Draft

    Some of these picks were terrible, If you want to see the first fifteen picks, click here

  You know people give teams grades and count second round picks? Instead of giving out grades to teams, I figured, why not just give each 1st round pick it’s own grade? It allows us to touch upon the picks in a volume, I don’t want to talk about Malcolm Lee at 43 to Minnesota, or Jeremy Tyler at 39 to Charlotte because I don’t know if those guys truly matter in the grand scheme of the team yet. First round picks? They matter, so here’s the first fifteen picks in the NBA draft and their draft grades.

  The 2009 NBA draft. Stephen Curry, Blake Griffin, Tyreke Evans, James Harden, Brandon Jennings and Jrue Holiday. Sounds pretty good right? We didn’t think about it at the time, but this draft was considered weak at the time. Turns out it was one of the strongest we’ve seen in a while. The 2010 draft, loaded with John Wall, Evan Turner, Greg Monroe and DeMarcus Cousins, seemed to be strong as well. With just three days left before the NBA draft, the 2011 class is being picked apart, and from the looks of it, this is supposed to be one [...]

Ed Davis, a 6’9 Sophomore Forward has declared for the NBA draft according to the University of North Carolina. Davis’ Tar Heels had a disappointing season and although Davis had solid numbers (12.9 points, 9.2 rebounds, 2.7 blocks per game), his individual sophomore season was also considered a disappointment after he showed flashes of brilliance as a freshman. Davis is very raw and is still a while away from really becoming a contributor, but he is still considered a lottery pick. Davis is unlikely to pull out of the draft. (Andrew Melnick is Howard the Dunk’s lead blogger and a [...]

Mark Berman of the Roanoke Times reports that Virginia Tech Point Guard Malcolm Delaney has declared for the NBA draft and plans to work out for teams. Delaney has not decided if he will remain in the draft but he wants to get a feel for what teams think of him. “He’s doing the right thing, just to get the feedback he needs so he can make a good decision,” coach Seth Greenberg said. “We support him 100 percent. I’ve gotten some feedback, and he’ll get direct feedback from the people he works out for. He’ll have about three or [...]

Per Dan Collins of the Winston-Salem Journal, Al-Farouq Aminu has deciced to skip his final two season and declare for the NBA Draft. “We talked with him Monday, Coach (Jeff) Battle and I,” Gaudio said. “We sort of knew. It’s no surprise. “He came in (yesterday) and said `I’m going to go ahead and put my name in, and I’m pretty sure I’m keeping it in.” Aminu scored 15.8 points per game and lead the ACC with 10.7 rebounds per game for the Deacons this season. He is a very long and athletic player, who plays good defense and is [...]

During a news conference on Monday, Kansas Center Cole Aldirch announced that he will be skipping his junior season to enter the 2010 NBA Draft. “First of all, I want to thank everybody just for the opportunity I’ve had here,” said Aldrich. “It’s been a fun one.” Aldrich referred to his paternal grandmother, who died during this past season after a long illness. “I don’t want to get choked up or anything, but the last three years have been pretty special. It’s been a lot of highs, a few lows with my grandma…” He paused and looked down. “It’s been [...]

Michigan Junior Manny Harris will enter the 2010 NBA Draft. Harris nearly jumped to the pros last year before deciding to return to school in an attempt to lead Michigan to the NCAA tournament. Harris’ Wolverines did not accomplish their goal of making the field of 65, but the blame can’t be placed on Harris, who averaged 18.1 points per game this season. Harris, 6’5, projects as a Shooting Guard at the next level. Most pundits view Harris as a second round pick. Mark Snyder of the Detroit Free Press has more on Harris’ decision here. (Andrew Melnick is Howard the [...]

According to Scott Carter of the Tampa Tribune, South Florida guard Dominique Jones has decided to skip his senior season and enter the NBA Draft. Well, maybe. Jones plans to work out for NBA officials next month and then decide by May 8 whether to leave school for the NBA or return to USF. According to a new NCAA rule, underclassmen who want to maintain their eligibility must pull their name out of the NBA draft by 5 p.m. on May 8. In the past, they could wait until June 15 without penalty. If Jones does not hire an agent, [...]

Oklahoma State Junior Guard James Anderson has declared for the NBA Draft. Anderson led the Big in scoring, putting up 22.3 points per game and was named the Big 12 Player of the Year. “It was a very difficult decision for me to make,” Anderson said. “After discussing the pros and cons with my parents and coach Ford and my high school coach, I believe now’s the time to pursue my dream by playing in the NBA.” Anderson’s Cowboys were eliminated in the first round by the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets on Friday. (Andrew Melnick is Howard the Dunk’s lead [...]