Draft review: Northwest

Denver Nuggets
I really liked what the Nuggets did in this draft, they took good players and gave themselves a lot of flexibility going forward. With their first round pick, they took French shooting guard Evan Fournier, who can either stay in Europe if they re-sign Rudy Fernandez or bring him over to take his minutes if Fernandez leaves. Fournier is a talented young player and would really fit well with Denver's offense because of his ability to get to the rim and handle the ball on the break. Then with their second round pick, the Nuggets got what could be the steal of the draft when they took Baylor's Quincy Miller. Miller has top 10 talent, but fell because a issue with his knee, however with the 38th pick in the draft there is no risk and all reward. Miller is also a good fit in Denver and will have a chance to be coached and developed by one of the better coaching staffs in the NBA. With their last pick, the Nuggets took a project Euro big man that they will keep in Europe, as they have a pretty full roster. Turkey's Izzet Turkyilmaz is tall and has some interesting skills, but he needs to get a lot bigger and is a ways away from contributing to an NBA team.

Projected depth chart
PG: Ty Lawson
SG: Arron Afflalo/Corey Brewer
SF: Danilo Gallinari/Wilson Chandler/Justin Hamilton
PF: Kenneth Faried/Al Harrington/Quincy Miller
C: JaVale McGee/Timofey Mozgov


Minnesota Timberwolves
The Timberwolves traded their first round pick that they got from Utah to Houston for Chase Budinger. There might have been a player that will end up being better than Budinger available at that pick, but Budinger is exactly what the Timberwolves needed and a great fit on this team, where his former coach Rick Adelman already knows how to use him and Budinger knows the system Adelman runs. Minnesota did have a late second round pick and they took Robbie Hummel, who once had a future as a first round pick, but two ACL tears really hurt his chances. However, the Timberwolves took him and if the knees hold up, I wouldn't be surprised to see him make the team. Hummel is a great fit in Rick Adelman's system because he can pass and shoot, defensively he needs work but as a 3 point specialist he has value and he's such a hard worker that just having him in practices is valuable to a team.

Projected depth chart
PG: Ricky Rubio/Luke Ridnour
SG: Chase Budinger/J.J. Barea
SF: Wes Johnson/Martell Webster
PF: Kevin Love/Derrick Williams
C: Nikola Pekovic/Darko Milicic

Oklahoma City Thunder
The Thunder reportedly didn't want to have to pay a rookie guaranteed money, so they were trying to trade this pick or were planning on take a Euro to keep overseas for a while. However, all that changed when Perry Jones III, who was in the debate for top overall pick before the season started, fell to them at 28 because of a knee injury. Jones also has worries about his motor and whether he can take over a game, but in Oklahoma City, he'll never have to take over a game and can just focus on what he does best and playing hard for limited minutes a game. Jones actually really reminds me of a former Thunder player Jeff Green, in that he doesn't really have a set position and is very skilled, but is just best suited as a second or third option on a team, not as an alpha dog. Jones will have some of the most passionate basketball players in the NBA egging him on and teaching him in Westbrook, Durant, and Perkins, so it's probably the best opportunity for Jones to have landed in.

Projected depth chart
PG: Russell Westbrook/Eric Maynor/Reggie Jackson
SG: Thabo Sefolosha/James Harden/Daequan Cook
SF: Kevin Durant/Sefolosha
PF: Serge Ibaka/Perry Jones III
C: Kendrick Perkin/Nick Collison

Portland Trail Blazers
The Blazers had two picks in the top 11, so if they don't come away with at least an above average player and a contributor, this draft will be a really big disappointment. However, I do like the picks that Portland made and they should have come away with three starters. Coming into the draft, the Blazers has big holes at point guard, center, and shooting guard. At 6, the took Damian Lillard, a scoring point guard who still needs to learn how to run a team and didn't play against elite competition (in 102 games at Weber State, he never faced a top 25 team) but he's a good athlete and a great shooter who is smart and steady enough to learn how to run a team pretty easily. With the 11th pick, the Blazers got their center in Meyers Leonard, a big athletic defensive center who can rebound and score close to the basket, there's some risk, but I think his downside is probably Joel Pryzbilla, he's a good fit next to LaMarcus Aldridge. Finally, with their second round pick the Blazers got one of the best values in the draft when they filled their hole at shooting guard with  Will Barton at pick 40. Barton could easily have gone in the late first round and is a great compliment to Wes Matthews. I wouldn't be surprised if Barton starts and Matthews returns to the sixth man role he formerly thrived in.

Projected depth chart
PG: Damian Lillard/Nolan Smith
SG: Will Barton/Wesley Matthews
SF: Nicolas Batum*/Shawne Williams
PF: LaMarcus Aldridge/J.J. Hickson*
C: Meyers Leonard/Aldridge

Utah Jazz
Despite not having a first round pick, the Utah Jazz had about as good of a past two days as they could possibly have imagined. First, with their second round pick, the Jazz got Kevin Murphy (47) who does two things: he's a really good shooter and is athletic enough to hold his own on defense. The Jazz really needed to get a three point shooter to space the floor for their big men because Gordon Heyward was the only above average three point shooter on the team last season. Then today, the Jazz were able to get another deadly shooter in Mo Williams for free as part of the Lamar Odom trade to the Clippers. Williams is an upgrade at backup point guard and could even usurp Devin Harris if Harris doesn't improve. Don't forget, the Jazz also have a ton of assets and could make a big trade if they want this summer.

Projected depth chart
PG: Devin Harris/Mo Williams
SG: Alec Burks/C.J. Miles*
SF: Gordon Hayward/Kevin Murphy
PF: Paul Millsap/Derrick Favors
C: Al Jefferson/Enes Kanter

*Currently unsigned