There are going to be a lot of draft grades given out by professional sports writers in the next 48 hours.  I don't expect that KP and the Blazers are going to be on the honor roll this year, but the team's focus is no longer about getting better while getting younger.  It's winning time.  But enough about that.  I've rendered my thoughts on how each player's prospects are on the team by which they've been drafted (or to which they've subsequently been traded).  Note, these will be adjusted as future trades are announced over the next few days, but the initial take is based on draft night outcomes.

1. Blake Griffin to Clippers - He was drafted onto a team with Zach Randolph, plus Marcus Camby and Chris Kaman.  Clearly, they plan to move someone.  But as it stands, they haven't, and as the most offensively productive of the three, Randolph is not a team player with a big contract that they'll have a hard time moving.  At the same time, he's the guy they really need to move the most.  Survey says they give the minutes to Griffin until Zach has the hoops family break both Blake's knees.  Plus, they're the Clippers, perpetually terrible and quite possibly cursed.  C-

2. Hasheem Thabeet to Grizzlies - So Marc Gasol had a pretty nice rookie season.  Their reward for him was using the number two pick to draft another center.  I'm not crazy about Thabeet's game, but he's real tall and can play some defense, so maybe he gets some minutes this season behind Gasol.  Perhaps he can be a Tyson Chandler type of guy, eventually, but as Memphis already has a productive center, this is a tough start for him.  C

3. James Harden to "Thunder" - James Harden will immediately start in place of Kyle Weaver, letting Durant slide to the small forward spot.  So he's basically starting for a team full of young guys who can ball.  Could he possibly have landed in a better situation?  A+

4. Tyreke Evans to Kings - An interesting case here, as Beno Udrih and Bobby Jackson are clearly not the point guards of the future in Sacramento, but at the same time analysts are unanimous that Evans is not ready to step in as an NBA point guard today, and Sacramento's best player is a shooting guard.  So they drafted him as a future point guard, on a team that really needs a present point guard.  Next year may be a rough one for Tyreke if they throw him to the wolves as the starter, but the crucible may harden him if it doesn't consume him with disappointed expectations.  B

5. Ricky Rubio to Timberwolves - Ricky's situation makes the position Yi was drafted into a couple of years ago look good.  Not only is he drafted into the frozen north, but the Minnesota immediately turns around and drafts another more experienced and NBA ready point guard in Flynn, who they are rumored to like a lot.  So now if he does want to bite the bullet and break his contract to come over to the NBA, there's an excellent chance he won't get to play much.  I would have loved to see Rubio's reaction on camera when the sixth pick was announced, particularly if he was mic'ed.  Anyone care to translate that Spanish for us?  My feeling is he does not come over if he's not traded.  F

6. Jonny Flynn to Timberwolves - Has to go head to head with the consensus best upside point guard in the draft for minutes.  Not good.  On the other hand, the smart money seems to think that he's the guy for them, and as I mentioned above, I don't think Rubio comes over for table scrap minutes.  Which leaves only another undersized point guard with a dubious jumper to beat out for the position.  At least with Flynn there's probably some upside - this is doubtful for Telfair.  A-

7. Stephen Curry to Warriors - I feel badly for Curry.  He's an NBA talent, even though he clearly does not yet posses an NBA body, and I have serious doubts about his durability over an 82 game season.  Still, I said the same thing about Tayshaun Prince when he came out of Kentucky, so I've been way wrong on that issue before.  Even so, Curry gets to "play" for Don Nelson.  They guy who famously doesn't do much in terms of providing guidance to his players (his former players have gone on the record saying he just sits there during time outs, not addressing the team).  Nelson makes George Karl look like Stan Van Gundy.  Plus, he's notorious about not playing rookies, and Curry is the team's second and less talented undersized shooting guard who will be asked to play minutes (if he's lucky!) at the point.  I see this as a terrible landing spot for most rookies, but particularly bad for him.  D-

8. Jordan Hill to Knicks - Anyone with some game ought to be happy to be picked by the Knicks.  They have a player's coach and they love to score the ball, and they're rebuilding and are very likely to have plenty of minutes for any rookies who can be productive.  He's theoretically got Al Harrington and Chris Wilcox ahead of him at the power forward slot, but those guys are basically expiring contracts to the 2010 sweepstakes Knicks.  A

9. DeMar DeRozan to Raptors - They needed an athletic wing, they got one.  DeMar has to live in Canada while playing for a team that's on its way down, with Bosh headed out the door after this season and few prospects of improvement on the horizon, but the same could be said of most of the team listed above this, and he'll almost certainly get to play, which for a rookie is the most important thing.  Still, he has to live in Canada.  B

10. Brandon Jennings to Bucks - That ought to answer any questions Ramon Sessions had about whether he was going to be able to extort a huge contract from the Bucks.  They are ready to move in a different direction by drafting Jennings.  Still, he didn't chalk up the experience he had hoped for in Europe because the coach of the team he was signed by over there wanted to, you know, win, and keep his job.  That kind of thing.  So Jennings is still very raw, and is probably not ready to start even for a (now clearly, with the Jefferson salary dump) teardown team like the Bucks.  But he will get to play major minutes if he shows promise.  B+

11. Terrence Williams to Nets - With the Vince Carter trade, a lot of minutes just opened up at the small forward spot for the Nets.  Williams is a terrific glue guy, but when one looks at the Nets roster one has to wonder where the points are going to come from.  Brooks will throw in some, but Devin Harris isn't going to be able to carry the scoring load enough of the time for them to win many games, and Williams doesn't help them much there, unlike maybe CDR.  New Jersey is looking at some lean times next year, Frank may actually be grateful when he's finally axed.  B-

12. Gerald Henderson to Bobcats - Charlotte is thin at the shooting guard spot, and Raja Bell is wearing out and expiring.  Henderson will almost certainly get to prove himself as the future shooting guard, even if Larry Brown isn't much friendlier to rookies than Don Nelson.  At least, unlike Nelson, Brown is actually a teaching coaching with a history of turning both players and teams into winners (albeit sometimes at a heavy price to their egos).  This was a very good landing spot for Henderson.  A

13. Tyler Hansbrough to Pacers - PsychoT got drafted at #13, to a team that loves them their white dudes.  He gets to come is as a slightly smaller and less talented Troy Murphy behind, well, Troy Murphy.  That is, if he can beat out McBob for the job.  Might be fun to be a fly on the wall when those two match up in practice.  Regardless, expectations for him will be low, and he will meet them.  A fine fit, though you've got to wonder if Indiana even wants to get better by taking him this high.  A

14. Earl Clark to Suns - Well, with Grant Hill and Matt Barnes off the books, a lot of minutes have opened up at the small and power forward positions in Phoenix.  Add to that the fact that they're clearly retooling and are likely as not to dump Stoudamire, and the future is wide open for Earl Clark in the land of the Suns.  He has to beat out Jared Dudley and Alando Tucker for minutes, but if he can't do that he doesn't deserve them.  Clark has to be happy with this result.  A

15. Austin Daye to Pistons - He's not ready to play in the NBA, but Detroit is a team that really needs players and can be expected to be extremely active in free agency.  As he's a project, it doesn't matter so much that he's currently on the depth charts behind a guy with two years left on his contract who never misses games.  He may get some spot minutes, but anything he can pick up from Prince while he's still there is a bonus.  He could do worse.  B+

16. James Johnson to Bulls - The Bulls are actively shopping Tyrus Thomas, a more talented but less coachable  and skilled player than Johnson, and if they manage to put one through things will be looking up for JJ, as he'll only have to fight off Taj Gibson for minutes then.  In the mean time, he's playing behind a guy who's only one year older than him with three years of NBA experience, on a team that now has heightened performance expectations that they're going to be hard pressed to live up to unless they can make some roster magic happen.  C+

17. Jrue Holiday to 76ers - Very similar to the situation with Evans - a combo guard is drafted to play for a team without a quality point guard under contract.  Unlike the Kings, the 76ers are a team that will want to win some games this year.  The best case for Jrue is that Andre Miller gets extended for couple years and he can learn the position behind him.  It would be brutal for him to try to start this year, but, as I said, the 76ers want to win some games, so I can't see that happening.  B-

18. Ty Lawson to Nuggets - It's ironic that the most NBA ready point guard is the guy who's drafted behind the strongest point to have a potential replacement drafted for him.  Lawson would have been better off going to
any team that really needs a starting point guard sooner rather than later.  But who knows, perhaps Chauncey is closer to the end than it looked like from last year's playoff and season.  Still, he's got to be near the top of the list of guys you'd want to learn from.  B+

19. Jeff Teague to Hawks - With Claxton and Law traded and Bibby expired, the Hawks really need a point guard who can start and be productive right away.  My guess is that's a re-signed Mike Bibby, not Jeff Teague.  Still, free agency is a tricky thing, Crawford is not a point guard, and though it's possible Teague's not one either,as things stand right now Teague is number one on the depth chart at that position on a team with playoff ability.  A

20. Eric Maynor to Jazz - Sucks to be Eric Maynor, playing behind a young franchise point guard for a coach who hates rookies.  Still, with Knight and Price both off the books he may have a chance at all their minutes if he's willing to put up with Sloan's invective.  D+

21. Darren Collison to Hornets - An interesting choice here by the Hornets.  Collison is likely to be a solid backup.  But playing behind Chris Paul, that's all he's ever going to be.  If he accepts that, this may be an fine fit for him, albeit an inherently limiting one.  Still, he gets to observe the best active point guard and spell him for the 9 minutes a game he's rested.  Hey, Pargo parlayed that into a decent paycheck in Europe, Collison may be able to make something of it too.  C-

22. Victor Claver to Blazers - Drafted by a deep team with a minutes crunch with its existing roster, no desire to get younger, and a history of drafting European players late in the first round and then never signing them.  It's a good thing he has no plans to come over any time soon.  Assuming he has plans to actually play in the NBA someday, this pick probably wasn't welcome news.  D

23. Omri Casspi to Kings - A tough draw here onto a rebuilding team that already has young talent in the front court.  Still, because they won't win many games next year, he may get a chance to prove himself if he comes over, even if everyone stays healthy.  C

24. B.J. Mullens to "Thunder" - Mullens went to a team that needs a good center.  He's not that center, but at least his team needs one.  It's a young team with low expectations for the coming season and Scotty Brooks is a teaching coach.  Presti is building for the future, and if Mullens puts in the effort he could be a part of it.  If he can defend the paint and grab some boards, he may get minutes for that alone, they don't need him to score.  His prospects will look even brighter if they manage to deal Collison.  B+

25. Rodrigue Beaubois to Mavericks - They're going to need a point guard, even if they do re-sign Kidd, he's going to be social security eligible in a couple more years.  Could be that future point guard is Beaubois, after they let him marinate in Europe for a while.  B

26. Taj Gibson to Bulls - You never want to be the second player drafted at your position (unless you're Jonny Flynn, I suspect, but that's a rare exception) by the same team, and James Johnson was picked 10 spots higher by Bulls to play the same position as Gibson.  Johnson is a more versatile and skilled player.  Gibson is going to have to work his butt off and hope not everybody can manage to stay healthy, or he's not going to get a real shot.  C-

27. DeMarre Carroll to Grizzlies - Does getting a "junkyard dog" make the soft Grizzlies a "tough" team?  I don't know, did getting Renaldo Balkman make the Knicks a "tough" team?  Somehow, I don't see it.  Either way, Carroll will get the chance to fight Arthur and Warik for minutes, and may see some court time when they need energy and defense.  A guy with his skill set shouldn't expect anything more.  A-

28. Wayne Ellington to Timberwolves - Having dumped both their shooting guards for all frontcourt players and the rights to draft Rubio, the Wolves are very thin in the backcourt and Ellington may see a lot of minutes this year.  My sense is Minnesota has the worst record of the '09-'10 season, with around 15 wins, even if big Al is completely healthy.  It hurts to play for a team that's losing so much right after winning a national championship, but hey, at least there's a good chance he'll be playing.  A

29. Toney Douglas to Knicks - The Knicks need depth at in the backcourt and if you saw Douglas play for FSU last year, you know he is a straight up baller.  He may not make it in the NBA, but his best chance is probably in a wide open system like the Knicks under D'Antoni.  He should thank his lucky stars to have been drafted in this spot.  A+

30. Christian Eyenga to Cavs - This guy should be thrilled to be drafted in the first round with the talent that was still on the boards.  Ferry might as well have given this pick away.  But for Christian, score!  You're this year's Petteri Koponen!  A

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Well, there you have it.  Remember, this is from the perspective of the players, or tries to be.  Have at it!