The people who saw the 2009 NBA Draft on Thursday were in for a special treat when they saw Blake Griffin go No. 1.
Very predictable however.
Then, Hasheem Thabeet went No. 2, which was also predictable. Then things got a bit interesting.
The early shocker was Stephen Curry going number seven to the Golden State Warriors. But what was really neat was that all of the North Carolina players that declared were drafted.
The first Tar Heel chosen was Tyler Hansbrough, who went at number 13 to the Indiana Pacers. This was a good pick, for the Pacers and here is why. Indiana is not known to carry much toughness, especially in the frontcourt.
If you had the treat to see this guy in college then you would know that he’s the real deal for toughness. I think he will start the season on the bench, but he will emerge into that starting position around December.
The second Tar Heel chosen was Ty Lawson, who was picked by the Minnesota Timberwolves. Now I know many of you were wondering why Minnesota picked four guards in the first round, which three were point guards. But, rest assured, they ended up trading Lawson to the Denver Nuggets for a future first round pick.
This is the BEST team for Lawson. You’re putting one of the top, and under-appreciated, point guards in the draft on a team that is surrounded with rising talent. He is also going to appreciate being an apprentice to Denver’s Chauncey Billups.
Probably the most respected guard in the league and known for his patience and leadership on and off the court. Sadly, he will be a bench player for a few years but, learning under Billups will definitely make him one of the top point guards in the league. This was really the best move of the draft Denver should be strong under the point guard position for at least the next 10 years if all goes well.
The Boston Celtics traded their 28th pick to the Minnesota Timberwolves (uh-oh hopefully not for another point guard). Unfortunately, they drafted another guard, but this time it was a shooting guard.
The third Tar Heel selected was Wayne Ellington. This was a pretty decent draft pick. Ellington is a terrific shooter and will definitely be an all-star in the future. They needed to get rid of a great shooting guard in Mike Miller, who was shipped to Washington the day before the Draft. That means that Ellington could very well be the projected starter for the 09-10 season.
They might be losing a little size at that position but I think he will play well and be challenged in the Northwest Division.
What ever happened to Danny Green? Well, he happened to be the only second rounder of all the Tar Heels, but it’s a good thing is that he went to a strong emerging team in Cleveland. I don’t think he will be too special for that team, but could rise as an asset.
Main reason why is because really who has the chance to start over LeBron James? However, this small forward has many good skills. He shoots the ball well, and is a very solid player. He will definitely be trusted to give Lebron a little break, spare him around 5-10 mins a game. Green could even share some court time with James, making it hard to defend them.
Despite the good college career, I think Green will be the only one of the four that will be average. He might only be an all-star once or twice, giving a team about 10 points, five rebound sort of guy.
North Carolina was able to achieve a National Championship ring when they were on the same team. Now, who will be the one to win an NBA Championship ring first?Keywords: Danny Green, NBA Draft, North Carolina, Ty Lawson, Tyler Hansbrough, Wayne Ellington
