Joe peaks at his hole cards and assesses the competition's
hands
Win, Lose or Draw?
All the hype, analysis, predictions and mock drafts leading up to the 2002 NBA Draft held Wednesday night meant nothing. Televised by TNT, the proceedings had all the charm of the old Mike Douglas or Merv Griffin shows – lots of patter, short bursts of insight or irony, some yuks, and a kind of bemused calm from ringmaster Earnie Johnson, who was charged with keeping Charles "In Charge" Barkley from dragging the event into buffoonery. After the first four picks, which included the first foreign player, Yao Ming, ever to be drafted first overall, absolutely nothing went according to the pre-draft prognostications.
This was truly the year of the international player, with six first rounders and eleven second rounders chosen from other countries. Included in that number were our Nets and their "surprise" pick at number 24, Nenad Krstic, a 6' 11" Center/Forward from Yugoslavia who is said to be the next Vlade Divac and is currently under contract. Rod Thorn didn't find anyone left on the board that he thought was worth adding a guaranteed contract for, so with the Shaq nightmare fresh in his mind, he drafted a foreign center for the future who needs some aging (he's only 18) and some bulk (he's only 210 pounds). With a few years left on his KK Partizan contract (partially owned by Divac), he'll develop over there away from the glare of the NBA. With their second round pick, the Nets chose 6' 8" Marshall G/F Tamar Slay, an athletic scorer. And as Marty Blake, the NBA "superscout" points out, the Nets have what amounts to two first round picks for this year already on the team – Brandon Armstrong and Brian Scalabrine, both of whom saw precious little playing time, but still have the potential to develop into serviceable players.
So, with all the options that were possible in this draft, the Nets and Thorn went with what might have been the safest: draft for the future, avoid the guaranteed contract. But is Thorn finished? It was apparent through all of the pre-draft interviews that Thorn didn't feel the Nets could help themselves significantly next season from the number 24 spot in the draft. Aware of messing with team chemistry, it appears Thorn chose not to lay out the pick plus a player or two to get a better first rounder, and didn't want to trade down. Safe. Boring. Hopefully, it pans out.
The Knicks made the biggest trade (so far), acquiring injured stud Antonio McDyess along with the number 25 pick (which then turned into Frank Williams) from Denver for Marcus Camby, Mark Jackson and Nene Hilario, who was drafted seventh. If nothing else, it brings some focus back on the Garden. But God help GM Scott Layden if McDyess turns out to be damaged goods. Other interesting trades involved the Lakers and Raptors exchanging first round picks as well as Lindsey Hunter and Tracy Murray; Speedy Claxton going from the Sixers to the Spurs for John Salmons, the Spurs first rounder, and others; Dan Dickau, the Gonzaga point guard who almost slipped entirely out of the first round, being traded from the Kings to the Hawks for a future pick; and the Sixers first rounder, Jiri Welsch, going to the Warriors for two future picks.
Even though it was a weak draft, it turned out to have some interesting twists and turns. Who were the winners and the losers? Here's my take:
Win
Rockets - Yes, Ming could turn out to be the second coming of Shawn Bradley. But at 7' 5", do you turn him down? As long as the Chinese don't pull him around like a puppet on a string, this could be the start of a very good Houston team. They also got quality with Bostjan Nachbar.
Bulls - I know, the baby Bulls are going to take forever to be competitive. But Jay Williams was a sound pick, and a needed pick, and has the talent to be a good if not spectacular PG. The Bulls have some intriguing talent with Roger Mason and Lonny Baxter in the second round.
Warriors - Talk about stockpiling. Golden State took Mike Dunleavy Jr., who should develop into a good small forward, acquired Jiri Welsch, a highly rated guard, from Philly, then scored in the second round with Steve Logan, who will stick and turn heads. Add Jason Richardson, Troy Murphy, Gilbert Arenas, and Antawn Jamison...if this team ever gets it together...
Heat - Caron Butler at number 10? That's a crime. He'll play, and play well, starting in October. Of course, that is if Riley lets a rookie even sniff playing time. Butler is good enough to get even Riley to give him minutes.
Wizards - Two solid if not spectacular pickups for the team that needs everything. Jared Jeffries is skinny but can play, and Juan Dixon was the heart and soul of Maryland's championship team. Put Dixon in the same lockerroom as MJ and he could turn into the fiercest competitor since, well, MJ. Second rounders Rod Grizzard and Juan Carlos Navarro could both stick as well.
Cavs - I don't like his attitude, but Dajuan Wagner will be a superstar in the league. Not right away, but give him a few years, and he'll be the only thing worth knowing about Cleveland. Now if only he had some help besides Andre Miller, who may be going anyway.
Lakers - Kareem Rush will have trouble seeing any playing time. But you know what - he's perfect for their system. Think Devean George, but with far more talent. I hated to see Chris Jeffries traded for him, but it's a great deal for the Lakers.
Lose
Nuggets - Yeah, they rebuilt with youth. Think both Nene Hilario and Nikoloz Tskitishvili are going to pan out, and fill seats? Please. I'll be shocked if either player makes an impact in their first two years in the league.
Bucks - Marcus Haislip? There had to be 10 players still left on the board that would have been a better pick. Typical Ernie Grunfeld pick – lacking imagination.
Pacers - Fred Jones at 14? C'mon, nice player, not talented enough to be picked that high. Am I missing something?
Sixers - Draft Welsch at 16, then trade him for future picks when you need to get younger and better now? Then trade Speedy Claxton for John Salmons? I simply don't get it. Sam Clancy is a nice, cheap pickup though.
Timberwolves - All this trouble over Joe Smith?
Draw
Knicks - Big time. IF McDyess is the player he was, IF Frank Williams isn't an attitude case, IF the Knicks can find a serviceable center...Layden does get hustle points for trying to do something, anything, to blow up this mess.
Nets - Thorn = Genius, right? So far be it for me to question. Should they stand still or trade out some parts? Will Kidd come back after next season, or will nothing help short of an NBA Championship? Someone tap Tim Duncan's phone line...
Clippers - Is this not the wackiest franchise? They draft two power forwards at the number 8 and 12 spots despite having one of the youngest and best forwards in the game already. So much young talent, no one to pay for it. Or develop it.
What do you think? We want to hear your thoughts on the draft, whether it be on the Nets, the rest of the league, or Joe's mad ramblings.
- Joe Netsfan
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