Evaluating a draft usually doesn't make sense until years after the fact. However, some teams certainly took advantage of their draft situations and some others didn't. NaismithLives.com senior writer Adam Stanco takes a look at which teams should be commended and who should be scolded...

WINNERS

San Antonio Spurs
First, they traded three pieces that wouldn’t have had a long term impact on the team – Fabricio Oberto, Kurt Thomas, and Bruce Bowen – to Milwaukee in exchange for Richard Jefferson, a 29-year old who averaged 19.6 points a game last season. Then, despite lacking a first round pick, they drafted two players who could’ve been taken in the first round. They snatched Pittsburgh’s DeJuan Blair, a power forward with lottery-level talent, with the 37th overall pick and Miami sharp shooter Jack McClinton at No. 51.

Adding Jefferson and Blair might just make the Spurs the favorite to win it all next season. Jefferson hasn’t missed a game in two seasons and could prove to be even more valuable if the Spurs are unable to re-sign Manu Ginobili next sumer. Blair is a wonderful rebounder, can score with either hand, and is a very good passer. He should mesh very well alongside Tim Duncan. Teams were scared off by Blair’s injury history because he had reconstructive surgery prior to attending college, yet Pitt coach Jamie Dixon said Blair never missed a practice or game due to an injury.

McClinton is undersized, but will add some firepower to the bench, much like Damon Stoudamire did a few years ago. San Antonio also nabbed Nando De Colo, a big guard from France, who will likely stay overseas for a year or two.

Memphis Grizzlies
Chris Wallace is apparently starting to figure out this whole GM thing. With the second overall pick, the Grizzlies passed on Spanish point guard Ricky Rubio, choosing Connecticut center Hasheem Thabeet instead. Neither prospect wanted to play for Memphis, but Thabeet will have no other options, whereas Rubio wouldn’t have signed with them. Besides, Thabeet is a great addition to the young core of O.J. Mayo and Rudy Gay and instantly gives the team an imposing shot blocker, shoring up a lot of their defensive holes.

But possibly just as impressive as the selection of Thabeet is the Grizz’s theft of Sam Young (Pittsburgh) with the 36th overall pick. Young is one of the toughest players in this draft class and has a really high basketball IQ. He should earn minutes immediately.

Memphis reached a bit with their late first round pick of forward DeMarre Carroll, but the former Missouri star plays with unrelenting energy, has pretty good ball skills, and can hit an open jumper. He probably won’t be part of the rotation next year, but has potential down the line.

Oklahoma City Thunder
With the third overall pick in the draft, the Thunder could’ve easily chosen Rubio or Memphis guard Tyreke Evans, but decided to go with James Harden of Arizona State. Harden is a sensational talent and quite possibly the smartest player in this draft. He can fill it up, distribute creatively, and defend. He’s a southpaw who needs to get stronger with his off-hand, yet that shouldn’t be a problem for him. Harden will be a star and he’s joining an Oklahoma City team with an incredibly strong core already in place.

Plus, even after the Thunder pick up the team options on Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and Jeff Green, they are still going to be way under the cap next summer. Signing a marquis free agent from the 2010 class – which was once thought to be impossible for Oklahoma City – is now almost a given. General Manager Sam Presti has been remarkably impressive during his short tenure, but that shouldn’t come as a surprise. He was groomed for the position while with the San Antonio Spurs.

Houston Rockets
They didn’t have a pick in the either round, but the Rockets still managed to nab a few players who could contribute, one who could even be a future starter.

Houston traded for Central Florida shooting guard Jermaine Taylor, who was selected b y the Washington Wizards with the 32nd overall pick, and acquired Spanish lead guard Sergio Llull, the Denver Nuggets’ pick at No. 34. The 21-year old Llull played in the Euroleague last season.

But Houston’s best move came even later in the draft. They sent cash and a future second round selection to Detroit for Chase Budinger, the 44th overall pick. The former Arizona star should never have slipped that far in the first place and the Rockets paid a minimal price to obtain what could be a valuable asset for them in the future.

Budinger is a very good shooter, has good size at 6-foot-7, and has great court awareness. As a former nationally ranked volleyball player, Budinger is a wonderful athlete who also possesses tremendous balance and excellent footwork. There are questions about his toughness and his willingness to dominate, but he’s definitely got a future in the league. Budinger, who still had a year of eligibility remaining at Arizona, said he never would’ve left school early if he knew he’d be a second round pick.

Meanwhile, Taylor is an explosive scorer who can step right in to Von Wafer’s role and Llull would be a nice complementary piece whenever the team decides to bring him over to the states.

Los Angeles Clippers
Sure, the Clippers got lucky in the lottery, but they did the right thing by selecting the best player available. Blake Griffin is going to be a star at the NBA level and could have a monumental impact on the franchise. His energy and unselfishness will certainly rub off on his teammates and should invigorate the career of talented, yet inconsistent, point guard Baron Davis.

Milwaukee Bucks
With so many point guards available, multiple teams stood to benefit from them in this draft. Milwaukee certainly did.

The Bucks landed Brandon Jennings with the 10th overall pick. Jennings spent last year playing professionally in Italy after a fantastic high school career that he capped off by breaking Oak Hill Academy’s single season scoring record. Jennings has a sensational feel for the game, is at his best when he’s breaking down opponents off the dribble, and is a very creative passer. He still needs work on his jumper and his brief career overseas was marred with inconsistency, yet the jumper will come in time and it didn’t help that he played for two different coaches in what was already a tumultuous environment. Jennings has the potential to be a terrific pro and, quite possibly, the best point guard in a draft class loaded with them.

Milwaukee also added some shooting and depth to their bench by selecting Jodie Meeks with the 41st overall pick. The former Kentucky star left school early after a junior season in which he poured in 54 points at Tennessee and finished the season as one of the nation’s leading scorers. He is somewhat limited as an overall prospect, but his ability to score will be of great value to the Bucks.

The 2009 NBA Draft Losers will be coming soon...