SB Nation - Martynas Andriuskevicius

2005 NBA Draft Second Round Re-draft: Part 2

Jon L — Wed, 20 May 2009 17:00:13 -0000

Dwayne Jones went undrafted in 2005. You can bet that we're not letting that happen again.

We're back for another day of re-drafting the 2005 second round. As part 1 showed, there were some quality players available who were either drafted lower than they should have been (Monta Ellis, arguably Andray Blatche) or not at all. If there's a theme I picked up on, it's that it's definitely possible to find quality players all throughout the second round. All you need is a little luck and a good scouting department (hindsight doesn't hurt, either, nor does an honest assessment of roster needs even with the 55th pick).

The takeaway from this should be that while the 2005 draft is currently regarded as fairly weak, and I don't necessarily disagree with that assessment, "weak" can still equal NBA players. Here in part 2 we're working the back half of the second round, and while it may not be as star-studded as part 1, there are still some quality players to be found. See you after the jump.

46. Indiana Pacers (original pick - Erazem Lorbek)

As you've seen, there were a lot of European players taken this year that either didn't come over to the NBA at all or only stayed for a short time. Lorbek has some skills, but if the Pacers were looking for a center who needed to develop for a few years, might I suggest Martynas Andriuskevicius? It may seem like an odd pick, but if Andrius. (yes, I abbreviated it; you write that name twice in a row) hadn't been punched in the head by Awvee Storey, it's possible the Pacers could've drafted the next Rik Smits.

47. Minnesota Timberwolves (original pick - Bracey Wright)

Wright was a three-point shooter coming out of Indiana University, but the Timberwolves were lousy with guards that year, including current D-Leaguer Richie Frahm (and also Marcus Banks. I told you they were lousy). The only centers they had on their roster were Michael Olowokandi and Mark Blount. We're also running out of quality centers. Fortunately Dwayne Jones is still available.

48. Seattle Supersonics (original pick - Mikael Gelabale)

Gelabale had his career sidetracked by an ACL injury and by playing behind Rashard Lewis and Kevin Durant, but he was an interesting prospect when he was drafted. Seattle's backup point guard that year were was Mateen Cleaves, so maybe they should have looked in that direction. My pick is Roko Ukic

49. Washington Wizards (original pick - Andray Blatche)

This was the Wizards' only pick in the 2005 draft, and they did pretty well with it. After a few off-court incidents his first few seasons, Blatche has developed into a solid, if occasionally bone-headed, front-court player. Coach Eddie Jordan had/has a strange affinity for weak veterans, so Michael Ruffin and Etan Thomas both got more playing time that year than they should have. The Wizards were a little thin at shooting guard, though (sorry Billy Thomas), so Ronnie Price is right. (I'm so, so sorry)

50. Boston Celtics (original pick - Ryan Gomes)

Gomes was another decent player who got put in a situation where he had a lot of guys ahead of him on the depth chart. Boston's guards that year? Tony Allen, Delonte West, Ricky Davis, Orien Greene, Marcus Banks (yes, again. Again. Again.) and Dan Dickau. The Celtics would eventually trade for Ray Allen and draft Rajon Rondo, but for now I think we can safely call that an "area of need." The Celtics take Devin Green, who saw time at both guard spots for the LA D-Fenders before heading to Europe. He's not always efficient, but he's solid enough and has some rebounding ability as well.

51. Utah Jazz (original pick - Robert Whaley)

Another repeat drafter. Utah continued its love affair with ineffective centers, though in Whaley's case his struggles came off the court. I don't think Ryan Gomes would've fallen far, though, and he posted some decent rebound rates his first few years in the league. His work ethic would've appealed to Jerry Sloan as well.

52. Denver Nuggets (original pick - Axel Hervelle)

If this was a Sports Guy column I'd make a Beverly Hills Cop joke, but it's not, so let's just all sit here quietly. In all seriousness, Hervelle was the first Belgian player drafted by an NBA team. Unfortunately, there still has not been a Belgian player who's actually played in the NBA. Since Denver was looking at forwards, we'll give them Josh Powell, who has turned into a solid bench contributor in Los Angeles after a stint where? That's right, the D-League. You could flip the Gomes and Powell picks and I'd probably be okay with it.

53. Boston Celtics (original pick - Orien Greene)

We've established that Boston needed guards, even after drafting Green and even if we include Greene (that's not confusing at all). We're at the bottom of the second round now, though, where it's slim pickings. Travis Diener had a good college career playing next to Dwyane Wade (and even on his own after Wade graduated), and Diener would fit in well in Boston. You know why.

54. New York Knicks (original pick - Dijon Thompson)

If this was a Sports Guy column I'd make a mustard joke, but it's not, so let's just all sit here quietly. Again. Thompson ended up being traded to Phoenix and then assigned to the D-League, where he averaged 20 points a game before needing microfracture surgery on his right knee. He was mentioned as a solid option earlier, so I'll draft Mikael Gelabale while the Knicks hopes his ACL holds up better this time.

55. Seattle Supersonics (original pick - Lawrence Roberts)

If the Knicks hadn't snagged Gelabale I would've taken him here. It might be a bit of a reach, but I think Roger Powell would have been worth a look. Powell bounced around for a year before ending up in the D-League in 2006, where he lead the league averaging about 22 points a game. He's also not a bad rebounder.

56. Detroit Pistons (original pick - Amir Johnson)

There's not really anyone of Johnson's caliber left, and again, Detroit's frontcourt was pretty full. One guy I like is Turkish guard Cenk Akyol. He never left Europe, and he's not very quick, but he's a pretty creative scorer. Why his highlight reel includes footage of him missing free throws is a question I can't answer.

57. Phoenix Suns (original pick - Marcin Gortat)

Erazem Lorbek has some solid offensive skills, including a nice mid-range shot. That sounds exactly like Mike D'Antoni's Suns, doesn't it? Lorbek is pretty slow, though, and pretty poor defensively, even for Mike D'Antoni. But it's pick number 57, what do you expect? The added benefit is that the Suns could've kept him in Europe for a year or two and not have to pay him for awhile (I believe this was the start of Phoenix's refusal to keep any draft picks out of money concerns).

58. Toronto Raptors (original pick - Uros Slokar)

Toronto went point guard earlier with Will Bynum, but I don't think Orien Greene is out of the question here. He and Bynum could have formed a nice offense-defense backup tandem and again, Toronto didn't need forwards.

59. Atlanta Hawks (original pick - Cenk Akyol)

The Hawks' guards that year were Joe Johnson, and, well, Tony Delk, Tyronn Lue, Royal Ivey, should I keep going? Because I could keep going. Anthony Grundy. It's a good thing the Hawks drafted a point guard...in...the...first...oh well. We're just about fresh out of guards, though, unless you think Daniel Ewing is worth Atlanta's time. Either Akyol or Devin Green would've been decent picks here, but they're both off the board. I'll pick Alex Acker, somewhat grudgingly, because while he was/is pretty talented, he's bounced around a little bit in part because of a tendency to coast, a tendency that was known before the draft. Still, talent is talent, and this is the second-to-last pick in the draft. Acker was considered somewhat of a triple-double threat, which along with Johnson would've given Atlanta a formidable backcourt.

60. Detroit Pistons (original pick - Alex Acker)

We've finally come to the end. Two parts and 30 picks. Well, 29 picks, this is the 30th. Uros Slokar is available, and even though he only lasted about 20 games with the Raptors, he has some skills. He's a good passer, and while he wasn't considered a great shooter in 2005, his mechanics are solid, the kind that can easily lead to improvement. Detroit had enough big men at that time that they could draft Slokar and let him develop a little more and add some muscle, and maybe turn into the player they thought Darko Milicic would be.

We've come to the end now. Let me know in the comments if you'd like to see more of these second round re-drafts.

Poll

Which second round should we re-draft next?

2000 (Michael Redd draft)

2 votes

2001 (Gilbert Arenas draft)

6 votes

2002 (the, uh, Carlos Boozer draft)

12 votes

2003 (Maciej Lampe draft)

11 votes

31 votes | Poll has closed

Rod Benson, now with Reno, can score, drive a nice car. Plus, D-League Results from Selection Sunday!

Scott Schroeder — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 13:30:07 -0000

Yesterday there were five games in the D-League, all with their own random results, some not anything indicative of D-League.com's Matthew Brennan (we'll get to that in a post soon)!

The biggest news, however, came out of Reno. No, not that Cezary Trybanski is back in the league (huge news though? Yes). Bigger than that! No, not that preliminary reports are that Patrick Ewing Jr. just ended up with a strained ACL (FYI, his Georgetown Hoyas drew a six seed in the used-to-be-prestigous-but now-definitely-isn't NIT). Bigger than that, even. No, not even that Rod Benson has remembered how to score. Getting warmer! Benson bought a new car! Thanks to his shrewd negotiating, Boom Tho is now rolling around Reno in a 2006 Mercedes-Benz CLS55 AMG that was listed at for over double what his D-League salary will be this season. Do I know what all those numbers and letters mean? No. Do I know that if he's able to buy a Mercedes and play in the D-League simultaneously, that all players should go overseas until Christmas time and come back loaded? Yes. Here's a picture:

Continue on for coverage of all the games last night in the D-League. Who's hot, Who's not, Who's who?

Also, if you've got connections, and I know most of you do, to arrange a way for me to get a couple tickets for the Minneapolis Regional of the NCAA's, let me know.

Erie 89 @ IOWA 101

Iowa was led by Othyus Jeffers, who is quickly becoming my favorite player in the D-League. He's aggressive, he's got swagger, he locks down on defense, and he rebounds amazingly well for a 6'5" player. I'd put his position (2?3?4?), but I'm not sure what it is. He's basically a 6'5" slashing power forward that guards the opposition's best player under 6'9". Since the beginning of February, Jeffers is averaging 21.5 points, 9.5 boards, 3.5 assists, and 2.3 steals, shooting 51% from the field. This game, however, against one of the hottest teams in the D-League, he stepped his game up one more notch. Jeffers notched 28 points and 11 boards this game, leading his team to the victory.

Other notable players for the Energy include Courtney Sims with 19 points, 14 boards, and point guard Curtis Stinson, with 19 points, nine boards, and four assists.

The Erie Bayhawks were led by Erik Daniels. Ugh. 22 points, 20 boards, 8-of-26 from the field. I just have not got close to falling in love with his game yet. I apologize. His defense is nothing to write home about, his 45% shooting playing the low post is gross, and in this game, he had 10 offensive rebounds. Five were off his own misses. Not sure if he was pulling a Ricky Davis to get up to 20 boards and increase those statistics, but he'll have to show he can play as a 3 and defend much better before those numbers impress NBA GM's.

Other notable players for the Bayhawks were Maureece Rice, who scored 17 points, dished six assists, and grabbed five boards; Ivan Harris, who scored 14 points and shot 4-for-10 from 3; and Quincy Douby, who should soon be inserted into the starting lineup. While I'm not sure there's enough shots to go around for him, he's a great scorer (at least at this level), scoring 14 points in 19 minutes yesterday afternoon.

TULSA 100, Albuquerque 97

Gary Forbes led the way for Tulsa. This should have been happening nightly. Unfortunately, it just started recently. Forbes was traded to Tulsa earlier this season, presumably so that Oklahoma City could get a better look at one of the better D-League prospects. Only recently has the rookie out of UMass blossomed, though. He ocassionally plays the point, has furthered his range, and can get to the rim with ease (Not LeBron James easy, more with Blake Ahearn awkward-ease). Over his last five games, he's averaging 22.4 points, 7.8 boards, and 4.8 assists. I'd have to get WelcomeToLoudCity's opinion, but I don't think it's all that far-fetched to take a look at Forbes, and soon. This game, he had 26 points, six boards, and four assists.

Other notables for Tulsa include Herbert Hill (former Sixer), who had a monster 18 points, 17 boards, and three blocks; and Shaun Livingston, who didn't play great, scoring eight points and grabbing five boards.

Albuquerque was led by Antoine Agudio. Since I profiled Agudio over the weekend, I'll use that same info today. Enjoy! Agudio is the all-time leading scorer from Hofstra, which boasts such luminaries as Speedy Claxton and Norm Richardson! Agudio is a lights out shooter (Blake Ahearn-esque) that's recently been given an opportunity since Keith McLeod went down with an unknown injury three four games ago. Since that injury, Agudio's killing it. Tonight was no different, as he finished with 23 points on 11 shots and had five steals 30 points on 15 shots, six-of-8 from beyond the arc, five boards, four assists and two steasl. As a bonus, his name is fun to say.

The other notable Thunderbird was Will Conroy. While he also finished with 30 points, it took him 12 more shots from the field and an extra six from the free-throw line compared to Agudio. He did add eight boards and seven assists, for positives.

DAKOTA 100 @ Fort Wayne 97

Dakota wasn't really led. Kind of a team effort, with no one really standing out. No clue how they won. Fort Wayne crumbled multiple times. For a Wizards standout, I'll go with Richard Hendrix. Really, he never stood out other than a minute and a half stretch when Fort Wayne decided it was a smart idea to put Anthony (Who?) Kent on him, but he did finish with 17 points and 10 boards, so we'll give it to the big man. Hendrix is battling a leg injury, but played alright in 27 minutes this game. On the season, he's averaging 13.9 points, 11.5 boards, and 1.6 blocks, shooting 55% from the field and just 60% from the free-throw line.

Other notables for Dakota include Mo Baker with 16 points, eight boards, and six assists (but five turnovers); and David Bell with 18 points and six boards (plus he drove and didn't turn it over every time. Bonus!).

Fort Wayne was led by Taj McCullough. After Renaldo Major went to the bench with a back injury early in the game, Dakota didn't really have anyone to guard him, as they either went with three guards (none of which could guard the 6'7" McCullough) or Romel Beck (who is a black hole on offense and not impressive on defense). McCullough did put up good numbers, as he should have, scoring 24 points on 10-of-15 shooting and grabbing four steals.

Other notables for Fort Wayne include Chris Hunter, who finished with 12 points and 10 bords; Ron Howard, who finished with 21 points and shut down Ahearn early on defense; and Walker Russell, who finished with 17 points and 10 assists.

RENO 113, Anaheim 105

Reno was led by "Too Much" Rod Benson. I got confirmation from Mike Offerdahl, Wizards PR guru (Reno doesn't read RU or what!?), that Benson's 30 points last game (For fun,read this recap via Reno here) were a career high. Too Much followed that performance up with something nearly as impressive, scoring 25 points and grabbing seven boards last night. Benson apparently just needed to get back to the west coast to re-blossom, as he's averaging 16 points, 6.3 boards, and 3.2 blocks in 29 minutes, starting his first game last night.

Other notables for Reno include David Noel who scored 22 points; Richie Frahm with 19 points and 5-of-9 shooting from beyond the arc; and Lamar Butler (who?) with 21 points, five-of-six from deep, off the bench.

Anaheim was led by Cedric Bozeman, who scored 24 points, grabbed five boards, and dished seven assists, but then countered them with five turnovers. On the season, the former Hawk is averaging 18 points, 6.8 boards, and 3.8 assists, shooting 30% from beyond the arc (that % is bad, FYI).

Other notables for Anaheim include Ronald Allen with 21 points and Cameron Bennerman (Who?) with 17 points off the bench.

LOS ANGELES 111 @ Colorado 107

Los Angeles was led by Ryan Forehan-Kelly, who wins tonights Who of the Night! Forehan-Kelly is one of those random help-out players the D-League gave to LA to begin the season, after trying out for LA. This doesn't seem fair to me, as he should have already been on the D-League radar, having been in the draft last season. Regardless, Forehan-Kelly came out firing off the bench, scoring 24 points on 9-of-12 shooting and grabbing nine boards. RFK's season averages are a little more modest - 10.4 points and 3.9 boards.

Nobody else had great games for LA, yet they were somehow able to go on a 15-0 run in the second quarter. Joe Crawford had 16 points on 6-of-16 shooting; Dwayne Mitchell came out hot, scoring 10 points in the first stanza (enough to make me email 14ers Mr. Everything Chad Andrus to tell him to "suit up, stop him from putting his head down and driving left"), but Mitchell finished with just 13 points and nine boards, clearly fearful of Andrus defensive prowess. Sun Yue, the most overhyped player ever to be assisgned to the D-League (including Martynas Andriuskevicius) got dunked on twice, hard. Sonny Weems once, Trey Gilder the other time. I loved it. He also contributed 11 points, six boards, and four assists, shooting 4-of-12 from the field. Dear LA, bring him back up. I think the over-promotion of him is hurting him.

The 14ers were led by Dominique Coleman according to the box score, but his numbers, minus the six big steals, came very quietly. Thus, I don't have much for anecdotes of him this game. He finished with 20 points, eight boards, five assists, and four turnovers.

Other notables for Colorado include Josh Davis, who seemed to be the only player on the court for the majority of the game, finishing with 19 points and and six boards and Sonny Weems, who scored 16 points in 17 minutes. Eddie Gill stunk it up, shooting 1-for-8 from the field, finishing with four points, six assists, and four turnovers, including a terrible decision on a shot in the last minute of action.

10-Day Contracts: Are they worth it?

Scott Schroeder — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 14:00:09 -0000

Short Answer: Not if the NBA doesn't use them to their full potential. I think this is one part of the NBA that could use some change.

Don't get me wrong, I think 10-day's are great, probably the greatest thing to come out of the CBA besides former Minot SkyRocket's Head Coach Michael Sanders (Yes, that Mike Sanders. From UCLA. NBA vet. My buyer-of-dinner last night. Hire him. I have his contact info. Thanks). They offer the NBA a chance to bring a D-League player in for a short-time; D-Leaguer's a chance to show what they can do on a bigger stage in a game with elevated talent.

Wait - that's what the 10-day's should do. Unfortunately, that is more the exception, rather than the rule. Since the inception of the D-League, there have been 90 separate D-League call-up's on 10-day contracts. Although the D-League celebrated the 100th call-up last season, 10-day's can't be signed until January fifthish, when contracts become guaranteed for the remainder of the season. Before this date, teams can sign a guy for one day and cut them the next (consequently, this happened in the great San Antonio Helps D-League Team Out By Exploiting Crazy D-League Rule '07).

Of these 90 10-day contract call-ups, 35 of them have been extended for the remainder of the season. This means 65 of them have had at the most 20 day's to show the NBA what they're able to do. Of those 65, 27 have got their original 10-day and been sent back to the D-League. Some of them, like Anthony Tolliver earlier this season with New Orleans, haven't even made it into a game. Others, like Courtney Sims, have had two 10-day contract's and played two total minutes. If a guy isn't even going to be given a fair chance to show his talent's in an NBA game, why call him up? Mr. David Stern, I'm looking to you for this answer, as if a team just wanted to watch a player in practice, they more than likely have the funds to travel to Bismarck, North Dakota and watch the loveliness that is a Blake (INTERVIEW COMING SOON.. Questions?) Ahearn jump shot.

The obvious rebuttal would be "well at least they're getting a shot to show the NBA what they've got to offer!" To that, I answer, is that such a good thing? Not to say that the D-League doesn't have talented players, it does, but it the NBA is turning into a league of the have's.

For whatever reason, the NBA is afraid now to try something new, rather loving the retreads that have been there before. Is experience valuable? Very. However, as Cinderella once said (the band, not what a certain blogger referenced frequently on RU probably watched after the Bachelor last night) "Ya don't know whatcha got, til it's gone." Like Cinderella. They're gone, now this guy does covers of their songs. Terrible covers, I might add.

However, more pertinent to this story, I'm talking about D-Leaguer's. If they're not given a fair shake, what is the incentive to stay stateside? Twelve of the last thirteen D-League call-up's last season are currently in the D-League (including Eddie Gill, who will be back Thursday). I blame this mostly on Nikoloz Tskitishvili, Martynas Andriuskevicius, Fran Vasquez, and the like. Since the European boom, the NBA seems to be relying more on retreads than ever before.

Best example in recent memory is of course the Orlando Magic need a point guard or else scare of earlier this season (Coincidentally, this resulted in the highlight of my life, until Maurice Baker folded under pressure; now Skeets won't return my calls, twitters, and the like). Fortunately, instead of going to the D-League, they traded for 10 year vet Tyronn Lue, who has played in six games for the Magic, shooting an astounding(ly terrible) 31% from the field. Meanwhile three hungry players looking for a shot at getting into this exclusive network (Blake Ahearn, John Lucas and Will Conroy) are all still toiling in the D-League. Great job, Otis. Great as your freakin' name!

If the NBA was smart, they would do something to keep our talent here in America. Give these guys an opportunity. It's not like they don't deserve it. They work their butt's off through college, go undrafted, end up in locale's like the Rio Grande Valley, a place called Erie and, soon enough, the second most popular city named Portland in the United States. From their, they take seven day road trips like Fort Wayne is about to embark on: Los Angeles to Anaheim to Reno to Bakersfield to Austin. While going to five different cities in seven days, they stay two to a room at Days Inn's, bussing to half their destinations, all while trying to impress some NBA general manager, who might be in attendance or watching on futurecast, possibly looking for a certain talent they possess, making about $17,000 for the season.

Let's be smart about it NBA. I'm not sure what it will take to get this to make sense for these guys, but right now, this is the first season that there will be less 10-day call-up's than the year before since the inception of the D-League. If your favorite athlete goes overseas after being spurned by the NBA, now you know why. The NBA must utilize the D-League for it to make sense.

All-Star Replacement's Announced

Scott Schroeder — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 03:48:11 -0000

And they've made up some ground, but still are omitting Dontell Jefferson. Unless someone gets called up from the Red Team, this will go down as the biggest traveshamockery the D-League has ever seen.

Yes, this includes the Martynas Andriuskevicius near-death experience, the Dakota Wizards recent waiving of Brad Stricker, the Austin waiver wire debacle of last season, the one day assignment of Darnell Jackson, Sean Williams D-League hatred, Marat Kogut, and the Fort Wayne radio announcers of last season... Yes, I just named everything I've ever not liked about the D-League.

Anyway, the first replacement guy is Erik Daniels (21 points, 10 boards) who is deserving, but not as a replacement for Chris Richard, because even though Daniels plays center for Erie, he doesn't match up well against the All-Star bigs on the Red Team, Courtney Sims and Lance Allred. Daniels is basically Keanu Reeves, gets good gigs, and puts up good numbers, but you know, for some reason, it's not right.

Next up, we've got Marcus Williams, who was really robbed, taking the place of former Austin teammate Malik Hairston. The Real Marcus Williams is averaging 21 points, seven rebounds, and over four assists per game. Why he wasn't voted in initially kind of baffles me. Marcus is going to be Gene Hackman, never been bad, ever, but occasionally makes bad decisions (Williams leaving early, Hackman voiced a character in Antz)!

The third pick is Othyus Jeffers, who is straight killing it this season. Yes, killing it. I'm not sure what it is/was, but it is no longer alive anymore. He's got easily the best name in the D-League this year, possibly ever (Ansu Sesay anyone?), and is averaging 20 points and nine boards as an anywhere from 6'3-6'7 guard-forward. He takes the place of former Iowa teammate Cartier Martin, who has been called-up by the Bobcats and is on his second 10-day. Othyus (can I call him this? Too informal? Too formal? Does he have a nickname?) is going to be the girl on the cover. No idea what her name is, but I like her, and she came out of nowhere to surprise me.

There is one more possibility for a replacement, and that's if Trey Johnson gets his 10-day renewed by the Cavs. If this happens, I'd like to say it's Dontell's spot, but they'd have to do some shuffling, as DJ's Utah teammate, Ronald Dupree, is on the Blue Team, while Johnson's on the Red Team.

A Comedy of Errors: The Orlando Magic Draft History of Otis Smith and Dave Twardzik

Ben Q Rock — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 18:16:52 -0000

The Magic appointed Otis Smith and Dave Twardzik co-general managers of the team on June 27th, 2005. Smith was later promoted to general manager, while Twardzik remains in charge of scouting. 3QC examines their draft history.

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Year	Player	Pos.	Pick No.	GP	Picked ahead of	Notes
2005	Fran Vazquez	PF	11	0	Danny Granger	Re-signed with FC Barcelona; eligible for buyout in summer 2009.
"	Travis Diener	PG	38	49	Monta Ellis	Played sparingly over two seasons; left as free-agent in summer 2007.
"	M. Andriuskevicius	C	44	0	Ryan Gomes	Traded to Cleveland for cash.

Note: The Magic also bought the rights to Marcin Gortat, whom the Phoenix Suns selected with the 57th overall pick in this draft.

Essentially, the Magic spent four draft picks on four players who have played a combined 49 games over two-plus seasons. Only one -- Gortat -- is still with the team, although it still has the rights to Vazquez. This draft probably could not have been worse for Orlando. Grade: F

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Year	Player	Pos.	Pick No.	GP	Picked ahead of	Notes
2006	J.J. Redick	SG	11	66	Ronnie Brewer	Hasn't cracked the rotations of Brian Hill or Stan Van Gundy.
"	James Augustine	PF	41	22	Paul Millsap	Spent his rookie season as the 15th man. He's up to 14th now.
"	Lior Eliyahu	PF	44	0	Leon Powe	Traded to Houston for cash.

Redick at least practices hard, but his poor defense has kept him on the bench behind Keith Bogans, Keyon Dooling, and Maurice Evans. Augustine had value last week as an expiring contract, but the Magic didn't trade him. Still, the fact that Redick at least has potential makes this draft look a little better than the previous one. Grade: D

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Year	Player	Pos.	Pick No.	GP	Picked ahead of	Notes
2007	Reyshawn Terry	SF	44	0	D.J. Strawberry	Traded draft rights to Dallas for the rights to Milovan Rakovic.

Note: The Magic were without their first-round pick because they sent it to Detroit as part of the trade that brought Carlos Arroyo and Darko Milicic to Orlando; Detroit used that pick on Rodney Stuckey. Additionally, the Magic sold another second-round pick, 54th overall, to Houston, which drafted Brad Newley.

The Magic have literally nothing to show from this draft, but that's actually not so bad. Otis Smith knew his team would be strapped for cash after signing a premiere free-agent, which Smith did just days later, when he reached a sign-and-trade agreement with the Seattle SuperSonics, who sent Rashard Lewis to Orlando. Still, the other teams in the division got an infusion of young talent (Atlanta: Al Horford; Charlotte: Brandan Wright, used to obtain Jason Richardson; Miami: Daequan Cook; Washington: Nick Young), while the Magic stayed the same. Still, the view from atop the Southeast sure is nice... Grade: C-

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Smith and Twardzik have presided over three drafts for the Magic, yet have have not improved the team at all. Imagine Monta Ellis throwing lobs to Dwight Howard on fast-breaks, or Paul Millsap hauling down some much-needed offensive boards. To be fair, plenty of teams passed on those players, but the fact remains: the draft is a viable way for teams to acquire young talent. For Smith and Twardzik to fail this miserably, year-after-year, is unacceptable.

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Stay tuned for more evaluations of Otis Smith's tenure as Orlando Magic general manager.