2009 NBA Draft: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

With the 2009 NBA Draft completed, now it is time to analyze the GOOD, the BAD, and the UGLY.

The Good

Oklahoma City Thunder- The Thunder took James Harden, a 6’5″  Guard out of Arizona State. Harden is a very complete player and should be able to step in and start at the 2 guard spot as a rookie. With Russell Westbrook and James Harden in the backcourt, it could make it difficult for opponents to defend. Rodrigue Beaubois was drafted at #25 but was traded to Dallas for BJ Mullens. Mullens could step in and provide toughness on the boards and help with the defensive intesity. Dallas also got a future 2nd round pick from the Thunder. In the 2nd round Oklahoma City received the rights to Robert Vaden from Dallas. Vaden is a good athlete who can contribute as a 6th man if he develops quickly.

The Bad

Atlanta Hawks- The Hawks, who recently traded for Jamal Crawford, gave up, well, basically nothing (Speedy Claxton and Acie Law). They didn’t need to draft another guard, yet they did just that in Jeff Teague. They should re-sign Mike Bibby and Flip Murray. They did not need Teague. They should have traded down into the mid 20’s in order to draft BJ Mullens. In the 2nd round they drafted Sergiy Gladyr, a 6’5″ guard out of the Ukraine. He is raw, but he can drain the three. He is inconsistant, but his shot will develop over time. Gladyr could be a good selection once he develops, but I highly disagree with the selection of Jeff Teague.

The Ugly

Minnesota Timberwolves- With 4 picks in the 1st round and 2 in the 2nd round, the T-Wolves should have been able to come away with a good group of rookies and have a solid future ahead of them. They drafted 5 guards total. Picks 5 and 6 were point guards Ricky Rubio (Spain) and Johnny Flynn (Syracuse). We will have to wait and see if these two can play together in the same backcourt. If that happens, Minnesota could have a solid backcourt for many years to come.

Pick 18 is where things began to get ugly for Minnesota. They drafted Ty Lawson, a point guard out of UNC. They traded him to the Denver Nuggets for a future 1st round draft pick. This is a good deal for Lawson. He will be able to learn under point guard Chauncey Billups. Minnesota could have taken someone like Taj Gibson, who ended up going #26 to Chicago. Gibson, a 6’9″ forward is athletic and would provide toughness on the boards. At #28, Minnesota took shooting guard Wayne Ellington. This was a good pick. He will be able to fill the gap left by Randy Foye, who was traded to Washington. He has good form and is an excellent three point shooter. In the 2nd round, with pick #45, Minnesota took guard Nick Calathes, from Florida. He has already signed to play overseas. I have no idea why Minnesota took a player who has committed to playing overseas. They should have taken someone who would stay in the NBA and contribute off the bench. Danny Green would have been a good option at #45, he can defend well and play multiple positions. With pick #47 the
T-Wolves had a lot of better options than who they selected. They had options on the table such as, Goran Suton, Jack McClinton, Taylor Griffin and Robert Vaden. All four of those guys have GREAT potential and will have better NBA careers than Henk Norel, drafted at #47. He is unproven and a raw talent. They should have taken someone who is developed and not as raw as Norel.

That sums up, the good, the bad and the ugly of the 2009 NBA Draft. Thanks for the views.