now it looks like Yi will be coming to Boston. Either Seattle backed out (betcha Ainge asked for Robert Swift) or Ainge's path of make-believe continues...