Holding Court: Bucks, Celtics nail draft, but…
Bert A. Ramirez Victor Barreiro Jr
The Bucks and Celtics may have emerged as winners in last week's NBA draft, but it is the Sixers who could become big winners, if their managment's gamble pays off
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The Milwaukee Bucks and Boston Celtics may have emerged as surefire winners in last week’s draft, based on the immediate help they could get. But it is the Philadelphia 76ers who could yet become the biggest winners of the 2014 grab-bag – that is, if their gamble pays off as their management hopes.

This is not to say that only the aforementioned teams can potentially make an impact with the loot that they made off from the last draft. But based on their drafting positions and the degree of certainty their draft picks will work out, one can safely say that they, indeed, had possibly the most successful draft of all teams.

The Bucks, for one, got a player, Jabari Parker of Duke, who figures to help them out immediately with his versatile scoring and become the top bet for top rookie honors.

Had Parker been picked by Cleveland at No. 1, the Cavaliers would still have had an explosive scorer, but not as good a fit as Parker would be with the Bucks. He would have joined a team with a player playing the same position at small forward, Anthony Bennett, last year’s top draft pick whom the Cavs still intend to find a spot for, and would have been surrounded by bad defense to expose his only weakness in his game on that end. Last year’s top player at that position, Luol Deng, just announced he would not re-sign with Cleveland.

On the other hand, Parker’s having been picked by Milwaukee ensures that he’s joining a team virtually bereft at that spot to make him the unquestioned top man and go-to guy, a role that the 6-foot-8 Parker would relish. In addition, Parker would also be playing with guys who can help cover his defensive deficiencies at this stage – the shot-blocking duo of Larry Sanders and John Henson and the long and still-growing (now 6-11) Giannis Antetokounmpo (pronounced yanis andeto-KUM-bo) – while helping compensate for the things they can’t do, which is to dominate on offense.

“For Milwaukee…in 6 months, the Bucks have gone from one of the most depressing teams (besides Antetokounmpo) and the best candidate to relocate to a team that has as bright a future as anybody in the East,” Grantland’s Andrew Sharp said. “They still need a point guard, but that can be handled down the line. Finding Parker and Antetokounmpo was a much bigger deal.”

The Celtics, meanwhile, are also thought to have nailed this year’s draft with their selection of Marcus Smart of Oklahoma State and James Young of Kentucky with their sixth and 17th picks – in that order. While some are saying Smart’s selection spells the end of the Rajon Rondo era in Boston, Celtics president Danny Ainge and owner Wyc Grousbeck are adamant that both Smart and Rondo can co-exist. They, in fact, thrive as a swashbuckling, tough-as-nails backcourt combination, with the versatile Smart, a shade under 6-4 and weighing a tank-like 227 pounds, moving to the big-guard spot.

“I think Boston had the best draft of anyone in the league, hands down,” said one Western Conference scout who spent the year immersed in the college game (as opposed to armchair observers who just take in as many college games as they can).

“I’m not saying there aren’t guys who won’t be better individually than what they got, but to get two guys of that quality is unbelievable. You hope to come out of the draft with one guy who can really help you, and I think they got two. That’s a tough thing to do, but they pulled it off.”

Of course, the Celtics, who Ainge said would have taken injured big man Joel Embiid had Embiid dropped to No. 6, were widely expected to pick Arizona’s Aaron Gordon. But with Gordon having been nabbed by Orlando at No. 4, and with Australian whiz kid Dante Exum going to Utah at No. 5, Smart fell on the Celts’ lap. This prompted some to think there was some measure of good fortune in the 17-time champions’ finding Smart and Young available when their turn at their spots came.

But another long-time scout also pointed to a well-worn blueprint by the legendary Celtic patriarch Red Auerbach. “I think Ainge went back to the old Red Auerbach playbook and took the best players available,” he said. “Some other teams reached for guys, and that may eventually work out for them. But I know the guys the Celtics got can play. There were a lot of people we liked in this draft, and when we saw who Boston was taking, it really made us wish we had picks up there. Those were some really solid picks they made.”

Said another personnel man: “Look, there were some guys picked in the lottery that I really worry about making it. You could see some busts out of this. But I’m not worried about Smart or Young. Those guys are still young and it might take them awhile, but they should be fine.”

While the Milwaukee and Boston picks smack of certainty, the opposite may be said of the 76ers’ own selections simply because both lottery picks – No. 1 Embiid and No. 12 Dario Saric for whose rights Philadelphia traded – will not play for them for sometime. In fact, the earliest Saric, a 6-10 forward, can join the Sixers is 2016, when the first two years of his contract with Turkish league powerhouse Anadolu Efes are completed. Embiid, meanwhile is expected to miss at least the first 4 months or so of the 2015 season in a campaign following one in which Philadelphia’s previous first-round pick, Nerlens Noel, also missed the entire season because of injury. For the Sixers to take such moves in this year’s draft is therefore so daring considering that they’ve been perceived to have tanked (or deliberately lost games) the last two years precisely for a shot at the top pick and immediate help.

The drama, however, has played out this way all because Sixers president Sam Hinkie, with the acquiescence of the team’s new owners, has chosen the path of going for the homerun instead of a conservative way of rebuilding. He is risking failure in the bold moves he has taken and the ire and possible alienation of the fans in the process.

Sharp said: “There’s a longer conversation you could have about this, especially in the year-round NBA era we’re entering now. Is it better to root for the process of building a great team the right way, or to root for a good basketball team with a chance to actually entertain people? Right now ‘the process’ is all Sixers fans really have. They’ll probably tank again next year – I don’t know if they have a single player with a decent jump shot – and land in the lottery again.

“Whether that’s exciting or depressing probably depends on who you talk to. I live with a Sixers writer who loves the plan, loves Sam Hinkie, and loved that draft. I have other friends from Philly who officially can’t stand Hinkie after last night.

“Embiid was pretty great all year – on the court and in interviews – and he’s someone I’ll root for no matter what. But there were always injury questions, and a week ago we sort of got the answer to those questions. Not only does he have the back problems, but his foot problems, too. It’s still unclear how he even injured it, but it was the worst possible bone to fracture. He just seems like the type of guy who’s going to struggle with this stuff his entire career. If that’s the case, the Sixers just tanked an entire season for a guy who’ll probably never be totally healthy long term, and guarantees the team will struggle again in the short term. It’s one thing to lose and be patient, it’s another to do it all for a dream that will never come true. That’s what Embiid feels like.”

The astute Zach Lowe said: “We have never seen an experiment quite like this,” “This is an unprecedented convergence of a GM with big dreams and a new ownership group happy to empower him to pursue those dreams. The Sixers and Sam Hinkie don’t really care about being good, or filling the arena, or pleasing season-ticket holders. I mean, they care about all of those things, to a degree; Brett Brown is already legendary inside the team’s offices for his cold calls to season-ticket holders and his rollicking in-person speeches before groups of them – speeches that convince people to re-up and watch a miserable team lose by 20. But those cares don’t drive their vision. The Sixers want to win big. They have no interest in being the late-2000s Hawks. They know the easiest avenue to win big is to find a superstar.

“They also get that the NBA’s draft lottery is at once an uncertain bet that might slay your dreams, and a smart wager at superstardom,” Lowe goes on. “Tankers fail, as Bill Simmons pointed out this week. Tank for Anthony Davis (as the Sixers did in 2012) and you might get Michael Kidd-Gilchrist. But that doesn’t mean playing the lottery is dumb, especially if your only goal is to maximize your odds at nabbing a star. If your owners are cool with playing the lottery two or even three times, and really playing it, you only maximize those odds. No one knows how this will end.”

Not us, we don’t, frankly.

Here now is our team-by-team ratings for this year’s draft (round and draft order in parentheses). Draft ratings were given based on the following system:

A-plus for great or franchise-altering

A for excellent

A-minus for extra good

B-plus for very good

B for good

B-minus for less than good

C for fair

D for poor

E for very poor

Atlanta – Adreian Payne (1, 15), Walter Tavares (2, 43). Payne follows the trend of big men who stretch the floor with their outside shooting, and he will precisely do that for the Hawks, plus give them someone who will cause mismatches with his ability to play the pick-and-roll and to post up. The Hawks got a project in the 7-3 Tavares. If he develops, he’ll add to a formidable frontline that also includes All-Star Al Horford, although that may be two years down the road. Grade: B.

Boston – Marcus Smart (1, 6), James Young (1, 17). The Celtics needed a rim protector but went for the best available players when their turn came as Joel Embiid – he of the franchise-altering potential but with a brittle back and foot – was gone. That left them with Smart and Young, not a bad haul at their spots. ESPN’s David Aldridge, in fact, called the Celtics the winner of the draft in the East. “They’ve got a combination of backcourt players who fit so well together,” Aldridge says. “This is a steal for me at that pick,” Stu Jackson, meanwhile, says of the selection of Young, whom Ainge says was often the best player on the loaded Kentucky Wildcats whenever he watched them. Grade: A.

Brooklyn – Markel Brown (2, 44, acquired from Minnesota), Xavier Thames (2, 59, acquired from Toronto), Cory Jefferson (2, 60, acquired from San Antonio). Brown, the backcourt mate of Marcus Smart at Oklahoma State last season, gives the aging Nets a good young talent coming off the bench. The last two picks in the draft, Thames, a 6-3 guard, and Jefferson, a 6-9 forward, also have a chance to stick and add more fresh legs in the Brooklyn rotation. Grade: C.

Charlotte – Noah Vonleh (1, 9), P.J. Hairston (1, 26, acquired from Miami), Dwight Powell (2, 45). The Hornets (who reclaimed their original name after New Orleans dropped that moniker to assume the name Pelicans last season) were surprised to find Vonleh at No. 9 and promptly grabbed him. He will form a formidable frontline with Al Jefferson, an All-NBA Third Team pick this past season. The acquisition of Hairston, whom they got along with two second-rounders for Shabazz Napier, as well as the selection of Powell in the second round also gives them added depth at the off-guard and power-forward positions. Grade: B-plus.

Chicago – Doug McDermott (1, 11, acquired from Denver), Cameron Bairstow (2, 49). The Bulls got the best scorer in the draft in Dougie McBuckets, in reference to college basketball’s fifth all-time leading scorer and the National Player of the Year, and the 6-8 forward will provide the Bulls the scoring as well as the spacing they need to allow Joakim Noah and company to operate inside. Bairstow will also give Chicago the physical presence up front that coach Tom Thibodeau likes. Grade: B plus.

Cleveland – Andrew Wiggins (1, 1), Joe Harris (2, 33). The Cavaliers probably made the best pick they had to under the circumstances, a guy with an unlimited ceiling, Wiggins, whose mental makeup may make or break his potential to become a game changer in the mold of a better Tracy McGrady (yes, better) or just another talented player who didn’t quite fulfill his potential. But the 6-8 Wiggins can now guard three positions in the league, and it would be the height of talent wastage if he does not get to the level many expect him to. Harris, a 6-6 guard with a deadly jumpshot, is a sleeper who has a good chance to stick. Grade: A-minus.

Dallas – No picks (no grade).

Denver – Jusuf Nurkic (1, 16, acquired from Chicago), Gary Harris (1, 19, acquired from Chicago), Nikola Jovic (2, 41), Devyn Marble (2, 56, traded to Orlando as part of Arron Afflalo deal). The Nuggets acquired Afflalo on the eve of the draft so the 28-year-old, 6-5 swingman, who scored a career- and team-high 18.2 points last season, has to factor into these draft ratings. Afflalo definitely adds another offensive weapon to the Nuggets’ arsenal, and he makes the Nuggets two-deep at the “three” and “two” spots along with the multi-skilled Harris, who was called by Bill Simmons “the steal of the draft” with how low he was picked. Combined with two skilled 6-11 mastodons, Nurkic and Jovic, Denver came away with quite a stash from this year’s grab-bag. Grade: B-plus.

Detroit – Spender Dinwiddie (2, 38). Slim pickings for the Pistons, although the 6-6 Dinwiddie, a slider out of Colorado who could have been a first-rounder if not for a torn ACL, could be a good one. Grade: C.

Golden State – No picks (no grade).

Houston – Clint Capela (1, 25), Nick Johnson (2, 42). The Rockets got a good one in Johnson, a 6-3 tweener who could turn out better than his draft position, but their first-rounder, Capela, is strictly a stash pick and won’t help them in a few years. Grade: C.

Indiana – Larry Bird has said that the Pacers are basically standing pat, for better or for worse, this season. And that includes trading their lone draft pick at No. 57, Louis Labeyrie, to New York for cash. Grade: None.

Los Angeles Clippers – C.J. Wilcox (1, 28). Wilcox, a 6-5 guard out of Washington, has a very good stroke and could develop into a bench scorer for the Clippers, serving as a third big guard behind J.J. Redick and Sixth Man of the Year Jamal Crawford. Grade: B-minus.

Los Angeles Lakers – Julius Randle (1, 7), Jordan Clarkson (2, 46, acquired from Washington). The Lakers got a steal in the 6-9 Randle, who fell on the draft board due to a foot break that did not properly heal. For sheer basketball sense, the Lakers got lucky here as the former Kentucky star gives them a skilled, physical presence. “If you factor in fit, potential, and value, this was the best pick of the lottery,” Andrew Sharp said. “There are questions about Randle’s size, and he’s got a screw in his foot, but he’s as skilled as any player on the board, including (Jabari) Parker, and as his jumper continues to develop, he’ll be able to beat people inside and outside.” Clarkson, a Fil-Am guard, will also get the chance to make the roster. Grade: A-minus.

Memphis – Jordan Adams (1, 22), Jarnell Stokes (2, 35, acquired from Utah). Adams, a 6-5 guard, is not an elite athlete nor is Stokes, a 6-8 muscleman, but both provide potential as rotation players and give the Grizzlies added depth. Stokes, in particular, can eventually serve as backup to Zach Randolph, who signed a two-year, $20 million extension, with Ed Davis having been released. Grade: B-minus.

Miami – Shabazz Napier (1, 24, acquired from Charlotte), Semaj Christon (2, 55). The Heat’s need for capable point guards after both Mario Chalmers and Norris Cole bombed out in the NBA finals is reflected in the team’s pickup of Napier and Christon. Two-time NCAA champion Napier, in particular, is already “better than any Miami point guard that played in the finals,” according to Bill Simmons. Of course, that doesn’t stop the Heat from pursuing other point guards as indeed they seem to be doing in going after free agent Kyle Lowry of Toronto. Grade: B.

Milwaukee – Jabari Parker (1, 2), Damien Inglis (2, 31), Johnny O’Bryant (2, 36), Lamar Patterson (2, 48). The Bucks came away with not only the top player in the draft in terms of current abilities, Parker, but a couple of players (O’Bryant and Patterson) who could significantly add to the talent level of the club and another (Inglis) who could pay off a few years down the road. But it’s Parker, a 6-8 do-it-all forward, who figures to make a difference for the Bucks right now, perhaps lifting them to a level that would make them easily double their previous year’s woebegone 15-win total. It may not be much but it would be a good start. Grade: A.

Minnesota – Zach LaVine (1, 13), Glenn Robinson III (2, 40), Alessandro Gentile (2, 53). One couldn’t have missed LaVine’s aversion to having been picked by the Timberwolves based on his reaction when his name was called. The first of three first-round picks from UCLA this year – the first UCLA trio to be so drafted since 1979 when David Greenwood, Roy Hamilton and Brad Holland went in the first round – the raw LaVine, however, will have to grow up inside the court if he is to prove he’s worthy of getting on a better team. Robinson and Gentile are good prospects though not necessarily elite talent. Grade: B-minus.

New Orleans – Russ Smith (2, 47, acquired from Philadelphia). Smith is a perfect fit for the Pelicans, playing behind former All-Star Jrue Holiday on a team that has defensive stoppers Anthony Davis and the recently-acquired Omer Asik. Whatever deficiency in size the six-foot Smith has would be compensated by that frontline and his own toughness and speed. Grade: C.

New York – Cleanthony Early (2, 34), Thanasis Antetokounmpo (2, 51), Louis Labeyrie (2, 57, acquired from Indiana). The 6-7 Early, the best player on the Wichita State Shockers, arguably the best collegiate team in the regular season last year, should give the Knicks a solid rotation player with his athleticism and shotmaking. Antetokounmpo and Labeyne are both projects, however. Grade: C.

Oklahoma City – Mitch McGary (1, 21), Josh Huestis (1, 29). McGary was picked up by the Thunder to provide more toughness up front, but questions remain regarding a back injury that limited him to just eight games last year with Michigan, whom he helped in a losing effort against Louisville in the 2013 NCAA finals. The 6-7 Huestis, who has a 7-1 wingspan, is another tough frontcourt prospect who wants to pattern his game after that of Kawhi Leonard. If he can just approximate that level, he’d be a big steal. Grade: B-minus.

Orlando – Aaron Gordon (1, 4), Elfrid Payton (1, 10, acquired from Philadelphia). The Magic add two elite defenders from the draft to a team that played middle-of-the-road defense last season, and that alone could improve Orlando’s 23-59 record, third-worst in the league last year. The 6-9 Gordon brings a rare combination of great athleticism, high basketball IQ and tremendous hustle and defense while the 6-4 Payton should find a niche on the Magic especially now that Jameer Nelson is gone. He has to develop his shot, however, to become more effective and prevent defenses from cheating on him. Grade: A-minus.

Philadelphia – Joel Embiid (1, 3), Dario Saric (1, 12, acquired from Orlando), K.J. McDaniels (2, 32), Jerami Grant (2, 39), Vasilije Micic (2, 52). The youth movement goes on. But how would you feel if you have two high lottery picks and you come away with just McDaniels, Grant, Micic and Dangubic in training camp? Yet, that’s been the Sixers’ philosophy under president Sam Hinkie, and Sixers fans will have to live with it for better or for worse. There’s no question, however, that from a pure basketball sense, Philadelphia took the best talent in the draft in Embiid, a potentially franchise-altering center who could either become the next Hakeem Olajuwon or the next Greg Oden, depending on how his health issues pan out. For Sixers management, it’s definitely boom or bust, and there’s no going halfway about it. Grade: B minus for now, but A plus if Embiid turns out into what Philadelphia expects.

Phoenix – T.J. Warren (1, 14), Tyler Ennis (1, 18), Bogdan Bogdanovic (1, 27), Alec Brown (2, 50). The Suns had three first-round picks, and used it on players who can provide immediate help. Warren is one of the most accomplished scorers in the draft, Ennis is a pure playmaking guard whose maturity goes beyond his years, while Bogdanovic brings with him a high level of experience in Europe as a combo guard. The 7-1 Brown may be the only project from the Suns’ stash. Grade: B-plus.

Portland – No picks (no grade).

Sacramento – Nik Stauskas (1, 8). Some critics view the 6-6 Stauskas’ selection at eighth a bit of a stretch. Though we ourselves were surprised, we don’t think the overrated notion is justified. The Michigan product can shoot like few can even in the pros, and can handle the ball and play the point like not many big guards are capable of. In addition, there’s a toughness and an element of leadership in him that will pay dividends for the notoriously shaky Kings. At the very least, he provides insurance at both guard spots. Grade: B-plus.

San Antonio – Kyle Anderson (1, 30), Jordan McRae (2, 58). Talk about a perfect fit, Anderson is like a duck taking to water, or a hand fitting into a glove, as his team-oriented passing style is just what thrives in the Spurs’ system. The 6-8½ UCLA product, the last of three Bruins to go in the first round, simply has a knack for finding the open man and his defensive deficiency, the only blot in an otherwise impressive all-around game, will be hidden in the San Antonio system where team effort reigns supreme. Grade: B.

Toronto – Bruno Caboclo (1, 20), DeAndre Daniels (2, 37). What were the Raptors thinking? Given the chance to draft a more ready player, Toronto went for potential when it could have easily taken Caboclo, a 6-8 Brazilian forward not expected to play in the NBA in the next two years, lower and gotten another player who can contribute now instead. But Raptors GM Masai Ujiri probably wanted to show off, and Caboclo better prove worthy of that pick when his time comes. Otherwise, Ujiri would be remembered as the GM who drafted a perfect bust. Daniels, a 6-8 forward out of NCAA champ Connecticut, has a good chance to make the Raptors’ roster though. Grade: C.

Utah – Dante Exum (1, 5), Rodney Hood (1, 23). The Jazz may have taken their next star of the future, or the next great bust in the tradition of Darko Milicic, who was rated so high by then-Detroit GM Joe Dumars that he was drafted right after LeBorn James at second in 2003, ahead of such guys as Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. That started the downhill slide of Dumars that led to his resignation this past season. But Exum, a 6-6 guard, is supposed to have the tools to become a great one, including size, athleticism and the all-around skills to play both guard positions. Hood is Jabari Parker’s scoring partner at Duke and has versatile scoring ability to help off the bench for now. Grade: B-plus.

Washington – No picks (no grade). – Rappler.com

Bert A. Ramirez has been a freelance sportswriter/columnist since the ’80s, writing mostly about the NBA and once serving as consultant and editor for Tower Sports Magazine, the longest-running locally published NBA magazine, from 1999 to 2008. He has also written columns and articles for such publications as Malaya, Sports Digest, Winners Sports Weekly, Pro Guide, Sports Weekly, Sports Flash,Sports World, Basketball Weekly, and the FIBA’s International Basketball, and currently writes a fortnightly column for QC Life and a weekly blog for BostonSports Desk. A former corporate manager, Bert has breathed, drunk, and slept sports most of his life.