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Authored by J.T. Magee - 16th June, 2005 - 1:38 pm
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Merry Christmas, Raptors Fans
The Raptors might not be playing good basketball right now, but there are plenty of things for Toronto fans to be thankful for this holiday season.
A Melo Behind The Superstars
Carmelo Anthony has never been one of the league's most efficient offensive players.
A Melo Behind The Superstars
Carmelo Anthony has never been one of the league's most efficient offensive players.
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We are just under two weeks away from the draft, folks. Rumors and promises and all that goodness that comes along with the draft are only brewing at this stage. Come next week, or possibly tomorrow, things should get to the boiling point. There’s been another promise or four, more rumors, a couple of Euro’s pulling out and fallout from the Chicago Pre-Draft Camp and the Treviso (Italy) Eurocamp, which is still going on.
For those of you not familiar with or have not seen many of the players in this year’s draft, here is a link to videos compiled by the Toronto Raptors official site on NBA.com. Although there isn’t any footage from the Pre-Draft camp, they are highlights of the players themselves. To access it, click any of the player’s scouting reports on the main page, then click on the video link in the body text. The list includes first-round prospects Andrew Bogut, Raymond Felton, Wayne Simien, Channing Frye, Ike Diogu, Jarrett Jack, Julius Hodge, Joey Graham, Chris Paul, Antoine Wright and Marvin Williams, among others.
http://www.nba.com/raptors/news/2005_draft.html
Now to the promise. Deron Williams, one of the top point guards in this year’s draft, has “received” a promise that he will get taken by the New Orleans Hornets with the 4th pick. While this is a big possibility, the promise might not be true for many reasons. First off, if Portland were to trade down with another team, therefore picking for them, then Gerald Green may be available. If so, the Hornets may just stand pat with Speedy Claxton and a (probably) re-signed Dan Dickau. Green would end up playing small forward alongside J.R. Smith. Second off, if Portland does take Green, then New Orleans could have any choice of the crop of point guards. Chris Paul is rated the #1 point guard by quite a few web sites.
Raymond Felton could be had, as well. On June 3rd, WIlliams, along with Felton, Jon Gilchrist of Maryland, Antonio Hudson of LSU and Toney Douglas of Auburn, all point guards, worked out in front of the Hornets’ brass. Head Coach Byron Scott said that Felton was the most impressive. He “understands how to play, he’s very quick..... Out of the four, I think he was the most impressive," said Scott following the workout. That quote could be a smokescreen, like almost everything that comes out, but I just don’t believe that after saying that, Williams would be given a “promise.” Stranger things have happened, though.
Along the lines of a “promise,” it has been reported that high school prospect Martell Webster has skipped out on workout, or workouts, and not given the team, or teams, a reason. It was mentioned in the same paragraph that Webster is showing irresponsibility by doing this. Since a colleague of mine actually met Webster in person and said, in printing, that Webster was mature beyond his years, I am going with him.
After compiling all this information in my own little head, this is my own belief and this is coming from no “source” inside the NBA, that Webster, too, has a promise. Who does he has a “promise” with? None other than... well, you can conspire amongst yourselves on this one.
Speaking of high school shooting guards, Portland GM John Nash has become a bit peeved that Gerald Green has requested a private-workout only. Apparently, Nash wants to see Green go toe-to-toe with his fellow draftees and see where he holds up, whether he’s worth taking with the number 3 pick. Said Nash, in an interview with Jason Quick of the The Oregonian, “I'm frustrated today because it seems like a number of players at the top are unwilling to showcase themselves, saying they don't want to work out one-on-one or two-on-two," Nash said. "But that makes it hard for me, because if they don't want to compete for the third pick in the draft, then it's hard for me to envision them competing 82 times a season." All I can say is this: good for you, Nash. If Green wants to be the #3 pick to the Blazers, he should earn it by playing against others rather than just showing all of his positive traits. If the Blazers really did want Green, what they could do is grant him the “private” workout, then bring some of their players, like Ruben Patterson and Travis Outlaw, to the workout and see if he balks out of the workout of steps up and tries to compete against them. It would be a very shrewd maneuver, but it would give them the complete knowledge as far as whether Green is worth it.
For the other three promises, all reported by DraftExpress.com, each are as follows: Ersan Illyasova, considered one of the best Turkish prospects, to the Denver Nuggets at #20. Yaroslav Korolev, the highly touted Russian teen, at #12 to the L.A. Clippers . And the last one, which very, very surprising, is Hakim Warrick to the... #9 spot, Golden State. While I do not know the validity of these “promises,” I can only say that the Nuggets is the most possible. GM Kiki Vanderweighe has stated before that they’d like to keep a player from overseas overseas to let him develop while the Nuggets stay in the playoff hunt. It would benefit both parties.
Denver would not be using a roster spot for a player still in the developmental stage. Illyasova would get plenty of playing time in Europe while he develops into a player that can contribute alongside Carmelo Anthony. The last time they kept a Euro that needed development (playing time) was for another highly touted Georgian, power forward Nikiloz Tskitishvilli.
I really don’t believe the Warriors’ promise because a player that can play and is more well-rounded can be had, depending on how the draft goes. I’m talking about Joey Graham. In this mock, he doesn’t fall to the Warriors because of the Knicks wanting a player that can play with Trevor Ariza, Jamal Crawford and Stephon Marbury. He could be drafted in the real draft. Warrick can play either forward position, like Graham and is just as athletic as him. He could fit into their fast-break mode at anytime, but I’m not sure if his shot is good enough to get those open midrange kick outs from Baron Davis. It’s a possibility, though, but it’s unlikely. The main thing I think of when I heard this rumor was one word that is associated with drafts: smokescreen. I really can’t see Warrick getting drafted by Golden State, even if there is reasoning for the pick.
Korolev’s is unbelievable because he may have all the tools to play small forward like the other Americans in the draft, but almost everyone, including myself, have not seen him play against strong competition. He has played against high school-aged kids, but most of those kids aren’t as good as some of the high school players that are seen in America. Another reason it’s fairly unbelievable is because of the team he’s rumored to go to: the Clippers. They are known to penny pinch, and since there isn’t a buy-out clause in Korolev’s contract, it would make things a lot worse if CSKA Moscow asks for a lot of money for Korolev.
Also, the Clippers are very high on soon-to-be free agent Bobby Simmons. Simmons was the Most Improved Player last season. While some may argue that it was his contract year, I only say this: he was due, no matter when his contract expired. He never got enough playing time in Washington under Doug Collins and Michael Jordan, so he never got a chance to prove himself. In L.A., he was playing behind Corey Maggette and Kerry Kittles. When Kittles went down an injured back, Simmons got a starting spot and never lost it, becoming a valuable asset to the Clippers and to many fantasy basketball owners. Drafting Korolev while the Clippers are getting closer to contending in the West would only become a regression, something I’m sure that Elton Brand would rather not deal with.
The two pullouts are Tiago Splitter and Rudy Fernandez. I am very surprised by the pullouts because I felt that both were surefire first round draft picks. Unfortunately, both of their buyout’s exceed a livable amount. Fernandez’s is rumored to be around 1.5 to 1.7 million. Teams are only able to give the club that owns the team $350,000, with the player paying the difference. If Fernandez were to get drafted by the Suns, like he was in Version 3.0, he would be only be making -$265,000 to -$285,000, and that’s if he were to give every single dollar to DKV Joventut. Even after all of the payments in the first year, he’d still owe them over $1 million. If the buyout is that bad, then he’s better off pulling out, getting stronger and getting a portion of that buyout cut down by playing in Spain for one more year.
I can’t really comment on Splitter’s situation because I don’t know his buyout. He would be a lottery pick, but either the buyout is as bad as Fernandez’s or he isn’t satisfied with not being a Top 5 pick. If he were to pull out, he would immediately become one of the top players for the 2006 NBA Draft, if not the #1 player. If he were to go back overseas, expect him to come back with an even better offensive game to go along with his low-post lock down D.
As far as the rumors go, the biggest one so far but has been fairly quiet is between Utah and Phoenix. The Suns would send Shawn Marion, Quentin Richardson and the #21 pick to Utah for Andrei Kirilenko, Matt Harpring, Jarron Collins and the #6 pick. There are some very good things about this trade and some very bad ones. As far as a good thing goes, for Phoenix, they would get a player that can step in and make up for the lost rebounds and points Marion gave them:
AK-47. He can score without getting a play ran for him, he can run and he hustles on defense as well as on the offensive glass. He was one of two players two seasons ago, including Denver Nuggets center Marcus Camby, that put up at least five in the five major statistical categories: points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks. Kirilenko did it twice in a span of
5 games. Also, Collins would give Stoudemire time at his natural position, power forward, and Harpring would add depth to the swingman positions. Phoenix would also get a little more room under the cap to re-sign Joe Johnson. Utah would get a desperately needed shooting guard that was underutilized last season in Richardson. Phoenix would then add depth to their lineup with whoever falls to them. Utah, already missing out on the point guards, draft best available bigman and best available player. In this case, though, there are more negatives than positives.
For one, this draft is too deep in point guards for Utah to trade down and not acquire future picks. As much as they need a shooting guard, they need a point guard more. Plus Jazz owner Larry Miller has said that Kirilenko is untouchable. What’s the point of saying that if you trade him moments later. Utah is better served building around Kirilenko and drafting a point guard. As far as the Suns are concerned, why try and fix a toy if it ain’t broken? They shouldn’t have a much worse season then they did last year. All they need to do is add a serviceable center, like Dan Gadzuric, and re-sign Joe Johnson. They add depth to their bench and everyone stays happy while they continue their winning ways next season.
Unfortunately, I was not able to make it to the Pre-Draft Camp, so I can’t say who impressed and who didn't. Judging from different scouting reports and stats, the two players that stand out the most are power forward David Lee of Florida and shooting guard Luther Head of Illinois. As I said before, I was glad that Lee, who I considered a first round pick before the camp, proved to everyone in attendance that he was indeed worth a first round pick. He showed that he is aggressive and tenacious on both offense and defense. He ran the floor, handled the ball better than expected (he is ambidextrous) and was able to rebound will the big guys at the camp.
Head showed the camp that he’s worth being drafted because he’s more versatile than the player that wore his jersey at Illinois. He played great defense against both the point guards and the shooting guards.
He also showed off why he was so good at Illinois: his shot. Although he didn’t shoot as much as he did as an Illini, he made his shots and used a good shot selection. He may be drafted in the first round, but he showed that he is worth a high 2nd round pick.
Depending on the team’s needs, he may be able to slip into the bottom of the first round to a team like San Antonio or Miami.
I also need to mention that in Version 4.0, no trade rumors are taken into account. That goes for “promises,” as well. RealGM’s mocks will not include trades until after the pullout date passes, which is June 21st.
Instead of listing the positions, the schools and year they are, I will provide the measurements of all the players that are in the first round of RealGM’s mock that attended either the Camp itself or the pysicals-only part of the Camp. The measurements (thank you DraftExpress.com) will be listed as
follows: height, height with shoes, weight (in lbs.), wingspan, reach.
1.) Milwaukee Bucks : Andrew Bogut, 6'11", 7'0 1/4", 250.6, 7'3", 9'2 1/2".
He remains at the top because there hasn’t really been much that has come out that has proved that Bogut should be passed over. Even though rumors have come out about a possible eye disease, which were spread by his former coach Rick Majerus, both Bogut and his trainer at Utah have said that they aren’t true. I’m going with Bogut on this one. The measurements only reinstate that he is a legit 7 footer rather than being an inch or two shorter.
2.) Atlanta Hawks : Marvin Williams, 6' 7", 6' 8 1/4", 228.2, 7' 3 1/2", 9' 0".
See above, except for situation about eye disease.
Some may say that hasn't all that he’s cracked up to be because he came out of the measurements a little shorter than what people thought he was. Either way, he’s still capable of playing small forward in the NBA and becoming one of the better small forwards, possibly the best since Andrei Kirilenko.
3.) Portland Trailblazers: Gerald Green, 6' 6", 6' 7 1/4", 192.0, 6' 9 3/4", 8' 8".
Why is Green still being drafted by Portland despite the workout situation? Because I’m not factoring any trades into this mock and Green is the best player at the position needs most: shooting guard. They can’t pass up someone that can become a very good player in 2, 3 years. He’s the same age as Telfair, even though Telfair was drafted last year. Both would make one the youngest and most exciting backcourts that Portland hasn’t really even seen.
4.) New Orleans Hornets : Chris Paul, 5' 11 3/4", 6'
1", 178.0, 6' 4 1/4", 7' 9".
While the rumor about Williams and Scott’s comments about Felton are still in the air, New Orleans would pass both up because Paul is the best out of those three right now. Some people felt that he was undersized coming into the draft, but he measured out at 6’1 and proved everyone wrong about him being undersized. New Orleans would still pick him up here in this situation. He can drive and dish. He can drive and score. He can drive. Being able to kick it out to Smith would only make their offense more potent because Smith has the NBA range (being able to shoot the 3 naturally).
5.) Charlotte Bobcats : Raymond Felton, 5' 11 1/2", 6'
0 1/4", 199.4, 6' 4 1/4", 8' 2".
Even though Felton has been highly spoken of from the Hornets’ Byron Scott, the Hornets passed on Felton because Paul was available. Felton would be a great fit playing alongside Emeka Okafor, whose offense is improving but Felton can score for him, as long as he helps clear the lanes. Most of the reasons for this selection can found in Version 2.0 and 3.0.
6.) Utah Jazz : Deron Williams, 6' 1 3/4", 6' 2 3/4", 202.4, 6' 6 1/4", 8' 2".
If the Jazz were to make that rumored deal with Phoenix, I have no idea who the Suns would take. It looks like they want to make their necessary acquisitions in free agency and draft best available.
Utah needs the pick more than the Suns do. With that said, Head Coach Jerry Sloan and co. get their point guard. Williams, being the remaining point guard left out of the top 3, can step in and successfully play immediately. If you need more reasons as to why he gets drafted here, they can be found in Versions 2.0 and 3.0
7.) Toronto Raptors : Antoine Wright, 6' 5 1/4", 6' 6 1/4", 202.6, 6' 8 3/4", 8' 8 1/2".
There hasn’t been much going on in the past week to change certain player’s stocks. Wright is one of those players. He has stepped up quite a bit in all of his workouts and would become a very good secondary option to Chris Bosh. Most of the reasoning for the Raptors taking Wright was explained in Version 3.0.
8.) New York Knicks : Joey Graham, 6' 5 1/4", 6' 6 1/2", 216.6, 6' 8", 8' 8".
Graham moves up because of his announcement of being the Pre-Draft Camp’s #1 rated athlete. He benched 185 pounds 26 times. 26 times. Twenty six times. Just had to stress this factor because he’d be able to handle his won against some of the power forwards and can dominate most small forwards down in the block. And Isiah loves those athletic wings (ie: Trevor Ariza).
He also received a shoe deal with Nike, according to his agent Roger Montgomery. What a great way to begin your career with a new shoe deal in the biggest market in the country.
9.) Golden State Warriors : Fran Vasquez, did not attend.
With Graham moving up, Vasquez gets taken by the Warriors to create one of the youngest frontcourts, not including Adonal Foyle. He can run and with point guard Baron Davis and shooting guard and future (next
season) All-Star Jason Richardson, he’ll get plenty of dunks running along with those two. He’d get those easy baskets because he can easily beat any of the bench forwards down the court and finish. Vasquez would give Montgomery, who would become the most successful college coach in the NBA since Larry Brown with this lineup, plenty of options for different and unique lineups.
10.) L.A. Lakers : Jarrett Jack, 6' 2 1/2", 6' 3 1/2", 197.6, 6' 7 1/2", 8' 4".
Even with the new addition of Phil Jackson as Head Coach, Jack is still the player that would help the Lakers the most. They do need a power forward, but Lamar Odom may have a better suited role in the triangle offense. The Lakers can’t afford to not have his offensive capabilities in the game. Jack becomes the best option here because even though he doesn’t have that shot that the BJ Armstrong’s, John Paxson’s, Steve Kerr’s and Derek Fisher’s have, he has something else they don’t: very good defense. Although they could get the job done against some of the other point guards, he has the capabilities of shutting down the other team’s point guard. Make their night a hard one.
He also is able to penetrate which isn’t needed in the offense but can added for a little versatility in it.
The Lakers can exploit the opponent’s point guard by letting Jack drive and dish. This isn’t a common trait for a point guard in the triangle to have, but it can be with Jack.
11.) Orlando Magic : Martell Webster, 6' 6", 6' 7 1/2", 229.6, 6' 11", 8' 10".
RealGM’s last mock had Danny Granger going here. After looking at who was left, Webster would be a better fit because he’s only a year younger than Dwight Howard, who is the obvious center piece of the future for the Magic. While Granger is more versatile at this point, Webster would be given the time needed to him to develop into a better player. He wouldn’t take away from most of the current Magic’s playing time. In a year or two, when he is ready, he’d be the perfect outside threat for Howard when he plays down low.
12.) L.A. Clippers : Danny Granger, 6' 7 1/2", 6' 8 1/2", 225.4, 7' 1 1/2", 8' 7".
While the “promise” to Korolev is here, Granger is the better fit because he’s proven that he can play with everyone in the year’s crop, even though he had to play out of position. He can come in right now and help the Clippers creep into that last playoff spot.
Although the Warriors are in after the Davis trade, there is still a possibility that, if point guard Shaun Livingston stays healthy, he could help the Clippers get into the playoffs with his offense and all-around game.
13.) Charlotte Bobcats : Johan Petro, did not attend.
Although Charlotte only has 4 players under contract next season, they take a chance on Petro here because they can let him develop beside Primos Brezec. By the time he were to become ready to play starter’s minutes, they’d become a playoff contender in the East. While the Bobcats may end up trading this pick, in this draft Petro is their man due to the potential of him becoming a bigger Samual Dalembert.
14.) Minnesota Timberwolves : Wayne Simien, 6' 7 1/4", 6' 9", 255.8, 7' 0", 8' 11".
The Bobcats are a possibility for Simien, but they got Okafor last year, so getting a polished 4 wouldn’t be the greatest pick, so he gets picked up by the T-Wolves. Minnesota can use Garnett in the high post while Simien gets enough room to operate down low.
Most of the reasons for this pick were mentioned in Version 3.0.
15.) New Jersey Nets : Ike Diogu, 6' 6 1/2", 6' 8", 255.4, 7' 3 1/2", 9' 1".
Diogu’s wingspan was confirmed at the Pre-Draft Camp at being 7-3 1/2. This only makes Diogu more valuable.
He may get selected higher by a team like the Lakers if they decide to go with a power forward rather than a point guard. In this case, he goes to the Nets, who would greatly benefit from his rebounding and inside scoring. He may have a hard time keeping up with Jason Kidd, but what bigman doesn’t? Besides, he and Nenad Krstic could start those lethal fastbreaks with their abilities to timing block able shots.
16.) Toronto Raptors : Roko Leni-Ukic, did not attend.
The Raptors may be a team that trades up, but for now, they keep both picks and get Ukic, one of the more underrated players in the draft just because this year’s crop of point guards is so deep. He wouldn’t start for Toronto, but would get immediate minutes backing up Rafer Alston. Most of the reasons for this selection can be found in Version 3.0.
17.) Indiana Pacers : Channing Frye, 6' 9 1/2", 6' 10 1/2", 243.6, 7' 2 1/2", 9' 2 1/2".
While I still stand by the bust comment, Frye doesn’t move anywhere because none of the forwards and centers had a decreasing stock. Most of Frye’s comments can be found in Version 3.0.
18.) Boston Celtics : Hakim Warrick, 6' 7 1/4", 6' 8 1/2", 215.0, 7' 2", 9' 0".
First off, I’m glad that Celtics GM Danny Ainge shot down the Paul Pierce rumors. Pierce does not deserve these type of rumors considering all he’s done for Boston. If it wasn’t for him, they wouldn’t have made it into the playoffs, even if they had Antoine Walker for a whole season. Back to Warrick, even though there’s a “promise” involving him going higher, I just don’t see him being drafted by the Warriors. In this mock, he gets put into a situation where Boston could use his athleticism off the bench. Most of the reasons for this selection can be found in Version 3.0.
19.) Memphis Grizzlies : Sean May, 6' 7", 6' 8 1/2", 258.8, 7' 1 1/4", 8' 9".
It was very sad seeing my worries of May being undersized come true. Being only 6’8, 6’9, he’s going to have a hard time blocking other center’s and power forward’s shots. He is big enough and strong enough to body up and get physical with them, but he’s simply too undersized to become a big factor on defense. It helps that he has a fairly long wingspan, but it’s not as long as other power forwards, like Ike Diogu. Most of the reasons for this selection can be found in Version 3.0.
20.) Denver Nuggets : Ersan Ilyasova, 6' 7 3/4", 6' 9", 208.8, 7' 1 1/4", 9' 1 1/2".
So the guy who doesn’t factor “promises” and “rumors”
into mocks picks a guy who gets a “promise” from a team? Yup. Why? Because it’s valid enough to actually happen. Denver, like I previously stated, would like to draft someone to keep in Europe or where ever he gets drafted from. In this case, from Turkey. They don’t need to spend that money on the pick, so the Nuggets would have a little more cap room to go after the premier shooting guards like Cuttino Mobley and Larry Hughes. Illyasova would greatly benefit from something like this because he can develop and still get paid. When he’s ready, he can come over and play alongside Anthony and co.
21.) Phoenix Suns : Louis Williams, did not attend.
The Suns lose the player they previously were getting because of his buyout issues. They go with guard help that can develop into a combo guard like Allen Iverson. It’s way too early to make that comparison, but if he were to get compared to any player currently in the NBA, it’s Iverson. Possesses a very quick first step. Can score. Right now, it wouldn’t factor into him playing with the Suns. He wouldn’t see a lot of playing time in his first season, but he would learn the point guard position from the MVP, Steve Nash.
Getting to know the ins and outs of one of the toughest positions to be great at from one the best pure point guards in the world can only help your game.
22.) Denver Nuggets : Charlie Villanueva, 6' 9", 6' 9 1/2", 236.6, 7' 0 1/4", 9' 1".
Denver already drafted a player that won’t play for them this coming season. They would draft someone that’s going to play this season, and the best available is Villanueva. Even though he has slipped out of the Top 20 because of the rise of the other power forwards, he is still capable of becoming one of the best players in this draft. But potential can hurt a prospect’s stock if one of their main weaknesses is the mental aspect of the game, which is his main weakness.
23.) Sacramento Kings : Andray Blatche, did not attend.
Blatche moves up this far because he can play the high post in the Princeton offense. He still likes to float on the perimeter, which is a weakness, but if the Kings were to draft him, he’d fit into the offense and still be able to develop his game. It’s hard to get a read on him as far as how much stronger he’s gotten since the end of his basketball season, so he could be very weak or a lot stronger than he was. Either way, he’ll still need to get stronger in he wants to be a power forward.
24.) Houston Rockets : Francisco Garcia, 6' 5 3/4", 6'
7", 189.6, 6' 10 3/4", 8' 7".
With the Rudy Fernandez’s pullout, Garcia moves back in the first round because the Rockets need a young guard to help T-Mac on the wing. He has a shot. It is fairly awkward looking, but it goes in and that’s all that matters. He is a very smart player, something that Head Coach Jeff Van Gundy cherishes. He still needs to get stronger, but he would find his niche alongside McGrady and the Great Wall of Yao.
25.) Seattle Supersonics : Matt Walsh, did not attend.
Walsh moves into the first round because he impressed the teams that he worked out for on the West Coast, specifically the Sonics. A Sonics executive said that they did a “complete 180 on him. Not only did he shoot it well, but he was a much better lateral defender than what we expected. He definitely opened some eyes." I usually don’t add quotes into the articles and mocks, sometimes these quotes are the ones that say whether or not the team is really interested in a player. In Walsh’s case, it wouldn’t surprise me at all if this were to happen because of the defensive comment the executive made. Everyone knew that Walsh could shoot, but if he can really move that well defensively, then he’d be a great fit with the Sonics’
system and under Head Coach Nate McMillian, who loves defensive players. If Walsh proves himself as a reliable defender, then he would get a good amount of playing time on a playoff team.
26.) Detroit Pistons : Rashad McCants, 6' 2 3/4", 6'
4", 201.0, 6' 10 3/4", 8' 7 1/2".
The one thing that really stands out is McCants’
wingspan. I never knew it was that long. I could tell that he had an above-average wingspan from watching him play, but it being almost 6’11 for an undersized shooting guard only makes his stock higher. He didn’t move up because of Seattle’s infatuation with Walsh.
The Pistons would be a great fit for him because he can score off the bench, something that they would like in the Finals right now. Most of the reasons for this selection can be found in Version 3.0.
27.) Utah Jazz : David Lee, 6' 7 3/4", 6' 9", 229.5, 7'
0", 8' 10 3/4".
Lee really improved his stock at the Pre-Draft camp, but he didn’t move up because of other higher profile players slipping down to teams like Denver took away from him being selected higher. Detroit could’ve taken him, but then that would prove that the selection of Darko Milicic was a very bad pick. Lee still ends up with Utah. Most of the reasons for this selection can be found in Version 3.0.
28.) San Antonio Spurs : Mickael Gelabele, did not attend.
Katelynas fell out of the first round because he had a poor showing in Chicago. Everyone’s expectations must’ve been pretty high considering that he was a First-Team All Portsmouth player. From what I read about his play in Chicago, he tried to force the issue when he had the ball and even played shooting guard, which is definitely not his position. Back to the Spurs’ pick. Gelabele moves back into the first round because of the bad showing for Katelynas and the Spurs need for a backup small forward. He possesses the versatility needed to succeed in the NBA and wouldn’t have to force the issue in San Antonio. His main weakness is he lacks the mental confidence in his abilities. Once he gets past this, he’d become another San Antonio steal.
29.) Miami Heat : Julius Hodge, 6' 6" 6' 7" 202.2 7' 0 1/2" 8' 11 1/2”.
With Blatche already taken, the heat draft a very versatile player in Hodge. He can come in a run the point while Damon Jones, pending his option for next season being exercised, takes a rest. He improved his stock tremendously due to every positive workout he’s done. Miami get the player that can contribute now but is still young enough to play for years along with Dwyane Wade.
30.) New York Knicks : Chris Taft, 6' 8 1/2", 6' 9 1/2", 261.0, 7' 1 1/2", 9' 1".
I’m going to get a lot of flak for this pick because Taft is such a talented player and he’s lottery bound.
The apostrophe stands for was because of poor workouts. He almost gave up against Diogu and has showed many teams that he has a lazy work ethic. This doesn’t scare off Isiah because he feels that Taft can become a very good player. He could gamble and take at the 8 spot, but in this draft, everyone is scared off because of his attitude and poor work ethic. Isiah really wants Kwame Brown in the summer, but why get Kwame when you can get a version that’s two years younger so far down the draft?
Last week, by Ike Diogu’s name, I said he was a Senior. He is really a Junior. I regret the error.
Players on the Rise: Joey Graham, Martell Webster, Louis Williams, Johan Petro, Charlie Villanueva, Andray Blatche, Francisco Garcia.
Players on the Decline: Fran Vasquez, Chris Taft, Randolph Morris, Mindaugas Katelynas.
Players out of the draft: Kevin Pittsnogle, Rudy Fernandez, Tiago Splitter.
For those of you in the Sacramento area, J.T. Magee can be heard on 1240 AM TalkCity. The show, The Sports Fanatics with Charlie O. and Lee Michaels between 10 pm and 12 am, is on Friday. He will be on each of the next two shows.
Magee was also on Sports Bloggers Live again on Monday. The entire show can be heard on their main web site, www.sportsbloggerslive.com. The NBA segment that he appeared in can be heard here:
http://demand1.stream.aol.com/ramgen/aol/us/community/features/2005/sportsbloggerslive/sblnba061305.rm |
