Biggest Winners

Anthony Bennett – Who picked this one? Probably just the Cavs. First overall selection despite the odds, quite the day for the Canadian forward out of UNLV.

Steven Adams – Wow. Portland was the highest plausible chance for Adams to be drafted, but they picked highly rated guard Michael Carter-Williams, and once Philadelphia traded for Nerlens Noel Oklahoma City were free to draft the 7 footed kiwi. What a great deal for Adams. I was thinking maybe late teens in terms of picks. No New Zealander has ever been drafted this high before (in fact only Sean Marks had ever been drafted at all from NZ) so to go 12th is an incredible achievement for New Zealand sport in general. Even though it has been acknowledged that Adams is a raw talent, and will therefore probably spend a bit of time in the Development League, this is nothing but a huge victory for Steven. OKC are a title contending team, and hopefully Adams can have an impact late in the season. Special highlights included David Stern trying to get his tongue around the name Rotorua.

Minnesota Timberwolves – I love where these guys are going. A lot of young players, headlined by Ricky Rubio and Kevin Love give Minnesota a strong core, and as good as Trey Burke is, they got great value in trading down for Shabazz Muhammad and Gorgui Dieng. If they land OJ Mayo as they hope too, this is a dangerous team.

Sacramento Kings – With Ben McLemore and Ray McCallum to go with current King Isaiah Thomas, the Kings have got themselves a handy backcourt.

International Players – 12 international born players went in the first round, more than ever before.

David Stern – There is a reason why the NBA is the most globally appealing league out of the big 4 in the US. Stern is a great part of that reason. After 30 years, he is stepping down as commissioner, but he still spoke through a chorus of boos all night. And he loved every minute of it. Bringing Hakeem Olajuwon, the first pick Stern ever announced, out to help present the last one he will ever announce, was a lovely touch too. Hakeem even wore his 1983 suit.

 
Biggest Losers

Boston Celtics – Ouch. I know it’s not really draft related, but that Garnett/Pierce/Terry trade signals once and for all where this team is headed and it’s not to the finals. Boston is firmly in rebuilding mode with almost nobody left on the team other than Rondo. It was a sad day for Celtics fans. At least Kelly Olynyk is a decent player.

Charlotte Bobcats – They only had the one pick, but it was the fourth one on the board, so they really should have gotten better quality than Cody Zeller, who is a talented guy, but with Nerlens Noel, Alex Len and Ben McLemore still around, this was pretty surprising. Will he be the scorer that Charlotte so desperately need?

Detroit Pistons – For a team who need a guard more than anyone, they passed up potential stars like Trey Burke, Michael Carter-Williams and C.J. McCollum for the safe option in Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. ‘Safe’ won’t get you into the playoffs though.

Other Notables

Nerlens Noel – He was touted as the favourite for the first pick. He looked lost and confused for a while, but once his name was called (6th overall) all was fine. He was drafted by New Orleans, which set up a curious roster situation with Anthony Davis, dubbed “Block Party” by the experts, but it was soon cleared up when Philadelphia traded for Noel. That trade was a massive talking point too, with all-star guard Jrue Holiday on his way to the Pelicans.

Dallas Mavericks – They predictably traded down, but got good value of it with Shane Larkin and a gamble on Ricky Ledo. You can see where this is going for Dallas though, dumping cap space for a run at Dwight Howard in free agency. If they get him it’ll all be worthwhile. If he goes to Houston instead, which a lot of experts are suggesting he should, there isn’t really a plan B. Boom or bust for the Mavs.