NBA draft 2013: winners and losers

Winners

Winner: Canada Basketball. Any time history is made, that’s a good place to start. When the Cavaliers shocked the basketball world by selecting UNLV forward Anthony Bennett to kick things off, our neighbors to the North registered their first No. 1 overall pick ever. Canada’s program has been on the rise for a number of years, highlighted by Tristan Thompson and Cory Joseph getting selected in the first round of the 2011 draft. Joining Bennett in the lottery was Gonzaga center Kelly Olynyk, who hails from Toronto. This growing youth movement could well pay off in full if Andrew Wiggins, arguably the best wing prospect since Kevin Durant, is selected first in the 2014 draft as expected. Imagine if someone had told you as recently as 2010 that Canadians would go No. 1 back-to-back in 2013 and 2014. Kaboom — mind blown. The only disappointment for Canada? Myck Kabongo, a high school teammate of Thompson’s, went undrafted.

Winner: Anthony Bennett. There will be plenty of time for the pressure and expectations to sink in and the doubters to crow at full volume. In this moment, it surely must be an amazing feeling to have shocked the world. “I’m just as surprised as everybody else,” Bennett admitted.  It’s not yet clear how he will function in the same frontcourt as Thompson or if the roster will get a freshening up now that Mike Brown is back in the saddle. Before worrying about those questions, Bennett need only concern himself with savoring the most pleasant of surprises before getting himself 100 percent healthy.

Winners: Kings fans. It’s hard to imagine a greater joy than the one Sacramento’s die-hards felt when the Kings were saved from relocation, seemingly at the last possible moment. Getting a top-three talent and a possible future All-Star in Ben McLemore at the No. 7 pick should rank right up there. Dispose of any concerns about positional logjams. Changes in ownership, management and a new coach will always bring totally new ideas in a roster. With McLemore, the new Kings braintrust get a scoring guard with traditional size and significant upside. This train is no longer veering off the rails and McLemore could emerge into the type of player whose talent can carry an organization in the right direction.

Winner: Steven Adams. There are plenty of reasons to be cautious — or even skeptical — about the Kiwi teen’s ability to develop into an impact player in the NBA. But if, before the draft on Wednesday, you had to imagine the single best situation for him in the NBA  location, wouldn’t you have circled Oklahoma City? Playing for a perennial contender is a solid perk in and of itself but the Thunder, thanks to their depth and untapped youth already on hand, have the ability to be patient with Adams and diligent in massaging his development. Being thrown into a major role on a bad team could have had crippling consequences; in Oklahoma City, Adams gets exactly the opposite. The hit rate on big men projects is never great, but this looks like a pairing that will maximize the odds for success.

Winners: Orlando Magic and Washington Wizards. As chaos broke out above them on the draft board, the Magic and Wizards did what smart teams should do: they stuck to their plans. Both teams had been linked repeatedly in rumors to their eventual picks — Victor Oladipo and Otto Porter, respectively — and both went on ahead despite the availability of both Nerlens Noel and Alex Len. Although McLemore also seemed like a viable option for Orlando at No. 2, the Magic get more of a “sure thing” and an insane workaholic who can contribute to the rebuilding plan immediately. As for the Wizards, Porter’s fit alongside John Wall and Bradley Beal is so logical it barely warrants further comment. Washington is essentially set at 1-2-3 going forward and ready to proceed with their goal of making the playoffs for the first time since 2008.

Winner: C.J. McCollum. You couldn’t miss the Lehigh guard busting a move at his draft table once he realized he was headed to Portland. His relationship with Damian Lillard was likely the key driver behind his excitement. A friendship off the court doesn’t have all that much lasting value in and of itself, though, and its really McCollum’s projected role with the Blazers that will have him headed cross-country feeling like a happy camper. This is just a logical fit: the Blazers need a lead guard who can handle the ball, create a shot and attract enough attention to find open shooters off of their bench. They also need a player who can help take a little pressure off of reigning Rookie of the Year Damian Lillard when they opt to go to two point guard lineups. McCollum is well-equipped to handle all of those responsibilities, and he doesn’t have to bear the “face of the franchise” pressures that are on Lillard’s shoulders. If he emerges as a solid sixth or seventh man for coach Terry Stotts, that will do just fine.

Winners: New Orleans Pelicans: One of the major talking points entering Thursday was how many — if any — of this year’s prospects had the potential to develop into All-Stars. While everyone else waits a few years to find out the answer to that question, the Pelicans landed a franchise point guard in Jrue Holiday who, at just 23, is already a certified All-Star. He will have a harder time getting back to the midseason classic now that he’s in the Western Conference, but Holiday took a major step forward last season, posting career-highs across the board and carrying an otherwise sad-sack Sixers team as far as he could. The sweet part about acquiring Holiday, though, is his contract. Signed to a four-year, $41 million rookie extension last fall, it’s important to remember that the clock on that deal starts ticking in 2013-14. In other words, he’s locked in for four full seasons at a very reasonable rate. Holiday, Anthony Davis, Ryan Anderson and Eric Gordon — if he’s ever healthy — is a very nice talent base. Even better, the Pelicans reportedly assured top-five protection on the 2014 first-round pick they sent to the Sixers, meaning they can still win big in a loaded lottery if things don’t pan out immediately. Last note: Thanks to Davis, New Orleans needed Nerlens Noel less than just about everyone else in the draft. This was an excellent way to cash out on Noel as an asset that had greater external value than internal.

Winner: Trey Burke: All a young point guard can ask for is an opportunity and a solid group of talent around him. Michigan’s Burke seems to get both in Utah after the Jazz traded up to acquire his rights from the Timberwolves. Whether the Jazz decide to give him the car keys from day one or opt to ease him into a starting role by re-signing or acquiring a veteran presence, Burke will grow into his pro career with the likes of Alec Burks, Gordon Hayward, Enes Kanter and Derrick Favors. That’s a well-balanced core that could make some noise in a few years.

Winner: Ben McLemore’s jacket. Unbelievably awesome. Hat tip: Ball Don’t Lie.

Ben McLemore with a jacket you won’t find on the rack at Macy’s. (David Dow/Getty Images)

Winner: San Antonio — East. So, the Hawks drafted not one, but two foreign players in the first round? We all should have seen this coming, shouldn’t we? GM Danny Ferry and new coach Mike Budenholzer are clearly wasting know time putting their Spurs training to full use. Atlanta landed the ultimate “if he pans out, holy cow” big in Lucas “Bebe” Nogueira and a solid point guard in Dennis Schroeder. That pair offers a nice combination of intrigue and impact.

For Looser 

Credits: nba.si