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NBA Draft: No Oden No Problem By Ron Jumper With the rule changes taking affect this season, the Toronto Raptors fans have felt very bitter about having the 1st pick when there wasn't a chance of grabbing the highly publicized high schooler Greg Oden. The average Raptor fan feels that this wasn't coincidence, that maybe the NBA wants Oden to play for a big market team in the U.S., and had he been in this draft Toronto wouldn't have gotten the first pick. Personally, I find it all comical because Canadians are always paranoid about something. It isn't Toronto's fault that Canada is just basically a suburb of America, the North American stepchild if you will. The Raptors will be fine anyway, they have Chris Bosh to build around and, now with Bargnani, plenty of young talent to blossom for the future. Toronto drafted Andrea Bargnani and, whether that was the right choice or not, Raptors GM Bryan Colangelo has the guts to do what he thinks is best for his team. Colangelo, for better or worse, isn't afraid to shake things up and you have to respect that. I thought they should have taken Adam Morrison or Rudy Gay, due to the fact they will probably have the worst backcourt in the league next year. It doesn't matter how much size and depth inside you have if you don't have three point shooting and solid point guard play to keep the defense honest. Speaking of point guards, how are they so undervalued when it comes to draft choices? How can Marcus Williams, Rajon Rondo, and Dee Brown be drafted after Saer Sene, Quincy Douby, and Renaldo Balkman? It really blows my mind! An athletic, smart point guard with the ability to create is hard to come by. Why would teams without enough talent/depth at point guard take a player that they either have to babysit for three years to develop or won't even be on the roster for a couple more years? Even if your draft "grade" goes down because you reach a little bit for the right point guard or player, it is better than taking a player who does nothing for you except give you the excuse of saying that you took the "best player available," which is another thing that drives me crazy. With the amount of money involved in this business, why would you just take the highest gradded player left regardless of position? What good does that do anyone? The team doesn't get better and, more importantly, the player doesn't get the chance to show what he can do or be most quickly able to develop. The flip side of that is reaching to the point of stupidity. The New York Knicks made one of the most ridiculous picks I've ever seen. When Renaldo Balkmon was taken with the 20th pick in the 1st round, I nearly fell out of my chair. The quote "hope is not a strategy" came to mind. How can you take a guy who wasn't even sure if he would be drafted with the 20th pick? It would have been a little bit better had they taken him with the 29th pick, then I probably would have just chuckled as opposed to laughing hysterically. I am just so confused by that pick, what does he bring to the table other than floor burns? He is a scrappy kid who gives everything he has on the floor and I loved him at South Carolina. However, the idea of a 6'7" post player without any evidence of post moves or a jumpshot is just too much to take. How can Isiah even take himself seriously anymore? How can he look himself in the face and say that was the best pick for the New York Knicks? He wasn't the best player available, wasn't a guy who fills a need, or really was on anyone else's radar screen period. What do you say to a kid after that? I feel bad for Balkmon because he has to hear how awful a pick he was for the next month. As a coach, what do you tell him? I guess he has all the motivation he could ever need to prove the doubters wrong, but isn't their a point to where it just doesn't matter anymore? The other thing I can't stand is squandering golden opportunities. The Phoenix Suns had a chance to pick up two pieces that would help them improve now. This is a team that is on the verge of being championship contenders. With the 21st and 27th picks in the draft, I was sure they would take a point guard and an inside player that could contribute immediately. When Rondo and Williams were available at the 21st pick, I was thinking what a break for the Suns! Nope, they trade the pick for a future first rounder. When the 27th pick came up I thought they would look at taking someone able to contribute. Nope, they trade the pick for cash. Wow, so they end up with nothing out of two first round picks! That is even worse than drafting Balkmon because at least they ended up with someone. The Suns lose both picks and Brian Grant for cash and a future first. Unbeleivable... Portland truly impressed me. I couldn't beleive the Blazers smooth draft decisions and strategies that went down so flawlessly. They were able to get Lamarcus Aldridge and Brandon Roy, both of whom can start for the Blazers now. Not to mention Raef Lafrentz and the 7th pick for your third string point guard(Sebastian Telfair) and thrown in Theo Ratliff. They also ended up with two more first round picks, Sergio Rodriguez and Joel Freeland. They had such a good draft they might be good sooner than later if they can get anything substantial in return for Darius Miles and Zach Randolph. Aldridge, Rodriguez, and Roy all have a chance to start this season. No other team can say that about their draft. GM John Paxson made two really good moves from a basic logic standpoint. First, he moved back to the fourth spot to draft the same player they wanted all along(Tyrus Thomas) and got Viktor Kryapa as a thrown in, not bad. Then they somehow traded their 16th pick(Rodney Carney) for Philadelphia's 13th pick(Thabo Sefolosha), not bad once again. Now here is the problem, Tyrus Thomas shouldn't have been the guy they wanted all along. He doesn't help them right now at all. This is a team that wants to get better now, not to mention make a run at KG. I think you have to take someone the Timberwolves have interest in or take someone who makes a current player expendable which Thomas does neither. He is a raw athlete that in three years could be alright. As far as them wanting a big guard all along, having Rodney Carney fall that far should have been good enough. Anytime you go with a European over a sure thing I'm going to be critical, thats just how it is. They wanted a big athletic guard so what part of that did I miss? Do they get more athletic than Carney? Have you watched Sportscenter anytime in the last three years? He also brings good perimeter shooting to the table. I hate when GMs get excited because a European can come over and be ready to play now. That just means he is capable of making the roster now, nothing to go all bananas about. The draft can be a sad time for some players. You hate to see players with storied collegiate careers go undrafted. Gerry McNamara was an amazing college basketball player, I hope he lands on a roster somewhere so I can see him play again. Darius Washington is another player who I feel is capable of playing in the NBA someday. I hate he has such a tough road ahead of him now. I felt Kevin Pittsnogle was a guy who could really contribute at the next level. He can shoot the three ball and pass much better than most big men can. Steven Smith is a guy with loads of talent and had he not played at La Salle he could have been a household name. I also felt Marcus Slaughter of San Diego State was a solid second round prospect. He has great size and athleticism. The NBA is more likely to take a guy who barely plays for an international team than it is to take a guy who excelled at a smaller division 1 college. I just don't get it... June 29, 2006 |
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Be Careful What You Wish For
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Jumpology: My Bracket Jumpology: Scouting The Heavyweights Jumpology: Reviewing The Bracket
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