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The 2005 NBA Draft was full of surprises. Some teams had the so-called experts scratching their heads with some of the picks, while clubs received complements for capitalizing on possibly some huge mistakes by the other franchises.

Here is a look at some of the winners and losers of the draft.


WINNERS:


1. CHARLOTTE BOBCATS - In just their second draft in franchise history, the Bobcats walked away with two players that are proven winners and will be very familiar to their fans. Charlotte selected North Carolina point guard Raymond Felton at No. 5 and just eight picks later landed another Tar Heel in power forward Sean May.

Felton and May will join Rookie of the Year Emeka Okafor in Charlotte's starting lineup. The two North Carolina products are ready to contribute immediately and will have the fans in Charlotte waiting anxiously for the 2005-06 season to start. This was a great draft for the Bobcats.

2. ATLANTA HAWKS - The Hawks need help at every position, and they got it with their first two picks in the draft. With the second overall selection, Atlanta grabbed North Carolina Marvin Williams, who may turn out to be the best player in the draft. In round two, the Hawks selected Arizona guard Salim Stoudamire, who may have been the best outside shooter in the draft.

Williams and Stoudamire will start right away for the Hawks. The former Tar Heel will add excitement, while Stoudamire will run the point and will give Atlanta a much better game from the perimeter. The Hawks, who finished a league-worst 13-69 in the 2004-05 campaign, needed an impact draft and that's what they got.

3. NEW ORLEANS HORNETS - Chris Paul, it's that simple. To get the dynamic point guard from Wake Forest with the fourth overall pick makes New Orleans big winners.

Paul, who was the second point guard selected in the draft behind Illinois Deron Williams, is arguably the best overall player in the draft. He has great play-making ability and can score. The Wake Forest product is an impact player who will bring excitement back to the fans of the Hornets.

4. BOSTON CELTICS - The Celtics were lucky that high school phenom Gerald Green slipped all the way to No. 18. Green, who was projected to go as high as fifth overall, is a great athlete and will be able to grow into an excellent NBA player with Boston. His game will work very well with All-Star Paul Pierce.

With their first pick in the second round the Celtics may have stolen Providence forward Ryan Gomes. Gomes is a small forward who should be able to step in and get some minutes right away. He is a scorer and will definitely help Boston. Excellent job by Danny Ainge.

5. INDIANA PACERS - To get New Mexico forward Danny Granger with the 17th overall pick has to have the Indiana front office smiling. Granger, who was projected to go as high as No. 5, is an athletic forward who can score down low.

Granger is ready to step in and contribute for head coach Rick Carlisle, who has to love the thought of his forward rotation that already has Jermaine O'Neal and Ron Artest, who should be able to play next season, in it. Indiana became a better basketball team because of its first round luck.


LOSERS:


1. TORONTO RAPTORS - Toronto was reaching when it selected Connecticut forward Charlie Villanueva with the seventh overall pick. The Raptors may have been able to grab Villanueva with their second first-round pick at No. 16.

The Raptors have Chris Bosh, who is their best player and just happens to play the same position as Villanueva. This team has a lot of holes and would have benefited more from selecting Arizona center Channing Frye, who went to New York at No. 8. Frye would have meshed well with Bosh and would have given the Raptors an athletic front line for many years. Even Antoine Wright of Texas A&M or high school phenom Gerald Green would have been better fits than Villanueva.

2. GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS - With their three picks the Warriors were not able to get a player that will step in an make a difference. Golden State shocked almost everyone when it selected Ike Diogu of Arizona State with the ninth overall pick. Diogu is an undersized power forward who still needs to improve his game plenty.

With the 40th and 42nd overall picks, the Warriors chose high school guard Monta Ellis and Pittsburgh forward Chris Taft, who went from being a possible lottery pick to the middle of round two. Golden State had a chance to take some big steps towards getting back to the postseason, but they blew it.

3. PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS - Portland traded the third overall pick to Utah for the sixth and 27th overall and a 2006 conditional first-round pick. The trade was ok, but why did the Blazers go for Martell Webster of Seattle Prep High School?

Webster may be excellent in a few years, but there were players available who are ready to make an impact right now. Portland, which won just 27 games and missed the playoffs for the second straight year, could have made better use of its pick.

Four North Carolina players were picked in the first 14 selections. The Blazers need a new attitude and a new image. A Tar Heel would have been a great start, as Portland should have continued to trade down and started the re-building process with some proven winner. Portland made poor use of its assets.

yep, agree with that assessment, why would they take Villaneuva when they already have Bosh in the lineup.
Hawks are going to be an exciting team to watch this year. might not lead to a lot of wins but will be a lot of top ten plays of the week coming from Atlanta <img border="0" title="" alt="[Big Grin]" src="images/icons/grin.gif" />