Can Danny?

So here it is, my early reaction to the NBA draft.

Washington: They picked up Oleksiy Pecherov who sounds like he could be the future Antawn Jamison, who is the current power forward who isn't good enough to get them to seriously contend. Not a terrible pick at 18 but nothing to write home about.

Utah: Ronnie Brewer, Dee Brown, Paul Milsap was the Utah haul. While I like the irony of a Brewer in Utah, that joke really isn't all that great. Then again, I don't think Ronnie is either. He should be the next in the long line of Utah shooting guards who are good but just not good enough to make a difference. Dee Brown is now backing up his college teammate Deron Williams and was a solid pick, even though I personally would have taken a risk on Darius Washington instead. Milsap went to the Mailman's college but the comparisons end there. He was a good pick for where they got him but he's, at best, a backup big man. Most critics will say the Jazz did well for where they picked but, personally, I'm not sold on anyone they grabbed.

Toronto: It's funny what a difference playing overseas makes. One year ago, Rob Babcock was the laughingstock of the league for taking a soft PF at #7 when the Raptors already had Chris Bosh. Nobody seems to be all that upset this year when Bryan Colangelo took another soft PF. I like Bargnani and Charlie Villenueva as a forward tandem but that leaves Chris Bosh at center. (And I have no idea when recently acquired Kris Humphries is supposed to play) I know Colangelo's Suns team excelled at small ball, I'm not sure Bosh is the man for the middle. PJ Tucker in the second round doesn't make a whole heap of sense because, again, he duplicates the skills of another current player, in this case, Joey Graham. Darius Washington or Daniel Gibson would have been a good pick since the team is in dire need of a point guard. Add into the fact that Colangelo could have given up cash and a future pick to grab a late first and one of the falling point guards (Rondo, Williams, Rodriguez, Farmer) and it leaves you wondering what was going on north of the border. The Raptors should have improved more than they did today.

Seattle: Two years ago it was Robert Swift. Last year it was Johan Petro. This year, again, the Sonics took a project center in the draft. It's not like this team is loaded at the other positions that they can afford this fetish. Sene has the most upside, arguably, of the guys on the board but he seems like a Desagana Diop type. Unless the Sonics plan on runing the picket fence with these three and Ray Allen, I'm not sure what they are thinking.

San Antonio: I was waiting for the JR Smith for Brent Barry deal to go through but maybe they are waiting on that. The Spurs drafted another Euro, which has worked well for them. It was more of the same for the Spurs, which could be trouble if Markota turns out to be another Manu.

Sacramento: Word is they wanted a pass first point guard, they had their pick of the litter, and they drafted Quincy Douby. I'm not sure what he brings that Kevin Martin can't do better. I've compared this draft to the 2001 draft and this pick is the Joe Forte of this year.

Portland: Their interim GM must have REALLY wanted to show what he could do because, good lord, he did a lot. As for the draft, he picks up LaMarcus Aldridge, Brandon Roy, and Joel Freeland. They then traded for Sergio Rodriguez and three second round picks. Aldridge will likely be compared to Kevin Duckworth by people who don't like him but I think he'll be a Jerome Kersey type. The question is whether he'll be a consistent Kersey, dropping 18/10 for a number of years, or just Jerome, whose prime lasted all of five years. I am not sold on Brandon Roy being the next great shooting guard and I certainly wouldn't have passed on Rudy Gay. Roy will be solid but unspectacular and his knees might limit his effectiveness. I have no idea who Joel Freeland is. Sergio Rodriguez looks fun but I'm not sure how good he is either. The Blazers are definitely improved and should field a fun team which is what the fans have been needing the most but I don't see their future being anything more than a second round squad, and that's if everyone pans out.

Phoenix: The Suns gave away the #27 pick and got Cleveland's #1 pick in next year's draft. I think they could have gotten someone to help out at #27 but it wasn't a terrible day for a team shaking at the thought of paying the luxury tax.

Philadelphia: Another cash move, the Sixers moved down three spots for some dough but ended up getting the talented Rodney Carney anyway. And they didn't trade Allen Iverson. And then they added a tough minded, defensive player in Bobby Jones. The fact that Billy King didn't utterly destroy his team in one fell swoop (and may have added a nice starter and 7th man to complement to AI and Iggy) makes this a joyous day for Sixer fans.

Orlando: They had the 11th pick and drafted a 6th man. I would have preferred Carney but Redick makes sense. This is the best fit for JJ but it remains to be seen if a Jameer/Redick backcourt can survive defensively.

New York: They picked two defensive minded players as if to rub salt in Larry Brown's wound. Balkman is the type of guy they need although he's also the kind of guy that David Lee was supposed to be. Mardy Collins is another combo guard on a team of combo guards. Unless he's the last member of the combo guard Voltron, I don't see where he fits in. I thought Taj Gray would be a good fit, or any big man for that matter, but I thought Isiah had a bad draft last year so who knows...

New Orleans: I'm not a fan of Hilton Armstrong and I'd be willing to bet that he gets into Byron Scott's doghouse next season. His 2001 comparison is Steven Hunter (whom the Hornets did try to trade for this season). I like the Cedric Simmons and Marquinhos picks as they were great quality for where they were. Since they had two first rounders, they should have either taken a gamble with one and taken Shawne Williams or looked for help now (ala Corey Maggette, who was supposedly available for a first rounder) but this wasn't a bad day.

New Jersey: A great day for the Nets. Marcus Williams at the 22 was a steal and having him learning behind Jason Kidd should be amazing. After getting Marcus, they could afford to make the riskiest move in the draft (best big man available) and Josh Boone should be a good backup to Jason Collins. Hassan Adams could be an absolute steal in the second round and should look very good running with kid. The Nets improved their depth threefold and with the right MLE signing (or Richard Jefferson deal) could make a legit push in the East next season.

Minnesota: When they took Roy at the 6, I thought they could trade him for someone who'll help KG. Instead they made the head scratching move of just trading down for the next pick and apparently getting nothing in return. In the NCAA tournament, Randy Foye didn't look like a pro player to me but I still cling to the idea that he is a rookie of the year candidate, especially on the Wolves. Having Marko Jaric should actually help as Marko can run the point a bit and allow Randy to score. I really don't understand the Craig Smith selection and have no idea who the Greecian center they took is. At the end of the day, the Wolves are still a lottery pick and still need to figure out whether to offer Garnett for youth or a package of Foye/Ricky/Blount for help now.

Milwaukee: They had one pick and took an atheletic defender which is what they needed. David Noel should make the roster but still has a ways to go to earn good NBA minutes.

Miami: The Champs sat draft day out.

Memphis: The Logo comes through! I think the Grizzlies had the best draft day in the league. While I'm not sure how Stromile Swift will feel to be back in Memphis, getting him and Rudy Gay for Shane Battier is a terrific move. Then grabbing Kyle Lowry was another great decision. I'm not sold on Alexander Johnson but he is a solid pick in the second round. I think Gasol and Gay will be a tremendous combo. When Lowry is ready to take over for Damon Stoudamire in a year, this team will be looking at the second round for the first time in franchise history.

LA Lakers: They grabbed the local kid to run the point. Jordan Farmar was a solid selection for the Lake Show. It should be interesting to see if this affects Marcus Banks' status on the team. With Parker and Farmar on the team, I'm not sure how much they shold invest in another PG.

LA Clippers: Paul Davis doesn't make sense because he has the same issues as Chris Kaman. He doesn't help out defensively in the middle and really adds nothing to the team. The playoffs showed the team's absolute need for another perimeter defender so PJ Tucker or Bobby Jones would have made more sense. I like the second pick of Guillermo Diaz who should become a fan favorite in Los Angeles.

Indiana: This could be the best draft... potentially. Shawne Williams could be a superstar and James White, who was also supposed to be a superstar, could "get it" in the NBA and be a more useful pro than amateur. The biggest issue is that Rick Carlisle and the Pacers don't seem to be the best place for these guys to grow. With Jermaine O'Neal itching to win, Shannon Brown and Maurice Ager made more sense in the first round and Paul Davis seemed like the ideal fit in the second. The 2001 comparison could be Gerald Wallace and Bobby Simmons or it could be Eddie Griffin and Terrence Morris. While I like the draft, I don't like the team that did it.

Houston: I've never been a huge fan of Shane Battier. I just don't think the Stro/Rudy trade made sense. They are dying for a point guard and weren't able to grab any of the guys who fell. They drafted some Israeli guy when Dee Brown, Darius Washington or Taj Gray was available. Maybe Lior Eliyahu will pan out but can you take that risk when you take Steve Novak with the second pick in the second round? Novak might be a useful pro, especially if he just has to sit around and shoot threes, but the Rockets are not a team that should be looking for role players. Minnesota could be the only team that looks worse on paper. They had three picks and three needs (PG, SF, C) and only filled one, small forward, which was the easiest of the three to fill. The ex-Celtics stat boy's fingerprints were all over this draft and that's not a compliment. After all, he's the guy that wanted us to sign Scalabrine.

Golden St.: If they were going to get a center, they should have gone after Saer Sene. Patrick O'Bryant could become a Chris Kaman type and the reason I say that is because I thought Kaman would be a bust just like I think this guy will be. The Warriors then drafted another center in the second round. Kosta Perovic is one of Chad Ford's guys who kept pulling out of drafts, He's 21 and from all accounts sounds like he should really start learning how to actually play basketball. He makes Shawn Bradley appear to be a prodigy. Marcus Vinicius might have made more sense. In fact, I think pretty much anybody would have. The Warriors left draft day like they always do, headed towards another lottery pick next year.

Detroit: They snagged a backup PG and a poor man's potential Ben Wallace. Will Blalock should see minutes by the end of the season backing up Chauncey Billups but the Pistons might never see Saer Sene's fellow countryman Cheikh Samb.

Denver: They traded their second round pick for a future second round pick. Maybe they could have grabbed a shooting guard with the pick but nobody all that exciting was left and they could easily just invite undrafted Mike Gansey to their training camp.

Dallas: Maurice Ager was a good choice if they are getting rid of Marquis Daniels but I'm not so sure that he's better than Marquis Daniels. They took the best man available but he didn't really help their defensive or backup PF needs. Taj Gray would have been the perfect pick at the end of the draft but they opted of Pinnock, another shooting guard. I mean, even Pittsnoogle would have made sense as a Van Horn replacement. An Ager/Gray draft would have been very good. Ager is solid but I doubt Pinnock makes the 15 man roster.

Cleveland: Right up there with Memphis for best draft, they could easily have found their two complements to Lebron James in this draft. I wouldn't be stunned if a Daniel Gibson, Shannon Brown, Lebron James trio was seen on the court together in a few years. They took some Nigerian guy I've never heard of near the end of the draft. I'm going to sound like a broken record but if they had taken Taj Gray, I might say they had the best draft. Ejike Ugboaja might be a real find but for now I'll have them right behind Memphis at the top of the draft charts.

Chicago: It might be unfair but Chicago didn't make a deal, didn't make a splash, and just added more young talent. I was expecting the move to push them towards contending this season and they didn't pull it off so my view is tainted by disappointment. Ty Thomas could be a nice complement to Andres Nocioni but Thabo Sefalosha is a role player and they would have been better off rolling the dice with Shawne Williams in my opinion. The Bulls are still the Bulls, a superstar away from the next echelon.

Charlotte: I don't get the Adam Morrison pick whatsoever. He plays the same position as Gerald Wallace on offense and simply can't play on the defensive end. I have no faith in a Morrison, Okafor, May frontcourt. While not a huge fan of Brandon Roy, I think he fit the team better. Maybe the 'Stache will prove me wrong but the Bobcats seem to be becoming the Golden State Warriors East.

Atlanta: I hated the Shelden Williams rumor at first but it kind of makes sense. I can see him in Atlanta. He and Zaza with Josh Smith at the 3 could be a nice frontcourt. Again, I thought they could have made a push for one of the PG's that fell or at least taken one in the second round. Solomon Jones was not the best option available to them. Maybe they can grab Darius Washington as a free agent. This draft was fine for Atlanta. They desperately need a point guard and if they could find someone, they could challenge for a playoff spot.

Boston: I'm a huge fan of Rudy Gay but getting Telfair and dumping Raef for Theo Ratliff makes sense. The Rondo deal is hard to figure right now because why trade for a PG and then draft one. Rondo is a definite talent but I'm not sure we had to scratch that itch with Telfair around. The Celtics still probably would be good with a veteran point guard to back up Bassy. Grabbing Leon Powe was another nice move although adding more role players to a team of role players isn't going to get you playoff tickets. While Bassy should definitely help the C's win more games this season, a trip to the second season still relies on the frontcourt which is still young and unproven. (No, Ratliff and Brian Grant are not going to be difference makers on the court.)

Finally,
2006 All-Rookie First Team: Aldridge, S. Williams, Gay, Roy, Foye