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NBA General Managers aren't exactly the smartest guys you'll find, but they'll surprise you every once in a while. Here are the smartest picks in the draft's first round, based on how these players might fit in with the teams that took them and where they were picked.
Thaddeus Young, Philadelphia 76ers, pick 12-
The vast majority of ESPN viewers were shocked by this pick. I wasn't, however. I'm usually bad at predicting who each team is going to take but when Philly's name came up, I put myself in their shoes and realized that: a) the 76ers aren't contending for a title any time soon and b) there were no star-quality big guys on the board for them to take even though that's their biggest need.
So the Sixers did the smart thing and took Young, who is an athlete with few peers who will be ready to take off once Philly finally puts other pieces around him and is ready to make a run at a title. Young had the highest ceiling of anyone at his spot and probably as much as anyone in the draft except the big two (Durant and Oden) and maybe Yi Jianlian and Brandan Wright.
New Orleans probably wasn't happy with this pick, I'll tell you that, because they were targeting Young with the 13th pick to be Chris Paul's running mate. Now Young will get to catch his lobs from Andre Miller in Philly.
Sean Williams, New Jersey Nets, pick 17-
Another potentially questionable pick by some analysts, but the Nets had no choice but to roll the dice on this high-flying but immature big man at this spot. Mikki Moore simply isn't going to cut it in the middle for the Nets, even in the weak East.
Williams is a shot-blocking machine on the inside and is also athletic enough to fit New Jersey's up-tempo style of play. Perhaps he will see the opportunity to start on a paper-thin front-line and get his act together.
Alando Tucker, Phoenix Suns, pick 29-
Tucker was the forgotten man in this draft despite his incredible college career due to his 'tweener status as a hybrid SG/SF for the Badgers. Many questioned what spot he'd play in the NBA.
But when you play on Phoenix, you don't necessarily need a position as much as you need to be able to run, catch passes from Steve Nash, and finish. Tucker can certainly do that.
He actually reminds me a lot of none other than current Sun Shawn Marion only smaller at 6'5 in that he is an extremely athletic finisher and good at getting loose balls and rebounds yet he will also need a good point guard to get him the ball so he can take it to the basket on one or two dribbles. He will be a perfect fit for the Suns and could team with Marion to cause havoc on broken plays created by Nash.
Mike Conley, Jr., Memphis Grizzlies, pick 4-Th
Conley has a lot of Tony Parker in his game in that he's lightning-quick when he wants to be yet always seems to be in control, and he can also finish very well around the basket amongst the trees.
Memphis isn't going anywhere for a while so they can give Conley the time he needs to improve his jump shot and find his groove as a distributor in the league. Plus while Memphis did have a shot at some good big guys, they realized that a good point guard is equally hard to find and took a guy who can grow with their young team.
Tiago Splitter, San Antonio Spurs, pick 28-
The rich get richer. Splitter has been projected as a lottery pick many times before in the past on www.nbadraft.net, and would have gone higher if not for contract issues. Good big guys are hard to find and while Splitter isn't a likely star, he will be a great role player much like Fabricio Oberto is now for the Spurs only perhaps better. San Antonio is really taking advantage of the International pipeline by doing their homework and players like Splitter and Oberto will allow them to keep their dynasty intact for years to come.
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Hey thanks for bumping this back up. I complet...
