1. Cleveland-- LeBron James
This is an excellent pick by Cleveland. They need to sell tickets, and this is a guy who will put people in the seats of Gund Arena. Obvious pick here.
2. Detroit-- Darko Milicic
They add on to their playoff roster with a great European player who has a Kevin Garnett-Dirk Nowitzki type player. He has an excellent perimeter shot. Another obvious pick that is going to be great with him and Ben Wallace in the front court.
3. Denver-- Carmelo Anthony
Got Syracuse into the championship and they won it. Has terrific athletecism and will be like a west side LeBron because he will be able to fill the seats and give the Nuggets something to be excited about.
4. Toronto-- Chris Bosh
Very athletic, very explosive. Watch for this pick to be traded. I don't think they really want him.
5. Miami-- Dwayne Wade
Surprise pick, great slasher, good shooter, a little bit of a tweener but he will work well with the Heat. I don't know if he will fit in with the Heat, but they will probably keep him.
6. LA Clippers- Chris Kaman
Expected pick, with Olowakandi gone, the Clippers will need the best center available and this guy's got great post skills. However he might be a bust because he lacked experience against good players and he started getting a little cocky. Also he gets tired really quickly.
7. Chicago-- Kirk Hinrich
Horrible pick! Hinrich should have slipped much further than he did. TJ Ford would have been a better pick here. I don't understand why Hinrich could be so high.
8. Milwaukee-- TJ Ford
He has great speed, good explosiveness, doesn't have a great shot, and I think it was a little of a surprise since they already have two point guards.
Michael Downs: I do not see Payton coming back. Cassell will be a great mentor for Ford. Milwaukee could of standed to draft a big guy but none was available who could have a better long term impact than Ford.
9. New York-- Michael Sweetney
Not a great pick, they have Antonio Mcdyess and I think Lampe or Pietrus might have been better, however he has a good inside game. Might start immediately for them.
10. Washington-- Jarvis Hayes
Great pick, filled one out of two huge needs with a big time jump shooter. They haven't been talking much, but this pick makes a lot of sense.
11. Golden St.-- Mickael Pietrus
Good pick, very athletic, but why take him if you have Jason Richardson? I sense a trade here.
12. Seattle-- Nick Collison
Gives them the power forward they need, good inside game, very physical, and has a good mid range game. He will work well with Rashard Lewis and Ray Allen.
Downs: Solid pick, I like it.
13. Memphis-- Marcus Banks
Good pick, could replace Jason Williams at the point guard spot, very athletic, and has good passing abilites.
Downs: Banks defensive skills are top notch. He is almost the anti-Jason Williams. Williams/Banks PG combo will become a very nice combination for Memphis.
14. Seattle-- Luke Ridnour
A surprising pick to me, I thought there were better point guards available. He can shoot the long ball but his strength is a question.
Downs:
I like this pick a whole bunch. Ridnour will get Shard, Ray running to their full potential and certainly will make sure each guy get his fair share of shots.
15. Orlando-- Reece Gaines
Great pick, gives them a big point guard and what McGrady wants.
Downs: Orlando has to be happy with Gaines here. His shooting should be a welcome addition.
16. Boston-- Troy Bell
Awful pick, there is going to be a trade here and I know he proved himself in Chicago, but this is just an awful pick. Barbosa should have been picked there. I really don't get the logic in that besides the fact that he is a good passer and they need a point guard. He will be traded to Memphis though.
Downs: I agree in that this pick is a poor one for whoever gets the kid. However, I do not agree he can pass. His passing ability is pretty poor in fact. His scoring is another story though.
17. Phoenix-- Zarko Cabarkapa
An expected pick. He was supposed to go higher, but was also given a promise by Phoenix. Will probably start for them. Has the capabilities of making an immediate impact for them. Good pick for Phoenix.
18. New Orleans-- David West
Good pick, I thought he might slip a little more and I even thought that when I put him with Utah, it was a little high, but this is a good pick by New Orleans, could make a solid backup in two or three years.
19. Utah-- Aleksander Pavlovic
Wow, surprising pick here. I don't feel that they really need a shooting guard or small forward as much as a point guard or power forward because they have Deshawn Stevenson and Matt Harpring. However, the Jazz GM doesn't really like Stevenson, so maybe he could be a good replacement for him.
20. Boston-- Dahntay Jones
They have a great pick with Dahntay. He was rumored to be in the first round because he did well in Chicago. I think he's a little high, but because of his athletic skill, I think he can help out Boston a lot.
21. Atlanta-- Boris Diaw
Great pick here, very athletic, very versatile, great size. He can play the shooting guard position so I don't quite get why they wouldn't get a small forward or point guard.
22. New Jersey-- Zoran Planinic
Received a last minute promise from New Jersey. He can play the point guard and shooting guard. He could be a solid backup for Kidd or replace him if he goes.
23. Portland-- Travis Outlaw
An obvious pick for Portland. He's a great high school player who can jump out of the gym with his athletic ability. He could be traded to Denver.
Downs: I was a little disappointed with this pick. I would have much rather seen Portland go after Sofoklis, Lampe or Perkins. Outlaw, if lucky, will start contributing in about ohhhh 4 years. He is THAT raw.
24. LA Lakers-- Brian Cook
The Lakers got a steal here. A great shooter, very versatile, very athletic. He should have gone higher. This might have been the steal of the draft.
25. Detroit-- Carlos Delfino
Good pick, he got a promise from them and the Grizzlies, but I was expecting them to take Planinic because they promised to him too. They get a guy they want with Delfino too. He probably will stay in Argentina for a few years.
26. Minnesota-- Ndudi Ebi
Great pick by Minesotta. He was supposed to be picked in the early second round. However, Ebi impressed the Timberwolves and will fit great with their team. Him and Kevin Garnett will be a great tandem in the front court. Could Golden St. be after their pick?
27. Memphis-- Kendrick Perkins
He will be traded to the Celtics. This has to be one of the worst picks of the draft. Bad picks all over this draft. Bulls picking Hinrich and Memphis picking Kendrick probably are the worst picks in this draft. Baidine, Pachulia, Beasley, some other big man besides him.
28. San Antonio-- Leandrinho Barbosa
Great pick here. Look for a trade with either Barbosa or Tony Parker. More likely Barbosa. He will not be coming to the US for a few years.
29. Dallas-- Josh Howard
One of the best players in the ACC, was supposed to be a second round pick, but still a steal for Dallas because of his great scoring
ability.
Second Round
30. New York-- Maciej Lampe
This is the steal of the draft. Having problems with FIBA getting into the NBA but this was supposed to be a top 10 pick. Forget legal problems!
31. Cleveland-- Jason Kapono
This is a guy who can make LeBron comfortable as a rookie. Good shooter, a lot of maturity, and is another great pick.
32. LA Lakers-- Luke Walton
Another great pick by the Lakers. This is probably the best draft ever for them.
33. Miami-- Jerome Beasley
Excellent pick by Miami, he may be traded to the Bulls for two second round picks.
34. LA Clippers-- Sofoklis Schortsianitis
This is a great backup guy for if Elton Brand leaves. They still have Chris Wilcox and he may have to stay in Greece, but this is still a steal for the second round.
35. Milwaukee-- Szymon Szewczyk
Go with the foreign influence and take Szymon. Probably won?t be signed by the Bucks.
36. Chicago-- Mario Austin
They really don't need any power forwards, however this is an appropriate pick around here.
37. Atlanta-- Travis Hansen
Travis went up and then went down, I think this was a little high, but they are getting a good shooter with this pick. He was able to do well in the Chicago pre-draft camp.
38. Washington-- Steve Blake
Steve Blake and Juan Dixon are back together again. Blake is somebody who could find the open man and can be a good 3rd string point guard.
39. New York-- Slavko Vranes
Interesting pick, the biggest player in the draft is no Manute Bol. He is somebody who can help the team at center with his size and skill.
40. Golden St.-- Derrick Zimmerman
Another pick where you just shake your head. Hollis Price, Jason Gardner, Marcus Hatten, and Mo Williams are much better point guards than he is. I would even take Justin Hamilton. Ever heard of CARL ENGLISH? He had a great workout and he would have been a great pick here.
41. Seattle-- Willie Green
Another bad second round pick. They don't need Willie Green, if they weren?t going to keep a guy, at least take an international guy like Vladamir Boisa who could spend a few years away and improve, then join the Sonics. Zaur is also a guy they can take here.
42. Orlando-- Zaur Pachulia
This is an amazing steal. Zaur Pachulia is a terrific power forward who can also play the center spot. I don't know how he became so forgotten.
43. Milwaukee-- Keith Bogans
He's a shooter who can help out the Bucks who have been missing their former shooter, Ray Allen.
44. Houston-- Malick Baidine
Great pick! Malick Baidine had great workouts, was supposed to go up and went down as it showed during the draft. I don't think they need a power forward because they have Eddie Griffin, Maurice Taylor, and Yao Ming but you have to take the best available here.
45. Chicago-- Matt Bonner
This is an ok pick, they already drafted a power forward and I don't see why they are drafting another one. They probably won't sign him.
46. Denver-- Sani Becirovic
If Becirovic didn't get injured in Euroleague, he could have been a first rounder. He wants to spend more time in Europe to develop his game but this could be a great pick for Denver.
47. Utah-- Mo Williams
It looks like Raul Lopez or Mo Williams is going to be the starting point guard with Stockton gone.
48. New Orleans-- James Lang
Takes a huge gamble by taking James Lang, however because of their depth at the forward and center position, it is worth it.
49. Indiana-- James Jones
Horrible pick, they should have addressed the shooting guard position.
50. Philadelphia-- Paccellis Morlende
Got a steal at the point guard position, a very athletic guard who is going to have a good career with the 76ers. It might take awhile for him to actually get signed.
51. New Jersey-- Kyle Korver
Kyle is a great shooter who impressed a lot of people. Can?t play defense, which is why he fell. He might be traded.
52. Toronto-- Ramon Van de Hare
I doubt they are going to keep this pick. He is probably the biggest project in Europe right now. He?s going to stay there and probably not go to the NBA.
53. Chicago-- Tommy Smith
Good pick but too many power forwards. Could this be packaged with Austin for Jerome Beasley?
54. Portland-- Nedzad Sinanovic
The names just get harder and harder on this team from Arvydas Sabonis to Ruben Boumtje-Boumtje, now this guy.
55. Minnesota-- Rick Rickert
Rickert doesn:t have a lot of moving to do. They are known for getting the second round steals. I wouldn?t say he?s a steal, but he?s ok for the second round.
56. Boston-- Brandon Hunter
This guy has the potential to make the ball club.
57. Dallas-- Xue Yuyang
I didn't expect Xue to get drafted, but he is a great pick. Apparently he is getting traded to Denver.
58. Detroit-- Andreas Gliniadakis
Huge project. Give this guy a few years and he might be able to do something.
