Picks 11-20

#11 Atlanta Hawks - Acie Law IV
Much needed. Kind of a "duh" pick.

#12 Philadelphia 76ers - Thaddeus Young
The first of 3 first round picks for the Sixers, they took the younger guy with more potential. Another freshman taken in the first round, the Sixers took a guy that they more than likely will have to develop. Julian Wright and Al Thornton are slipping a bit, which is unfortunate. The Sixers tried to trade this pick unsuccessfully earlier to get the number 6 pick. They still could make a trade since they have 2 first round selections remaining at 21 and 30.

#13 New Orleans Hornets - Julian Wright
I think a better pick would have been Thornton, since Thornton is ready to help out Chris Paul right away. Wright is another guy that needs polishing, but will probably be a good player. By the way, I hate the term "high basketball IQ." I just want Jay Bilas to stop talking. He invented terms like these just so he could get a job at ESPN.

#14 L.A. Clippers - Al Thornton
It would have been a shame had he slipped out of the lottery, but luckily he got taken by the Clips. He doesn't make sense in terms of their needs, but he was the best player left. He will be able to contribute right away, since he and Law IV are the two 4-year players that have been taken so far. Nick Young would have made more sense since the Clips have an aging Sam Cassell and an injured Shawn Livingston, but Thornton was a good pick.

#15 Detroit Pistons - Rodney Stuckey
He played at the smallest college out of anyone drafted thus far (Eastern Washington), but is deserving of being picked this high. The Pistons were really high on this guy, and they expect him to help next season right away. He should be a primary backup for the Piston and apparently has a game comparable to Dwayne Wade.

#16 Washington Wizards - Nick Young
It was only a matter of time before this guy was taken. Great scorer, needs to work on his defense a bit, but will be a good compliment to Arenas next year.

Trade Alert
The Knicks have agreed to acquire Zach Randolph from the Portland Trailblazers for Steve Francis and Channing Frye. The Trailblazers seem to be opening up room in the frontcourt for Greg Oden and LaMarcus Aldridge. The Knicks would also receive Dan Dickau and Fred Jones.

#17 New Jersey Nets - Sean Williams
Hmm interesting pick, since Sean Williams was in rehab and kicked off the Boston College team for smoking marijuana. He's a big guy, a spot the Nets needed to fill, but he obviously has had some problems in his life and is kind of a risky pick with his history.

#18 Golden State Warriors - Marco Belinelli
While the Warriors are one of the up and coming teams in the league, this pick doesn't quite make sense to me. I would have thought they would pick a guy that could contribute right away, but as a foreign player, he probably won't. Belinelli helped the Italian team that defeated Team USA by dropping 25 on them. The Italian league apparently is a better league than college basketball, but all foreign picks are generally risky.

#19 L.A. Lakers - Javaris Crittenton
Another freshman taken. The Lakers are a team in disarray, and Crittenton isn't going to help anything. Kobe will just end up complaining about Javaris too, and then go cry, and then quit basketball for baseball, and then go have another incident in Colorado. This guy is such a drama queen. The Lakers have done everything for this guy, he wanted to be by himself, and now he is complaining that he doesn't have enough help. Best case scenario for Crittenton...Kobe does leave, and Crittenton steps in to become the man.

#20 Philadelphia 76ers via Miami Heat - Jason Smith
The Heat don't need much except to keep Wade and O'Neal healthy, so the pick here is smart. Picking up a big guy for when O'Neal or Mourning leave is what they needed most, and that is what they get. They won't need to use him right away, so they'll be able to develop him the next couple of years, and the Heat hope he will become a great 7 foot PF.