NBA Offseason: SCIC Roundtable – Part 4
Jun 26, 2014; Brooklyn, NY, USA; A general view as the names of the first round draft picks are displayed above the stage during the 2014 NBA Draft at the Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Which team had the worst draft?
Michael Saenz: The Miami Heat. I know they (traded for) got Shabazz Napier in an attempt to lure LeBron James back to Miami, but it didn’t work. Thus, they get a bad draft grade. While Napier is a “sexy” pick, mostly because he’s a known name, it isn’t exactly the biggest of needs for the Heat assuming LeBron wasn’t coming back.
John Armstrong: Detroit Pistons. Spencer Dinwiddie, and who else? Are they trying to get better or nah???
Morten Jensen: Well, it depends. Minnesota technically ends up with Wiggins, but since the draft was months ago, I can’t include him. The Timberwolves took Zach LaVine at No. 13 which could end up looking real bad. LaVine is a fine athlete, but his skill set is raw and unpolished. T.J. Warren, who was chosen just one pick later, is just a year and a half older but so much more polished and with a tremendous offensive IQ. LaVine has tremendous amounts of raw potential, but Warren, at just 20, isn’t a finished product by any means. The Wolves will spend years developing LaVine, the guy with the lowest college PER in the draft, hoping to see him become more than just a high-flyer, which is far from a given.
George Middleton: The Boston Celtics and the Sacramento Kings had the worst drafts in the NBA. The Celtics took Marcus Smart with the sixth pick of the draft. Smart is a combo guard and he got selected by a team equipped with Avery Bradley and Rajon Rondo. James Young got selected by the Celtics with the 17th pick. Young will play small forward or shooting guard, the same position as Evan Turner. Jeff Green is a small forward as well. The Kings took Nik Stauskas with the eighth pick. Last season the Kings took Ben McLemore with the seventh pick, a shooting guard as well.
Bryce Olin: For me, of the teams with draft picks, I’d have to say Oklahoma City had the worst draft. There were players of value available with the 21st pick and 29th pick, but the Thunder chose Mitch McGary, Nick Collison 2.0, and Josh Huestis, a player they signed to a D-league contract right away but could have easily got in the second round. To me, those are wasted draft picks for a team that has a closing title window.
David Ramil: Hard to judge, given the lack of playing time. Philly comes to mind, although their master plan to tank for consecutive seasons could reap rewards in the future. I think the Heat handled it poorly, acquiring Shabazz Napier in a draft day trade. Napier struggled in summer league play and, given the rumors about Miami’s interest in Leandro Barbosa, could be one of four point guards in camp. Shabazz may eventually be a great player but that won’t happen any time soon. Moreover, the choice was made to satisfy LeBron James, who departed to Cleveland anyway. It seems like a parting shot by James who likely was planning a hometown return even as Miami was doing what they could for him.
Brandon Osborne: I wouldn’t say it was the worst draft but I didn’t like the Kings selection of Nik Stuaskas. The Kings have guards who can shoot but they could’ve used a big man to pair with Cousins. I feel like McDermott or Vonleh should’ve been the pick. I do think Stauskas can be good.