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MAKING THE GRADE
Posted by Jeff Dengate on June 28, 2005 1 p.m. ET
WINNERS AND LOSERS AT NBA DRAFT 2005 Ah, the day after the NBA Draft, when some fans wake up to a bright, sun-shiny day. Others shake out the cobwebs and wonder, "What happened last night?" Indeed, what happened? We'll get to that and let the experts give their take on how your team did, but first, let's take a look at some of the big stories and surprises from Tuesday night.
Not so much a surprise, the confident Australian was first off the board when Milwaukee got done picking.
An early blow to most mock drafts came as early as No. 7 when Toronto selected Charlie Villanueva. It seems many heads were scratched.
While Charlie V caught most folks off guard, the Warriors shocked Ike Diogu two picks later. Maybe it's just me, but, Ike, do you think now's the time to move out of the dorms?
Moving right along, Larry Bird was pleasantly surprised when Danny Granger fell out of the lottery and into in his lap. Apparently, the Pacers were so certain he was out of their reach, they apologized for taking up his time with a workout. Many scribes are saying this morning that this was the biggest steal of the Draft.
Long live the sky hook! For the first time since 1994, the Lakers trolled the Lottery waters. Their catch? A whopper.
Working from a different body of water, the C's are all smiles over their good fortune: Boston goes Green. Or is that Greene?
Of course, sometimes you get lucky and sometimes you just have to go through 22 workouts before a team takes a crack at you.
Meanwhile, what Draft would be complete without Kiki Vandeweghe working the phone lines? Four years, four moves.
Maybe that's why the Mavs got a busy signal? Now, onto the grades.
Draft night was wild -- even by Dick Vitale standards.
The Bucks and Hawks set the class curve early, while the Raptors, many believe, were near the back of the class.
Here's a pick-by-pick breakdown courtesy of SI's Marty Burns.
Here's another from Roscoe Nance over at USA Today.
In the end, some will win, some will lose.
But not everybody can receive passing marks.
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