With the weeks of debate now over and 60 players achieving their goal of making it to the NBA, it’s now time to assess who won out on draft night at Madison Square Garden. From Joakim Noah’s hilarious bow tie (and fro) to Steven A. Smith’s duel with Dick Vitale, it was a fun night to be an NBA fan last night.

Winners
Portland Trail Blazers: Not only did they grab the best center prospect to come around in years, they continued to load up through the draft. Credit this franchise for completely rebuilding their franchise in just two years. The Zach Randolph trade may irk some, but the Blazers made up for it by selecting Josh McRoberts, Derrick Byars, Taurean Green, and Syracuse’s Demetris Nichols in the 2nd round. I don’t know how Steve Francis will be worked into this situation but Channing Frye will be a star. Hop on the bandwagon!

Atlanta Hawks: Throughout the draft process, the Hawks at #3 and #11 were a big question mark. Everyone simply assumed they’d screw up. But they didn’t go wrong in selecting Florida’s Al Horford and Texas A&M’s Acie Law IV. Both are ready to contribute immediately and are proven winners at the college level. Horford has plenty of All Star games in him, while Law is a big-game player and an automatic upgrade at point guard in Atlanta.

Chicago Bulls: Take a look at the Bulls roster and their strategy is simple. They grab NBA-ready guys who were studs in college. The selections of Joakim Noah, Aaron Gray, and JamesOn Curry all fit that mold. Noah won’t add much scoring inside for the Bulls (something I felt they needed). But his intensity and toughness will make him a crowd favorite in Chicago, even if the rest of the league grows tired of his act. Gray’s gumpy ass can bring some depth and size off the bench, while Curry can hit a couple three pointers and sling drugs to the rest of the league.

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If there was a bad year to ever have the 3rd pick in an NBA Draft, this would be it. The Atlanta Hawks, the symbol of NBA futility, earned the rights to the 3rd selection, which could be considered the equivalent of “kissing your sister.” Sure, they’re going to land a very good player. But they’re also missing out on two of the best college prospects in years. So what the hell do they do? Here’s what NBA Fanhouse is saying.

Atlanta doesn’t get a legit trade offer, and it has to decide between drafting Conley, Florida’s Al Horford, or UNC’s Brandan Wright. I’ve got Atlanta taking Wright third, and Texas A&M’s Acie Law at No. 11.

Here’s why this draft is so crucial to the Hawks. They don’t have a first rounder next year, which is going to Phoenix as compensation for the Joe Johnson trade. If they can’t land a couple of impact players in the first round, they’re screwed for years to come and Billy Knight is washing cars for a living. This is a team that’s made some miserable decisions in the past. They can’t screw this up. Then again, they’re the Atlanta Hawks.

What shouldn’t they do? For one, they shouldn’t draft Chinese import Yi Jianlian, who likely won’t be able to make a splash for a couple years. He’s a major prospect and needs loads of work in the weight room. They already have a couple projects inside with Shelden Williams and Marvin Williams. They don’t need another. I don’t want to say Yi will be a bust. But he’ll be a bust, especially in a draft that’s this loaded.

Greg Oden’s buddy Mike Conley Jr. looks like a good pick at #3 but he’s also very, very young. It’s rare to see point guards this young come into the NBA and contribute right away. But the last couple years, we’ve seen the value of a young stud at the point. New Orleans has Chris Paul and Utah has Deron Williams. But if the Hawks decide they want a big guy first, then Acie Law at #11 wouldn’t be bad either. Hell, the Hawks can draft me and it’d be an upgrade over Speedy Claxton and Tyronn Lue.

Joakim Noah is strange.? He doesn’t like haircuts, he hates losing, and apparently he hates Michael Jordan.? “I hated Michael Jordan.” Noah told the press on Friday while talking about his days growing up as a Knicks fan.

Noah, who is projected to go in the top ten in the draft, is heavily rumored to be going to the Bulls at the ninth overall pick.? The irony of the situation?? The Bulls got the pick from the Knicks in the Eddy Curry trade.? How sweet irony is.

It’s no secret that he may be the most emotional and passionate player in the draft.? And while many people, myself included, criticize him for disappearing during games, his emotion and intensity is never lost on the court.? That passion is what will make him millions of dollars in the NBA, and for comedys sake lets hope it’s for a team that he watched dismantle his Knicks year after year in the playoffs during the 1990’s.

I don’t fault Noah for hating Jordan, especially since he seems like the kind of kid who would throw things at the television?while Jordan was burying jumpers over Glen Rice and Allan Houston.? I have my certain hatred for players in sports, and it has nothing to do with my lack of respect for their talent.? Isn’t that what makes a rivalry?? Red Sox fans hate Mariano Rivera with a passion, but I’d be willing to bet if you asked a Sox fan if Rivera was one of the best closers of all-time the answer would be yes.? Millions of people hate Alex Rodriguez but that doesn’t detract from the respect he gets around the league and the fact that he is certainly one of the best hitters in the game right now.? The same applies for Jordan.

Show me where it says that everyone must like Jordan (who is addicted to gambling but we won’t get into that.? so much for a role model) and I’ll show you a fat lie.? Hating players is what builds rivalries and what makes competition so great.? It’s the respect that comes with the hate that makes one’s opinion about a player worthwhile.? Yes, Noah hates Jordan, but I’d be willing to bet you that he respects Jordan more than any other player to ever step on the hard wood.? That’s just the way it works.

With the NBA Draft just a few weeks away, many prospects are using the pre-draft workouts to boost their stock. In the case of Greg Oden and Kevin Durant, the sure-fire top two picks, they’re simply going through the motions. However, Kevin Durant’s display in Orlando was a bit surprising. Durant just might be the best prospect at the camp. But he’s also the weakest. Durant was the only player at the camp who failed to bench press 185 pounds.

While Oden resembled a “two guard in a center’s body,” Durant’s lack of strength came as a big shock. Sure, he’s an explosive scorer and has a wingspan close to 7 1/2 feet. But the NBA is far more physical basketball than the Big 12 and it would have been nice to see Durant a little bit bulked up in Orlando. Analysts said he was still a few years away from growing into his frame but is he really this far away?

In the end, it’s not going to matter much. Durant will be on a heavy weightlifting program before too long and he’ll be able to pack on some muscle before his rookie season starts in October. But look at another hyped small forward from a few years back: LeBron James. He’s a guy that was physically ready for the league as a junior in high school. Durant isn’t quite there yet.

Sorry NBA teams, Kansas guard Brandon Rush won’t be entering himself into the NBA draft. Rush, who combined with Julian Wright to make the Jayhawks a legitimate contender last season, tore his ACL in a pick up game and will be out of action until at least November.

What have we learned from Aaron Boone? If you play pick up basketball, you will tear your ACL and miss a significant amount of time. Simple as that. Boone owned himself two years ago going to the rack and missed a tremendous amount of time. Rush, who thought he could somehow avoid the pick up jinx, will also miss a significant amount of time and a chance to get drafted in the lottery in this years NBA draft.

If light can be made from this situation, it is that Rush will get another year of college ball under his belt. I am a big advocate of gaining as much experience and improving as much talent as possible in the college ranks before making the leap to the pros. Then again, hardly any college basketball player wants to pass up professional money for another year in college. Rush has no choice.

Hopefully Rush can recover as quickly as possible and help Kansas return to dominance. If he has another great year, his stock will only rise and he will assuredly be a top draft choice in next years draft.

When you think of NBA franchises that have built nicely through the draft but still don’t win, you’d probably look at the Atlanta Hawks. Here’s a team that’s drafted college standouts such as Josh Childress, Marvin Williams, and Shelden Williams in the last few years. But this year, there might be reason for optimism in the Dirty Dirty. Thanks to the ping pong balls, the Hawks were given the 3rd overall pick, which has numerous benefits.

Had the Hawks received a pick outside of the top three, it would have automatically been forfeited to the Phoenix Suns, a team that has slightly more talent than the Hawks. Instead, they caught a break and get to keep their pick. Next year’s pick will go to Phoenix regardless as a result of the Joe Johnson deal. But by next season, there should be enough improvement to take some sting off of that.

Combine the Hawks’ 3rd overall pick with their 11th selection, which they received in the Al Harrington deal, and you start to think of a number of possibilites. Will we see the Hawks try to bundle those two selections to move up and land either Greg Oden or Kevin Durant? The idea certainly makes sense. Considering the enthusiasm at Phillips Arena resembles that of an execution chamber, drafting a future superstar as opposed to two random rookies will get fans talking.

Either way, the Hawks will win on draft day. They can trade up and land a stud or use those two picks to fill even more positions with young talent. Perhaps the Hawks can end up with Corey Brewer and Mike Conley Jr., a guy that could man the wheel of the franchise for years to come, which is a far more attractive option than Speedy Claxton. If the Hawks play their cards right, they can take a step towards removing their franchise from the “piece of shit” category.