Jackson and JordanSoak it in people, because this may just be the last bit of NBA action you get before another lockout takes down another major league sports organization for an indefinite amount of time. It’s understandable that the draft may not be the most exciting thing to watch on television on a Friday night, but it’s a good way to gauge the direction your favorite NBA team is headed in. Some teams took a step forward on Friday, whereas others took a step or five back. With that in mind, we’ll take a look at some of the winners and losers during the final NBA event we’ll see anytime soon.

Winners…

Michael Jordan and his Charlotte Bobcats: Jordan, owner of the Bobcats, must have gotten a tip or two from his former coach Phil Jackson on how to build winning teams. His team pulled off a pre-draft trade that shipped out Stephen Jackson and their No. 19 pick, getting the No. 7 pick and Corey Maggette in return. Maggette is an aging veteran, but still has some scoring left in the tank. That pick turned into one of the most intriguing prospects in the draft, Spain’s Bismack Biyombo. Biyombo will instantly upgrade the Bobcats on both ends of the floor and he has already made it clear that he plans on dominating in the NBA. Amazing, they held on to their No. 9 pick and rushed their selection card with UConn’s Kemba Walker's name on it to the commissioner. Considering that the Bobcats were one of the worst offenses during the 2010-2011 season and lost one of the top scorers in Jackson, Walker must be salivating at the opportunity to take over Charlotte’s scoring role. Their two Top 10 picks should be instant starters who will wreak havoc on the Bobcats’ opponents this upcoming season. The fact that they’ll be playing under Michael Jordan makes it ten-times more exciting.

Denver Nuggets: With the No. 22 pick in the draft, the Nuggets landed possibly one of the biggest steals in the draft in Morehead State’s Kenneth Faried. Considering he’s the all-time NCAA leader in rebounds and is second in NCAA career double-doubles only to future Hall-of-Famer Tim Duncan, I can’t understand why he didn’t go higher. The Nuggets struck gold, and Faried is going to make the rest of the NBA sorry that they passed up on him. They had other picks, but they only needed one to earn themselves the right to be called winners of the draft.

Canada: In a country that’s basically only known for hockey in the world of sports, Canada made its presence felt during the 2011 NBA Draft. First, Canada native Tristan Thompson was taken with No. 4 overall pick, the highest a Canadian has ever been taken since Steve Nash was taken 15th overall in 1996. One pick later, the Toronto Raptors, the NBA’s only team located in Canada, landed big man Jonas Valanciunas who should be a nightmare when he finally finishes up overseas and joins his Raptor teammates. To cap the night for Canada, native Corey Joseph squeaked his way into the first round after getting drafted 29th overall by the San Antonio Spurs. It was a great night for Canada as they continue their futile attempts at busting onto a sports scene other than the NHL.

Jan Vesely: Did you see that kiss? That right there was enough to earn this guy a thumbs-up. Even better is the fact that he’ll be playing with John Wall next season as the Washington Wizards attempt to dig themselves out of the NBA’s garbage pile.

Losers…

Golden State Warriors: First and foremost, the Warriors failed to trade away shooting guard Monta Ellis. From there on out, they continued to crowd their backcourt with even more guards. Their No. 15 pick, Washington State's Klay Thompson, is a great shooter who should be able to push for some playing time right away. However, even if Ellis is shipped out, he may not be the answer that the Warriors were hoping for. He has great range and a wicked three-point shot, but is a bit inconsistent in other areas of his game. Next, they got Tokyo’s Jeremy Tyler from the Charlotte Bobcats. Coming out of high school, Tyler was one of the most promising prospects in the nation. Then, he decided to skip his senior year of high school and head overseas, where he never lived up to his potential. I doubt he will with the Warriors either. Their final pick, Hofstra’s Charles Jenkins, is a terrific young talent. However, he’s just another player to clog the backcourt depth chart. The Warriors made some questionable decisions, which could bite them in the backside when the 2011-2012 season rolls around.

Brandon Knight: The poor guy, who was considered a Top 5 talent, slipped all the way down to No. 8 with the Detroit Pistons. Knight, hailing from the University of Kentucky, is going to be the first piece to what should be a rather long and tedious rebuilding process for the Pistons. Instead of landing with the Utah Jazz where they’re only a piece or two away from playoff contention, he will now be the initial block with which the Pistons will build their franchise around. At least there will be an abundance of minutes in his foreseeable future.

The 2011 NBA Draft Class: Many of these guys left college early in hopes of chasing their NBA dreams. Ironically, there might not even be an 2011-2012 NBA season with the way things are going right now. As of right now, both sides of the argument are on entirely different continents in the way of coming together on terms of an agreement. The NBA has already cancelled summer leagues as it appears that a lockout is all but imminent. This already wasn’t a strong draft class to begin with, and now that it’s unclear when they’ll finally hit the hardwood for their first NBA games, they aren’t getting any stronger.

Photo: Show Luo, Creative Commons 2.0