NBA Draft 2013: Nerlens Noel trade highlights wild night

- While Minnesota’s Mbakwe has not reached an agreement with a team yet, the Philadelphia 76ers could be one of his landing spots. Fellow Gopher Rodney Williams signed with Philadelphia Friday morning.

• NBA Draft 2013 Grades and Results

Scott Schroeder took a look at the top 15 players left undrafted. Over the coming days, we’ll find out where these players hope to start their NBA careers, or at least get noticed. Here’s a quick roundup of what we know about the day after the end of the draft.

- Syracuse guard Brandon Triche will sign with the Charlotte Bobcats. The 6’4 two-guard was a key part of the Orange team that made the Final Four this past year and the other half of a backcourt with No. 11 pick Michael Carter-Williams. Triche didn’t seem as NBA ready, though, as he didn’t crack many top 100 lists of eligible players.

Being undrafted isn’t necessarily a bad thing, by the way. The ten players listed below will now be able to choose the NBA team that offers them the best chance of making a roster next season rather than being pigeonholed to the one team that used their late second-round pick on a guy they’re not entirely sure about.

D.J. Cooper, Ohio - Cooper was an excellent college player as a four-year starter at Ohio that never averaged under 13.5 points or 5.7 assists during an outstanding amateur career. Production isn’t what kept him from being drafted, though -- it’s because NBA teams just aren’t as intrigued with sub-six-footers with any sort of flaw in their game. Cooper should get looks in Summer League, but it’s going to be an uphill battle for him to make the NBA.

The real fun starts now, though, as NBA experts from around the world have weighed in with their draft grades less than 12 hours after all 60 picks were chosen. The SB Nation NBA Draft grades were published Friday morning and, although we might be biased, they’re probably the best. Around the web, CBS Sports did their grades pick-by-pick, Chad Ford was pretty comprehensive with everything he did and USA Today was nice enough to break their grades down by conference.

• Noel way: Kentucky C traded to 76ers for Holiday

So, again, the Sixers are going to be bad. But that’s good ... for a rebuilding team.

The Sixers will be bad in 2013-14. Their pick in that draft will be high, maybe even No. 1. Plus, in that little Holiday deal, New Orleans sent their own 2014 first to Philly, protected only through the first five picks. The Pelicans picked No. 6 this year, just added Holiday and still have more cap space to work with.

Get caught up on everything that happened in the first round of the 2013 NBA Draft with SB Nation’s NBA Draft guide, presented by State Farm.

So why did Muhammad decide to show up despite missing his moment? He wanted to shake Stern’s hand during his final time serving as commissioner during the draft and called it “special,” according to ESPN True Hoop’s Henry Abbott. Shaking Stern’s hand as a first-round draft pick has become an iconic moment for freshly drafted players and Muhammad made it in time for his “special” moment with Stern.

• Noel way: Kentucky C traded to 76ers for Holiday

The 2013 NBA Draft had much fluidity as far as the rumor mill was concerned. Teams were simultaneously looking into moving up and moving down. A draft supposedly devoid of star talent was still attracting several teams to trade into the top-5 right up until the event began.

And if you’re catching up on learning about each draft prospect, visit the section for our NBA Draft scouting report series.

Timma is a hard-nosed player who earned a reputation of being a sharpshooter overseas. He is still raw as a prospect and will need to continue developing physically if he hopes to play regularly in the NBA, although there is some potential for the night’s last selection.

Timma has been an NBA prospect for years now, and he finally made the decision to head to the United States during the spring. The main flaw to his game comes on the defensive end; scouts have noticed a lack of effort there throughout most of his professional career. On the other end, he often settles for poor jump shots instead of either dishing to a teammate or attacking the rim.

Oriakhi averaged 1.6 blocks per game this past season at Mizzou and has the potential to be a defensive presence in the NBA.

• Noel way: Kentucky C traded to 76ers for Holiday

• Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Jason Terry traded to Nets

Over his four collegiate seasons, Kazemi asserted himself as one of the top rebounders in the country. He never averaged fewer than 9.1 rebounds per game in a season. The question with his staying power in the NBA is of what position he’ll play and whether he can score enough to stick. Listed at 6’8, he was never able to be a consistent part of Oregon’s offense, especially on set plays. At his size, he’s likely a power forward in the pros who will have to find some way to contribute apart from his superior rebounding skills if he wants a lasting career.

Kazemi may not be the most talented guy on the floor, but there’s no denying his heart and tenacity, especially around the rim. The Wizards are a team that’s currently rebuilding, and Kazemi’s toughness will be a welcome addition in D.C. if he’s able to lock down a roster spot.

• Noel way: Kentucky C traded to 76ers for Holiday

• Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Jason Terry traded to Nets

Yikes.

Well, insert your jokes about the Minnesota Timberwolves taking a point guard in the NBA Draft. Brown was a junior that entered early like his teammate C.J. Leslie, who has not yet been taken off the board. Brown was expected to be a mid-second round pick, so he slipped maybe a few picks below where he was expected to go, but the second round is always nearly impossible to predict.

Brown has prototypical size for the point guard position, and his quickness should serve him well at the next level, However, he is not an explosive athlete, and he’s an inefficient scorer. As a junior he hit just 26.3 percent of his three-point attempts and shot a subpar 41.9 percent from the field. He can create his own looks off the dribble, but his lack of an outside shot limits his offensive potential.

Osby is not much of a defensive presence, although he has the size to match up with other power forwards around the league. This late in the second round teams are simply looking to dig up a diamond in the rough who can serve as a role player for years to come. Osby will have to earn a roster spot with the rebuilding Magic, but given his touch and offensive ability around the rim, there’s a chance he sees some early playing time next year.

• Noel way: Kentucky C traded to 76ers for Holiday

Ennis didn’t get a lot of publicity while playing for the 49ers the past two years after playing at two different junior colleges prior to his Long Beach State debut.

Those who were able to catch a glimpse of Ennis in college saw a well-rounded player that could do a bit of everything from shoot spot-up jumpers to finish in the paint to lockdown the opposition’s best player. The big question is whether he’ll be able to do all of that at the NBA level, of course, but his being drafted means we’ll find that answer out soon enough.

He fits a team role with the Bulls: even as they were completely strapped for pretty much any able-bodied player to take the floor during the playoffs due to a slew of injuries, they still often sat Daequan Cook and Vladimir Radmanovic, both of whom were healthy and have made their NBA careers as shooters. Neither player is under contract next year. As the team gets ready to move forward with Derrick Rose, a player like Murphy can spread the floor if he can prove he belongs on the floor, which guys in similar roles weren’t able to do this past season.

The Bulls’ previous pick of the night was Tony Snell at No. 20.

Few players in the draft project as obviously at the NBA level than Kelly. A 6’11 big man that moves well, handles the ball and knocks down three-pointers, he’s a prototypical stretch-4 in the pros should he stick.

However, Kelly’s limitations -- poor athleticism, mediocre rebounding skills, average length -- make it a necessity that he finds his niche on the offensive end of the floor quickly. If he’s not spacing the floor and knocking down open shots, it’s hard to imagine most NBA teams finding much use for him.

Neto is a 21-year-old point guard who currently plays for Lagun Aro GBC in the Spanish ACB League. He’s 6’2, and is very quick and aggressive when handling the ball. His quickness makes him a good penetrator, so he does a nice job getting to the rim.

On the downside, Neto needs to improve his jumper and he’s sometimes prone to turning the ball over. He’s also not the best athlete in the world, which could be a problem against some of the better point guards in the NBA.

Green was expected to go somewhere in the mid-to-high second round, and that’s where he ended up. With Trey Burke also headed to Utah, they add two guards who were considered the best player in probably the two best conferences in college basketball last season.

Green made big improvements to his game during his senior season with the Hokies. He posted the best shooting numbers of his career while bumping up his scoring average from 15.6 points as a junior to 25 points last season, which led the NCAA. He is a dangerous scorer from the perimeter who can create his own opportunities off the dribble thanks to a quick first step and a speedy release on his shot.

Muscala made improvements to his game every year at Bucknell, culminating in a senior season where he averaged 18.7 points, 11.1 rebounds, 2.4 blocks and 2.3 assists in 31.7 minutes per game. Every big man from a smaller conference is bound to face questions about his ability to compete against NBA athletes on a nightly basis, and that’s one of the biggest concerns scouts had with Muscala. He posted excellent rebounding and shot blocking numbers at Bucknell, but his lack of premium athleticism will put him at disadvantage on the defensive end in the NBA.

His best contributions are bound to come on the offensive side of the game. He boasts a well-developed post game and good shooting range for a big man. He seems to understand his strengths, and he played to them well during his time in college.

Ledo goes around where many have expected, in the middle of the second round. The pick was technically made by the Milwaukee Bucks, but he’s headed to the Dallas Mavericks, who see something they like in the 6’6 shooting guard.

The Mavs traded away all their earlier picks as they hope to cut cap, so an unguaranteed second-rounder in Ricky Ledo is up their alley.