2012 NBA Draft Grades: Atlantic Division

Boston Celtics

Picks: #21 Jared Sullinger PF, #22 Fab Melo C, #51 Kris Joseph SF

Sullinger saw his draft stock fall due to a herniated disk that caused red flags from several team's medical staffs. However, Boston rolled the dice on him anyway, which was a great move as they need someone with his offensive talent to bolster their front court moving towards the post-KG era.

I think the Celtics reached a little bit taking Melo where they did, although they definitely needed help at the center position as they were forced into small line-ups for a majority of the second half of last season and the playoffs with Garnett at center. With their desperate need at the position taken into account, the big man's selection becomes less of a stretch as he has the potential to turn into a big time force with his size.

While it's unknown if Joseph will make the final roster, he had a pretty decent career at Syracuse and he would provide the Celtics with an excellent wing player to come off the bench behind Paul Pierce, so definitely don't write him off.

Final Grade: B+

Brooklyn Nets

Picks: #41 Tyshawn Taylor PG, #54 Tornike Shengalia SF, #57 Ilkan Karaman PF

The Nets landed an excellent point guard in Taylor and considering how far he fell in the draft, they got him at an absolute steal with the 41st pick. While the Nets are doing everything in their power to keep free agent point guard Deron Williams as they move to their new home, Taylor gives them a quality talent at point that will easily be able to come in off the bench for him or play extended minutes should he sign elsewhere.

Brooklyn's other two selections will likely never play a minute in the NBA and for that they aren't factored into their grade since they were basically filler picks. Taylor was just too good an option to pass up for the Nets.

Final Grade: B

New York Knicks

Picks: #48 Kosta Papanikolaou SF

This selection drew plenty of boos from the dozens of Knicks fans in attendance at the draft last night, as it was a sign that the team had no interest in actually using this selection as their is almost no chance Papanikolaou will ever play in the NBA. In fact, his name has probably been used more in this post (twice) than the Knicks will use it all season long.

Final Grade: Incomplete

Philadelphia 76ers

Picks: #15 Maurice Harkless SF, #27 Arnett Moultrie PF, #45 Justin Hamilton C

The Sixers made a curious selection by taking Harkless with their top draft pick considering they already have Andre Iguodala and Thaddeus Young on their roster. Unless they are planning to move Iggy, I'm not sure this pick makes much sense for them, although Harkless had an amazing freshman season this past year and should have a good NBA career if he is given enough playing time.

Moultrie was acquired in a move with the Miami Heat and adds some depth to their front court, something that they definitely needed heading into the draft. His best asset is his ability to crash the boards which is something the Sixers desperately need.

Hamilton is another solid front court player that could make it easier for the team to consider using their amnesty clause on Elton Brand. It's unknown if he will make their final roster for sure, but he would definitely provide them a much needed big man with the ability to shoot from a fairly decent range for his size should they decide to give him a contract.

Final Grade:B-

Toronto Raptors

Picks: #8 Terrence Ross SF, #37 Quincy Acy PF, #56 Tomislav Zubcic

The Raptors really wanted to move this selection heading into the draft, however, after failing to find any deals to their liking, they settled instead on making a huge reach and selecting Ross, someone they probably could have taken five picks later. While Toronto needed an upgrade at small forward and got a player that filled the need well, they are getting penalized here for jumping the gun on this one and not moving back to take him.

Acy is a pretty decent selection for Toronto where they took him, however, they took a big gamble leaving Tyshawn Taylor on the board with this selection as they gear up to make a huge run at Steve Nash at the beginning of free agency (and for Jeremy Lin if the pursuit of Nash doesn't work out). Taylor is the type of scoring point guard that the Raptors could really use and it's unlikely they can actually land either of their aforementioned targets, meaning missing out on Taylor could really haunt them down the road.

The selection of Zubcic is likely just another in the long list of international players Toronto has selected over the past few years that have never made it to the NBA.

Final Grade: C-