With the 2015 COMO Draft in the books, it's time to grade the performances from each GM. The analysis — sorted alphabetically — is below: Chaska Moose No. 9 Kristaps Porzingis (PF/C, Latvia) No. 20 Bobby Portis (PF, Arkansas) The Moose stood by silently and waited for the Top 8 to unfold before plucking Porzingis, a project big who might be ready to challenge for a starting spot in two seasons. Chaska is arguably the most talented squad in the league, so they can afford to let ‘Taps progress slowly. This was a perfect fit. Portis stood out in spurts this summer, and could worm his way into minutes if he’s able to do the small things well. Chaska will likely hang on to Tim Duncan on Cut Day, leaving them out of the larger free agent picture. This is good for Portis, whose roster spot depends on the Moose standing pat financially this October. B Colorado Hilltoppers No. 5 Justise Winslow (SF, Duke) No. 16 Kelly Oubre, Jr. (SF/PF, Kansas) There’s expected to be a lot of turnover in Greeley before the season starts, with James Harden functioning as the lone centerpiece of a roster that will struggle to make a serious dent in the playoff race. The jury is still out on last year’s No. 5 (Doug McDermott), but GM Collin Atkinson appears to have added two pretty talented options on the wing this time around. B+ Duval United No. 6 Myles Turner (C, Texas) No. 17 Willie Cauley-Stein (PF/C, Kentucky) Here we have the best draft night of any team. Duval landed Turner — a surefire COMO stud — and then turned around and scooped up Cauley-Stein, who fell roughly 10 picks below his projected slot for reasons unknown. While the team is hurting for guards much more than frontcourt talent, the fine folks in Jacksonville made talent-based picks that are pretty inarguable. A Hollywood Hornets No picks Thanks to ex-GM Curt Clauss’ lack of day-to-day control, the Hornets had to forfeit both picks in this year’s draft. Consider it karmic retribution for somehow landing the second slot in the lottery last summer, a stroke of luck that allowed the team to add Andrew Wiggins and Aaron Gordon. How will Hollywood screw up its championship run this year? That’s up to new GM Aaron Nutting. F Kansas City Monarchs No. 10 Frank Kaminsky (PF/C, Wisconsin) Having traded their second-rounder to Shorewood for Jared Sullinger last fall, the Monarchs had but one selection on Sunday. The 10th slot was not favorable for a team that needs small forward help (and watched Mario Hezonja, Justise Winslow and Stanley Johnson fly off the board before picking), but GM Jack Nowland made the most of his situation by picking up one of the more intriguing prospects in the pool. The former Wisconsin Badger will be competing with last year’s lottery pick (No. 4 Julius Randle) for time in the frontcourt. There will be plenty of minutes available behind Sullinger and Marc Gasol, as Serge Ibaka is likely headed for free agency. Kaminsky is a strong addition, both for depth and for his offensive potential. B- Manhattan Spiders No. 3 D’Angelo Russell (PG, Ohio State) No. 13 Sam Dekker (SG/SF, Wisconsin) No. 22 Justin Anderson (SG, Virginia) Manhattan was the odd man out of the Towns/Okafor sweepstakes, but Russell is not a bad consolation prize (nor is the No. 1 overall pick in October’s expansion draft). While Dekker does not elicit much excitement, he could potentially provide some pure offense for the Spiders as they push for the No. 8 seed this season. Anderson was a nice addition at 22, but is a long shot to still be on the squad by tipoff in 2016. B- Minneapolis Player Haterzz No. 1 Karl-Anthony Towns (PF/C, Kentucky) No. 18 Tyus Jones (PG, Duke) If GM Dan Renfro can coax LeBron back to Minneapolis this October, he will have officially capped the best year ever for a general manager that oversaw a 10-win team. He scored a pick-flip clause that allowed him Towns instead of a B-level prospect, and he played the trade deadline well by picking up some young talent (DeRozan, Dieng, etc.) with no repercussions. That’s a big “if,” though. Newport Beach appears to be the favorite for Bron — but then again, I guess that’s not necessarily a horrible thing. Minneapolis would then be in the driver’s seat for Chris Paul. Team him with Blake Griffin and the playable scraps on the roster, and the Player Haterzz will find themselves right back in the postseason. Sunday night, Towns (via pick flip) was enough to merit a strong grade, even with the homerest of homer picks at No. 18. A- Minnesnowta Chill Traded to Shorewood: No. 8 (Stanley Johnson), No. 19 (Nikola Milutinov) and rights to a second-round pick swap in both 2016 and 2017. Received: PF/C Mason Plumlee This trade had everyone talking hours before the draft began, but there’s no use in declaring a winner (league sentiment: Shorewood) until Plumlee shows what he has in a new environment. Can he be a 22-bone workhorse? Absolutely. But he could also remain slightly below the 20 mark until he fizzles into a bench player. This has the feel of a win-win for the parties involved, unless Johnson and a couple other players in that general vicinity pan out in a big way. Still, ‘Snowta needed another body in its eight-man lineup, and Plumlee is a stronger addition than the waiver wire was likely to provide. C+ Newport Beach Grizzlies Traded to Shorewood: No. 12 (Jerian Grant), Top-8 protected first-round pick (indefinite) Received: PG Trey Burke, No. 7 overall pick No. 4 Mario Hezonja (SG, Spain) No. 7 Emmanuel Mudiay (PG, China) No. 15 Rashad Vaughn (SG/SF, UNLV) Newport didn’t really need point guard help with John Wall and Russell Westbrook on the roster for years to come, but it gave up quite a bit (No. 12, protected first) for the right to take Mudiay at No. 7. That’s not exactly a problem — talent is talent — but they might’ve paid a bit too much to the backcourt when Nikola Vucevic will be the only healthy big on the roster after Cut Day. It’s tough to argue with the haul, though. Hezonja, Mudiay and Vaughn could all be start-worthy soon. B+ Rio Rainmakers No. 11 Trey Lyles (SF/PF, Kentucky) Thanks to his savage lineup management this year, GM Brendan Halleron blew a high lottery pick and lost Rio’s second rounder in the process. The team ended up closing out the first round with a solid pick in Lyles, but no one left the draft with more of an empty feeling (save Hollywood). For Halleron and owner Prince, the draft was simply a long reminder of this past year’s transgressions. C Shorewood Show Traded to Minnesnowta & Newport Beach: PF/C Mason Plumlee, PG Trey Burke, No. 7 (Emmanuel Mudiay) Received: No. 8 overall pick, No. 12 overall pick, No. 19 overall pick, Top-8 protected first-round pick (indefinite), rights to second-round swap in both 2016 and 2017 No. 8 Stanley Johnson (SF, Arizona) No. 12 Jerian Grant (PG, Notre Dame) No. 19 Nikola Mulitinov (PF/C, Greece) No. 21 Cedi Osman (SF, Turkey) No team was more active than Shorewood, which flipped No. 7 and two assets for a treasure trove of future assets. There are two names that could come back to haunt the Show (Plumlee and Mudiay), but they won’t exactly be hanging over GM Alex Smith’s head given the return. Johnson was perhaps the best player in Summer League, and he — along with fellow Summer star Jerian Grant — will be given plenty of time to grow on the bench. Milutinov and Osman join Dario Saric in Shorewood’s ever-growing stable of overseas talent. Then, there’s another first-rounder for Newport Beach floating around, and the opportunity to flip second-rounders with Minnesnowta — twice. If assets are king, then Shorewood is Kong. A- Sunnyvale Slayers No. 2 Jahlil Okafor (PF/C, Duke) No. 14 Joseph Young (PG/SG, Oregon) No. 23 Devin Booker (SG, Kentucky) The Slayers added their first three players, snagging a surefire producer in Okafor with No. 2, a big question mark in Young at No. 14, and a huge value pick in Booker at No. 23. The results are nice: Two potential stars (Okafor and Booker) with a high-risk, high-reward snag in the second round (Young). I’m inclined to declare Sunnyvale the early winner over Manhattan, but things will get mighty interesting when the Expansion Draft rolls around this October. Several possible strategies will be in play, but the No. 8 seed could definitely be in play in the two squads opt for big contracts over potential. B+
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NASHVILLE -- It's not often that a draft begins at No. 4, but that's what happened Sunday night. The first three picks went by without incident; Kentucky big man Karl-Anthony Towns to Minneapolis. Duke post Jahlil Okafor to Sunnyvale. Ohio State guard D'Angelo Russell to Manhattan. Victims of a 1-to-4 switch after Minneapolis triggered a trade clause, the Newport Beach Grizzlies were ready to shake things up. "Since that d--kbag [Minneapolis GM Daniel] Renfro triggered the pick swap, we knew we were essentially on the clock with Towns, Okafor and Russell guaranteed to go one, two and three," general manager Peter Mayer said. "Because of that, Mario has been our guy since Day 1." That'd be Mario Hezonja, a Croatian-born guard who most recently played for Barcelona. The Grizzlies scooped him up, and then traded into the No. 7 slot to draft 19-year-old Emmanuel Mudiay. The trade was made possible after Colorado took Justise Winslow (No. 5) and Duval United took Myles Turner (No. 6), stealing away Shorewood's top player remaining. The Show then decided to flip No. 7 to Newport in exchange for No. 12 (Notre Dame's Jerian Grant) and a Top 8-protected first-round pick in 2016. Hezonja and Mudiay are now part of a crowded Newport backcourt that already includes Russell Westbrook, John Wall, Kemba Walker and Trey Burke (whom Mayer acquired from Shorewood on Sunday). "We felt that Manny Mudiay was a must-have," Mayer said. "And yes, the backcourt is certainly filling up, but it allows us to focus solely on bolstering the frontcourt in free agency." For the Sunnyvale Slayers and Manhattan Spiders, the night marked a major milestone. Each added its first-ever players. While Sunnyvale GM Matthew Quammen was more interested in talking smack to other owners ("S--- my c--- from the back"), Manhattan GM Alex Krause elaborated on why Russell was the easy choice in the third spot. "We had a pretty good guess that Russell was going to fall there," Kraus said. "But it becomes truly exciting when it actually happens. Russell is a flashy player, and incredibly smooth when leading the half-court offense -- and in transition. This being a point guard-dominated league, we felt Russell was our guy to build our team around." Sunnyvale added Oregon's Joe Young (No. 14) and Kentucky's Devin Booker (No. 23) in the second round, while Manhattan went with Wisconsin's Sam Dekker (No. 13) and Virginia's Justin Anderson (No. 22). "We felt that we got the main guys that we were targeting," Kraus said. "We have some nice pieces that can help lead this franchise. We've liked Dekker from the get-go, and had to go with our gut. If he gets a consistent jumper, he could be a huge steal. Anderson was actually one of the guys we debated on with the previous pick. He'll have some work to do finding a niche in the offense, but could definitely find himself contributing as a rookie." So who will rise above the rest and snag Rookie of the Year? Minneapolis' top selection might find some good playing time on a depleted roster. "Karl-Anthony is a stud," Player Haterzz GM Dan Renfro said. "He bends the game in a way no one can. His development will be quick and obvious on his way to being a superstar. In the meantime, he'll be a solid contributor on this championship contender." Renfro added Duke point guard (and Minneapolis native) Tyus Jones at No. 18. "Tyus has been scouted since he was 13," Renfro said. "Even though he opted to not attend my high school grad party, I trust him to be a solid backup." Here's a rundown of Sunday night's action:
1.1 (1). Minneapolis Karl-Anthony Towns, PF/C, Kentucky (Minnesota) 1.2 (2). Sunnyvale Jahlil Okafor, PF/C, Duke (Philadelphia) 1.3 (3). Manhattan D'Angelo Russell, PG, Ohio State (Los Angeles Lakers) 1.4 (4). Newport Beach Mario Hezonja, SG, Brazil (Orlando) 1.5 (5). Colorado Justise Winslow, SF, Duke (Miami) 1.6 (6). Duval United Myles Turner, PF/C, Texas (Indiana) 1.7 (7). Newport Beach (from Shorewood) Emmanuel Mudiay, PG, China (Denver) 1.8 (8). Shorewood (from Minnesnowta) Stanley Johnson, SF, Arizona (Detroit) 1.9 (9). Chaska Kristaps Porzingis, PF/C, Latvia (New York) 1.10 (10). Kansas City Frank Kaminsky, PF/C, Wisconsin (Charlotte) 1.11 (11). Rio Trey Lyles, SF/PF, Kentucky (Utah) 2.1 (12). Shorewood (from Newport Beach) Jerian Grant, PG, Notre Dame (New York) 2.2 (13). Manhattan Sam Dekker, SG, Wisconsin (Houston) 2.3 (14). Sunnyvale Joseph Young, PG/SG, Oregon (Indiana) 2.4 (15). Newport Beach (from Minneapolis) Rashad Vaughn, SG/SF, UNLV (Milwaukee) 2.5 (16). Colorado Kelly Oubre, Jr., SF/PF, Kansas (Washington) 2.6 (17). Duval United Willie Cauley-Stein, PF/C, Kentucky (Sacramento) 2.7 (18). Minneapolis (from Shorewood) Tyus Jones, PG, Duke (Minnesota) 2.8 (19). Shorewood (from Minnesnowta) Nikola Milutinov, PF/C, Greece (San Antonio) 2.9 (20). Chaska Bobby Portis, PF, Arkansas (Chicago) 2.10 (21). Shorewood (from Kansas City) Cedi Osman, SF, Turkey (Cleveland) C.1 (22). Manhattan Justin Anderson, SG, Virginia C.2 (23). Sunnyvale Devin Booker, SG, Kentucky |
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