ESPN's draft guru Chad Ford published his 2011 NBA draft grades this morning and was pretty much lukewarm on the Sixers haul. With the 16th overall pick they took Nikola Vucevic, a seven footer from USC and with their second pick they grabbed local product Lavoy Allen from Temple.
The Sixers needed size and so they took the biggest guy on the board, but this was a case of drafting need over talent. I think better players were on the board, even if they weren't 7-footers. Vucevic will be solid in the NBA, but he's far from being a potential star.
Allen doesn't exactly get you excited after a lackluster four years at Temple.
As for some teams that he did like last night, The Pistons earned a A for getting Brandon Knight at #8, Kyle Singler and Vernon Macklin. He gave the Heat and A- for grabbing PG Norris Cole late in the first. Minnesota also earned a A for grabbing Derrick Williams with their first pick and then picking up some extra value by repeatedly trading their following pick.