After the draft lottery on Tuesday, the Washington Wizards received the first pick in the 2010 NBA Draft. The Wizards, a team that's season contained the Gilbert Arenas-Javaris Crittenton gun incident, and the trading away of All-Star caliber players Caron Butler and Antawn Jamison. Overall, the Wizards appear to be in a rebuilding mode. Let's take a look at the top 10 picks in the draft.
1. Washington Wizards - PG John Wall, Kentucky
With Arenas being a distraction, I think the Wizards are going to cut ties with their veteran point guard. Wall is a great player, and can help the Wizards rebuild their team. Pairing Wall, a great play maker, with their other 1st round pick (30th overall) could provide the Wizards a dynamic duo for the future.
2. Philadelphia 76ers - F Wesley Johnson, Syracuse
Many people are saying that Evan Turner should be the pick here, and I do feel Turner is the better player. However, if the the 76ers take Turner, they will have 4 guards in Turner, Lou Williams, Jrue Holliday, and Andre Iguodala, and none of them are great jump shooters. Johnson is a solid wing player, who can catch and shoot at a great percentage (he shot 41% percent from 3 last year at Syracuse).
3. New Jersey Nets - F Derrick Favors, Georgia Tech
While Evan Turner is still the best player on the board, he just doesn't fit well with New Jersey. The Nets already have 4 players of their future lineup complete (Devin Harris, Courtney Lee, Terrence Williams, and Brooke Lopez), and Favors could fit in with their new lineup. Favors did not produce stellar numbers at GT, but his potential is great enough to justify being drafted this high.
4. Minnesota Timberwolves - G Evan Turner, Ohio State
In my opinion, Turner is the best player on the board, but none of the top 3 teams have needs at the 2 guard. The Timberwolves should try to build around Jonny Flynn and their big men Al Jefferson and Kevin Love. Evan Turner would be a great piece to add to the lineup, and Corey Brewer is turning out to be a solid pro. If the Timberwolves could get Turner, they could have a bright future.
5. Sacramento Kings - F/C Greg Monroe, Georgetown
Monroe is a great post player, and an above average passer. Monroe had decent stats at Georgetown in his two year career, and still has some untapped scoring potential. Pairing Tyreke Evans and Monroe can provide a solid duo for the Kings. If Wes Johnson is available here, I could see the Kings taking him to give them a wing presence, but if he isn't Monroe is a decent pick.
6. Golden State Warriors - F/C DeMarcus Cousins
Cousins was one of the most dominating post players in college last year at Kentucky. He could provide a post presence that the Warriors have lacked the past few years. The Warriors have a dominant back court with Monta Ellis and Stephen Curry, and Cousins could give them a player to feed the ball to in the low post.
7. Detroit Pistons - F Al-Farouq Aminu, Wake Forest
The Pistons, a perennial playoff team, had a pretty bad year this season, but Aminu can help them reload and possibly contend for a spot next year. The Pistons have some good pieces in place with Rodney Stuckey and Ben Gordon. Adding Aminu could provide them with a good low post player to rebound and score. Aminu also has a solid mid-range jumper.
8. Los Angeles Clippers - F Patrick Patterson, Kentucky
The third Kentucky player in the top 10, Patterson might not have as high a profile as Cousins and Wall, but he can have a huge impact for the Clippers. With Patterson, Blake Griffin, and Eric Gordon, the Clippers can try to create a young nucleus to push them closer to playoff contention in a few years.
9. Utah Jazz - C Cole Aldrich, Kansas
The Jazz have some good young player in Deron Williams and Wesley Matthews, but with Carlos Boozer possibly leaving, and Mehmet Okur injured, the Jazz low post game could really suffer next year. Aldrich is a great shot blocker as well as a great offensive big man. He can replace Boozer as their main scorer down low if Boozer chooses to leave Utah in the free agent period.
10 Indiana Pacers - F Ed Davis, North Carolina
The Pacers have Danny Granger, but not many other players they can count on. Ed Davis had a very limited career at North Carolina, playing as a role player in his freshman year, and breaking his wrist in his sophomore year and missing the entire season. Still, Ed Davis has a lot of potential to be a great forward, and the Pacers here are just taking the best player available.
Be sure to check out picks 11-20 which will hopefully be up this week. In the NBA Playoffs, the Celtics have a 3-1 lead on Orlando, and the Lakers have a 2-1 lead on Phoenix. In the NHL Playoffs, the Flyers and the Blackhawks have advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals. Philadelphia won 4-2, and the Blackhawks swept the San Jose Sharks. Enjoy this week in sports!
Photo from http://dieboltdesigns.blogspot.com/2010/05/john-wall-wizard.html
No comments:
Post a Comment