NBA Draft 2005

In the words of Bill Raftery, "Bring your lunch!!!!" Here we go:

1. Milwaukee, Andrew Bogut C/Utah. Definitely the #1 player in the Draft, Bogut will give the Bucks an actual inside presence. He can finish inside and has some outside range. He can also rebound, something the Bucks severely lacked this year. The knack on Bogut is he's a mediocre defender at best, specifically 1-on-1 defense.
2. Atlanta, Marvin Williams F/North Carolina. I liked this kid all year. He's 6'9, but really is a big small forward. He can shoot the 3, get to the basket, and hit the mid-range jumper. If he can develop a post game and continue to improve defensively, he could be a superstar, and I'm talking legend.
3. Utah, Deron Williams G/Illinois. Williams will be a good fit for Utah because he's a big guard who can shoot, pass, rebound, and defend. When Illinois needed clutch shots, Williams was the guy. He may be the best defender in the draft. He needs to be more consistent with his shooting.
4. New Orleans, Chris Paul G/Wake Forest. Paul can do it all, he's very exciting to watch. For a point guard, he's a really good shooter. If he can cut down on his turnovers, he'll have a great career. A good pick for the Hornets since Baron Davis has gone to Golden State.
5. Charlotte, Raymond Felton G/North Carolina. Felton is the reason why UNC won the national championship. By improving his shooting and decision-making, UNC went from really good to great. When Felton plays under control, he's unstoppable.
6. Portland, Martell Webster G/Seattle Prep. Webster was the first high school player taken, and deservedly so. He's a great shooter who can create his own shot. He's not an awesome athlete, but he makes up for it with his basketball ability. The only question is, how will he mature in Portland, where they are very low on maturity.
7. Toronto, Charlie Villanueva F/UConn. This one's a puzzler. Villanueva could be world-beater one minute, then preschooler pouter the next. The Raptors have taken three power forwards the last three years, what's up with that? Not a good pick.
8. New York, Channing Frye C/Arizona. Frye was one of the top 5 players in the NCAA Tourney. No one could guard him. He can score with his back to the basket, and hit the 15-footer off the pick and roll. If he can put on some weight, he will be have a good career.
9. Golden State, Ike Diogu F/Arizona St. Diogu is a scorer, pure and simple. He can post you up, slash and score, and hit the mid-range jumper. He will provide the Warriors with much needed rebounding.
10. LA Lakers, Andrew Bynum C/St. Joseph's HS. An interesting pick by Phil Jackson & Co. because it will be a couple of years before this kid could contribute. Plus, he doesn't run the floor very well which could be a problem.
    
11. Orlando, Fran Vazquez F/Spain. Vazquez will complement Dwight Howard nicely inside. He is strong and experienced, which will help Orlando become a better team. But, he doesn't have that star quality about him, he's just a nice player.
12. LA Clippers, Yaroslav Korolev F/Moscow. I don't know what Mike Dunleavy sees in this kid. All of his experience has been from the Russian Junior National team. He's younger than Darko Milcic, and we all know how Darko's doing. He has a lot of potential, but that's about it.
13. Charlotte, Sean May F/North Carolina. Charlotte got a gift here. With Felton, May, and Emeka Okafor, the Bobcats are taking after the Bulls, drafting guys who know how to play and win. May was the rock of the Tar Heels, putting up huge numbers, including some 20/20s in March.
    
14. Minnesota, Rashad McCants G/North Carolina. McCants makes 4 Tar Heels going in the lottery. He's arugably the most skilled offensive player in the draft, able to do it all. There are still questions about his attitude, which is why he didn't go even higher. If he keeps his head, I see superstardom in his future also.
15. New Jersey, Antoine Wright G/Texas A&M. Wright was the most highly acclaimed player to play in College Station. He almost led them to the NCAA Tournament this year. He has good size, can shoot and drive. All he needs is a little more strength. Good pick by the Nets.
16. Toronto, Joey Graham F/Oklahoma St. Graham has the skill and athleticism to take over a game, but sometimes he wasn't aggressive enough. This was the one pick Toronto got right.
17. Indiana, Danny Granger F/New Mexico. Granger can play the 3 or 4, averaging 19 a game over the last 3 years. Overlooked because he played in the southwest, Granger is a steal for Indiana. He'll provide some much needed offensive help on the perimeter.
18. Boston, Gerald Green G/Gulf Shores Academy. Another high school player, Green can jump out of the gym and shoot lights out. Seriously, this guy has more ups than LeBron. His head is above the rim when he goes up. The only question about this kid is his maturity. Otherwise, a great pick by Boston.
19. Memphis, Hakim Warrick F/Syracuse. Warrick added something new to his game every year at Syracuse. He doesn't have a designated playing position, he's just a player who knows how to get it done. I could watch his dunk vs. Notre Dame 24/7.
20. Denver, Julius Hodge G/NC State. Former ACC player of the year, Hodge can defend and loves having the ball in the clutch. If he can become more consistent with his jump shot, he'll do fine.
21. Phoenix, Nate Robinson G/Washington. If you've read the blog, you know how much I love Lil' Nate. He brings great energy to the floor and loves being the man. He can drive, pass, shoot, and defend. His lack of size really isn't an issue with him because he plays big.
22. Denver, Jarrett Jack G/Georgia Tech. Now heading to Portland where he'll provide some much needed toughness, Jack was at his best when Tech was at full strength. If he's called upon to do it all, he doesn't have the ability to do so. He's very good in transition, getting other people involved and playing off of them.
23. Sacramento, Francisco Garcia G/Louisville. Another guy who was clutch in the clutch. Garcia is big, doesn't mind taking the big shot, and can play defense. A good fit for the Kings.
24. Houston, Luther Head G/Illinois. Head was Illinois's most consistent player at both ends of the floor. He also vastly improved each year while in school, adding the outside shot to his drive and dish game. He can also lock you up defensively.
25. Seattle, Johan Petro C/France. This is the guy Seattle wanted. He has a lot of potential and athletic ability. He just needs experience because most of his play has been on the French Junior National team.
26. Detroit, Jason Maxiell F/Cincinnati. Maxiell is a very undersized power forward, but he's tough, and Detroit missed that this year. He looks to fill the role Corliss Williamson had with this team 2 years ago.
27. Portland, Linas Kleiza F/Missouri. Now heading to Seattle, Kleiza is a typical European player, but with some inside toughness. He will fit right in with Seattle and the way they play because he's a good outside shooter.
28. San Antonio, Ian Mahinmi F/France. The Spurs hope this guy turns out to be good because that's all he has, potential.
29. Miami, Wayne Simien F/Kansas. I'm surprised Simien fell this far, this is a great pick by Miami. When healthy, Simien dominated games with his turnaround jumpshot and great rebounding. He's not afraid to get physical either. The only question is his durability.
30. New York, David Lee F/Florida. An interesting pick by the Knicks, considering Brandon Bass was available and would've been a better fit. Lee can finish inside with both hands and can jump, but he's not outstanding in one area. He's a solid player, not a 1st round player.
31. Atlanta, Salim Stoudamire G/Arizona. The Hawks started off Round 2 well by picking the best shooter in the draft. He has in the gym range and is a scoring machine. If he maintains the good attitude he had this year, he'll have a very good career.
    
32. LA Clippers, Daniel Ewing G/Duke. Can play the 1 or 2, Ewing is a good shooter and good defender. He's not very explosive because he lacks a little size and has average ball-handling skills.
33. New Orleans, Brandon Bass F/LSU. Another good pick by the Hornets, Bass has the potential to be very good. This year, he added an outside, mid-range game to his inside game. He can also rebound and defend.
34. Utah, CJ Miles G/Skyline HS. Usually, being a high school player taken in the 2nd round is bad news. But Miles never signed with an agent, and said if he wasn't taken in the 1st round, he would commit to Texas. Smart kid.
35. Portland, Ricky Sanchez F/IMG Academy. This could be a preview of what's to come with the new age limit that goes into effect next year. Some players after high school will spend the year after at these academies offered by agents instead of attending college. We'll see how Sanchez does after not playing for a year.
36. Milwaukee, Ersan Ilyasova F/Turkey. Don't count on much from this guy. He only has the p-word: potential.
37. LA Lakers, Ronny Turiaf F/Gonzaga. Turiaf will contribute in LA. He can score inside and out and rebound. He has a tendency to get into foul trouble often and has had some injuries. He still has the potential to be very good.
38. Orlando, Travis Diener G/Marquette. He can shoot and he's tough. He's not very big and not very quick, but he makes up for it with his heart.
39. LA Lakers, Von Wafer G/Florida St. Now we get into the players who should've stayed in school. Wafer had a good career at Florida St. He can play off the ball and shoot, but he should've gone back to school.
    
40. Golden State, Monta Ellis G/Lainier HS. Whoever told this kid he was a 1st round pick is just plain dumb. He's good, but nothing special.
41. Toronto, Roko Ukic C/Croatia. Your typical European center. He can shoot outside, but not very physical inside. Another weird pick by Toronto.
42. Golden State, Chris Taft F/Pittsburgh. Another one that should've stayed in school, Taft has attitude problems. His Pitt career got off to a really good start, but once his friends and family started telling him he would be a Top 10 pick, he became selfish and didn't play well.
43. New Jersey, Mile Ilic C/Yugoslavia. See #40 haha.
44. Orlando, Martynas Andriuskevickus F/Lithuania. My question is, how are they going to fit his last name on the back of the jersey haha?
45. Philadelphia, Louis Williams G/Atlanta. Another dumb decision by a high school kid. I watched him on national TV and didn't think he was a 1st round pick. He isn't a great ballhandler or a great shooter, and he has average size. GO TO SCHOOL!!!!
46. Indiana, Erazem Lorbek F/Michigan St. Has size and can shoot, but did nothing special in East Lansing. Very soft inside.
47. Minnesota, Bracey Wright G/Indiana. Again, if you've read the blog, you know my feelings about Wright coming out early. He can make shots, if you set double screens for him. He has trouble creating his own shot and is an average ball handler.
48. Seattle, Mickael Gelabale F/France. What's with all of the French basketball players??? Another long-term project, he is a tremendous athlete.
49. Washington, Andray Blatche F/S. Kent Prep. Another high school moron. He thought he was a 1st round pick because he played well in the high school all-star games. How can you not play well in a high school all-star game, NO ONE PLAYS ANY DEFENSE!!!!!! I could score 20 points in those all-star games, does that make me a 1st round pick????
50. Boston, Ryan Gomes F/Providence. Another good pick for the Celtics. Gomes went back to school to learn the small forward position. He now has legitimate outside range while being able to finish inside. He is very tough and physical inside, good pick.
51. Utah, Robert Whaley F/Walsh University. You might remember Whaley from his UC days. A lot of talent but no discipline. Sums up most of Bob Huggins' recruits.
52. Denver, Axel Hervelle F/Belgium. Honestly, I don't know anything about this guy. I can't say Belgians have had much success in the NBA.
53. Boston, Orien Greene G/La-Lafayette. A transfer from Florida, Greene has tremendous athleticism and size. If he can somehow keep his composure and play with a high level of intensity, this is a steal for Boston.
54. New York, Dijon Thompson F/UCLA. He will play the 2 or 3 due to his thin frame. He can fill it up from the outside. He must develop a first step that will allow him to get to the basket.
55. Seattle, Lawrence Roberts F/Mississippi St. Not very big, can score inside and can make the outside shot.
56. Detroit, Amir Johnson F/Westchester HS. Beyond dumb, GO TO SCHOOL!!!!!!
57. Phoenix, Marcin Gortat C/Germany. Potential.
58. Toronto, Uros Slokar F/Slovenia. A terrible draft for the Raptors.
59. Atlanta, Cenk Akyol. Yeah, that's what I said.
60. Detroit, Alex Acker G/Pepperdine. Not sure about this pick since Acker wasn't even the best player on his team.

Among those not drafted: Chuck Hayes, John Lucas, and Keith Langford.

And those who you can find their pictures next to the word "MORON' in the dictionary: Randolph Morris, Kentucky; John Gilchrist, Maryland; Kennedy Winston, Alabama; Anthony Roberson, Florida; Matt Walsh, Florida; Dwayne Jones, St. Joes.

These guys left school early thinking they would be 1st round draft choices and they went undrafted. Idiots. Also, those taken in the 2nd round are not guaranteed contracts, which is why it's so important to go in the 1st round.

There you have it, all 60 picks, g'night.