The 2015 NBA Draft has concluded. For many fans of their respective teams, there is a lot to smile about. However for others, the 25th of June, 2015 might just be a day that they would rather forget. Nobody will know for sure until a few years down the track, however there is already some sort of indication of the winners and losers.
Winner - Sacramento Kings
The pre-draft talk in Sacramento (and probably the post-draft talk as well) was all about the future of star big man DeMarcus Cousins and the uncertainty that surrounded him. While the uncertainty remains, the Kings have prepared themselves for any scenario.
By drafting yet another Kentucky big man in Willie Cauley-Stein, the Kings have a player that can play with Boogie and someone that will be just as capable playing without him. The athleticism and rim protection that Cauley-Stein provides gives Sacramento something that they simply do not have. Those attributes will make him a good complement to Cousins if he stays.
If Cousins leaves, the Kings will be left with someone that will fit right into George Karl's up tempo system, with his athleticism, as well as all the pieces that the Kings may receive from a potential Cousins trade.
Many will criticize the Kings for passing on Emmanuel Mudiay, who seemingly would have filled their need at point guard. However, now that Mudiay is in Denver, this makes Ty Lawson, a George Karl disciple, extremely available for trade. With their point guard of the future already in place, the Kings should be able to pry Lawson away for a cheaper price and begin the re-assembling of the 2012-13 Nuggets in Sacramento.
Loser - Charlotte Hornets
The Hornets have made a lot of moves lately. But sadly, to no avail.
The off-season started well with the addition of Nicolas Batum and getting rid of Lance Stephenson. Losing Noah Vonleh was a big price to pay, but getting decent perimeter shooting and solid defense on the wing with Batum was too much to pass up. He will be a great compliment to Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and will give the Hornets a great look on the perimeter. However this is where the good ended, and the bad started to trickle in.
First of all, Charlotte became apart of the random Luke Ridnour trades. They started by dealing Matt Barnes, from the Lance Stephenson trade, to the Grizzlies, for their newly acquired point guard Luke Ridnour. Who they then flipped, along with a second round pick for Jeremy Lamb, who has shown nothing of value in the NBA to this point in his career. While Ridnour has shown to be a serviceable backup point guard, who would've given their second unit a better look.
Their draft, to many, hasn't been something to complain about. Frank Kaminsky will add scoring and some sorely needed outside shooting for the Hornets, but Charlotte's frontcourt is already loaded with offensively oriented players. Spencer Hawes, Big Al and Frank the Tank all love to get their fair share of buckets, but play less than convincing defense. This leaves Charlotte with absolutely no rim protection heading into the upcoming 2015-16 season.
If they were to head in the way of some shooting in the frontcourt, wouldn't drafting former Longhorn's centre, Myles Turner have made more sense? Since he can actually play on the defensive side of the ball.
Charlotte have left the draft with more questions than answers.
Winner - Miami Heat
Easily the biggest steal of the draft was Justice Winslow, there is no question about it. Projected to go from pick four till about pick seven, Winslow fell to number 10, right into Pat Riley's open arms.
Winslow's defense and athleticism will translate immediately to NBA level. His touch from outside is better than you would expect and his general offensive game is strong. Winslow will be a perfect fit in Miami. He will be able to be their lockdown defender on the perimeter immediately as he continues to develop his offensive game. Did anyone say Kawhi Leonard?
Winslow will be thrown into a winning environment with veterans such as Dwyane Wade teaching him, a great coach, a wizard of a GM and one of the most professional sports owners on the planet.
With this pick, Miami should be thrusted right into the championship picture. A little bit more shooting, of which there is an abundance of in free agency, would give them the perfect blend of scoring, shooting, defense, rim protection and athleticism, at least with their top six or seven players in the rotation.
It's not often that a draft pick will immediately place a team firmly into the championship picture, but Winslow looks NBA ready and gives the Heat exactly what they need.
Don't sleep on shooting guard Josh Richardson either. He has already sharp offensive skills that could be used by the Heat in just a couple of years. In the short term, look for him to be a D-League player, with no need on the current Miami bench.
Loser - Atlanta Hawks
The Hawks entered the draft with a great opportunity with the 15th pick, a pick that they have because of the 2012 Joe Johnson trade. With a reasonably high pick and already owning a 60-win record, the Hawks had a chance to go boom or bust, looking for a superstar. The Hawks had the perfect pick in their hands with Kelly Oubre, who is the definition of a boom or bust prospect, with terrific athleticism, size and a decent scoring and shooting ability.
For some reason, newly promoted Mike Budenholzer decided to ship him out to Washington for two second round picks and Tim Hardaway Jr in a three-team trade. Both the second round picks are probably staying overseas for a while and possibly won't even come over to the NBA. With that in mind, it's quite obvious that the centrepiece of this trade his Tim Hardaway Jr.
Tim Hardaway Jr. might be more talented than Kelly Oubre right now, but Hardaway Jr. is possibly the worst fit for Atlanta's philosophy. The successful Hawks team were great because of their unselfishness, willingness to pass and surprisingly good defense. Tim Hardaway Jr. resembles none of that.
Hardaway Jr. is essentially a poor man's version of J.R. Smith. Someone that is extremely selfish, unwilling to pass and plays no defense.
Maybe Coach Bud is trying to mix things up a bit, who knows? But right now, the Hawks' draft doesn't make much sense.
Winner - Houston Rockets
After acquiring the 18th pick from New Orleans in last year's Omer Asik trade, the Rockets were in a favorable position. But who would've thought that they would have picked up two players that could contribute right away in their title chase for next season?
Sam Dekker is a lottery talent picked up at the 18th slot. He possesses a strong all-round game. He will immediately be able to provide minutes for the Rockets both in the regular season and the playoffs, with a number of big moments provided by him in the NCAA tournament. Dekker's shooting and scoring will be especially useful for Houston's second unit which last season wasn't particularly strong.
Montrezl Harrell will be able to provide valuable energy minutes off the bench, with his solid post defense, athleticism and great rebounding ability. In the playoffs, energy players can be some of the most important people. They often swing the balance of games, which can be the difference on a path to the title.
The Rockets got two great value picks in Dekker and Harrell. Both should be able to contribute right away and give the Rockets more success.
Heading into the 2015-16 season, these might just be the teams that dominate the headlines. For some, it will be the right reasons, for others, completely wrong reasons.