2014 NBA Draft Review

·         The Cavaliers redeemed themselves by drafting Andrew Wiggins Number 1 overall.  Last year, Cleveland drafted Anthony Bennett first overall, and he blew people away with his 6.9 PER (15 is the NBA average), 4.0 points and 3.0 rebounds per game.  Wiggins should immediately come in as an above-average defensive player, which the Cavs absolutely need.  Wiggins doesn’t have to play with the ball in his hands to be effective, something the Cavs need until they figure out the Kyrie/Dion Waiters situation.

·         Jabari gets his wish.  Jabari Parker made it clear he wanted to go to Milwaukee, ostensibly because it’s sort of close to his hometown of Chicago.  The Bucks have said they plan to play Parker at 4 beside the Greek Freak.  This move only makes sense if you have a defensive stopper behind Jabari because he is a sieve.  I suppose they do with John Henson and crazy Larry Sanders on the squad.  Jabari can score, which is what the Bucks needed, and he should be the face of the franchise for the next 4 years until he realizes Milwaukee being close to Chicago is not the same thing as actually playing in Chicago.

·         The 76ers will be absolutely terrible next year.  Philadelphia smartly drafted Joel Embiid with the 3^rd pick.  Teams just can’t pass on a player with so much potential, especially when your team will be bad next season no matter who you drafted.  But by trading Elfrid Payton, who was drafted with the 10^th pick, to Orlando for Dario Saric (who will play in Europe for at least two more seasons), a 2015 second rounder and a future first rounder, Philly signaled they have no intention of being good next season. Have fun with Nerlens Noel next year! 

·         The Orlando Magic might make the fewest 3 pointers in the NBA next season.  The Magic drafted Aaron Gordon with the 4^th pick.  I think Gordon could be a really good pro if he learns how to shoot. (How’s that working out, MKG?)  With the addition of Payton, who also isn’t a shooter, and trading Aaron Afflalo to Denver, it’s looking like Mo Harkless will be the best 3 point threat on the team.  If Gordon, Payton and Oladipo continue to develop, Orlando may be the best defensive team in the NBA in 2017 or sooner.

·         The Utah Jazz get the next best thing to Jabari.  Utah made no secrets about wanting to bring the Jabari, who is Mormon, to Salt Lake City.  While there will be no Jabari, Dante Exum is a brilliant consolation prize.  I am a Exum believer, and he should fit in well with what the Jazz are trying to do.  I suspect he’ll eventually seize the starting point guard role from Trey Burke.  Utah also nabbed Jabari’s running mate from Duke, Rodney Hood, with the 23^rd pick.  Hood was one of the draft’s biggest sliders, expecting to go in the teens.  He may be a one-trick pony, but should Gordon Hayward leave in free agency, the Jazz have a suitable replacement already in-house.

·         What is Rondo’s fate in Boston?  With the 6^th pick, Boston selected Marcus Smart, the combo guard out of Oklahoma St, known for his intensity, driving ability and punching a fan during a game.  I am a Smart fan – even if he never becomes a knock-down shooter, he has all the physical tools to be a force in the league for a long time.  But, he is a guard, probably a point guard, so Rajon Rondo’s future in Boston is obviously in question.  If Boston does decide to go through a complete rebuild, I am curious to know if such an intense, if not completely crazy, player like Smart can withstand multiple years of losing.  I predict Rondo stays till at least the All-Star break.

·         Nik Stauskas going to Sacramento is…..the most puzzling pick of the entire lottery.  Last season, the Kings drafted my favorite prospect Ben McLemore.  Stauskas and McLemore both bring the same general skill set to the Kings – shooting.  Having too much shooting isn’t a major problem, aside from the fact that he Kings already have three 20-point scorers on the team (Boogie, Rudy and Isaish Thomas) and needed player who can play defense.  As an unabashed Hornets homer, I am a little bummed Charlotte didn’t at least have a shot at drafting Stauskas, who would have thrived in the Hive.  But…

·         The Charlotte Hornets actually had a great draft.  No one expected Indiana’s freshman power forward, Noah Vonleh, to slip all the way to Charlotte at nine.  Sometimes funny things happen in the draft, and it makes sense that with a pick Charlotte probably shouldn’t have had (thank you again, Detroit), the Hornets are able to draft a player that probably shouldn’t have been there.  Vonleh is a tantalizing prospect.  He has enormous hands, the ability to knock down a three, and a post-game that will only improve under the tutelage of Dr. Al Jefferon.  The knock on Vonleh is that he didn’t possess Gordon’s upside or Randle’s knack for low-post scoring.  He also played on a lousy team last year that didn’t seem to pass him the ball very much.  Charlotte is a perfect landing spot for a prospect with great upside.  He can learn behind Jefferson, Zeller and McRoberts, if he is resigned (which I think he will).  When Vonleh is ready, I have to believe the Hornets will gladly let him shine.

And let’s not forget grabbing P.J. Hairston at 26.  If you follow college basketball or the NBA, you know by now that P.J. got into some trouble at UNC.  If that is why he fell, then good for Charlotte – the kid screwed up, and if he screws up again, he knows he’ll be out of the league.  And let’s stop it with the whole “MJ only drafts Tar Heels” nonsense.  Charlotte has only drafted and kept two players from UNC – Ray Felton and Sean May – both in 2005.  If anything MJ loves players from Duke (McRoberts and Henderson) and Indiana (Zellar and Vonleh).

Other draft thoughts…

·         I’m not saying I think Doug McDermott will be a bad pro, in fact I think the opposite, but I think I can speak for all Charlotte fans that love the Vonleh pick in part because Vonleh isn’t McDermott.

·         I was not surprised to see Gary Harris fall all the way to 19.  He is only 6’4”, and in a league where size and shooting are paramount, especially on the perimeter, a small 2-guard seems more like a dime-a-dozen than a first rounder draft pick.

·         Don’t be surprised T.J. Warren went in the lottery.  He is an exceptional scorer.  Great pick, Phoenix.

·         Kyle Anderson, the 6’9” point-forward from UCLA is the most Spursian pick of all time.  He is a slightly less athletic version of skinny Boris Diaw.

·         There is a reason why young college players leap for the NBA before their fans think they are ready – they don’t want to end up like the undrafted James Michael McAdoo

·         Toronto drafted a guy named Bruno who ESPN called “two years away from being two years away.”  Yikes.

·         LeBron is staying in Miami.  Yes, the Shabazz Napier pick at 24 is a nice touch, but LeBron isn’t making his decisions based on rookie point guards.  I think the “Big 3” will all opt-out, re-sign and bring in Kyle Lowry and another big man.  Don’t ask me how they will do it, but I think it gets done.