2009 NBA Draft

Last week, I "re-drafted" the 2008 draft based off of current knowledge.  What if the 2009 draft were redone as well?  *Note all trades from 2009 draft day will happen again, and we are basing teams off of the actual 2008 draft, not the re-drafted version.

1.  Clippers- Blake Griffin (1).  Clippers don't regret the pick, and draft their franchise player again.
2.  Grizzlies- James Harden (3).  OJ Mayo did not work out in Memphis (as we know now), so MEM takes Harden to be their 2 guard and playmaker.
3.  Thunder- Stephen Curry (7).  With Harden off the board, OKC gets another scary player to pair with Durant and Westbrook in Curry.  Curry would be an amazing fit for OKC.
4.  Kings- Ricky Rubio (5).  The rookie of the year goes LOWER than he actually did?  Yep.  After a solid rookie campaign, Evans has failed to become a go to player, and the Kings instead fill their much needed PG spot.
5.  Wolves- Tyreke Evans (4).  Ok, he hasn't developed into THE guy to lead a team.  But he is still a very capable NBA player with a knack for scoring, and Minnesota would not regret the pick because Kevin Love would be their go to guy.
6.  Wolves- Ty Lawson (18).  Bet they wish they did not sell his rights on draft day in '09.  Lawson has arguably been the most productive pt. guard in the draft class, and has a healthy ankle (see pick 3)
7.  Warriors- Jrue Holiday (17).  Maybe he shouldn't have slipped on draft day.  Holiday is now being paid like a franchise cornerstone, and has a lot of potential left to explore.  He could still wind up being the best point guard in this draft.
8.  Knicks- Brandon Jennings (10).  Jennings would be a major improvement at point over anyone the Knicks have had in the last 4 years, except a month worth of Jeremy Lin.  He can score and distribute, and might not clash too much with Carmelo Anthony.
9.  Raptors- DeMar Derozan (9).  Same pick as last time.  Maybe they'll get a discount in 4 years...
10.  Bucks- Darren Collison (21).  After missing out on Jennings, they draft another speedy PG who can score in bursts.
11.  Nets- Taj Gibson (26).  Will blossom more next year when Boozer is gone.  Can rebound and score inside, and is very athletic.
12.  Bobcats- Marcus Thornton (43).  The Bobcats took Henderson to score, but Thornton has blossomed into a very good wing scorer with a solid jump shot.
13.  Pacers- DeJuan Blair (37).  Can do everything they expected Hansbrough to do, except more efficiently and better on the glass.  Injuries are still a concern with Blair, but the talent is there.
14.  Suns- Jonas Jerebko (39).  They were trying to replace Marion.  Jerebko is a versatile forward, and is still young.  While he cannot be a go to guy, he is among the best glue guys in the league.
15.  Pistons- Rodrigue Beaubois (25).  Dallas hasn't been the right fit.  In a competition with Stuckey, Beaubois might develop into the scorer many people thought, and still think (me) he can be.
16.  Bulls- Jeff Teague (19).  Teague is a good shooter and average distributor.  He has not become a quality starting point guard, but in a scoring role off the bench, behind Rose, Teague could be a 6th man of the year candidate.
17.  76ers- Eric Maynor (20).  Maynor has been a solid backup 1 behind Westbrook, and could still develop into a decent starter.
18.  Nuggets- Danny Green (46). Would be a perfect fit in Denver's offense.  Green can shoot and defend, and is a great complimentary player.
19.  Hawks-  Chase Budinger (44).  He was once a projected lottery pick.  He does not quite make it back, but Budinger has been a solid bench scorer in the league thus far, and is very athletic.  White men can jump (I reference the dunk contest to say this:  Get stars to do it or take a break from it!)
20.  Jazz- BJ Mullens (24).  The Jazz have compiled impressive frontcourt depth, and Mullens would add to that mix.  He has developed into another Channing Frye, except Mullens knows where the paint is.
21.  Hornets- Gerald Henderson (12).  He has not been a great pick, but he has been ok for Charlotte.  If he were given a role like Marcus Thornton his rookie year, he may have succeeded at a higher level.
22.  Blazers-  Jodie Meeks (41).  Honestly, with knowledge of the future, I would want the Blazers to happily trade out of this spot  Meeks has been OK, and shoots the ball well.  He would give Portland a viable role player and bench option.
23.  Kings- Jonny Flynn (6).Its a risky pick knowing the future, but maybe Flynn would pan out not being in Minnesota.  Odds: 1/1000
24.  Thunder- Hasheem Thabeet (2).  Maybe he was another player who needed time.  OKC could have given it too him.  Its a risky pick, but he is a role player for OKC anyways right?
25.  Mavs- Jordan Hill (8).  Another flop, though has stuck around like a role player.  He can crash the glass, but is inefficient.  Worth a risk in a new system.
26.  Bulls- Toney Douglas (29).  Giving CHI the hindsight that Rose will tear his ACL, they will draft a player who can score the ball some during his absence.  Most likely wouldn't lead to increase in wins though.
27.  Grizzlies- Dante Cunningham (33).  A solid role player, Cunningham could be a long term role player for a team.  He is a hustler.
28.  Wolves- Patrick Mills (55).  A solid scorer for Australia, he has not translated much in the NBA.  At the very least he can shoot the ball.
29.  Knicks- Lester Hudson (58).  Another scorer.  He is very inefficient, and not terribly athletic, but the Knicks could put him in a bench unit next to other scorers.  It'd be interesting.
30.  Cavs-  Sergio Llull (34).  Has never played in the NBA, but has looked good in Spain, and decent during the Olympics.  Will he ever come over?  Doubtful, but there are very few other candidates for this spot.

After analysis and redrafting of the 2008 and 2009 drafts, we can concur that the 2008 draft has been stronger, though they have had an extra year of development.  While some players could still become standouts, the 2008 draft has produced well.  If I were to rub my magic ball, I would argue that the 2012 and 2013 drafts will be very similar to the 2008 and 2009 versions.  The 2012 draft will produce many quality players, as will 2013, all-stars will be more plentiful in the 2012 draft.  The difference between the two will be the number or role players produces by the 2012 draft.  Expect to hear many more names from the past draft rather than this next upcoming one.

Oh and Portland plays Chicago tonight!  Keys to the game:
1 Deng shoots under 40%.  Deng has been a Blazer killer in his career.  If Batum can limit his quality shot attempts, Deng will have a poor outing.
2 Win the rebounding battle.  Noah, Boozer and Gibson can rebound effectively.  Time to get physical up front.
3  Lillard scores 25.  Chicago's guards are weak with Rose out.  Time to take advantage.


GO BLAZERS!