Pick up an NBA Draft Guide and take a look at any draft from the past 10 years. One thing quickly becomes apparent: there are very few sure things in any draft. That is what makes the influx of high school players  even more difficult. It is extremely hard to judge how a player is going to perform in the NBA even after watching him for four years in college. It is almost impossible to judge how a player is going to do in the NBA after watching him in a high school game or at an individual workout. Teams have come to over-rely on the individual workout. How many times a player can dunk in a minute or how many threes he can shoot in a row have no real relationship to how good a player will be in the NBA. This is a fact more and more NBA teams seem to have forgotten. The 2001 NBA Draft was the oddest of all time because of how many high school players were chosen early and because there were so many potentially good big men. The likely result will be some franchise players coming out of this draft and also some all-time busts. Remember, Jerry West, one of the greatest talent evaluators in NBA history, has admitted he didn't have any idea that Kobe Bryant was going to be this good.

ATLANTA GRADE: A-
The Hawks were one of the big winners in this draft when they traded the number three pick in the first round along with Lorenzen Wright and Brevin Knight to the Vancouver Grizzlies for Shareef Abdur-Rahim. Abdur-Rahim is a proven star, is years from hitting his peak, is under contract and is the kind of player any franchise wants to build around. Wright and Knight are role players and the Hawks did not need a high school player. Along with the Dikembe Mutombo trade this decision will lead to the resurgence of the Hawks down the line. With the 27th pick of the first round the Hawks selected Jamal Tinsley and then dealt his rights to Indiana for a future first pick. This move was questionable because Tinsley is going to play in this league for a long time and the Hawks need a point guard. With their second round selection Atlanta chose Terrence Morris and then dealt his rights to Houston for a future first-round pick. 

BOSTON GRADE: B-
The Celtics had three first-round draft choices and came away without any sure things. With the 10th pick of the first round they chose Joe Johnson, a 6'8" forward from Arkansas. Johnson has more than enough athletic ability to be a big-time player in the NBA, but he never dominated in college and those kind of players usually don't improve in the NBA. With the 11th pick the Celtics chose Kendrick Brown, a 6'7" forward from Okaloosa-Walton Community College in Florida. Brown can score from the post but is rumored to be traded to Portland. With their third pick the Celtics chose Joe Forte, a 6'4" shooting guard from North Carolina. Forte will try to play the point in the NBA and is a scorer, but he is a tweener guard and they rarely turn into stars in this league. This is definitely a wait-and-see draft for the Celtics, but we question it right now. 

CHICAGO GRADE: B
With their own pick in the first round the Bulls selected Eddie Curry, a 6'11" center from Thornwood High School in Illinois. Curry is a legitimate center prospect who, if willing to work, should develop into a star in this league. Then the Bulls dealt Elton Brand to the Los Angeles Clippers for the rights to Tyson Chandler and Brian Skinner. Chandler is a multitalented 7'2" forward who starred at Dominguez High School in California. He can handle the ball, run the floor and hit the three. The problem is he dislikes playing with his back to the basket and lacks any kind of strength. Twin Towers have rarely worked in this league and the thought of two high school kids pulling it off, no matter how talented they are, seems improbable. To give up a future All Star like Brand for another kid doesn't make sense. In the second round the Bulls chose 6'7" forward Sean Lampley from California. Lampley will have to make the conversion to small forward, but he has skills and may stick. The Bulls got some of the best young talent in the country in this draft, but they also got younger. Jerry Krause's future should rest on how this draft works out and we don't like his chances, but sometimes you can't question talent. 

CLEVELAND GRADE: B
The Cavaliers made a sensible gamble when they selected DeSagana Diop, a seven-foot center from Oak Hill Academy in Virginia. Diop doesn't have much experience and has had problems with his feet, but he is huge man with a big upside. If he turns out to be a player, and Zydrunas Ilgauskas ever gets healthy, the Cavaliers will be in the enviable position of having two quality centers on their roster. With their second first-round pick the Cavaliers chose Brendan Haywood from North Carolina and then dealt his rights to Orlando for Michael Doleac. Doleac doesn't rebound or intimidate, but he can score and may be helped out by zone defenses in the future. In the second round Cleveland took Jeff Trepagnier from USC. Trepagnier has NBA athletic ability, but his skills, especially his outside shooting, are questionable. This was a gamble draft by Cleveland, but they are reasonable gambles.

DALLAS GRADE: D
The Mavericks' only pick was Kyle Hill, a 6'2" guard from Eastern Illinois. Hill can score, but whether he will make the roster is very questionable. The Mavericks are obviously not using this draft to take the next step. 

DENVER GRADE: C+
The Nuggets improved their future by taking Ousmanne Cisse, a 6'8" forward from St. Jude High School in Alabama and then trading a future first-round draft choice for the rights to Omar Cook. Cisse doesn't figure to play much for the next couple of years, but Cook can play and should push Nick Van Exel next year. These are two selections that are going to take a while to judge. 

DETROIT GRADE: B+
With the ninth pick of the first round the Pistons selected Rodney White, a 6'9" forward from UNC Charlotte. White can play either forward position and can score. At this stage the Pistons are looking for players and White has all the ability to be one. With their second round pick the Pistons chose Mehmet Okur, a 6'11" center from Turkey. Okur didn't dominate in Turkey so he doesn't figure to do much here. 

GOLDEN STATE GRADE: A-
Out of the teams that used the draft solely, the Warriors made the best picks. The Warriors need help at every position and they improved themselves greatly with the selections of Jason Richardson, Troy Murphy and Gilbert Arenas. Richardson is a big two-guard who only needs to improve his outside shot to be a star in this league. The Warriors already have Larry Hughes, but Hughes did not play well last season and they need players who produce. Richardson will. Murphy never rose in this draft despite the fact he is an outstanding player. He can score both inside and outside, will rebound and will block shots coming off the ball. He is also a worker and that is something the Warriors have never had enough of. Arenas is an undersized two-guard, but he does have long arms and if he can find his role he will be a player in this league for a long time because he is highly skilled. This is a draft even the Warriors may not be able to screw up. 

HOUSTON GRADE: A-
The Rockets traded the 13th, 18th and 23rd picks in the first round to New Jersey for the seventh pick and received Eddie Griffin from Seton Hall. The knock on Griffin is that he is immature, but he is 19 years old and you are supposed to be immature at that age. There isn't anything Griffin can't do on the basketball floor. The only questions with him are will he be able to handle success and why, even though he is such a talented player, did his college team struggle so much? The Rockets then traded a future first-round draft choice to Atlanta for the rights to Terrence Morris, a 6'9" forward from Maryland. Morris has a ton of ability, but he seemed to regress throughout his college career. If he can find some aggressiveness he will be a player. The Griffin trade was a worthy gamble by the Rockets. 

INDIANA GRADE: B
The Pacers traded a future first-round pick to Atlanta for the rights to Jamal Tinsley from Iowa State. Tinsley, who understands the game and will find the open man, could be a capable replacement one year later for Mark Jackson. Don't be surprised if Tinsley is a big help to the Pacers this year. With their own pick in the second round the Pacers selected Jamison Brewer, a 6'4" point guard from Auburn. Brewer has an NBA body, but wasn't a great player in college. His impact on this team is questionable.

LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS GRADE: A-
It is starting to get scary because the Clippers - yes the Clippers - made a great move on draft day when they traded the second pick in the draft to Chicago for Elton Brand. Brand gives L.A. the power player they needed and has already established himself in the league. If he can prove that he is a leader, the Clippers hit the mother lode in this spot. 

LOS ANGELES LAKERS GRADE: D 
The Lakers did not have picks and did not need any. 

MIAMI GRADE: C-
With only a second-round pick, the Heat came up with a player who may stick when they selected 6'11" Ken Johnson from Ohio State. Johnson's two major pluses are that he is a shotblocker and he improved throughout his college career. Johnson's weaknesses are that he lacks strength and will have trouble scoring in the NBA. 

MILWAUKEE GRADE: D
With the 52nd pick of the draft the Bucks took Andre Hutson, a 6'8" forward from Michigan State. Hutson is a worker, but is undersized for a power forward. If he sticks Hutson will find himself on injured reserve most of the season.

MINNESOTA GRADE: A-
After being convicted of tampering, the T-Wolves were left with only the 46th pick in this draft, but they wound up with first-round talent when they selected 7'1" Loren Woods from Arizona. Woods, who fell more than any other player in this draft, supposedly because he has a bad back, can shoot the ball and is a natural shotblocker. He is not a great rebounder and lacks strength. If he is healthy Woods will immediately be the best center on the Minnesota roster. Even if Woods never plays a game for the T-Wolves this is a gamble worth taking. 

NEW JERSEY GRADE: C
The Nets traded the rights to Eddie Griffin, who they picked seventh, to Houston for the rights to Richard Jefferson, Jason Collins and Brandon Armstrong. Jefferson is natural basketball player who can run the floor and shoot. His best trait is that he is a super defensive player. If you don't believe that watch the tape of the Arizona-Michigan State game in the NCAA tournament when Jefferson shut down Jason Richardson. Collins will play center with the Nets. He has skills and strength, but is not a shotblocker. Collins was also injury-prone throughout his college career, which is always a concern for the Nets. Armstrong was a scorer in college, but he will be an undersized two-guard in the NBA. With their second round pick the Nets selected Brian Scalabrine from USC. Scalabrine is a shorter version of Evan Eschmeyer. The Nets added needed depth in this draft, but the team that wins a trade is the team that gets the best player and in this trade that player was Griffin. 

NEW YORK GRADE: D
The Knicks did not have a first-round draft choice; with their two second-round picks they selected 6'7" Michael Wright from Arizona and 7'1" Eric Chenowith from Kansas. Wright can play, but is an undersized power forward. Chenowith has skills, but was a huge disappointment at Kansas. This is a draft that doesn't figure to help the Knicks. 

ORLANDO GRADE: B-
The Magic went for need in this draft and it will be interesting to see how it works out. With their own pick they chose Stephen Hunter, a seven-foot sophomore from DePaul. Hunter never dominated in college, but had impressive pre-draft individual workouts. Hunter has skills and if he is willing to work he can help the Magic. Orlando then traded Michael Doleac to Cleveland for the rights to Brendan Haywood. Haywood was wildly inconsistent at North Carolina, but he is a legitimate center with good offensive skills. Haywood is going to play in this league for a long time. It is up to him how good he is going to be. With their second first-round pick the Magic chose 6'5" Jerryl Sasser from SMU. Sasser is a shoot-first point guard, but may be a fit with the Magic. He won't have to set up the offense because of the presence of Grant Hill and he has the athletic ability to be a good defensive player in this league. This was one of those wait and see drafts by general manager John Gabriel and head coach Doc Rivers. 

PHILADELPHIA GRADE: C
With their first-round pick the Sixers chose Samuel Dalembert, a 6'11" sophomore from Seton Hall. Dalembert is not ready to play in the NBA, but is a natural shotblocker and could develop into a Dikembe Mutombo-like center if he is willing to work. However, that is going to take many, many years because Dalembert does not have great skills at this point in his career. With their two second-round choices Philadelphia selected Damone Brown, a 6'9" senior from Syracuse, and Alvin Jones, a 6'11" senior from Georgia Tech. Brown has skills but never dominated in the Big East. Jones' skills are similar to Dalembert's, though he is more advanced now and doesn't have as big an upside. This was a depth draft by Philadelphia, and not a bad effort when you take that into consideration. 

PHOENIX GRADE: D
The Suns didn't have a first-round choice. With their second-round pick they selected Alton Ford, a 6'9" freshman from Houston. Ford has an NBA body but is a long-term developmental project. 

PORTLAND GRADE: C+
In the first round the Blazers chose 6'9" freshman Zach Randolph from Michigan State. Randolph is a widebody with skills. He will have trouble getting playing time on this team, but is an excellent developmental project because he has ability. The question is will he be willing to work hard enough while sitting? In the second round the Blazers chose Ruben Boumtje Boumtje, a 7'0" senior from Georgetown. At best he will be a big body. 

SACRAMENTO GRADE: B-
The Kings have done an excellent job the last couple of years of finding quality players in the draft and they may have done it again with 6'7" freshman Gerald Wallace from Alabama. Wallace was generally considered the best freshman in the country coming out of high school, but did not have a great year after playing out of position at power forward. Wallace has an NBA body and can run the floor. The question will be if he can create his own shot and if he can stick the jumper. At worst, he should be an effective player coming off the bench for the next couple of seasons. With their second-round pick the Kings selected 6'4" senior Maurice Jeffers from St. Louis. Jeffers does not figure to stick. 

SAN ANTONIO GRADE: C
With their first-round pick the Spurs took Tony Parker, a 6'0" point guard from France. The main questions with Parker are can he adjust to the NBA and does he have the speed and quickness to be a starter in this league. With two second-round picks the Spurs selected Robertas Javtokas from Lithuainia and Brian Bracey, a 6'7" senior from Oregon. Neither is likely to stick. The Spurs need a point guard and Parker is a worthy gamble but Omar Cook would have been a better selection. 
(EDITOR'S NOTE: We think Parker is more than quick/fast enough to do the job.)

SEATTLE GRADE: C+
In the first round the Sonics chose Vladimir Radmanovic, a 6'9" forward from Yugoslavia. Radmanovic is a versatile player who rose in this draft after individual workouts. If he is a player, the Sonics will build their future around Rashard Lewis and him. In the second round Seattle chose 6'1" senior point guard Earl Watson from UCLA. With his lack of athletic ability Watson will at best be a backup in this league. 

TORONTO GRADE: B
The Raptors chose 6'10" junior Michael Bradley from Villanova. Bradley possesses a beautiful touch around the basket and will score for this team. The questions with Bradley are whether he is strong enough to play center in this league and how much he will rebound. Despite those questions Bradley should be a quality player for quite some time.

UTAH GRADE: C
The Jazz picked Raul Lopez, a 5'11" point guard from Spain. Lopez was a pick for the future because the Jazz didn't have any room on their roster for a player this season. Lopez has an excellent reputation in Europe and could be an important pick for the Jazz down the road. In the second round the Jazz picked Jarron Collins, a 6'10" senior from Stanford. At best Collins is an end of the bench player. 

VANCOUVER (MEMPHIS) GRADE: F
The Grizzlies decided to break up a group that wasn't working by first trading Shareef Abdur-Rahim to Atlanta for the third pick in the draft plus Lorenzen Wright and Brevin Knight. With that pick they selected Pau Gasol, a 7'1" center from Spain. Gasol better be the real thing, because Abdur-Rahim is. With their own pick in the first round Vancouver chose Shane Battier from Duke. Battier is a team player who has range on his jumper, but he may not have a position in the NBA and he needs to learn how to create for himself off the dribble. With the last pick of the first round the Grizzlies chose Will Solomon, a 6'1" junior from Clemson. Solomon is a gunner but will have to prove he can play the point in the NBA. Second-round pick Antonio Fotsis has skills, but is rail thin and is probably a couple of years away from coming to the States. Right after the draft Vancouver traded Henry Bibby to the Kings for Jason Williams. What the Grizzlies accomplished here is really hard to understand. They were admittedly a bad team, but they traded two All Star-type players in Abdur-Rahim and Bibby for two role players, a foreign unknown and a seemingly limited player in Battier. It may be a while before Memphis sees a winner in the NBA. 

WASHINGTON GRADE: B
With the first pick in the draft the Wizards selected 6'11" high school power forward Kwame Brown. Brown is not only big, but he is athletic and skilled. Remember, though, he is still a high school kid and he will be playing on a bad team next year. If this franchise is to turn the corner Michael Jordan needs to be right on Brown. The Wizards also acquired the rights to 6'7" junior Bobby Simmons from DePaul. The Wizards are lacking at the small forward position and Simmons will get a chance to play. As with the Bulls it take a while to judge this draft for the Wizards.
 

Bob Scalza can be contacted by e-mail at scalza@earthlink.net