Post by dave on Nov 4, 2015 5:42:31 GMT
I'm slightly late with finishing this up, but I wanted to take some time and go over the very first ABCA Draft and grade and heckle the teams responsible for these choices. I hope you enjoy it since this will take longer then I think it will 
I decided due to it taking longer and the trades that were made post draft to grade it pick by pick and not by team.
#1 Boston Celtics - Chris Paul
A pick that many questioned heavily, the Celtics made the very first draft selection of the new league All world PG Chris Paul. He's not the super scorer of Elgin Baylor, or the post eraser in Bill Russell, but Paul will be a shutdown defender at the point and fantastic passer. The Celtics suffered a long season only coming out with 24 wins so no matter who was selected here it was going to be a right choice. The C's are looking at Paul to be the answer for many many many seasons to come and he looks forward to next seasons rookie draft to get some better teammates then what he'll play with as a rookie.
Grade: A
---------------------------------------
#2 Tel Aviv Maccabi - Elgin Baylor
Maybe the big winner of the draft. Tel Aviv got a gift that they were not expecting to receive when Boston went Paul. Baylor is an all world scorer and great defender on the perimeter. Many are raving about his athletic skill and finishing power. He joins a solid young defensive unit with Ben Wallace and Bruce Bowen. Baylor will have a field day on the offense of this team and could easily be a near 30ppg scorer on this team and a runaway favorite for Rookie of the Year. Will Baylor get this team out of the top of the lottery? Maybe a bit but it's going to be a long season either way.
Grade: A+
---------------------------------------
#3 Los Angeles Lakers - Bill Russell
The other team that I feel got a big win is the Los Angeles Lakers. Bill Russell is a defensive stud, and will make a difference on a very bad team. The saddest part here is that I would have loved to see what Russell could have done for Westphal on this team before he ended up signing with another at the time bad squad Minnesota Timberwolves. Russell is the other guy that I think has the best chance to bring home the ROTY award because while he won't score 30 a game, I think with his size and athletic skill he can easily be a 20/14/3 rookie if not 25ppg with the offensive rebounds he'll bring down. After this team ended up with Michael Adams in the creation draft, I'm really happy for them to land Russell here, mainly cause he would have been #1 had I not loved Paul.
Grade: A
--------------------------------------
#4 Washington Generals - John Havlicek
Washington finished one of the worst seasons that I've ever seen in the sim world which landed them in the #4 spot in a fantastic draft. I'm sure they hoped Russell would drop but Hondo is a great player, other then being a curse on his team and humanity. Hondo is a super athlete, that has a skillset to play SF or SG, but I think he's a SG all the way. Havlicek is the offense for this team so he'll put up some fun numbers as well, making this a fun race for these teams to get the Rookie of the Year award. The top 5 of this draft was loaded with potential All Stars and potential Hall of Famers so these are very easy to say great things about and give a grade, so here I go.
Grade: A-
--------------------------------------
#5 Minnesota Timberwolves - Sam Jones
Sam didn't last long in the Land of 10,000 lakes but he was the obvious choice here at 5. Jones in my eyes was always that guy every team looked at and thought maybe I should take him before taking their guys, and I think Jones may make them all pay one day. He is a great defender and his offensive skillset is scary looking for defenders. Sam doesn't offer many other things outside of being a fantastic shooter but I think the athletic skills will make a difference but I think all these reasons are why he was 5 of 5 of this draft and not 2 or 3. He was dealt for some big chump though and word is Cairo fans still have fires burning for the loss of Patrick Chewing. Jones coming out and being a 20+ppg rookie with high percents could make the transition a little better.
Grade: A
--------------------------------------
#6 Madrid REAL - Jerry Lucas
In this GMs eyes, this was the last of the "sure thing" kind of guys in this class. Jerry Lucas goes to a team that wasn't in a need of a big with Vonleh and Martin, but he was the best guy on the board and I'm sure Madrid is burning up the lines trying to find a PG to trade one of his bigs for. This team definitely needed a solid 2nd option for Joe Dumars and I truly believe that Jerry Lucas could be that guy. I don't think he'll hit his legendary status from ABCA Legends, but he should still be a solid 15-18 PPG, 10 RPG Rookie.
Grade: A-
--------------------------------------
#7 KK Partizen - Andrew Bynum
Bynum really started to move up the draft lists right before the draft and ran that buzz all the way up to the 7th pick. Bynum is a freak athlete with very good rebounding potential. Bynum looks like he has a solid midrange game for a 7 footer and a decent all around offensive game. Many are questioning his work ethic, while others are just waiting for his big contract and Shawn Kemp like explosion of weight and children. It's hard to fault a team for taking a big, but many really were shocked KC Jones was not the pick here.
Grade: B+
--------------------------------------
#8 Milano Olympia - Deron Williams
Apple and Oranges here for most GMs. With both Deron and KC on the table, many thought KC was the guy. Deron has great size but I think he will end up out of position this season if Milano can't move Webb for a true SG. I think Deron makes the best mismatches at the PG spot, but he does have the speed and athletics to be dangerous at either spot. Deron doesn't bring alot to the table on the offensive side just yet but with his passing and defense I think we can see a solid statline somewhere in the 11/4/6 range from the SG spot.
Grade: B
-------------------------------------
#9 Toronto Raptors - KC Jones
One of my favorite picks of the draft followed up by and odd deal out of the Great White North. KC Jones was the 2nd best PG in the draft and a potential top 5-7 pick so getting him at 9 is outstanding. The Raptors got some solid pieces in return but I think KC will have a great long career as a top defender and he has a great athletic game. Jones is a great fit in Seattle where not having much of an offensive game won't be an issue since they should have enough scoring but they'd be ecstatic if he can give them 10-15 a night.
Grade: A
------------------------------------
#10 Washington Generals - Andrew Bogut
After beginning the draft with 4 and 7 they dealt down to 10 figuring they'd still get some talent which they definitely did. Do they regret not taking KC at 7 and pairing him with Hondo? I don't know that but I think I would. Bogut has the great ability of being a 7 footer who can defend and rebound. At this pick I think Bogut was the best player available before his lackluster training camp took away what little offensive ability he had beforehand. Bogut is a great fit though in this division with NYs bigs and Barkley in Chicago.
Grade: B+
-------------------------------------
#11 Brazil Franca BC - Dave Debusschere
I believe this was a committee pick and many thought "WOW", but it all may have worked out in the end with the training camp deathish of Oscar Schmidt. Dave isn't a player that is expected to amount to a whole lot in the league but I think he will find his niche. Will he find it on this squad? That I'm not sure since he is a PF in a SFs body, but he's currently not an improvement over either of the bigs that Brazil had prior to the draft.
Grade: C
-------------------------------------
#12 Portland Trailblazers - Bill McGill
It was crazy how quickly bigs began to shoot up the draft boards. Between that and the thought that the middle of this round was really just throwing darts at a board with all the rookies faces on it. McGill is a strange guy to judge, he's huge but he is a little on the weak side so he may not be big minutes at center good. I think he'll split time between both post spots backing up Mozgov and Zebo in the scary Blazer post. The Blazers only won 32 games last season but I think they have the talent to make a push towards the playoffs, and McGill putting up some great scoring numbers could be a big reason.
Grade: B
-------------------------------------
#13 Seattle Supersonics - Tom Heinsohn
Another player that ended up not in his original drafted team. Tom H at this point was definitely the best player still on the board here. Tom was one of those guys that looked very average, not bad by any stretch but not outstanding anywhere particular. Now he's still not going to make the top 10 picks kick themselves for not taking him, but his training camp did give the Spurs reason to be happy about him, you know unless he was dealt in my writing of this..which there is like a 84% chance of so...
Grade: B
-------------------------------------
#14 Istanbul Anadolu Efes - Terry Dischinger
Terry was the biggest loser of this draft. Many scouts including the mostly drunken league scout had Terry in the top 10, (Top 7 to mine). He fell, and kept falling due to the fear about his long term ability to do anything but score the ball. "Disch" is not an athletic marvel and would benefit from a much slower pace gameplan if he's going to see big minutes. I think preseason will be the deciding factor on if he is the teams starting SF or just a scorer off the bench. This was a pick to get somebody that can do something now versus reaching on a youngster that most likely doesn't get there.
Grade: B-
--------------------------------------
#15 Taipei Fubon Braves - Raymond Felton
The first of 3 first round selections from Taipei is New York Knick great Raymond Felton. Felton may have landed in the best spot for him personally because he may very well may be the best PG on the roster currently. He is known for his passing and ball handling skills along with having an average jumper. Raymond has some good strength for a point guard and is known to want to back down smaller guys for better shots. Taipei probably had some really high hopes after the draft, but training camp is a cruel mistress and it may cause more of the young guys to see time and see what they have.
Grade: B-
-------------------------------------
#16 New Orleans Jazz - Paul Hogue
This isn't Rashad McCants
Grade: F--
------------------------------------
#17 Barcelona Regal FC - Danny Granger
One of the later picks that I really like. Granger has great size and some fancy athletics. He'll be a scorer for sure, he won't be a do it all, jack of all trades player but I think his size and potential will carry with him for quite a few seasons. He is on a rebuilding team that will most likely play him out of position since that's their thing so who knows what we'll see from Danny G.
Grade: B
-------------------------------------
#18 Moscow CSKA - Bob Duffy
Duffy is an interesting pick here. He really doesn't fit the usual only shoots 3s strategy that CSKA likes to use. He is a pass first PG with great hands, while also possessing potential to be an ok jump shooter. Not an athletic marvel like some of the other guards that went around this range, but he will get the ball to teammates in positions to score so that isn't too bad.
Grade: B
------------------------------------
#19 Minnesota Timberwolves - Leroy Ellis
I really like this pick here, and tried myself to move up to get Leroy. He won't hit the broad side of a barn, but he can rebound and defend and he is an above average athlete down in the post. Leroy was later dealt to Washington to give them two very solid post defenders that don't score. Good pick at this point, for sure.
Grade: B+
-------------------------------------
#20 Taipei Fubon Braves - Monta Ellis
Guard number 2 of the night in Taipei, Monta was a later addition to the draft class and is pure potential. He's fast and that's about it. If he develops he may be an okay scorer off the bench. With all the pieces in Taipei he may never see the court unless Taipei moves him for players at other positions.
Grade: C
-------------------------------------
#21 New Orleans Jazz - Gerald Green
lol, Green is the guy everybody looked at and said "holy shit, look at those athletics" and then was followed up by, "Damn, look at all those Ds" The Jazz aren't really competing yet and we know at this point in the draft that it's just rolling the dice and hoping. Best case scenario? George Gervin 15 PPG from Legends, worst case is a lesser David Thompson later career in Legends.
Grade: Eh
------------------------------------
#22 Perth Wildcats - Zelmo Beaty
Zelmo moved all around draft boards before the draft. Zelmo has a decent looking offensive game and can rebound the ball. He already isn't the greatest athlete, but he's not Jerry Lucas Legends End of the Line bad. I don't think he is somebody that you can expect to make things happen with very poor passing and hands, but he can grab an offensive rebound and put it back up.
Grade: C-
-----------------------------------
#23 Washington Generals - Guy Rodgers
Another of the late round picks I really liked, Guy didn't last overly long in Washington before ending up in a better place in Minnesota. Rodgers is a great fit alongside scorers like Ewing and KG since he's a great passer. Guy has some really good athletics but he isn't anywhere near a lockdown defender or offensive weapon. Can you do better then this at 23? no.
Grade: B-
-----------------------------------
#24 Guangdong Southern Tigers - Charlie Villanueva
Charlie is a hard prospect to grade. At first what stands out is his potential to be a solid offensive player one day, a potential rebounder, and great size to cause some mismatches, but then you see his athletics and you say gross. He'll never be able to play big minutes and he's not going to win any foot races but what exactly can he be? Probably not much honestly, but Seers gotta hope.
Grade: D+
----------------------------------
#25 Mikawa Aisin Seahorses - Si Green
Well with this GMs luck, Si probably explodes and ends up an all-league 1st team defender one day. Right now I just see a very fast guard that has the potential to maybe be a backup if he is lucky.
Grade: D
----------------------------------
#26 Minnesota Timberwolves - David Lee
Another later addition to the draft class started to show some signs that he may not be total trash in the rescout before the draft. Lee really came out looking even better post draft. Lee is a solid rebounder and his potential developed a little bit of an offensive game and bench worthy post defense. He was included in the Sam Jones/Ewing deal so he went from a bench piece to potential starter in Cairo.
Grade: C+
---------------------------------
#27 Taipei Fubon Braves - Nate Robinson
I love Nate Rob. Not because I think he'll ever be more then just a solid backup PG, but because he's crazy athletic. I think he'd be a fun player to have on the team, just not enough to give much for him. I think lots of guys are going to see playing time in Taipei this season and maybe Nate gets into the rotation at some point.
Grade: B-
---------------------------------
#28 KK Cibona - Chet Walker
At this point in the draft Walker was the 2nd to last blue potential player left to my scout. He fits the mold of offensive potential across the board, no defense played whatsoever. Good pick for the spot? Sure.
Grade: C
--------------------------------
#29 Harlem Globetrotters - Rashad McCants
FINALLY! The real steal of this draft, and he's already been dealt twice since being drafted. I guess that's the problem being drafted into the Seer circle of friends better known as the "Sliq". He's ok though.
Grade: C+
-------------------------------
#30 Istanbul Anadolu Efes - Hot Rod Hundley
A favorite player of many old timer ABCA GMs, "Hot" Rod Hundley has a unique skillset if he develops into his potential. Good quicks, ok defender may be able to shoot the 3. Good pick
Grade: C+
------------------------------
#31 Istanbul Anadolu Efes - Len Chappell
Well the end of the first begins to pile in the G/G and Y/G guys that are lucky to do one thing right. Len can rebound and kind of defend, will that set the world on fire in Istanbul? No but he's better then what is to come later in the draft.
Grade: C-
-----------------------------
#32 Toronto Raptors - Rony Turiaf
Rony is basically Len Chappell but it's all in the potential and not there yet. He has the chance to become a better shot blocker though. I'm not sure he will make the rotation for this team anytime in the immediate future but ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE!
Grade: D+
-----------------------------
#33 Chicago Bulls - Martell Webster
Webster to scouts was a mid 1st projection and he fell all the way down to the Bulls at 33. Webster has some good size but lacks any sort of polish that would help him to get some minutes on this very good Bulls team.
Grade: C-
----------------------------
#34 Tel Aviv Maccabi - Amir Johnson
Why are there so many teams in this league...Amir is a guy, he's super young but he's not very good yet. Will he be? Probably not but you never know in this game.
Grade: D
----------------------------
#35 Madrid REAL - Jarrett Jack
Madrid traded up with hopes of one of the above guys to fall to this pick, but then fell back on usual Madrid tactics and drafted a PG. I like Jack alot more then quite a few of the previous picks. He has potential to be a rotation guy at some point in his career.
Grade: C+
----------------------------
#36 Toronto Raptors - Willie Naulls
I have no feelings about this pick. Naulls is terrible and at this pick it isn't like there were a ton of better options (although there were).
Grade: D-
-------------------------------
That is the end, it took a long time and I'm sorry if it isn't funny enough or have enough entertainment value that I shoot for when I write articles. There are WAY too many teams in the league so my next article may be showing the merits of contracting some of these teams. Next time around maybe I'll do a team based one so that I can include second round picks as well. Until next draft!
I decided due to it taking longer and the trades that were made post draft to grade it pick by pick and not by team.#1 Boston Celtics - Chris Paul
A pick that many questioned heavily, the Celtics made the very first draft selection of the new league All world PG Chris Paul. He's not the super scorer of Elgin Baylor, or the post eraser in Bill Russell, but Paul will be a shutdown defender at the point and fantastic passer. The Celtics suffered a long season only coming out with 24 wins so no matter who was selected here it was going to be a right choice. The C's are looking at Paul to be the answer for many many many seasons to come and he looks forward to next seasons rookie draft to get some better teammates then what he'll play with as a rookie.
Grade: A
---------------------------------------
#2 Tel Aviv Maccabi - Elgin Baylor
Maybe the big winner of the draft. Tel Aviv got a gift that they were not expecting to receive when Boston went Paul. Baylor is an all world scorer and great defender on the perimeter. Many are raving about his athletic skill and finishing power. He joins a solid young defensive unit with Ben Wallace and Bruce Bowen. Baylor will have a field day on the offense of this team and could easily be a near 30ppg scorer on this team and a runaway favorite for Rookie of the Year. Will Baylor get this team out of the top of the lottery? Maybe a bit but it's going to be a long season either way.
Grade: A+
---------------------------------------
#3 Los Angeles Lakers - Bill Russell
The other team that I feel got a big win is the Los Angeles Lakers. Bill Russell is a defensive stud, and will make a difference on a very bad team. The saddest part here is that I would have loved to see what Russell could have done for Westphal on this team before he ended up signing with another at the time bad squad Minnesota Timberwolves. Russell is the other guy that I think has the best chance to bring home the ROTY award because while he won't score 30 a game, I think with his size and athletic skill he can easily be a 20/14/3 rookie if not 25ppg with the offensive rebounds he'll bring down. After this team ended up with Michael Adams in the creation draft, I'm really happy for them to land Russell here, mainly cause he would have been #1 had I not loved Paul.
Grade: A
--------------------------------------
#4 Washington Generals - John Havlicek
Washington finished one of the worst seasons that I've ever seen in the sim world which landed them in the #4 spot in a fantastic draft. I'm sure they hoped Russell would drop but Hondo is a great player, other then being a curse on his team and humanity. Hondo is a super athlete, that has a skillset to play SF or SG, but I think he's a SG all the way. Havlicek is the offense for this team so he'll put up some fun numbers as well, making this a fun race for these teams to get the Rookie of the Year award. The top 5 of this draft was loaded with potential All Stars and potential Hall of Famers so these are very easy to say great things about and give a grade, so here I go.
Grade: A-
--------------------------------------
#5 Minnesota Timberwolves - Sam Jones
Sam didn't last long in the Land of 10,000 lakes but he was the obvious choice here at 5. Jones in my eyes was always that guy every team looked at and thought maybe I should take him before taking their guys, and I think Jones may make them all pay one day. He is a great defender and his offensive skillset is scary looking for defenders. Sam doesn't offer many other things outside of being a fantastic shooter but I think the athletic skills will make a difference but I think all these reasons are why he was 5 of 5 of this draft and not 2 or 3. He was dealt for some big chump though and word is Cairo fans still have fires burning for the loss of Patrick Chewing. Jones coming out and being a 20+ppg rookie with high percents could make the transition a little better.
Grade: A
--------------------------------------
#6 Madrid REAL - Jerry Lucas
In this GMs eyes, this was the last of the "sure thing" kind of guys in this class. Jerry Lucas goes to a team that wasn't in a need of a big with Vonleh and Martin, but he was the best guy on the board and I'm sure Madrid is burning up the lines trying to find a PG to trade one of his bigs for. This team definitely needed a solid 2nd option for Joe Dumars and I truly believe that Jerry Lucas could be that guy. I don't think he'll hit his legendary status from ABCA Legends, but he should still be a solid 15-18 PPG, 10 RPG Rookie.
Grade: A-
--------------------------------------
#7 KK Partizen - Andrew Bynum
Bynum really started to move up the draft lists right before the draft and ran that buzz all the way up to the 7th pick. Bynum is a freak athlete with very good rebounding potential. Bynum looks like he has a solid midrange game for a 7 footer and a decent all around offensive game. Many are questioning his work ethic, while others are just waiting for his big contract and Shawn Kemp like explosion of weight and children. It's hard to fault a team for taking a big, but many really were shocked KC Jones was not the pick here.
Grade: B+
--------------------------------------
#8 Milano Olympia - Deron Williams
Apple and Oranges here for most GMs. With both Deron and KC on the table, many thought KC was the guy. Deron has great size but I think he will end up out of position this season if Milano can't move Webb for a true SG. I think Deron makes the best mismatches at the PG spot, but he does have the speed and athletics to be dangerous at either spot. Deron doesn't bring alot to the table on the offensive side just yet but with his passing and defense I think we can see a solid statline somewhere in the 11/4/6 range from the SG spot.
Grade: B
-------------------------------------
#9 Toronto Raptors - KC Jones
One of my favorite picks of the draft followed up by and odd deal out of the Great White North. KC Jones was the 2nd best PG in the draft and a potential top 5-7 pick so getting him at 9 is outstanding. The Raptors got some solid pieces in return but I think KC will have a great long career as a top defender and he has a great athletic game. Jones is a great fit in Seattle where not having much of an offensive game won't be an issue since they should have enough scoring but they'd be ecstatic if he can give them 10-15 a night.
Grade: A
------------------------------------
#10 Washington Generals - Andrew Bogut
After beginning the draft with 4 and 7 they dealt down to 10 figuring they'd still get some talent which they definitely did. Do they regret not taking KC at 7 and pairing him with Hondo? I don't know that but I think I would. Bogut has the great ability of being a 7 footer who can defend and rebound. At this pick I think Bogut was the best player available before his lackluster training camp took away what little offensive ability he had beforehand. Bogut is a great fit though in this division with NYs bigs and Barkley in Chicago.
Grade: B+
-------------------------------------
#11 Brazil Franca BC - Dave Debusschere
I believe this was a committee pick and many thought "WOW", but it all may have worked out in the end with the training camp deathish of Oscar Schmidt. Dave isn't a player that is expected to amount to a whole lot in the league but I think he will find his niche. Will he find it on this squad? That I'm not sure since he is a PF in a SFs body, but he's currently not an improvement over either of the bigs that Brazil had prior to the draft.
Grade: C
-------------------------------------
#12 Portland Trailblazers - Bill McGill
It was crazy how quickly bigs began to shoot up the draft boards. Between that and the thought that the middle of this round was really just throwing darts at a board with all the rookies faces on it. McGill is a strange guy to judge, he's huge but he is a little on the weak side so he may not be big minutes at center good. I think he'll split time between both post spots backing up Mozgov and Zebo in the scary Blazer post. The Blazers only won 32 games last season but I think they have the talent to make a push towards the playoffs, and McGill putting up some great scoring numbers could be a big reason.
Grade: B
-------------------------------------
#13 Seattle Supersonics - Tom Heinsohn
Another player that ended up not in his original drafted team. Tom H at this point was definitely the best player still on the board here. Tom was one of those guys that looked very average, not bad by any stretch but not outstanding anywhere particular. Now he's still not going to make the top 10 picks kick themselves for not taking him, but his training camp did give the Spurs reason to be happy about him, you know unless he was dealt in my writing of this..which there is like a 84% chance of so...
Grade: B
-------------------------------------
#14 Istanbul Anadolu Efes - Terry Dischinger
Terry was the biggest loser of this draft. Many scouts including the mostly drunken league scout had Terry in the top 10, (Top 7 to mine). He fell, and kept falling due to the fear about his long term ability to do anything but score the ball. "Disch" is not an athletic marvel and would benefit from a much slower pace gameplan if he's going to see big minutes. I think preseason will be the deciding factor on if he is the teams starting SF or just a scorer off the bench. This was a pick to get somebody that can do something now versus reaching on a youngster that most likely doesn't get there.
Grade: B-
--------------------------------------
#15 Taipei Fubon Braves - Raymond Felton
The first of 3 first round selections from Taipei is New York Knick great Raymond Felton. Felton may have landed in the best spot for him personally because he may very well may be the best PG on the roster currently. He is known for his passing and ball handling skills along with having an average jumper. Raymond has some good strength for a point guard and is known to want to back down smaller guys for better shots. Taipei probably had some really high hopes after the draft, but training camp is a cruel mistress and it may cause more of the young guys to see time and see what they have.
Grade: B-
-------------------------------------
#16 New Orleans Jazz - Paul Hogue
This isn't Rashad McCants
Grade: F--
------------------------------------
#17 Barcelona Regal FC - Danny Granger
One of the later picks that I really like. Granger has great size and some fancy athletics. He'll be a scorer for sure, he won't be a do it all, jack of all trades player but I think his size and potential will carry with him for quite a few seasons. He is on a rebuilding team that will most likely play him out of position since that's their thing so who knows what we'll see from Danny G.
Grade: B
-------------------------------------
#18 Moscow CSKA - Bob Duffy
Duffy is an interesting pick here. He really doesn't fit the usual only shoots 3s strategy that CSKA likes to use. He is a pass first PG with great hands, while also possessing potential to be an ok jump shooter. Not an athletic marvel like some of the other guards that went around this range, but he will get the ball to teammates in positions to score so that isn't too bad.
Grade: B
------------------------------------
#19 Minnesota Timberwolves - Leroy Ellis
I really like this pick here, and tried myself to move up to get Leroy. He won't hit the broad side of a barn, but he can rebound and defend and he is an above average athlete down in the post. Leroy was later dealt to Washington to give them two very solid post defenders that don't score. Good pick at this point, for sure.
Grade: B+
-------------------------------------
#20 Taipei Fubon Braves - Monta Ellis
Guard number 2 of the night in Taipei, Monta was a later addition to the draft class and is pure potential. He's fast and that's about it. If he develops he may be an okay scorer off the bench. With all the pieces in Taipei he may never see the court unless Taipei moves him for players at other positions.
Grade: C
-------------------------------------
#21 New Orleans Jazz - Gerald Green
lol, Green is the guy everybody looked at and said "holy shit, look at those athletics" and then was followed up by, "Damn, look at all those Ds" The Jazz aren't really competing yet and we know at this point in the draft that it's just rolling the dice and hoping. Best case scenario? George Gervin 15 PPG from Legends, worst case is a lesser David Thompson later career in Legends.
Grade: Eh
------------------------------------
#22 Perth Wildcats - Zelmo Beaty
Zelmo moved all around draft boards before the draft. Zelmo has a decent looking offensive game and can rebound the ball. He already isn't the greatest athlete, but he's not Jerry Lucas Legends End of the Line bad. I don't think he is somebody that you can expect to make things happen with very poor passing and hands, but he can grab an offensive rebound and put it back up.
Grade: C-
-----------------------------------
#23 Washington Generals - Guy Rodgers
Another of the late round picks I really liked, Guy didn't last overly long in Washington before ending up in a better place in Minnesota. Rodgers is a great fit alongside scorers like Ewing and KG since he's a great passer. Guy has some really good athletics but he isn't anywhere near a lockdown defender or offensive weapon. Can you do better then this at 23? no.
Grade: B-
-----------------------------------
#24 Guangdong Southern Tigers - Charlie Villanueva
Charlie is a hard prospect to grade. At first what stands out is his potential to be a solid offensive player one day, a potential rebounder, and great size to cause some mismatches, but then you see his athletics and you say gross. He'll never be able to play big minutes and he's not going to win any foot races but what exactly can he be? Probably not much honestly, but Seers gotta hope.
Grade: D+
----------------------------------
#25 Mikawa Aisin Seahorses - Si Green
Well with this GMs luck, Si probably explodes and ends up an all-league 1st team defender one day. Right now I just see a very fast guard that has the potential to maybe be a backup if he is lucky.
Grade: D
----------------------------------
#26 Minnesota Timberwolves - David Lee
Another later addition to the draft class started to show some signs that he may not be total trash in the rescout before the draft. Lee really came out looking even better post draft. Lee is a solid rebounder and his potential developed a little bit of an offensive game and bench worthy post defense. He was included in the Sam Jones/Ewing deal so he went from a bench piece to potential starter in Cairo.
Grade: C+
---------------------------------
#27 Taipei Fubon Braves - Nate Robinson
I love Nate Rob. Not because I think he'll ever be more then just a solid backup PG, but because he's crazy athletic. I think he'd be a fun player to have on the team, just not enough to give much for him
. I think lots of guys are going to see playing time in Taipei this season and maybe Nate gets into the rotation at some point.Grade: B-
---------------------------------
#28 KK Cibona - Chet Walker
At this point in the draft Walker was the 2nd to last blue potential player left to my scout. He fits the mold of offensive potential across the board, no defense played whatsoever. Good pick for the spot? Sure.
Grade: C
--------------------------------
#29 Harlem Globetrotters - Rashad McCants
FINALLY! The real steal of this draft, and he's already been dealt twice since being drafted. I guess that's the problem being drafted into the Seer circle of friends better known as the "Sliq". He's ok though.
Grade: C+
-------------------------------
#30 Istanbul Anadolu Efes - Hot Rod Hundley
A favorite player of many old timer ABCA GMs, "Hot" Rod Hundley has a unique skillset if he develops into his potential. Good quicks, ok defender may be able to shoot the 3. Good pick
Grade: C+
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#31 Istanbul Anadolu Efes - Len Chappell
Well the end of the first begins to pile in the G/G and Y/G guys that are lucky to do one thing right. Len can rebound and kind of defend, will that set the world on fire in Istanbul? No but he's better then what is to come later in the draft.
Grade: C-
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#32 Toronto Raptors - Rony Turiaf
Rony is basically Len Chappell but it's all in the potential and not there yet. He has the chance to become a better shot blocker though. I'm not sure he will make the rotation for this team anytime in the immediate future but ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE!
Grade: D+
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#33 Chicago Bulls - Martell Webster
Webster to scouts was a mid 1st projection and he fell all the way down to the Bulls at 33. Webster has some good size but lacks any sort of polish that would help him to get some minutes on this very good Bulls team.
Grade: C-
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#34 Tel Aviv Maccabi - Amir Johnson
Why are there so many teams in this league...Amir is a guy, he's super young but he's not very good yet. Will he be? Probably not but you never know in this game.
Grade: D
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#35 Madrid REAL - Jarrett Jack
Madrid traded up with hopes of one of the above guys to fall to this pick, but then fell back on usual Madrid tactics and drafted a PG. I like Jack alot more then quite a few of the previous picks. He has potential to be a rotation guy at some point in his career.
Grade: C+
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#36 Toronto Raptors - Willie Naulls
I have no feelings about this pick. Naulls is terrible and at this pick it isn't like there were a ton of better options (although there were).
Grade: D-
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That is the end, it took a long time and I'm sorry if it isn't funny enough or have enough entertainment value that I shoot for when I write articles. There are WAY too many teams in the league so my next article may be showing the merits of contracting some of these teams. Next time around maybe I'll do a team based one so that I can include second round picks as well. Until next draft!
