Here are my thoughts on the winners and losers of the 2007 NBA Draft. You can’t really grade a draft until a couple of years have passed, but right now I’ll try to shed some light on what teams may have risked the future and what teams may be headed for good times.

            Portland and Seattle are obvious winners since they got Greg Oden and Kevin Durant, respectively, but other teams had just as good of drafts if not better. Here are my three biggest winners:

1. Milwaukee Bucks               Grade: A+

            I loved what the Bucks did in the draft. The biggest need for Milwaukee was at the power forward position and they went out and addressed that by taking Yi Jianlian. While Yi’s representatives keep saying they won’t let him play in Milwaukee, I’d be surprised if he didn’t. Yi said himself that he will play in Milwaukee and in the end I think that is what will happen.

            It is also worth congratulating GM Larry Harris for ignoring what Yi’s representation said and taking him anyway. The Bucks got what is possibly the third-best player in the draft at the sixth pick. That is real value.

            In the end, Yi’s representation can say what they want, but this is a draft! You can’t choose where you play. You play where you were chosen. If Yi’s team forces a trade then I think they will miss out on what should be a great opportunity for the Chinese big man.

            Yi should fit right in with the Bucks and Andrew Bogut. Yi and Michael Redd will stretch defenses and should allow Bogut to dominate inside. Charlie Villanueva is a similar player to Yi, but he should be able to play some small forward. A lineup with Bogut, Villanueva, and Yi in the frontcourt will be imposing on offense, although, they’ll also be horrible on defense. If nothing else, Yi will be able to play behind Villanueva for a few years until he matures.

            The other pick of the Bucks was one of the best picks of the second round. With the 56th pick in the second round, Milwaukee took point guard Ramon Sessions of Nevada.

            Sessions was said to be a possible late first-rounder or early second-rounder before the draft. While I believed all along Sessions was a solid second-rounder, I do believe that he is an excellent pick late in the second.

            The Bucks had three big needs heading into the draft: power forward, small forward, and point guard. They came away with two of those three needs filled. Sessions has the potential to develop into a solid starting point guard, and should at least be a great back-up.

            Sessions probably should have stayed in school another year, but he is in a good situation with the Bucks. Mo Williams is a free agent and will probably leave. While Sessions is probably not ready to start right now, it’s not too far fetched to see him develop and start a year or two years from now. He’s at least a good start for Milwaukee as a back-up option if Williams leave.

2. Golden State Warriors                    Grade: A

            The Warriors wheeled and dealed on draft night and in the end that helped them get an A. I really loved the Jason Richardson for Brandan Wright trade. Unlike Stephen A. Smith, I believe this is a great move for both teams. Richardson brings the veteran scoring and leadership the Bobcats need, while the Warriors get an extremely talented frontcourt player that is a perfect fit for their system.

            I must say that I was not at all enamored with the Bobcats selection of Wright. The last thing Charlotte needed was a 200 pound power forward whose best skill is blocking shots. Last time I checked, Emeka Okafor played pretty good defense.

            Charlotte also didn’t need to take another Carolina player just to sell tickets. Raymond Felton and Sean May haven’t sold too many tickets or helped win too many games. So when Charlotte took Wright I figured his vast potential would be wasted, but not anymore.

            Golden State is just the team for Wright. Wright fills a big need at power forward, and besides that look at his strengths--running, jumping, dunking, and blocking shots. What kind of big man do the Warriors need? They need ones that can run, jump, dunk, and block shots. Wright will be a big contributor from day one for Golden State.

            I graded down a little since they had to trade an established performer like J-Rich, but it did free up salary that will really help in resigning young stars like Monta Ellis and Andris Beidrins. On talent alone, Wright is one of the top five players in this draft and teamed up with Beidrins in the front court the Warriors should have an excellent defensive duo for years to come.

            However, I believe the Warriors second first round pick was their best selection because Marco Bellinelli fulfills one of the Warriors biggest needs at shooting guard. The Warriors took Bellinelli as just the right spot (18th) and didn’t reach at all. Bellinelli is also a foreign player so he will fit right in with Don Nelson’s up-tempo offense.

            Bellinelli will bring excellent outside shooting to a squad that was already dangerous from the perimeter. I’m sure the Dallas Mavericks just love the thought of Bellinelli raining threes from the perimeter alongside Baron Davis and the rest of the Warriors.

            The final pick for Golden State was Stephane Lasme at number 46. Lasme may not be the best runner but he has one excellent skill—blocking shots. The Warriors took Lasme a couple picks high for my taste. I’d rather seen Golden State take a good shooting small forward like Demetris Nichols or an athletic three-man like Quinton Hosley. With that said, Lasme is still a solid pick.

            Lasme should immediately help contribute on the defensive side, much like former second-rounder Paul Millsap did for the Utah Jazz this year. He rounds out what should be a great 2007 draft class for the suddenly en vogue Warriors.

3. New Jersey Nets                             Grade: A

            Okay, I know what you are saying. How can a team that takes a guy in the first round who was booted off his college team for smoking pot be in the winners circle? Easy, Williams is a heck of a talent.

            I have my own problems with putting the Nets and Williams up here. I struggled with this choice. I read a couple of weeks ago that one executive said that Williams going in the first round shows exactly what is wrong with the NBA, and I do agree with that point.

            However, from talent alone the Nets can’t go wrong with this pick. If Williams keeps clean, and yes that is a big if, then the Nets have the perfect guy to pair with Nenad Krstic down low. Williams was the best defensive player in this year’s draft besides a guy by the name of Oden.

            New Jersey’s biggest need was for a frontcourt player that could play defense and complement the offensive-minded Krstic. Williams fills that role perfectly. New Jersey isn’t too far from competing for a Finals appearance. They just needed those big guys.

            With a healthy Krstic, an improved and healthy Josh Boone, and Williams, the Nets have three bigs that should be able to really produce with Jason Kidd, Vince Carter, and Richard Jefferson. If healthy, expect bigger and better things from New Jersey next season.

Honorable Mention: Washington Wizards

Losers

Here are the three biggest losers besides Cleveland and Denver, who didn’t have picks:

1. Phoenix Suns          Grade: F

            Once again the Suns top my list of losers. Why do they keep selling picks? It is bad enough you gave away Luol Deng, then you gave away Nate Robinson and Sergio Rodriguez, and now Rudy Fernandez.

            The Suns wouldn’t have a cash problem right now if they had kept Deng, because they would have quickly figured out, ‘Hey, Deng is better than Marion and makes a lot less,’ then it would have been bye-bye to Marion.

            Deng is a growing star and will soon be one of the best players in the league. Marion on the other hand is near his peak and only complains about being a third wheel. If the Suns had Deng then they’d be better off, plus Marion could have netted them some nice complementary talent, of course it wouldn’t matter since D’Antoni only plays eight guys.

            Anyway, this year the Suns once again sold their first pick, Rudy Fernandez, a guard from Spain. At first I was like, ‘Man, that’s an excellent pick-up for the Suns.’ Fernandez is just the type of player who would flourish in Phoenix’s system, and he’s an overseas player so they could stash him away for a couple of years. All the signs pointed to an A for Phoenix.

            Then they sold him for cold-hard cash. What is funny is that Phoenix really thinks they can win it all with Marion, Amare Stoudemire, and Steve Nash…but they can’t. This team isn’t tough enough to get past San Antonio or Dallas. If they go out and replace Marion with Kevin Garnett then watch out, but I doubt that happens.

            Phoenix actually kept their other first round pick, Alando Tucker. Unfortunately, Tucker will not be as good of a match as Fernandez.

            I really like Tucker. He was a good four-year college player and in a system like Utah or San Antonio then I believe he could be a very good NBA player, but I just don’t see it happening in Phoenix.

            Phoenix didn’t really need a small forward, but they still took Tucker. They also reached on Tucker who was more of an early-second round type talent.

            Phoenix likes players who can shoot and run and neither is Tucker’s strong suit. Tucker is a tough-minded defensive player who is best down low. Phoenix needed toughness, but I just think they could have done better than Tucker at 29. An investment in foreign point guard Petteri Kopenon would have been a much better pick.

            However, I did love Phoenix’s second round pick, D.J. Strawberry. He will prove to be a steal. Strawberry tested as the best athlete in the draft, he plays excellent defense, and he should have went about 10 picks earlier than 59. Plus, he fills a hole at shooting guard.

            Just watch, Strawberry will eventually crack the rotation in Phoenix. If Strawberry goes to work each day and learns from Raja Bell then you’ll see a player that in a few years will be much better than Bell. Strawberry was just what the doctored ordered for Phoenix in the second round. Unfortunately, one good second round pick can’t erase two bad first round mistakes.

2. Toronto Raptors                  Grade: C

            My main problem with Toronto is what they didn’t do. Toronto didn’t have a first-round pick because of a trade for Lamond Murray in 2002. Well, we all have seen how that trade worked out.

            Murray never played as well for Toronto as he did for Cleveland. So that’s one first-rounder down the drain for a player who never really helped you out. The Raptors could have used that pick, #22 overall, on a player to fill their need for a shooting guard. You could have seen Rudy Fernandez playing in Toronto, but instead Toronto gets nothing. That trade automatically drops them down big in my mind.

            All the rumors before the draft had Toronto talking trade with a number of first round teams like Atlanta and the Clippers. The biggest piece to a new pick would have been Jose Calderon.

            I like Calderon and I understand that you need an insurance policy for the tiny T.J. Ford, but he’s only your back-up. Atlanta supposedly had a great interest in acquiring Calderon for the 11th pick, but Toronto didn’t want to give him up. This was stupid.

            The Raptors could have traded into the first round and gotten Marco Bellinelli. Bellinelli would have been a perfect fit for Toronto and would have immediately upgraded their perimeter game. Instead, Toronto keeps Calderon who is good but will not start anytime soon.

            I didn’t care much for Toronto’s second-round pick either. I know taking Giorgos Printezis in the second round isn’t much of a risk, but I think they could have done better. The Raps traded a 2008 second-rounder, which will probably be higher than the 58th pick, for the rights to Printezis.

            I think Toronto would have been better off getting San Antonio to take the hard-nosed D.J. Strawberry with this pick or trading with Phoenix one spot later. Strawberry would have helped out at shooting guard and added some serious defense on the perimeter which Toronto really lacked last season.  Instead, they took Printezis an international small forward who may or may not ever play in America.

            The Raptors could have been a big winner had they traded into the first round and took Bellinelli or even if they had just gotten their hands on Strawberry. The shooting guard position went unaddressed and I think Toronto could have easily done something about that need and gave their team a much better shot in the Eastern Conference next season.

3. L.A. Clippers                      Grade: C+

            The Clippers went from good two years ago to bad last year, and I doubt they’ll be any better next year.  One reason is because this draft doesn’t help out.

            I like Al Thornton. He’s a good scorer and really carried Florida State to some surprise victories last season. Unfortunately, Thornton is 23 and plays the same position as Corey Maggette. Thornton is also a bit of a combo forward and the Clips also have Elton Brand.

            If the Clippers can get rid of Maggette then the Thornton selection could look better. The main thing I don’t like is that the Clips really needed a point guard and I think Acie Law IV would have been a perfect fit. Law plays the game with the same moxie as Sam Cassell, but without the negative personality.

            The Clips should have tried to trade up to 8 or 10 and took Law. The Clips could have also took Javaris Crittenton at 14 or traded back and got him. The Clips really needed a point guard and while they got Jared Jordan in the second I don’t think he’s the real answer.

            I do think that selecting Jordan was a solid pick. The Clippers had to take a point guard sometime, but my one problem is that Jordan was selected in the mid-second round. That’s a bit high considering Jordan has little to no shot and even less athleticism.

            Plus, Ramon Sessions and national champion Taurean Green were still available. Green would have been a much better and safer pick than Jordan.

            The Clippers could have had a better draft if they had taken Crittenton in the first and Taurean Green in the second. That would have really helped fix that point guard problem, but that is why they are the Clippers.