The Cleveland Cavaliers, Denver Nuggets and Charlotte Bobcats didn’t have a pick in last night’s draft.  I’m pretty sure they all tried to buy or trade there way in but it didn’t work.  In the Cavaliers’ defense they traded both of those picks last season in trades that brought in Antwan Jamison and Shaquille O’Neal.  The reason for the “F” though is because none of these teams added any talent yesterday and the NBA Draft is the only way to add cheap help.

These four teams have gotten a “D” from me for their draft grade.  Not one of these teams is better today than it was yesterday and here is why:

CHICAGO BULLS:  The Bulls traded away their first round pick so that they wouldn’t have to pay one.  They also ridded themselves of Kirk Hinrich’s contract to open up more cap space for next weekend.  But, they should have done it like the Heat did as they found themselves some potentially nice players in the second round.

ORLANDO MAGIC:  The Magic looked like they weren’t even interested in the draft last night.  They picked center Daniel Orton who was a backup at Kentucky in the first round.  In the second round they took forward Stanley Robinson who will also likely be nailed to the bench.

ATLANTA HAWKS:  The Hawks drafted small forward Damion James and that was viewed as a very nice pick.  Then the Atlanta Hawks traded James to the Nets for the #27 and #31 picks.  The Hawks then took SG Jordan Crawford out of Xavier which likely means the Hawks are preparing for Joe Johnson to leave as a free agent.  The Nets then sold the #31 pick to the Thunder for cash.  Overall, a very disappointing night for the Hawks.

OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER:  The Thunder came into this draft in really good shape as they were armed with a lot of picks.  But it didn’t likely turn out the way they wanted it to.  The Thunder traded all of their original picks away and they got centers Cole Aldrich and Tibor Pleiss (Germany) along with forward Ryan Reid.  The Thunder also picked up veterans Daequan Cook and Morris Peterson which may or may not help the team.  The Thunder also got a future first round pick from the Clippers in exchange for rookie PG Eric Bledsoe.

These six teams didn’t seem to help or hurt their teams last night during the draft.  With that in mind I gave them all a “C” and here’s why I did that:

NEW YORK KNICKS:  The Knicks had two second round picks in this draft.  They scored a huge hit with the fans taking SG Andy Rautins out of Syracuse.  He plays hard and he can shoot but he’s athletically limited.  Forward Landry Fields was taken after Rautins and he doesn’t look like anything special either.

UTAH JAZZ:  The Jazz had a high first round pick which is unusual for them and they used it on SF Gordan Hayward who was everybody’s favorite player in the NCAA tournament.  But so was Adam Morrison when he played with Gonzaga and you see how well that pick turned out.  In the 2nd round the Jazz picked power forward Jeremy Evans who is a so-so prospect.

LOS ANGELES LAKERS:  The Lakers took forwards Devin Ebanks and Derrick Caracter in the second round of the NBA Draft.  Neither projects as anything more than a backup at the NBA level.

PHOENIX SUNS:  The Suns drafted a couple of power forwards in the second round of the NBA Draft.  Gani Lawal and Dwayne Collins are on board with the Suns but the handwriting is now on the wall about Amare Stoudemire.

HOUSTON ROCKETS:  The Rockets used their only pick on small forward Patrick Patterson.  While Patterson is a good prospect it amazes me that the Rockets didn’t pick a bigger player to help out inside.

MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES:  The Grizzlies drafted Xavier Henry (SG) and Greivis Vasquez (PG) to help the team off the bench this season.  But if they would have kept Dominique Jones I would have given them at least a “B”.

I have given 11 NBA teams a grade of a “B” in the Draft.  All of these teams are better than they were just 24 hours ago.  Here is a look at what each of them did to improve their teams:

BOSTON CELTICS:  The Boston Celtics picked point guard Avery Bradley and forward Luke Harangody.  Both of them will help out off the bench which will likely be a much younger unit than the Celtics had last season.  Bradley is too small to play with Rondo on the court but now the Celtics won’t be so scared to give Rondo a rest once in a while.

TORONTO RAPTORS:  The Raptors decided to go big in the NBA Draft which was smart seeing how Chris Bosh is likely leaving town.  First the Raptors picked power forward Ed Davis out of North Carolina and he could very well be the starting PF when the year starts.  The Raptors then sent some cash and a future 2nd round pick to the Mavericks for center Solomon Alabi.  Alabi is a legit center with a nice upside.

PHILADELPHIA 76ERS:  The 76ers only had one pick in the NBA but they made it count taking shooting guard Evan Turner out of Ohio State.  Don’t be surprised if Turner wins the Rookie of the Year Award in the NBA as the 76ers will be giving him a lot of shots in 2010-11.

MILWAUKEE BUCKS:  The Bucks got pushed around a lot last season especially when Andrew Bogut went down to injury.  That likely won’t be a problem in 2010-11 as the Bucks have added forwards Larry Sanders, Darington Hobson, Tiny Gallon and center Jerome James.

INDIANA PACERS:  The Pacers usually get dogged about their draft picks but not this year.  First round pick (SF) Paul George is good enough to push Danny Granger to SG and that is a good thing for the Pacers.  The Pacers also picked SG Lance Stephenson and C Magnum Rolle who both have nice upsides.  Finally, a solid draft from Larry Bird.

MIAMI HEAT:  The Miami Heat traded it’s first round pick to clear more cap space but they might have hit big on a couple of their 2nd round picks.  Power forward Jarvis Varnado is a defensively dynamo who is a shot blocking machine.  Most experts had him going in the first round.  SF De’Sean Butler blew his ACL out in the NCAA tournament but he has a nice upside and it was a good risk for the Heat to take.  Center Dexter Pittman and PF Latavious Williams both have impressive physical ability but they each also come with some question marks.

PORTLAND TRAILBLAZERS:  The Trailblazers decided to go small in the draft as they picked SG Elliot Williams in the first round and point guard Armon Johnson in the second round.  I really like the deal they made with the T-Wolves in which they got rookie SF Luke Babbitt and veteran forward Ryan Gomes for Martell Webster.  This was a solid draft for the Blazers.

GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS:  The Warriors only had one pick in the draft and they used it on power forward Ekpe Udoh who will likely be starting for them from day #1.  The Warriors lacked rebounding and toughness last season but that won’t be a problem with Udoh around.

DALLAS MAVERICKS:  The Mavericks came into this draft with only a 2nd round pick.  But they bought SG Dominique Jones from the Grizzlies who was a first round pick (#25 overall).  I would have gave them an “A” if they wouldn’t have traded 2nd round pick Solomon Alabi to Toronto.

SAN ANTONIO SPURS:  The Spurs got one of the best offensive players in this draft at #20 in SG James Anderson of Oklahoma State.  I think Anderson will give the Spurs scoring punch off the bench.  I would have given the Spurs an “A” if they picked someone other than forward Ryan Richards of England who is a major project.

NEW ORLEANS HORNETS:  The Hornets not only got rid of Morris Peterson’s contract in a trade with the Oklahoma City Thunder but they got a couple of nice players.  They also gave up center Cole Aldrich and they got back two really good looking players in PF Craig Brackins and SF Quincy Pondexter. 

Six teams in the NBA deserve a big “A” for their efforts last night as they each improved their teams big time.  Here is a look at what each of them did to earn a top grade:

NEW JERSEY NETS:  The Nets are rumored to be big time free agent spenders but they hedged their bets by taking two outstanding forwards last night.  First they took Derrick Favors who will likely bump Yi Jianlian to the bench at power forward and he has a huge upside.  Later in the first round the Nets traded the #27 and #31 overall picks for the rights to small forward Damion James who is a big time player who could start for the Nets if they don’t sign a marquee small forward. 

DETROIT PISTONS:  The Pistons made two outstanding picks who could log big minutes for them in the 2010-11 NBA season.  PF/C Greg Monroe was the Pistons’ first selection with the #7 overall pick.  He could step right into the starting lineup likely at center for the Pistons in 2010-11.  With the #36 overall pick the Pistons selected SG Terrico White who was supposed to be a first rounder according to the “experts”.

WASHINGTON WIZARDS:  The Wizards cleaned up in this draft thanks to the Chicago Bulls.  The Bulls sent Kirk Hinrich and the rights to PF Kevin Seraphin to the Wizards for a future second round pick.  The Wizards also selected point guard John Wall of Kentucky with the #1 overall pick and he will be a starter from day #1.  The Wizards also made a trade with the Timberwolves netting forward Trevor Booker and center Hamady Ndiaye.  The Wizards were sick of getting pushed around and those days might be coming to an end with the additions of Seraphin, Ndiaye and Booker.

MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES:  This isn’t a misprint as the T-Wolves had a very solid draft.  They picked Wesley Johnson with their first pick of the draft and he will start at small forward from day #1.  They also made a couple of trades which brought them back veteran Martell Webster (probable starting SG) and rookies forwards Lazar Hayward and Nemanja Bjelica.  The T-Wolves then snapped up center Paulo Prestes from Brazil with their final pick.

LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS:  The Clippers had a outstanding night to say the least.  First off the picked SF/PF Al-Farouq Aminu who can put the ball in the basket.  They then traded for point guard Eric Bledsoe (from the Thunder) who will back up Baron Davis and likely replace him down the road.  They finished up the draft taking combo guard Willie Warren who could help them off the bench this year.

SACRAMENTO KINGS:  The Kings decided to go big in the NBA Draft this year and they got exactly what they wanted.  First off the Kings picked power forward DeMarcus Cousins who will likely be a dominating player as early as the season opener in 2010-11.  The Kings were then pleasantly surprised to see center Hassan Whiteside waiting from them in the second round.  He is a legit 7-footer who could be a starting center down the road but he will be backing up Samuel Dalembert early in his career.