2011 Draft Grades: Lottery Picks 1-13

1 Detroit Pistons - Kyrie Irving PG 6'2'' 185 19 B- C+ B- B- D+ A
2 Detroit Pistons (from Nets) - Derrick Williams PF 6'8'' 235 20 B C+ C- B- C+ A

What can be said about Detroit, that hasn't already been said about Afghanistan; it's bombed out, and depleted. Jeb dealt 4/5 of his starting lineup yesterday to bring in the two most highly touted rookies of this class - Kyrie Irving and Derrick Williams. The only two consensus top picks, it's a dream position for jebly to be in, to have been able to acquire both of these budding stars. Irving, while not on the same level as Wall or Rose, is set to be a franchise player, but wait!... so is Derrick Williams!

Grade: A+

3 Los Angeles Lakers - Avery Bradley SG 6'3'' 180 21 B- C+ C+ B+ D+ A

Afro picks up the best of the rest, before the mangled bunch of Euro's and unknowns started popping up on the board. Avery Bradley was seen as many as a solid lotto pick last season, before he withdrew his name to return to Texas. This year, his stock went through the roof, as he went #3 overall to the Lakers who are under new management.

Bradley will bring a mixture of passing, shooting and penetration to play alongside DeRozan, the #11 pick last season, and lockdown defense on the wings. It's unclear what Afro's plan is for the duo, but DeMar is pretty much a lock for the SG position, while Avery can bounce around between the 2. Face value, this pick was very safe, and very smart.

Grade: B+

5 Miami Heat - Jonas Valanciunas (Overseas) C 6'11'' 240 19 C+ D C- B- B- A

Sir Valanciunas was deemed by many as the best Center prospect of the draft, with one problem: He was staying overseas for another year before coming to the SSBL. Initially, it was believed that this turn of events would greatly hurt Jonas' stock, however Luca pulled the trigger on the promising big at the #5 slot.

Jonas should bring the Heat a great presence in the post next to budding young big Andray Blatche, and Luca is hopeful Jonas will take over for Marc Gasol as soon as he arrives stateside. V fits the mold of Luca's defensive blueprint, with a hard nosed demeanor, and toughness on the boards. With nobody standing in his way, Valanciunas should get big minutes on a young squad.

Grade: A-

6 Indiana Pacers - Bismack Biyombo PF 6'9'' 240 19 C+ D D+ B B- A

This young man from the Congo was expected to go anywhere between 5 and 12, possibly even higher depending on draft workouts. For Indiana, Bismack's defensive presence and promise of many 7+ block games was enough incentive to take the bull at #6. As it stands, Indiana's frontcourt is comprised of Roy Hibbert, Kevin Seraphin and Edin Bavcic - all 3 of which do not possess the talent that Biyombo does as a draft prospect.

Kemba moved things around last year, bringing in the 3rd overall pick in Tyreke Evans in a deal that shipped out Kobe Bryant. The youth overhaul has treated Indiana with favor here too. Biyombo is expected to come in and play an immediate role for the team and there is nothing pointing to this being a bad pick.

Grade: A-

7 Los Angeles Clippers - Donatas Motiejunas PF 7'0'' 215 21 B- B- D+ C+ C+ B

Brian has always done things his way, not giving a lick of regard to what anyone else has said or will continue to say. With that said; Donatas Motiejunas is a talented offensive player, has his moments on defense, but the biggest knock on him currently is his desire. He doesn't seem to play with that certain fire and passion that sets apart the superstars of the league. Without a doubt, Donatas will come in and score points for the Clipps, but if Brian were looking for his cornerstone, well, it probably could have come from a different player such as Jan Vesely.

Grade: B

8 Dallas Mavericks (from Wizards) - Alec Burks SG 6'6'' 200 20 B- B- C B- C- A

Looking at the Mavs roster, you see that each position is filled with a solid and (relatively) young player. The most notable positions are Center which is occupied by the Ostertag like Cole Aldrich, Shooting Guard led by dynamic scorer Shan Foster, and Point guard which is manned by one of the leagues brightest stars in Jordan Farmar. Dallas originally acquired this pick in the trade that sent David Lee to Washington for Brewer, Livingston and JJ Hickson. So, while they gave up their franchise bigman, they acquired 4 great pieces to fill their roster up around Farmar. While Alec Burks may have arguably been the best player left on the board, at #8, it's hard to discern best talent available and team needs - as all the players are normally on the same level at this point anyway.

Corey Brewer has never been a consistent threat on the wing, and at 25, is getting no younger. Jan Vesely, passed by the Clippers, or even Kawhi Leonard would have been a great fit here for the Mavericks. Vesely has the ability to play both forward positions with his combination of size, strength, and athleticism, while Leonard is seen by many as a lockdown defender in the pro's. Whether JCarter decides to play Burks at SF is the real issue. at 6'6" and only 200 pounds, Burks was made for the 2-Guard, and the 2-Guard only.

Grade: B- sorry

9 San Antonio Spurs (from Trailblazers) - Kawhi Leonard SF 6'7'' 225 20 B- C C- B- B- A

San Antonio was lucky enough to have acquired a lottery pick during a fruitful playoff season. They're pretty much stacked at every position, however have a few question marks at SF, which is why they went with Leonard. It's safe to say Center is the biggest weakness of this team, but with no great talented bigs left on the board, Leonard should come in and play a minimal role from the start until he is more acclimated with the pro game. Leonard brings hard nosed defense, with amazing athleticism. His ability to run the floor should allow San Antonio to play faster than previous years with Tim Thomas aging, and Dirk climbing up the ranks of the elderly as well. Marcus Williams is still one of the best PG's and Leonard should benefit a ton from playing with him. Safe pick here, best talent available.

Grade: B+

10 Phoenix Suns - Tristan Thompson PF 6'8'' 235 20 C+ D D+ B B- A

After publicly bashing Tristan Thompson, calling him a tweener, miketrain selects Thompson at #10. Where is he going to play though? After investing DJ Augustin and the #15 overall for DeMarcus Cousins, it was assumed MT was giving the PF position over to DMC. There will probably be a clash of the immature somewhere down the line between Cousins and Thompson, but that remains to be seen. As it stands, MT has a promising young big with room to grow on his team, with "the best true center in the SSBL" and a top 5 pick standing in his way. F Jan Vesely who, as stated earlier, can play both forward positions was still available and could have brought some versatility to the Suns lineup.

Grade: B+

11 New York Knicks - Jan Vesely SF 6'11'' 240 21 B- C+ D+ B- C+ A

The Knicks #11 selection of Jan Vesely was the steal of the draft - the best pick by far in the lottery yet. Jan brings an inside/out game featuring top-notch athleticism and a ceiling to grow like no other. Jan has the ability to play either forward position, and excels at both. On a young Knicks squad, Vesely will fit in perfectly as the main man at SF. With Paul George to back up both the SF/SG positions, and Ed Davis to man the 4, Vesely will be surrounded by veterans and youth alike.

Grade: A+


12 (Portland Trailblazers) - Xavier Henry SG 6'6'' 210 20 B- C+ C- B- C A

Cleveland made a dummy pick for Portland at 11, picking Xavier Henry. Portland is a team full of athletic 3's, and 3 great PG's, but not one SG. After dealing James Harden in a deal which brought in DJ Augustin and Kevin Love, Xavier Henry was the only pick that would make sense. Portland is young at every position, and hope that Henry can fill out the starting lineup for the long term.

Grade: A-

13 Charlotte Bobcats - Kenneth Faried SF 6'8'' 225 22 B- D+ D+ B- B+ C

The Kenneth Faried lottery ended with the Bobcats at #13. It was anticipated Faried would end up being selected higher, considering his skill set, but questions of true position and potential came into reality and he ended up probably where he would have gone to begin with. Charlotte grabs one of the most skilled players in the draft, already able to rebound on a professional level. Faried should be able to come in for the Bobcats and play a 6th man role off the bench at Center and both Forward positions. He's deceptively quick, and has great strength which he uses to bull into the post for offensive rebounds and 2 point putbacks. Faried will score if given the chance, and the Bobcats are hoping that's exactly what he'll figure out how to do quickly.

Grade: B+