Well, the draft is over, and quite a draft it was. As usual, there was the usual craziness of frantic trades and shocking moves, and the Heat were guilty on both accounts. It was both a frustrating and exciting draft, as the Heat made a few decisions that could go great or that could go terribly. I'm going to take a look and evaluate the Heat's movements, and give a little introduction to the newest member of the Miami Heat squad, Justin Hamilton.
The Heat went into the draft with the 27th overall pick and an eye for big men. Unfortunately, all of the top big men were gone after the Boston Celtics selected C Fab Melo, my personal favorite prospect, with the 20th overall selection. By the time the 27th pick came around, the only good 7' man available was C Festus Ezeli, who I thought was a reach at that pick. At that point, I thought all signs pointed towards the heat selecting PF Perry Jones III out of Baylor. Jones was initially projected as a lottery pick, but had fallen to the late 1st round. PJIII was a tall PF, coming in at 6'11" and had the ability to come in and start right away at C considering the success the Heat have had with their small lineup. The Heat decided that they would rather have more flexibility for the future, and traded down to the 45th overall selection, picking up a future 1st rounder as part of the deal.
The Trade
The trade was actually fairly straightforward, and could net the Heat some quality picks in the future. The 76ers had coveted PF Arnett Moultrie, and wanted to trade with the Heat for rights to him. The Heat selected him with the 27th overall pick, and got a 2nd rounder and a future 1st rounder in return. With the 2nd rounder, they select C Justin Hamilton, but more on him later. In addition to the 2nd round pick, the picked up a future 1st round pick. This pick happens to be lottery protected through 2014, meaning that, if the Philadelphia 76ers are picking in the lottery next year, or any of the following years, they get to keep the pick. If the 76ers make the playoffs next year, then the Heat receive the 76ers pick. In essence, the Heat received the next 76ers' non-lottery 1st round pick.
Introducing the Newest Member of the Miami Heat, Justin Hamilton
After making the trade, and receiving a 2nd round pick, the 45th overall selection, the Heat selected LSU C Justin Hamilton. Admittedly, Hamilton was not on my draft board and was a total surprise for me, as i expected the Heat to select 3 point specialist Darius Miller with that spot as both of the Heat's current 3 point specialists, Mike Miller and James Jones, are considering retirement. The Heat selected Hamilton, and saw Miller get taken at the very next pick. Now, on to the guy the Heat ended up with, Justin Hamilton. Hamilton checks in at just under 7 foot, with a wide wingspan. He is built strong, and is hard to move, which will help him as he adjusts his defensive play to the NBA game. He might not be a top defensive center, but he has a nose for the rebound and is a decent shot-blocker. But where he really shines, however, is on the offensive side of the court. He has a well-refined post game and a solid mid-range jump shot for a player his size. His size and strength will also help him set picks off the pick and role, while his effective jump shooting also makes him an asset as a pick-and-pop shooter. He can be trusted as a big scoring threat when the second unit is on the floor. While he has talent, and can be developed, his big weakness is that he is very unathletic. Because of this, he will need to spend some time in the summer league getting conditioned and ready to play when the actual season rolls around. He can run the floor well, but he isn't explosive and can't move around quickly within the paint. But, overall, Hamilton is an intruiging pick, and we'll have to see how well he turns out.
The Heat went into the draft with the 27th overall pick and an eye for big men. Unfortunately, all of the top big men were gone after the Boston Celtics selected C Fab Melo, my personal favorite prospect, with the 20th overall selection. By the time the 27th pick came around, the only good 7' man available was C Festus Ezeli, who I thought was a reach at that pick. At that point, I thought all signs pointed towards the heat selecting PF Perry Jones III out of Baylor. Jones was initially projected as a lottery pick, but had fallen to the late 1st round. PJIII was a tall PF, coming in at 6'11" and had the ability to come in and start right away at C considering the success the Heat have had with their small lineup. The Heat decided that they would rather have more flexibility for the future, and traded down to the 45th overall selection, picking up a future 1st rounder as part of the deal.
The Trade
The trade was actually fairly straightforward, and could net the Heat some quality picks in the future. The 76ers had coveted PF Arnett Moultrie, and wanted to trade with the Heat for rights to him. The Heat selected him with the 27th overall pick, and got a 2nd rounder and a future 1st rounder in return. With the 2nd rounder, they select C Justin Hamilton, but more on him later. In addition to the 2nd round pick, the picked up a future 1st round pick. This pick happens to be lottery protected through 2014, meaning that, if the Philadelphia 76ers are picking in the lottery next year, or any of the following years, they get to keep the pick. If the 76ers make the playoffs next year, then the Heat receive the 76ers pick. In essence, the Heat received the next 76ers' non-lottery 1st round pick.
Introducing the Newest Member of the Miami Heat, Justin Hamilton
After making the trade, and receiving a 2nd round pick, the 45th overall selection, the Heat selected LSU C Justin Hamilton. Admittedly, Hamilton was not on my draft board and was a total surprise for me, as i expected the Heat to select 3 point specialist Darius Miller with that spot as both of the Heat's current 3 point specialists, Mike Miller and James Jones, are considering retirement. The Heat selected Hamilton, and saw Miller get taken at the very next pick. Now, on to the guy the Heat ended up with, Justin Hamilton. Hamilton checks in at just under 7 foot, with a wide wingspan. He is built strong, and is hard to move, which will help him as he adjusts his defensive play to the NBA game. He might not be a top defensive center, but he has a nose for the rebound and is a decent shot-blocker. But where he really shines, however, is on the offensive side of the court. He has a well-refined post game and a solid mid-range jump shot for a player his size. His size and strength will also help him set picks off the pick and role, while his effective jump shooting also makes him an asset as a pick-and-pop shooter. He can be trusted as a big scoring threat when the second unit is on the floor. While he has talent, and can be developed, his big weakness is that he is very unathletic. Because of this, he will need to spend some time in the summer league getting conditioned and ready to play when the actual season rolls around. He can run the floor well, but he isn't explosive and can't move around quickly within the paint. But, overall, Hamilton is an intruiging pick, and we'll have to see how well he turns out.
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