In This Corner: Early verdict on the draft
Kevin Hess
Sports | 7/6/08
No matter how many numbers are crunched, interviews conducted, tape watched, the concept of a "sure thing" when drafting a professional athlete is a myth. And every personnel executive has their own concept on how to build a team, especially in the NBA. This year was another example. Do you start with the big man in Michael Beasley? Or is a franchise point guard the best route to a championship? It's been a few weeks since the Chicago Bulls chose the latter, and that means it's time to revisit the selections and hand out some assessments.
Winners
Portland Trailblazers - If you ask me who will turn out to be the best pro after Derrick Rose and Michael Beasley in this draft, I'm going to go with Arizona's Jerryd Bayless, and in a draft day deal with the Indiana Pacers, the Blazers stole him after Bayless ended up slipping all the way down to the 11th selection. Portland is a rising power in the Western Conference, and adding an explosive guard like Bayless who can create his own shot is the perfect complement to the smooth Brandon Roy and a powerful frontcourt of LaMarcus Aldridge and Greg Oden. The Blazers also added Frenchman Nicholas Batum, who they will likely stash over in Europe until he matures, but has great potential.
New Jersey Nets - The Nets totally revamped their roster, starting with the trade of Richard Jefferson to the Milwaukee Bucks for Chinese big-man Yi Jianlian and Bobby Simmons, but they did well adding Brook Lopez (10th overall) to man the middle with Yi; they also drafted skilled forward Ryan Anderson and guard Chris Douglas-Roberts, who fell further than he should have at 39. The bigger picture may suggest the Nets are shedding salary for a run at LeBron James in 2010, but the assets they got at the draft fill holes for the short-term.
Miami Heat - I've never really been a big fan of Michael Beasley, mostly because of his highly checkered past, but there is simply no denying his talent after putting up numbers that were better than Kevin Durant in college. He's a forceful forward and is the likely frontrunner for Rookie of the Year. The Heat also got the steal of the draft in the second round, guard Mario Chalmers, who could have gone in the top 15, and will add a defensive intensity Miami sorely needs.
Winners
Portland Trailblazers - If you ask me who will turn out to be the best pro after Derrick Rose and Michael Beasley in this draft, I'm going to go with Arizona's Jerryd Bayless, and in a draft day deal with the Indiana Pacers, the Blazers stole him after Bayless ended up slipping all the way down to the 11th selection. Portland is a rising power in the Western Conference, and adding an explosive guard like Bayless who can create his own shot is the perfect complement to the smooth Brandon Roy and a powerful frontcourt of LaMarcus Aldridge and Greg Oden. The Blazers also added Frenchman Nicholas Batum, who they will likely stash over in Europe until he matures, but has great potential.
New Jersey Nets - The Nets totally revamped their roster, starting with the trade of Richard Jefferson to the Milwaukee Bucks for Chinese big-man Yi Jianlian and Bobby Simmons, but they did well adding Brook Lopez (10th overall) to man the middle with Yi; they also drafted skilled forward Ryan Anderson and guard Chris Douglas-Roberts, who fell further than he should have at 39. The bigger picture may suggest the Nets are shedding salary for a run at LeBron James in 2010, but the assets they got at the draft fill holes for the short-term.
Miami Heat - I've never really been a big fan of Michael Beasley, mostly because of his highly checkered past, but there is simply no denying his talent after putting up numbers that were better than Kevin Durant in college. He's a forceful forward and is the likely frontrunner for Rookie of the Year. The Heat also got the steal of the draft in the second round, guard Mario Chalmers, who could have gone in the top 15, and will add a defensive intensity Miami sorely needs.
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