Big XII at the NBA draft

First Round

Antoine Wright - Texas A&M (15th Overall to New Jersey)
I guess it's a good move for the Nets. Does he play as a 6th man, though? Last I checked, Richard Jefferson is locked in at his position. Still, for A&M, who hasn't had a draft pick in a long time, it's a big step forward. Now Billy Gillespie can tell recruits he got a player to the Association.

Joey Graham - Oklahoma State (16th Overall to Toronto)
I like Joey Graham, and I think it's a good pick, I just wish he wasn't going to Toronto because that franchise doesn't know what it's doing.

Gerald Green - Oklahoma State signee (18th Overall to Boston)
I'm really not surprised he fell this far. Once Portland decided on Martell Webster, he was falling. I don't know much about the kid, except that he went to high school in Houston.

Linas Kleiza - Missouri (27th Overall, drafted by Portland, traded to Denver)
I'm surprised that Portland and Denver both thought that highly enough of him to give him guaranteed money. He really didn't live up to his potential at Missouri.

Wayne Simien - Kansas (29th Overall to Miami)
The Heat are lucky to get him. San Antonio should have taken him one pick earlier. This guy's got lots of heart, and he produces. With Udonis Haslem possibly going into free agency, Simien has a chance to compete for a starting position.

Second Round

C. J. Miles - Texas signee (34th Overall to Utah)
Here's where it gets interesting. C. J. Miles doesn't have an agent, so he can still go to Texas. The problem is, C. J.'s rights are owned by the Jazz for the next 5 years or so. So really, there's no point in going to Texas, because he's not going to improve his draft position. Nice system, NBA and PA.

Lawrence Roberts - formerly of Baylor (55th overall, drafted by Seattle, traded to Memphis)
Roberts, who transferred to Mississippi State after the whole Dave Bliss mess, managed to win SEC Player of the Year his junior year, then improved his numbers his senior year. So how is he 55th overall? Explain this to me again. Good deal for Memphis.

How the Texas Teams fared

Dallas Mavericks - They didn't have a pick in this draft. But considering this was a good draft to get supporting players, they would have done well to try and get into this draft. They have the cornerstone pieces already, but the front line is still lacking depth, and they could use a few role players.

Houston Rockets - The only draft pick they had was the 24th overall, and they got Luther Head out of Illinois. He's a little small to be playing the 2, which is what he played in college, but apparently he can shoot well. He passed fairly well in Bruce Weber's offense from what I recall, so maybe he can learn to play the point. Considering it's the 24th pick, it's a pretty good one.

San Antonio Spurs - If they didn't have a reputation for picking Euro players and letting them develop, and they hadn't just won a championship, people would be calling for the heads of Gregg Popovich and R.C. Buford. That's how bad that pick is.

Tomorrow: TBA