I love the smell of the NBA Draft in the air …
And although that draft was four days ago, if you’re an NBA fan, the taste of your favorite team’s draft pick still lingers on your tongue. Whether that taste is bad or good, I’m here to offer my insight on this year’s draft’s winners and losers.
Winners:
Golden State Warriors
Whether people want to admit it, Stephen Curry, the Warriors’ seventh overall pick, was the most solid player in this year’s draft next to Blake Griffin.
Curry can shoot the lights out and averaged more than 25 points his last two seasons at Davidson, but that’s not what is most impressive. What’s impressive is that he put up those types of numbers on a consistent basis with the opponent essentially double- or triple-teaming him throughout each game.
If you ever caught a glimpse of a Davidson game, you would have seen that Curry was probably the only player on that team capable of scoring more than 15 points in a gym by himself. The fact that he was the only offensive option, which other teams surely recognized, and was still able to average close to 30 points per night is astonishing.
The backcourt of Curry and Monta Ellis should prove to be potent on the next level.
Toronto Raptors/DeMar DeRozan
OK, yes it pains me to say this, but DeMar DeRozan, former Trojan, probably has the most upside of any player selected Thursday night.
Ugh.
To say that he can “jump out of the gym” is an understatement. He can jump out of the arena.
If somehow DeRozan can display all of his talents in his rookie season, maybe the Raptors will hold on to Chris Bosh, their star power forward who will become a free agent at the end of next season.
As for now, Bosh has no help, but if he sees the potential in DeRozan to eventually become a premier shooting guard, he may decide to stick around.
Good luck.
Memphis Grizzlies
I thought that the Grizzlies would spend the second pick on Ricky Rubio, but, thankfully, they didn’t.
The Grizzlies made the correct choice in going with Hasheem Thabeet, the 7-foot-3-inch big man out of UConn who spent his college career as a professional shot-blocker.
In addition, Memphis was able to land Sam Young, an oversized small forward out of Pittsburgh, in the second round. Young served as Pittsburgh’s chief scoring threat over the course of last season, and I halfway can’t believe he was selected so late.
He’s also 25 years old. Oh well, still a legitimate selection for the Grizz.
Milwaukee Bucks
Short and sweet. Brandon Jennings, the Bucks’ selection at No. 10, will go down as the best point guard selected in this draft when it’s all said and done.
Jodie Meeks, who they nabbed in the second round, put up huge scoring numbers for Kentucky last year and will compete for a starting job on that team during its rebuilding phase.
Losers:
Blake Griffin
He spent his college career dominating the opposition as if they were middle schoolers, and now he plays for the Los Angeles Clippers.
Poor thing.
Indiana Pacers
Tyler Hansbrough as the No. 13 pick … huh? Albeit this was a weak draft as far as talent goes, but still. If the Pacers needed a big man, why not BJ Mullens out of Ohio State? He’s 20 years old and 7 feet 1 inch tall.
Hello?
What about Earl Clark? Jeff Teague? Jrue Holiday?
Anyone except Hansbrough.
He can’t jump. He can’t shoot. He works hard but so did Mark Madsen.
Larry Bird, I’m really upset with you.
Ricky Rubio
He received all the hype in the world. He was slated as the best point guard in this draft. He refused to work out for any teams prior to the draft because his stock was already high. He was selected No. 5 by the Minnesota Timberwolves, which is lower than what many analysts expected, but still high.
He is now having second thoughts on whether he wants to come to the NBA because he presumably doesn’t want to play for Minnesota.
Give me a break.
He is not Steve Francis, who refused to play for the Grizzlies when they selected him about a decade back. Francis was an established soon-to-be star. The Timberwolves are willing to take a chance on Rubio, and this is how he repays them?
Disgraceful.
Mr. Rubio, get over yourself and prove for once that you are worthy of all the hype you are receiving.
If you think Watson’s analysis makes him a loser, e-mail him at bwatson@media.ucla.edu.