2013 NBA Draft: Winners and Losers

Winners

Cleveland Cavaliers - They wanted to surround Kyrie Irving with talented wings and they accomplished that. Anthony Bennett will be pure trouble for opponents out on the wing, a forward with a 7-1 wingspan. He's an ideal pick-and-roll partner for Irving to boot. Their second first-round pick, Sergey Karasev, is a knockdown three point shooter with professional experience. Karasev is a guy who should add one or two assists per game to Irving's stat line, elevating Irving's drive-and-dish game to an elite level. Carrick Felix should be a nice defensive stopper who gives them 5-8 minutes per game off the pine.  

Philadelphia 76ers - When the dust settled the 76ers sent Jrue Holiday to New Orleans and in return they received Nerlens Noel and a 2014 first round pick from NO (protected 1-5). They then nabbed Michael Carter-Williams at 11. MCW will run the point and provide them with great length defensively. Arsalan Kazemi should be a nice glue guy, he certainly knows how to stuff a stat sheet. The 76ers are still waiting for compensation from trading away Ricky Ledo at 43. The team's new GM Sam Hinkie is targeting 2014-15 and that's the right decision. Could that mean Andrew Wiggins? We'll see if they lose enough games in 2014. 

Detroit Pistons - The Pistons already have a solid core of young players and simply needed to add more talent to the roster. Tony Mitchell was a steal in the second round. He's an elite rebounder and has the strength to be a great defender in the NBA. If he had come out after his freshman season, he would have been a top-10 pick, great value in finding him in the second round. With the front court already settled, the Pistons had to decide between a point guard or a shooting guard with the 8th overall pick and I love KCP. Brandon Knight and KCP should form a decent back court right away. Their last pick, Peyton Siva, could see minutes next year and provide them with an above average backup point guard. This team keeps getting better through the draft. 

Losers

Charlotte Bobcats - I don't hate Cody Zeller but I hate him at four. With McLemore and Noel on the board they could have traded down and that's a missed opportunity. Zeller's ceiling isn't as high as nearly every other player selected in the top ten. Maybe once they drop the name and go back to the Hornets, they'll start drafting well again. 

Indiana Pacers - Their first round pick won't kill them but they needed a nice bench player and Solomon Hill is not it. He's a bit of a tweener and while he's a well-rounded player, he doesn't excel in any area. He'd need to really improve his three-point shooting to validate this pick. They then send their second round pick, Colton Iverson, to Boston for cash. This was a deep draft for teams interested in rotation players and the Pacers laid an egg.