Chad Ford's NBA Draft Grades

[Maestro]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/draft2009/columns/story?columnist=ford_chad&page=DraftGrades-090626

I agree with most of them.

 

[stevsta]

lol at giving the lakers a D for the draft and saying they need a pg when we have farmar LOL ariza and odom are worth far more than a guy who will stay in the d-league

 

[FedEx227]

Toney Douglas is a hell of a player, I understand the Lakers rationale with it no doubt... but Douglas could be a nice piece to the puzzle.

 

[Maestro]

Toney Douglas is a hell of a player, I understand the Lakers rationale with it no doubt... but Douglas could be a nice piece to the puzzle.

True but look at their PG situation, they have Fisher, Farmar, and they love Brown, plus Sasha plays some PG for them so they are stacked.

 

[Maestro]

that's stacked, eh?

what a bizarre draft if you are a t-wolves fan

They have an abundance of PG's. Two is enough, three is feasible at times, Sasha can make it four, he would have just been another body rotting on the bench, not to mention Sun Yue is still there.

 

[mfbmike]

that's stacked, eh?

what a bizarre draft if you are a t-wolves fan

bizarre to say the least. C+ seems fair but I think the true judge of how good (or bad) this draft is for the T'Wolves rides on what they do with either of them this offseason

 

[Sean]

A- just for Lawson, haha, but i would have been happy with another big man or something, but still a great pick

 

[Archer]

Guy is on drugs if he thinks Tyler is starting for 10years

 

[FedEx227]

Mavs should have picked up toney douglas instead of that french dude

Yes, that's killing me as a Mavs and a Florida State fan would've been a great combo. Honestly, the Mavs are kinda trying to save money. All of their picks likely won't be in the NBA this year, so I can't fault them for that... but I think Douglas could really upgrade the team overall.

 

[Esjay]

stopped reading when he said he liked what the pacers were doing. yeah stockpiling as many white people as you can is such a great idea.

maybe i'll get rational before next season starts but fuck the nba for now.

 

[JeremyHight]

As sad and racist sounding as it is, I would never ever draft a white American basketball player. No reason for it in today's game.

 

[Archer]

he didn't say that, so i guess he's not on drugs?

Misread by me then i guess

 

[ralaw]

I have a mancrush on Toney Douglas

You might want to get in line, because I've never seen so many people talk about a mid-level player so highly. For his sake I hope he actually becomes as good as many people are saying he'll be.

Also, draft grades are so self serving for the prognosticators who make them. They judge teams for their drafts by going of how they rate players who have never played in the league.

 

[longhornfan]

I had a class with Elonu my freshman year, hopefully he's able to stick with the Lakers.

 

[FedEx227]

You might want to get in line, because I've never seen so many people talk about a mid-level player so highly. For his sake I hope he actually becomes as good as many people are saying he'll be.

To me, he's a basically a more refined Tyreke Evans. While I think Evans will be better overall, Douglas is kinda... like the mid-level potential of an Evans.

His skills translate quite well to the NBA.

A strong bodied combo guard who has played extremely well at the end of his college career … Plays the transition game … Enjoys pushing the tempo, attacking early in the shotclock and not allowing the defense to get set … Has the ability to play at a high pace without making many mistakes … Takes contact well, using his body to keep his balance and finish … Has the strength and willingness to outmuscle smaller defenders inside … Gets to the line on a regular basis and converts on a good percentage (80%) … Nothing flashy off the dribble, but very steady and crafty using change of pace moves to keep the defenders guessing … Has a knack for making tough and contested shots with regularity … Has a quick and smooth pull up jumper going both ways as well as a nice step back to create space … Shooting stroke is very efficient and he has good balance and elevation … His ability to attack in various ways allows him to play the pick and roll game well, he reads his options and probes the openings … Defensively, understands team principles and plays very disciplined, yet knows when to gamble and get into the passing lanes … Has a low center of gravity and moves his feet well, which makes it difficult for opposing guards to get their shoulders by

Those bolded ones are the ones I'm most intrigued by. He's pretty NBA ready. No, he's not going to be a star, but he's going to be a solid piece on an NBA team.

 

[FedEx227]

That's so much like the Spurs. They always fucking do that. Blair isn't great but where they got him is an ABSOLUTE steal even if he doesn't have any ACLs left.

 

[Esjay]

I really think Blair will be a pretty good player in the league for awhile. And the Spurs got him at what, 37? I would have been happier with him at 13 than Hansbrough.

Ridiculous.

 

[MRN]

I completely agree with the T'Wolves grade, horribly shitty draft.