National Basketball Association

Draft Grades: Spurs steal the show

Published Jun. 30, 2009 7:36 p.m. ET

foxsports

This year's NBA Draft was supposed to be boring. The 2009 class was considered the least talented since the dreadful class of 2000. We knew exactly who was going first for months, and there were no crazy trade rumors involving that top pick.

Things don't always play out as they should, though.

The 2009 draft will be known for the plethora of major trades leading up to it. In a very short span, we saw Shaquille O'Neal, Vince Carter and Richard Jefferson all land on teams that were already contenders. We also saw the fifth pick of the draft being traded and a bevy of other, smaller deals.

So who won? Who lost? It's a year where no team earned an F, but only one earned an A+. And hey, the Los Angeles Clippers even got an A for passing a multiple-choice test with only one possible answer.

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Note: These grades reflect the dealings of the NBA Draft. No trades that did not involve a draft pick are included.

Atlanta Hawks

Picks: (19th) Jeff Teague, (49th) Sergiy Gladyr

Analysis: Teague is a great fit for the Hawks system. With Joe Johnson and Jamal Crawford, the Hawks can afford to take a score-first point to replace Mike Bibby. The Hawks are a fast-paced team and the former Demon Deacon should only help that. They could have added more immediate help in the second round though.

Grade: B+

Boston Celtics

Pick: (58th) Lester Hudson

Analysis: The Celtics didn't have a lot of options with the third-to-last pick in the draft, but they got some instant value in the 24-year-old Hudson. There may have been better players on the board than the former Tennessee-Martin product, but Hudson also could have gone earlier.

Grade: B

Charlotte Bobcats

Picks: (12th) Gerald Henderson, (40th) Derrick Brown

Analysis: These are two great, ready-to-play picks for a team that desperately needed some help on the wings. Henderson should be a long-term starter and Brown provides great versatility, capable of guarding three positions. They also sold Oklahoma City the rights to the No. 54 pick, Robert Vaden.

Grade: A