Andrew Sharp of SB Nation's NBA page has posted his draft grades for the 2012 NBA Draft, including his thoughts on the draft of the Washington Wizards:
Considering the hype he's gotten the past few weeks, Beal's one year at Florida wasn't really thatimpressive, but all the tools are there, and just about everyone seems to agree that he's got every intangible you could ask for in a 19 year-old. His shooting is what got him drafted this high, but he can also attack the rim off the pump fake and be a scorer. So he's kind of like MKG--you don't know exactly what it's going to look like when things come together for him, but you have the sense it's going to be pretty great regardless.As for the trade, I know a lot of people hated it, and but as a Wizards fan all I can say is this: The team hasn't won 50 games in 30 years, and the past three seasons have been especially brutal. Adding a few overpaid veterans to make things respectable makes more sense in D.C. than it would just about anywhere else.
Plus: Nene, Okafor, and Ariza are really just there as a 2-3 year bridge to the future, giving the Wizards a chance to actually win games while the rebuild unfolds. If everyone develops on schedule, those veterans will be coming off the books in 2014 and 2015--right as John Wall and Beal are coming into their prime--giving the team plenty of cap space to help fill out the roster with solid role players and maybe even one other star. It's not an overnight fix, but for the first time since, like, 2006, Wizards fan actually have reason to be excited about the near future AND the long-term. And isn't that what the draft is all about? GRADE: A.
Catch up on everything you need to know about the Wizards draft, scan our NBA Draft 2012 StoryStream. For more fan reaction, visit our Wizards blog, Bullets Forever.