The Draft: Analysis

#12: Xavier Henry, SF: B
I like this pick but don't love it. Henry should provide the bench scoring the Grizzlies are looking for and is a very smart basketball player. He is a great shooter and will bring the house down at FedEx Forum next year when he buries back-to-back treys. He isn't the most athletic player ever, but that's ok; he's very strong and uses his body effectively. I think he will develop into a very solid 6th or 7th man for the Griz. His problem is that he is not a very good defensive player, something the Grizzlies need. In my opinion, this pick should have been Patrick Patterson. He is NBA-ready, plays good defense and is extremely effecient. I can see Patterson being an impact rookie and a bona-fide starter a few years down the road. I just really hope this pick doesn't come back to bite us...

#25: $3 Million from Dallas in exchange for Dominique Jones: C
If this trade helps us re-sign Rudy Gay or grab a high-quality free agent, then this move gets a B. If not, it makes Michael Heisley the cheapest owner in NBA history and gets an F. The Grizzlies have said all along that keeping Rudy is the team's biggest priority this offseason. Well, if an extra $3 mil can keep him here, I'm all for it. If he does leave, we'll be up a creek without a small forward and things will be very bad.

#28: Greivis Vasquez, PG: D
A lot of people I've talked to love this pick. I'm not sure why. Let's go over the good things that Vasquez brings to the table: size, passing ability, decent scorer and a passion to play for the Griz. At 6'6", he is tall for a point guard and uses that height advantage to see plays develop. That leads to the best part of his game: passing. He is good at creating for teammates and sees intricate passing lanes. He is also a decent scorer (at the college level, at least) who finds a way to score and can knock it down from the charity stripe. The most interesting thing about him is his genuine excitement about playing for Memphis. He celebrated wildly when his name was called and is sure to work hard to do well.

Now let's examine why Vasquez is a bad pick. At the NBA level, he is unathletic. He will not be able to keep up with quicker guards and will not be able to finish inside against faster opponents. His lack of athleticism leads to the worst part of his game: he plays terrible defense. After watching his pre-draft workout, the Commercial Appeal's Ron Tillery described Vasquez eloquently: "he struggled with on-the-ball defense." According to nbadraft.net, Vasquez "does not project well as a defender at the next level" and "does not put forward much of an effort on that end." Is anyone else seeing a pattern here? The man wouldn't make All-Defense in a wheelchair basketball league. The Grizzlies are just fine offensively. Defense is where we need help. We were one of the worst teams in the NBA on the defensive end last season, giving up a 6th-worst 104 points per game. Bringing in a backup point guard who can't play defense is asking for trouble.

Overall, I'm in "wait and see" mode with this draft. I think Xavier can (and will) become a solid NBA player. If we can parlay the $3 million we got from Dominique Jones into signing Rudy Gay, then it was a good move. And if Greasy Vasquez can learn to play D, then great. I really hope I'm wrong about Vasquez. I would love for him to develop into an effective point guard and I hope his great passing overshadows his shaky defense. I just don't think it will. Finally, I wish we had been more agressive in trade negotiations. I wish we had dealt the 25th and 28th picks to Sota for the 16th and picked up Eric Bledsoe. But, alas, we didn't.

I thought I would wake up this morning much happier than I am. We had such high hopes and seemed so confident.

I hope this draft turns out well,
Owen