Jonathan Givony, special to Rivals.com
The 2006 NBA Draft was the ultimate trade show.
Five of the top eight selections were involved in deals. Two players - Alexander Johnson and Randy Foye ? were traded twice before the draft ended.
Grading scale:
A: The team probably could not have done better.
B: The team did well in filling their needs, getting fair value from their pick and getting a prospect that fits their system and the direction the franchise is heading.
C: The team had an average draft, not knocking anyone's socks off, but also not embarrassing their fans.
D: The team should have done a better job with the picks they made.
F: The team did a terrible job and their fans have every reason to be angry.
Some clubs moved up, some moved down, others moved out of the draft entirely and acquired picks for 2007 ? a year when the talent pool is expected to be much deeper.
At Rivals.com we have teamed up with the folks at draftexpress.com to help provide in-depth coverage of the draft and the players involved.
While it is difficult to judge a draft before any of the selections have played a game in the NBA, we'll take a shot based on what we have learned over the last few months.
The criteria we considered when filling out our report cards:
How well did the team satisfy needs with the hand they were dealt
How much value did teams get from the picks they had
Talent and potential of players drafted and how well they fit with the team's style of play, etc.
We're presenting our grades by division, and today we check out the Northwest Division.
Grade: B
You really can't argue with the Nuggets for trading the No. 49 pick for the rights to Boston's 2007 second rounder. Not only will they almost certainly get a better pick, it also will be in what appears to be a much stronger draft class. With no GM at the helm at the moment, that seemed like the safest way to go for the Nuggets.
* Traded #49 Leon Powe to Boston for a 2007 second-round pick
Utah Jazz
Grade: A
Utah was surprised to see Brewer fall right into its lap at No. 14. The Jazz had him No. 1 on their board going into the draft, and he should be able to make an immediate impact. Brewer brings them a big dose of much needed athleticism on the perimeter. His willingness to do whatever is asked of him will make him a favorite of Jerry Sloan right off the bat.
In the second round the Jazz reunited Brown with Deron Williams, his former backcourt mate at Illinois. Brown would have been certain first-round selection a year ago, and many believe Millsap has first-round talent.
The Jazz went in needing a shooting guard, a backup point guard, and a backup power forward after trading away Kris Humphries and Robert Whaley. They got just that, and they fulfilled their needs with high-character guys.
Grade: C
The Sonics felt like they already had a first-round caliber swingman coming in Mickael Gelabale, so they decided to swing for the fences and take Sene.
Sene has the tools to go along with the right attitude, but he's far from being ready to contribute.
What is certain is that the Sonics really don't need a third project center on their roster after drafting Johan Petro last year and Robert Swift the year before. You can never have enough size, but at some point someone needs to be ready to come in and contribute consistently at a high level.
In the second round the Sonics took two nice prospects that could very well end up being nice role players off the bench in Brown and Halperin.
Grade: F
You have to wonder why they gave up the rights to Brandon Roy for so little.
If that wasn't enough, the Timberwolves took a 6-7 unathletic power forward early in the second round and then traded away a better player in Bobby Jones for a future second round pick. Mavrokefaldis' game just doesn't translate to the NBA.
Considering the hand they were dealt, how poorly they satisfied their needs, the lack of value they got at their picks and the apparent lack of direction that the organization has shown it's no wonder Kevin Garnett cannot wait to get out of town.
Grade: A+
The Blazers targeted who and what they wanted going into the draft, and they made sure they got exactly that.
Taking on the contract of Raef LaFrentz certainly isn't pretty for the bottom line, but it needed to be done. When you consider the shaky status of Theo Ratliff's knees and the fact that he has just one less year on his contract than LaFrentz, it's a move that makes quite a bit more sense.
Continuing with the trend of talent, character, and an abundance of upside, we find another potential steal at the No. 27 pick with Sergio Rodriguez. Acquiring a player of his caliber that late was a huge coup for Portland. He should develop into a very solid backup point guard - at the very least.
The jury is still out on Joel Freeland and whether he'll ever make it in the NBA, but considering the roster crunch he can be stored in Europe for a while. It's a move that makes quite a bit of sense.
DraftExpress covers the NBA Draft for Rivals.com. Their work can also be found at www.draftexpress.com, where they offer a free NBA Draft scouting service.
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Grade: B
Grade: A
Grade: C
Grade: F
Grade: A+
