Dave Del Grande provides an instant draft grade and analyzes each team's selection in the first round of the 2009 NBA Draft, which starts at 7:30 p.m. ET on Thurs. June 25.
First Round live analysis · Draft Trades · NBA Draft
| Live NBA Draft analysis - Round 1 (TSX's Dave Del Grande) | |||
| Selection No. 1: | Grade | Video | |
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L.A. Clippers select: Blake Griffin, PF, Oklahoma Analysis: Collegiate MVP added to Sooner tradition; doing same for Clippers would not be good thing ... Best part about selection: Less reason to keep Zach Randolph around. |
A |
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| Selection No. 2: | Grade | Video | |
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Memphis Grizzlies select: Hasheem Thabeet, C, Connecticut Analysis: More bad news for Memphis basketball: League's second-worst offensive team adds stiff-like defensive standout. Nooooo. |
D |
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| Selection No. 3: | Grade | Video | |
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Oklahoma City Thunder select: James Harden, SG, Arizona State Analysis: Get out the pump: One basketball's not sufficient for Harden, Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook ... Ricky Rubio a better fit. |
C |
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| Selection No. 4: | Grade | Video | |
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Sacramento Kings select: Tyreke Evans, PG/SG, Memphis Analysis: Francisco Garcia, Quincy Douby, Spencer Hawes, Jason Thompson the last four years ... Addition of Memphis tweener one for the thumb -- a thumb's down. |
D |
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| Selection No. 5: | Grade | Video | |
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Minnesota Timberwolves select: Ricky Rubio, PG, DKV Joventut Analysis: Franchise-energizer should have gone three picks higher ... Will go down as guy stolen from Wizards in Manhattan-type deal. |
A |
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| Selection No. 6: | Grade | Video | |
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Minnesota Timberwolves select: Jonny Flynn, PG, Syracuse Analysis: Two point guards? No proof "Wildcat" offense works in NBA ... Have to wonder if club believes Rubio's contract buyout will be problem. |
F |
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| Selection No. 7: | Grade | Video | |
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Golden State Warriors select: Stephen Curry, PG, Davidson Analysis: Wanted to make New York home; landed on other coast's version of run-and-gun, defenseless basketball ... Bombs away: Team that loves 3's finally employs pure shooter. |
B |
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| Selection No. 8: | Grade | Video | |
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New York Knicks select: Jordan Hill, PF, Arizona Analysis: Now becomes Knicks fan, foolishly believing he'll be rebounding for LeBron James someday ... Alas, good to know you're team's best player from Day 1. |
A |
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| Selection No. 9: | Grade | Video | |
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Toronto Raptors select: DeMar DeRozan, SG, Southern California Analysis: High-potential guard gives Shawn Marion reason to re-sign, Chris Bosh reason to stick around ... Last year's USC freshman selection (O.J. Mayo) turned out to be wise choice. |
A |
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| Selection No. 10: | Grade | Video | |
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Milwaukee Bucks select: Brandon Jennings, PG, Lottomatica Analysis: Talk about hard-luck sentence: Collegiate objector joins team that's already raised white flag on 2009-10 season ... Bucks could have gotten similar player 10 spots lower. |
D |
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| Selection No. 11: | Grade | Video | |
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New Jersey Nets select: Terrence Williams, SG, Louisville Analysis: Knicks fans politely applauded choice; is that good thing or bad for cross-river rivals? ... Rebounds well for swingman -- that's nice asset being that newcomer Rafer Alston misses lot of shots. |
B |
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| Selection No. 12: | Grade | Video | |
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Charlotte Bobcats select: Gerald Henderson, SG, Duke Analysis: UNC connection (Raymond Felton, Sean May) hasn't panned out; going Duke direction makes even less sense ... Mediocre player joins mediocre team. Hey, that's heading in right direction in East. |
D |
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| Selection No. 13: | Grade | Video | |
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Indiana Pacers select: Tyler Hansbrough, PF, North Carolina Analysis: Bit hard to swallow with Earl Clark and DeJuan Blair still on board ... On flip side, good to see team recognizes Troy Murphy's soft numbers are bogus. |
C |
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| Selection No. 14: | Grade | Video | |
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Phoenix Suns select: Earl Clark, SF, Louisville Analysis: Will have trouble co-existing with Amare Stoudemire, but might not have to ... Speaking of which: Which Warriors fan started incredibly lopsided Stoudemire-to-Golden State rumor? |
B |
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| Selection No. 15: | Grade | Video | |
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Detroit Pistons select: Austin Daye, SF, Gonzaga Analysis: Someone once said: I'd take five Tayshaun Princes. Well, Pistons now employ two of them ... Last Gonzaga star (Adam Morrison) turned out to be wasted pick. |
B |
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| Selection No. 16: | Grade | Video | |
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Chicago Bulls select: James Johnson, PF, Wake Forest Analysis: If size-challenged club had to go with undersized power forward, why not tough one like DeJuan Blair? ... The good news: Going big indicates team believes it can re-sign Ben Gordon. |
C |
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| Selection No. 17: | Grade | Video | |
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Philadelphia 76ers select: Jrue Holiday, PG, UCLA Analysis: Perfect choice for team that might lose Andre Miller or could swing Andre Iguodala to forward if star point guard stays ... Have to wonder: If UCLA freshman knew he'd slip to 17, would he have stayed in school? |
A |
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| Selection No. 18: (rights traded to Denver) | Grade | Video | |
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Minnesota Timberwolves select: Ty Lawson, PG, North Carolina Analysis: Proposed deal with Denver ends up happening. Gotta say: Too bad, because if NBA adds three-man weave to All-Star Weekend, Timberwolves would have been lock. |
A |
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| Selection No. 19: | Grade | Video | |
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Atlanta Hawks select: Jeff Teague, PG, Wake Forest Analysis: Adding talented Wake Forest standout and Jamal Crawford allows club to let 3-point-shooting point guard Mike Bibby to walk ... Has to be praying: Please don't have me guard LeBron James in playoffs. |
B |
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| Selection No. 20: | Grade | Video | |
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Utah Jazz select: Eric Maynor, PG, Virginia Commonwealth Analysis: Team with question marks upfront didn't need limited-minutes backup for Deron Williams ... Twenty picks in, left wondering: What did Carlos Boozer-like DeJuan Blair do wrong in predraft workouts? |
D |
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| Selection No. 21: | Grade | Video | |
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New Orleans Hornets select: Darren Collison, PG, UCLA Analysis: Defensive stalwart ideal tag-team partner for Chris Paul ... Play versatile guard along Paul and Hornets fast break becomes blur. |
A |
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| Selection No. 22: | Grade | Video | |
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Portland Trail Blazers select: Victor Claver, PF, Pamesa Valencia Analysis: Will take Spanish star a few years to find Portland, which doesn't help club move up anytime soon ... In year of point guard, hard to believe team that needs one wouldn't go that direction. |
F |
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| Selection No. 23: | Grade | Video | |
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Sacramento Kings select: Omri Casspi, SF, Maccabi Tel Aviv Analysis: Two uninspired choices put franchise in pole position in race for No. 1 pick next June ... Perhaps hoping point guard of future -- Patty Mills from nearby St. Mary's College -- slips to second round. |
F |
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| Selection No. 24: (rights traded to Oklahoma City) | Grade | Video | |
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Dallas Mavericks select: B.J. Mullens, C, Ohio State Analysis: Yes, team that's embarrassingly trotted centers Erick Dampier and DeSagana Diop out there in recent years could do worse ... The guy couldn't start for team that lost finale to Siena, for crying out loud. |
F |
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| Selection No. 25: (rights traded to Dallas) | Grade | Video | |
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Oklahoma City Thunder select: Rodrigue Beaubois, C, Connecticut Analysis: Claver, Casspi, Beaubois ... last third of first round turning into bit of a tongue-twisting joke ... Rumored deal for Mullens makes sense for Mavericks, not for Thunder. |
C |
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| Selection No. 26: | Grade | Video | |
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Chicago Bulls select: Taj Gibson, PF, Southern California Analysis: Repeating: DeJuan Blair is still available ... Classic quantity over quality selection. Having picked Johnson earlier, why bank on one less-than-stellar talent when you can bring in two? |
D |
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| Selection No. 27: | Grade | Video | |
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Memphis Grizzlies select: DeMarre Carroll, PF, Missouri Analysis: Hard-worker a much more enlightened choice than team's clunker 25 picks earlier ... Adds depth to team that -- before its No. 2 selection -- had done good job acquiring front-liners. |
B |
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| Selection No. 28: | Grade | Video | |
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Minnesota Timberwolves select: Wayne Ellington, SG, North Carolina Analysis: Drafting pair of national champs good idea when that club probably could beat yours ... Bottom line, however: Stockpiling four first-round picks highly overrated. |
B |
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| Selection No. 29: (rights traded to New York) | Grade | Video | |
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L.A. Lakers select: Toney Douglas, SG, Florida State Analysis: This pick is headed to New York. Question is: Would you rather play little for great team or a lot for bad club? ... With guaranteed first-round money, have to wonder if high-scoring guard really cares. |
C |
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| Selection No. 30: | Grade | Video | |
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Cleveland Cavaliers select: Christian Eyenga, SG/SF, Congo Analysis: Throw-away selection for team that acquired pretty good big man earlier in day ... Says here: Best pick of second round will be Australian star Mills. |
F |
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