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Like everything else this NBA season, Thursday night’s draft wasn’t so much a celebration of welcoming in a new group of players to the NATIONAL…BASKETBALL…ASSOCIATION (Get it? Like when Ron Jaworski calls the NFL the NATIONAL…FOOTBALL…LEAGUE?? Get it? Copyright Aaron Torres 2010). Instead it was more about teams positioning themselves for this summer and free agency.

Draft day deals this year were marked by several teams not trying to improve themselves, as much as simply trying to dump bad contracts. Everyone in the league fell into one of two categories:

1. Teams shedding players and salaries for a big free agent push (I.E. the ability to sign 2-3 max contract players. Think Miami and Chicago)

2. Teams with no chance of signing the big boy free agents, and instead improving their rosters with everyone else’s leftover parts (Think Oklahoma City).

Because of this, it’s pretty hard to gauge how teams actually did in this draft, since everyone’s motives were so different. However anyone who knows me knows how stubborn I am, and because of it, I’ve handed out 30 grades to 30 teams after the 2010 NBA Draft


Atlanta Hawks: C+

Round 1: Jordan Crawford
Round 2: Pape Sy


Thursday night, my buddy, a Nets fan, texted me, and asked what I thought about the trade that sent the draft rights to Damion James to New Jersey for the draft rights to Jordan Crawford, who went to Atlanta.

While we’ll get to James later, I had mixed emotions on Crawford to Atlanta.

On the positive side, Crawford is a skilled player, who’ll be able to get his points off the Atlanta bench this coming season.

More importantly, I have a personal affixation with him, as he was key in the Xavier-Kansas State classic in this year’s Sweet 16, which was not only the best  game of the 2010 NCAA Tournament, but also led to “Gus Johnson,” being a top Twitter trend, and to this Youtube clip (Go to the 1:20 mark, where Gus literally has an on-air orgasm. I have one with him.)

On the negative side though, Crawford is also enigmatic, one of those guys who literally looks ready to pull a knife on his coach any time he’s removed from a game. While that means he’ll fit in perfectly with the Hawks, I’m not so sure that’s a good thing.

As for Pape Sy, well, I think Pape Sy is what my mom uses to marinate her barbequed chicken. And I promise you she makes a mean plate of chicken. I’m cool with the Pape Sy pick here.

Boston Celtics: B

Round 1: Avery Bradley
Round 2: Luke Harangody


I really like Bradley to the Celtics and here’s why.

In reading draft reports, everyone projected Bradley as a point guard, except, well, I watched probably 75 percent of the guy’s college games, and he’s not a point guard.

Believe me.

He’s best playing off the ball, creating off the dribble, and scoring off screens. Had he gone to Toronto or somewhere else where he’d have had to play right away, Bradley would have forced to be something he’s not, and it would have hurt his development in the long run. In Boston he can simply be who he is, provide good scoring off the bench, and eventually step into Ray Allen’s shooting guard spot.

As for Luke Harangody, well I just have so many different directions I can go with a joke here. Truthfully everyone’s playing “he’s the next Brian Scalibrine card,” but come on, isn’t that joke a little beneath me? Can’t we all agree I can do better than that?

Personally, I’d much prefer we just stick him and Glen “Big Baby,” Davis in a house together, and start filming a reality TV show about a pair of undersized, bi-racial power forwards trying to make it in this crazy world of ours. What happens when Big Baby doesn’t do the dishes? What happens when Harangody brings home groupies after quiet hours?

Tune in Thursday to find out.

Charlotte Bobcats: N/A

No Picks


Considering that Charlotte owner Michael Jordan was behind two of the biggest NBA Draft flops of the last 10 years (Kwame Brown in 2001 and Adam Morrison in 2006), think there’s any chance they traded all their picks on purpose? Just thinking out loud here.

Chicago Bulls: A-

First Round: Kevin Seraphin

For Chicago, what this draft was really about was clearing cap space in their run at free agents this summer. They did that with a trade of Kirk Hinrich to Washington before the draft, and Seraphin will be headed to D.C. as well, when this all becomes a formality.

By the way doesn’t Kevin Seraphin sound more like a 5’10 frat guy than a 6’9 French small forward? As in, “Who’s going to Seraphin’s tonight? He’s got a keg and jungle juice. Plus I heard the Theta girls are gonna be there.”

Cleveland Cavaliers: N/A

No Picks


Cleveland didn’t have a pick, which is probably for the best, considering you know, they don’t have a coach or a GM right now. Not to mention bringing in any new players would just add more money to the cap that can’t be used for a running mate for LeBron.

Needless to say, these are uneasy times on Lake Erie.

Dallas Mavericks: B-

Round 1: Dominique Jones


As I tweeted on Thursday, I love this pick for Dallas (Originally selected by Memphis). I went to my junior prom with Dominique Jones, and believe me when I say, Mark Cuban and Co. will not be disappointed. If you know what I’m saying…

Kidding aside, I actually saw the real Dominique Jones in person at the Big East Tournament this year, and I was surprised at how impressed I was.

He was one of those guys that because of his size, doesn’t really have a position, but it doesn’t matter because he’s just a really good basketball player. After all, you don’t average 21 points a game in the Big East by accident, especially when your supporting cast is weaker than Charlie Sheen’s in Two and a Half Men.

Jones will be a good, solid rotation player for a long time.

Denver Nuggets: N/A

No Picks

Although, supposedly Derrick Caracter is coming their way from the Lakers.

Hmm, just what this team needs, another whack job. Good thinking here Denver. What, are J.R. Smith, Kenyon Martin and Chris Andersen not enough? Why don't the Nuggets just sign the Menedez brothers to come off the bench while they’re at it?

Detroit Pistons: B

Round 1: Greg Monroe
Round 2: Terrico White


I have really mixed emotions on the Pistons right now.

Let me try to put everything in context. Here's my best analogy: I’m guessing that everyone reading has attended at least one college graduation party at some point in their life. Is that safe to assume?

Anyway, you know how once you get to the party, nobody really knows anyone else, and everyone kind of breaks into their own cliques? The college friends are over here, high school friends over there, with the grandparents in the kitchen, the aunts and uncles on the porch and the little kids by the pool? Then the person who graduated spends the whole time stressing, trying to get everyone to loosen up and mingle, rather than just enjoying their own party?

That’s how I feel about the Pistons right now.

They’ve got a point guard in Rodney Stuckey that doesn’t want to pass the ball. They’ve got two undersized shooting guards who can’t defend the position. They’ve got a bunch of wing players that are mismatched. Down low they’ve got Ben Wallace’s corpse rotting away, and that’s it.

And you know what? Coach John Kuester is the guy hosting the grad party, trying to get everyone to loosen up and mingle.

Look, I like Greg Monroe’s game a lot, and he completely swung me this season. And I can’t blame the Pistons for taking the best available guy, especially when there was no one even close to his skill level left on the board. I just don’t know how Monroe’s game particularly fits with what the Pistons are trying to do.

After all, GM Joe Dumars has been saying all along that he wants his team to be tougher, and quite frankly I don’t blame him. Charlie Villanueva, Jonas Jerenkbo and Austin Daye are just as soft as the Jonas Brothers would be if they got thrown into an NBA game.

And that’s the problem. Monroe is another finesse guy, best catching the ball at the foul line, finding cutters and shooters, and taking slower guys off the dribble. Which would be fine, except Detroit didn’t need that! They needed someone to play with their back to the basket, crash the boards and be tough on defense. I wouldn’t have even killed them for reaching for Cole Aldrich here.

Again, I don’t blame the Pistons for taking the best guy available, and I don’t blame Monroe for simply being who he is.

Like the guy at the graduation party though, I just don’t see this ending well.

(Follow Aaron on Twitter @Aaron_Torres)

Golden State: B

Round 1: Ekpe Udoh

So the whole reason that the Pistons got put into a tough spot, was because everyone expected Golden State to take Monroe a pick before them. Instead they took Udoh.

And with that, everyone absolutely killed the Ekpe Udoh pick. Their reaction was pretty similar to what my grandma’s is when she see’s two teenagers at the park holding hands and making out. Pure disgust.

Me, I’m not so upset about it. I mean, the Warriors scored plenty of points last year, but also gave up a league high 110 points a game on defense as well. Did they really need another offensive minded player like Monroe?  Is it going to kill them to have a guy who takes pride in his defense, and is going to run the court hard and crash the boards?

Monroe would have been more fun to watch in Golden State, but I think Udoh actually makes them a better team.

Call me crazy.

Houston Rockets: A-

Round 1: Patrick Patterson


The Rockets had the best record of any non-playoff team in the NBA, and get Yao Ming back next year, meaning that really, any warm body they took here would have been fine by me.

But the fact that they took the best player available, who also happens to be a good kid, and one who will play hard for 82 nights a year and sacrifice stats for wins makes things that much more impressive.

Give me a healthy Yao and the upgrade in Patterson, and I’m thinking we can pencil Houston into the playoffs next year.

Indiana: C-

Round 1: Paul George
Round 2: Lance Stephenson
Round 2: Ryan Reid


So here’s my beef with Indiana: When I watch them play and look at their roster, I really just don’t see a lot of upper echelon NBA talent. Troy Murphy? Mike Dunleavy? Roy Hibbert? I’m pretty sure my college intramural team could run with those guys. Even their best player Danny Granger is much more valuable in fantasy than real life.

I guess with that, my question is, with such little NBA talent… What the hell were the Pacers thinking on draft night!!!

With the 10th pick they took a project in George, snatched up a head case in Stephenson and followed that up by selecting a guy who barely started for his average college team this past year. I’d actually bet money that there’s a better chance Ryan Reid is playing in Paraguay next year than the NBA. Who wants to take that action?

And the worst part about this whole thing is that there were still a number of players left on the board at No. 10 that could’ve come in and contributed right away. Like, oh, I don’t know Xavier Henry? How about Cole Aldrich. Or Patrick Patterson? Hell, couldn’t the Pacers have taken a chance on Eric Bledsoe? Instead, they took a guy who won’t contribute next year… Who already plays the same position as their best player!!! Does this make sense to anyone?? I need a cold drink.

So until someone can explain to me what Larry Bird was thinking, I’m giving the Pacers a C-. The only thing keeping their grade from dropping lower is the off chance that Lance Stephenson insights “Melee: The Sequel,” some point within the next five years.

A guy can dream can’t he?

Los Angeles Clippers: B-

Round 1: Al Farouq-Aminu
Round 1: Eric Bledsoe
Round 2: Willie Warren


Here’s the thing: I like these picks, just not for the Clippers. Not for an organization that has about as much stability right now as John and Kate’s eight kids.

Three additional thoughts:

1. Al Farouq-Aminu: Look, I know the Clippers needed a wing guy, but I just can’t sign off on this pick when Xavier Henry was still on the board. I can’t.

Aminu may be the better athlete, but Henry is the much better player, and look, the Clippers aren’t good enough to pass on good, smart, well grounded basketball players (Not to mention that I can’t imagine Aminu’s IQ- basketball or otherwise- is particularly high. Especially after seeing the glasses he wore Thursday night. Hey Al Farouq, my 94-year-old grandma called. She wants her prescription back.

2. Eric Bledose- I like Bledsoe as a player, but for all the talk about the attitude of DeMarcus Cousins at Kentucky this past year, Bledsoe wasn’t exactly a saint himself. Look, I’m not here to pass judgment on 19-year-old kids, but I just would have liked to see Bledsoe go to a little more stable of a situation in the NBA. Staying with the team who originally picked him- the Thunder- would have probably been ideal.

3. Willie Warren- In a podcast I recently did with HoopsAddict.com, I described Warren as “toxic.” If I was running an NBA franchise, not only would I not want Warren on my team, I wouldn’t want him in my arena as a fan, and if at all possible I’d like to keep him outside my city limits and state borders. He’s that much of a pain. Of course that means he’ll fit in perfectly on the Clippers (Remember when I said I would never pass judgment on a 19-year-old? Well that lasted all of half a paragraph. What can I say, I’m a hypocrite.).

Los Angeles Lakers: C

Round 2: Derrick Caracter
Round 2: Devin Ebanks


I’d like to bash the Lakers for taking one guy who’s a head case, the other who’s an underachiever.

But hell, they just won their second straight NBA Title!!

Who’s going to the Rumba Room tonight?

Memphis Grizzlies: A-

Round 1: Xavier Henry
Round 2: Greivis Vasquez


More than anything the Grizzlies lucked out, as Xavier Henry- probably the only guy outside the top five that will ever be an All-Star- fell into their lap at No. 12. Good kid, good basketball player, good attitude, good person.

You know what my favorite part about the Henry pick was? During his interview with Mark Jones after being selected, Henry was asked how his offensive game will make a difference in Memphis, and he quickly changed the subject saying, “I can make an immediate impact on both sides of the court.” Now that’s a guy I want in my organization.

As for Vasquez, whether he rubs a lot of people the wrong way or not, the guy is a winner, someone who is going to play hard and leave everything he’s got on the court 82 times a year. Truthfully, how many guys in the league can you say that about?

Miami Heat: A

Round 2: Dexter Pittman
Round 2: Jarvis Varnardo
Round 2: Da’Sean Butler


For all the bashing I’ve been doing of GM’s so far, I’m just gonna say it: Even though Pat Riley may have passed three years ago (In which case, R.I.P.), the man is still a genius. Period.

His primary goal of this draft was really about clearing cap space to sign the big boys of this free agent class, and he did that with flying colors. Right now the Heat only have two players under contract, which leaves them room to sign three (count ‘em) three max contract players.

But you’ve still got to fill out your roster, and as far as I’m concerned all three of these guys will be contributors for the Heat next year. No matter who else is playing for them (It looks like they’re going to re-sign D Wade, but how Joe Johnson and Chris Bosh? Or Johnson and Carlos Boozer? Or Boozer and Amare? The six people in Miami that aren’t at the beach drinking Mimosa’s and actually reading this are smiling right now)

Let’s start with Varnardo. He was the all-time blocked shots leader in NCAA history (Yes that’s right, more than Ewing, Olajuwon, Thabeet, you name it), and will anchor the Miami second team for the foreseeable future. I said it before the draft and I’ll say it again, there isn’t a single team in the NBA that won’t be better tomorrow with Varnardo on their roster than they were yesterday without him.

As for Da’Sean Butler, he’s one of my favorite college players of the last decade. He plays hard, is a great leader and most importantly a winner. And as Bob Huggins repeated time and time again, Butler is a better person than he is a basketball player. When he comes back from a knee injury that ended his Final Four, this guy will contribute, I promise you that. Until then, he’s gonna be the best damn ass slapper and towel waver that South Beach has ever seen.

Pittman is more of a mixed bag that we’ll have to wait on.

Then again, two out of three ain’t bad. Especially with D Wade coming back to town with potentially Joe Johnson and Bosh on his side.

Milwaukee Bucks: A-

Round 1: Larry Sanders
Round 2: Darrington Hobson
Round 2: Jerome Jordan
Round 2: Tiny Gallon


You know what? I actually like this Bucks draft a lot.

They weren’t going to find a superstar with the No. 15 pick, but still snatched up Sanders, a guy who can come in and contribute right away. Even at his worst, Sanders is 42,000 times better than Dan Gadzuric, who they just finally traded, after he played major minutes for them in the playoffs.

And while they probably won’t be able to keep all three forwards they drafted in the second round, whichever one’s end up in Milwaukee can come off the bench and contribute, and at the very least, give six fouls a night.

I don’t care if Hobson’s undersized, the kid can play. Jordan is a legit seven footer, and may some day give the Bucks a quarter of what Kendrick Perkins does for the Celtics: Good rebounding, screen setting and six hard fouls. You can’t win championships without a guy like that.

And Gallon? Well he might be the most talented of the bunch. He’s also the most likely to rob a 7-11. We’ll see how things turn up.

Minnesota Timberwolves: B-

Round 1: Wesley Johnson
Round 1: Lazar Hayward
Round 2: Nemanja Bjelica
Round 2: Paulo Prestes


As I tweeted on Thursday night, we really need to give credit to the Timberwolves for having the most consecutive top-five picks without ever drafting a superstar. I think they’re at like 11 years running. We may never see this streak broken.

Now don’t get me wrong, I like Wes Johnson. But athletic, 6’9 guys who hit jumpers and play good defense are a dime a dozen in this league. Is he really that much better than Thaddeus Young or Brandon Bass? Not to mention Johnson is already 23, or as I brought up in my draft preview, less than one calendar year younger than Rudy Gay. With four less years of NBA experience.

Wrapping up the T-Wolves draft, they traded for Lazar Hayward, a player I really like, just not in this system. Especially playing behind Al Jefferson and Kevin Love.

And finally there’s Nemanja Bjelica. It’s going to be fun watching Stuart Scott try to pronounce his name these next couple years. Boo-Yah!!

(Follow Aaron on Twitter @Aaron_Torres)

New Jersey: B-

Round 1: Derrick Favors
Round 1: Damion James


I mean, I can’t totally rip the Nets for taking Favors over DeMarcus Cousins here; he’s more athletic, and a safer pick from an attitude standpoint. As my buddy Steve (A huge Nets fan) mentioned as well, Cousins might have a really tough time guarding power forwards in the NBA.

Then again, I can’t totally give New Jersey a pass either, because honestly, DeMarcus Cousins and Brook Lopez, could eventually dominate the paint offensively like Gasol and Bynum right now. Honestly, if Avery Johnson does is his job as coach, who’s stopping them in the post in three years? Anyone?

As for James, I love, love, love the pick.

This is a kid who could have entered the draft last year, but chose to come back to Texas and work on his game- specifically ball-handling and his jump shot- and you know what… he actually got better at them! Weird!

I watched a lot of Texas games last season, and James was on his way to being a potential National Player of the Year candidate before point guard Dogus Balbay got hurt in January. I’m convinced that if James had had a real point guard all year, he might have gone 10 picks higher.

New Orleans: C-

Round 1: Craig Brackins
Round 1: Quincy Pondexter


Once again the Hornets missed the playoffs, and you can tell Chris Paul is starting to get cranky.

I’ll be honest with you CP3, these two aren’t getting you any closer to the postseason. Sorry.

The only reason I didn’t grade these picks even lower is because I like the name Quincy Pondexter. Doesn’t he sound like the star of a bad ‘60’s detective show?

New York: B

Round 2: Andy Rautins
Round 2: Landry Fields


My favorite text from Thursday night came from my buddy Andy (A huge Syracuse fan) who said: Think Rautins can convince LeBron to play a 2-3 zone next year?

My response: Absolutely! It’ll help him save his legs when he’s averaging 70 points a game in D’Antoni’s offense.

I love this pick. Love Rautins. Love his game. Love his smarts. Love his faux hawk. Have ZERO qualms with this pick. He’ll find his niche and stay in the NBA a long time.

And if the Knicks had stopped there, or even given away the next selection for a bag of basketballs I’d have given them an A. Instead, they went ahead and drafted Landry Fields.

Let me put the Fields selection this way: Last February I was out in Arizona, and caught an Arizona State-Stanford game. Nobody on Stanford could even dribble. I would have bet my life savings (Currently estimated at $112.41) that no one on that Stanford team ever got drafted by the WNBA, let alone the NBA.

Maybe I was wrong, I don’t know. But I can’t sign off on this pick.

Oklahoma City Thunder: B+

Round 1: Cole Aldrich
Round 2: Tibor Pleiss
Round 2: Latavious Williams
Round 2: Magnum Rolle


Right now Oklahoma City GM Sam Presti is working every other GM in the league like a speed bag. Presti against his contemporaries is like sticking Rihanna in a fourth grade talent show. Why even bother?

Coming into this offseason, the one thing this team really needed was a selfless big guy who’ll play hard, set screens, and get the hell out of Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook’s way.

So what did Presti do? Rather than spending $10 million a year on an overpriced free agent, he’ll get the same production at a third of the price with Aldrich. Love this pick!

On a different note, I also like the Magnum Rolle selection. Why you ask?

Well because Rolle was responsible for my personal favorite joke of the college basketball season, when I asked my readers, “Magnum Rolle: Do you prefer ribbed or extra pleasure.”

I’ll be here all weekend.

Orlando Magic: C+

Round 1: Daniel Orton
Round 2: Stanley Robinson


Here’s my beef with the Magic’s draft.

In this past postseason, we saw that as good as this team is when things are going well, they just don’t have guys who can handle adversity when things go wrong. Other than J.J. Redick and Jameer Nelson, name me one guy you’d consider mentally tough on their roster? In the first three games of the Celtics series, the Magic spent more time complaining to the refs than they did worrying about basketball.

And as much as I like Orton and Robinson as basketball players, I’m just not sure how they help the Magic in the toughness department.

In Orton you’ve got a projectable big man, but also one who has had knee injuries already, bickered with his college coach, and publicly said that he wished he’d gone somewhere other Kentucky to play his college hoops. Sorry, but that’s not exactly giving me the warm and fuzzies.

In Robinson, you have a nice guy, but someone who’ll never go out of his way to exert himself, or get tough when it matters most. Believe me, I’ve been watching Stanley for four years as a UConn fan, and know him personally. Nice kid. I’m rooting for him. But no killer instinct.

With that I ask you, how do these two really make Orlando better today than they were before the draft?

Why not fill out your roster with kids that want it, that are mentally tough, like Andy Rautins, Da’Sean Butler, hell why not gamble with a Sherron Collins or Scottie Reynolds, both of whom went undrafted?

Again, from a basketball standpoint I’m fine with these picks. I don’t think the Magic are any closer to an NBA title though.

Philadelphia: A-

Round 1: Evan Turner


They had the second pick and took the best basketball player on the board, and the most NBA ready. Can’t argue with that.

Phoenix: B

Round 2: Gani Lawal
Round 2: Dwayne Collins


I like Gani Lawal, but no better than I liked Earl Clark last year.

Truthfully though, I don’t think anyone in Phoenix really cares about this draft as much as trying to figure out who the hell will replace Steve Kerr as GM. That'll be the Suns most important selection of the summer.

Portland: F

Round 1: Luke Babbitt
Round 1: Elliot Williams
Round 2: Armon Johnson


For those who don’t know, Portland fired GM Kevin Pritchard just hours before the draft.

Even if Pritchard wasn’t the architect of one of the most stable franchises in basketball, even if he wasn’t better at his job than just about anybody else in this league, couldn’t the firing have waited a few hours?

Sacramento Kings: B

Round 1: DeMarcus Cousins
Round 2: Hassan Whiteside


Alright, everyone knows AT’s stance on DeMarcus Cousins: I love him about as much as any dude can platonically love another. I want to be part of his posse, and would even be willing to take the rap if he ever gets busted for a misdemeanor crime. At the very least, I want his Kings jersey for my birthday (Honestly, don’t you think that purple would just look awesome on my eyes?).

And independent of Cousins, I like Sacramento taking Whiteside too. It’s never bad when you can steal a first round talent in the middle of the second round.

But Cousins and Whiteside together? I dunno…

Here’s my problem: Much like Cousins, Whiteside is known to be a bit of a head case, and like ESPN columnist Bill Simmons always points out, you can never have two head cases together, because they might become BFF’s.

And that’s my only concern with Big Cuz, because for him to truly be successful, you’ve got to surround him with the right people (For an extended version of my explanation, please read here).

Instead of drafting Whiteside, couldn’t they have instead taken Luke Harangody, Da’Sean Butler or Sherron Collins? Someone who’ll get in Cousins ear, show him the ropes, and tell him stuff like “DeMarcus, instead of that extra value meal with a milkshake, why not try a cob salad?” Or, “Hey, instead of going to that club where someone got shot last weekend, let’s go see Toy Story 3 instead.”

I love Cousins. I’m emotionally invested in him the way a 16-year-old girl is her first boyfriend. And I’ll tell you this, if he doesn’t have a long, productive NBA career, I’m coming after Whiteside.

San Antonio: B+

Round 1: James Anderson
Round 2: Ryan Richards


When Tim Duncan hits Anderson for a game winning corner three in next year’s playoffs, will any of us be surprised? I mean honestly?

The Spurs have been killing it in the draft for a decade now, and got another steal in James Anderson.

As for Ryan Richards, well I loved him in “Definitely, Maybe.”

Toronto Raptors: B+

Round 1: Ed Davis
Round 2: Solomon Alibi


So Toronto took a left handed power forward… think they’re guessing that Chris Bosh is leaving town?

Regardless, the Raptors took the best player on the board, at a position of need. No problem there.

I like Alibi too. Especially considering that Toronto reacted to playing defense last year the same way that Lindsay Lohan reacts when her sponsor tells her to stay home on a Friday night… Not good. Alibi will at the very least provide quality shot blocking and rebounding, even if he’ll barely score any more points next season than I will.

Utah: B-

Round 1: Gordon Hayward
Round 2: Jeremy Evans


I just don’t understand how the Jazz took Hayward when they needed a big and Cole Aldrich was still on the board. I’m sorry, but they’re just not ever going to beat the Lakers/Mavericks/Spurs with a 6’8 power forward, and center who can’t defend anyone. At the very least Aldrich would have provided a warm body and six hard fouls to give.

As for Hayward, well I’ve been debating which way I’m going to go with the joke, but I’ll just leave it up to make your own. It's more fun that way, isn't it?

Washington Wizards: A-

Round 1: John Wall
Round 2: Trevor Booker
Round 2: Hamady N’diaye


Love John Wall for the same reasons everyone does.

As for Trevor Booker and Hamady N’diaye… Well they have about as much of a chance of being on the Wizards roster in three years as you and I do. N’diaye is at least tall and athletic. I wouldn’t want Booker starting on my favorite WNBA team. If I had one that is.

Regardless, Washington probably could have used their second round picks better, but got the best player in the draft in Round 1.

Nothing wrong with that!!

(Love the article? Hate it? Disagree with some of Aaron's grades? Let him know by commenting below, or e-mailing him at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or commenting below. Also for his take on all things sports, please be sure to follow him on Twitter @Aaron_Torres and add him on Facebook.com/AaronTorresSports)

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