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On NBA draft night in New York City, many things happened. There were surpsise picks such as Jason Thompson. There were surprise falls such as Bill Walker. There were surprise trades such as Richard Jefferson going to Milwaukee. There was Darrell Arthur going to four teams, and ending up in Memphis. For the record, I think Arthur could develop into a very good player. There were the Knicks fans booing Danilo Gallinari; then later chanting for him. But of course, Kevin McHale managed to get in the spotlight again.

Personally, I think saying the winners and losers of the draft right after it; I think it's kind of pointless. You can't actually see who "wins" or "loses" for at least a couple of years, and it is complete speculation right now. Look at Portland from a few years back; they took Sebastian Telfair and Sergei Monia in the first round. Telfair was the point guard of the future and Monia was supposed to develop into a solid shooting guard. Now, Telfair in playing in Minnesota, and who is Sergei Monia? Anyway, here is my opinion on it:

NBA Draft Winners:

Miami Heat

The Heat picked up two very good players. Second overall, they got Michael Beasley. Beasley has all the talent in the world and could very easily end up as a superstar in the NBA. He is a franchise player and could very easily contribute in a big way as a rookie. In the second round, they got two players from Kansas: Mario Chalmers and Darnell Jackson. Chamlers is a guy who had first round talent and had a realistic chance to be a lottery pick. He can play point guard and is very good defensively. Jackson isn't a superstar; but he can play defense and is a good rebounder. Miami filled all of their needs, and now can be considered a team that can contend.

New Jersey Nets

They traded Richard Jefferson, but they got plenty back in return. Bobby Simmons has been hurt but when he is healthy, he can contribute. Yi Jianlian was the sixth overall pick just a year ago and could turn out to be a good player. In the draft, they made out very well. They got Brook Lopez at #10, who is probably the best center in the draft. At pick 21, they took Ryan Anderson; he is a good scorer who can rebound as well. In the second round, they took Chris Douglas-Roberts, who is arguably the biggest steal of the draft. At pick 40, he is a tremendous choice who could have very easily been a first round pick. He can slash, shoot and make his teammates better. 

Portland Trailblazers

The Trailblazers are a team that will more than likely be great in the future. They had a good, young team for thr future, but they were missing a point guard. So on draft night, they acquired Jerryd Bayless. Bayless had the potential to be a top five pick and could very easily be a star in the NBA. Portland needed one big thing, and they got it in a big way. After Bayless, they got Nicolas Batum. Batum was considered a lottery pick for a long time, and even a top five pick a year ago. He can come in and contribute a little bit; but he also has tremendous talent for the future. With Bayless and Batum, the Blazers added two more young guys to an already good, young team. 

NBA Draft Losers:

Washington Wizards

The Wizards took JaVale McGee with their only draft pick. He is a center from Nevada who could turn out to be a decent NBA player. What is the problem? Gilbert Arenas is most likely gone, and Antwan Jamison is probably gone as well. They have Nick Young to help replace Arenas, but the could have used someone such as Mario Chalmers. They have nobody to replace Jamison, and the draft was supposed to help. Instead, they passed on Darrell Arthur, D.J. White and Ryan Anderson. Not all three of those guys are great, but Arthur seems like a great guy to replace Jamison. I don't know why they went with McGee, so I have them as a loser. 

Charlotte Bobcats

The Bobcats had a very interesting draft. They took a very good point guard in D.J. Augustin; someone who has the chance to be a very good NBA point guard. Only problem? They already have a point guard for the future named Raymond Felton. They are said to be shopping Felton, but he has the chance to succeed, so I don't really get it. Next, at pick 20, they took Alexis Ajinca. He is a center from France. Last year, he averaged just 5 points and 3.1 rebounds per game. As a first round pick, I guess I'm not sure why he went that high. In the second round, Charlotte took Kyle Weaver from Washington State. Weaver is a point guard, and another case of a player who seems to be the wrong fit for the team that drafted him. In the future, the Bobcats could make out very well; but right now, I don't see it happening that way.

Sacramento Kings

The Kings took Jason Thompson at pick number twelve, and that was probably the biggest reach of the first round. Who was still avaliable? Darrell Arthur, Mario Chalmers, Marreese Speights and Anthony Randolph. Those guys all seem to fit better than Thompson does, but we'll see. In the second round, Sacramento had back-to-back picks at 42 and 43. First, they took Sean Singletary. I actually think Singletary could turn out to be a decent player, but I don't know if he was the point guard that they needed. Then, they went with Patrick Ewing Jr. at pick 43. Personally, I loved watching him play at Georgetown. But will he succeed in the NBA? I mean, he was the sixth man of the year; but he was the sixth man. If they wanted an athletic small forward, Bill Walker was still there. So in the future, Sacramento could look smart. But for right now, I don't think so.