What a strange night. Haynesborough goes 13, Jennings walks out after the 14th pick (where was he hiding until he was selected? His car in the parking lot?), the Magic get Vince Carter, Shaq sends his condolences to the Jackson family, Blair and Sam Young aren't even drafted in the first round, the Cavs pick some dude from the Congo...I don't even want to think about basketball anymore.
You mean 5th and not higher? How about he weighs a buck-oh-five, isn't particularly athletic and can't shoot?Originally Posted by funnyclown
You mean like those busts John Stockton and Steve Nash?
The guy held his own against Wade and Kidd at 17. He's got nothing but upside, which is more than I can say for Tyreke Evans.
Trivia fact: Tyler Hansbrough is 1 inch taller than Blake Griffin, the next in a long, long list of Clipper busts...
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It's being rumored that Rubio doesn't want to play in Minnesota and would even go back to Spain for a few years to avoid it. The Knicks are trying to make a deal for him, supposedly.
Yes, I mean like the two exceptions to the rule from the last 30 years. Two guys who finished four years of college, probably shot a lot better than Rubio, and still didn't go higher than 15 in the draft. I wasn't saying Rubio couldn't become a great player, I was saying there were plenty of reasons for him to not be the #2-#4 pick. There were plenty of reasons for him to not be top 10, but the draft has gone Euro and PG crazy. It's a trend, the result of Euros making an impact in the league, too many recent big men being a bust and guys like Chris Paul, Deron Williams and Derrick Rose coming in and immediately improving their respective teams. Now everyone wants one, and they're easier to find than seven-footers.
But we wish the Baja Grill a lot of luck. But if you asked me to lay money down today, I would say Stephen Curry will be the better NBA player. (Bet is null and void if Rubio plays for D'Antoni -- he'll make anyone look good.)
I couldn't agree more about Blake Griffin, and I just have to shake my head in amazement at the Clippers' bad luck. Maybe I'm making this up, but didn't they have the highest probability of getting the #1 pick the year Dwight Howard went #1 to the Magic?
I have my money on "slips on a wet spot on the floor while waving to the cameras after signing his contract" for How. I didn't know which way to go on What, so I boxed it with "concussion" and "torn ACL/MCL".
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Your reward for being the best player in the country? The Clippers. Congratulations on all of your hard work.
Also, the Wolves have insanely bad luck. We had the highest odds of getting the #1 overall the year Shaq and Mourning came into the league. We ended up with Laettner.
I hear what you're saying, but I still think he was a top pick. His passing ability is unreal, he's smart, and he's been running his team's offense at the age of 17. NBA players don't usually make the best GMs, but the fact that a few of the guys who went to the Olympics came away impressed should count for something I guess.
But speaking of unathletic point guards, I thought it was hilarious when Detroit drafted Austin Daye, and ESPN initially tried to gloss over Gonzaga's recent busts. "Hey, John Stockton went to Gonzaga!" Then they also had to include "oh, and also Dan Dickau and Adam Morrison. Let's move on."
Don't feel too bad, Chad. The Wizards could've had Rubio (or just about anyone) with the #5 pick and traded it away, then they could've had DeJuan Blair for practically nothing and traded that pick away. But hey, at least they still have Mike James...
(Also, FYI, it's totally acceptable to compare white players to black players. We don't have to keep saying "John Stockton and Steve Nash and Pete Maravich.")
Last edited by jon; June 26, 2009 at 10:39 AM.
if there's no minnesota trades coming up, that will be the most bizarre draft night ever.
The last guy to draw the Maravich comparison? Jason "White Chocolate" Williams... How'd that work out?
Tyler Hansbrough reminds me of a young Keith Van Horn.
I know I banished myself from this thread, but this draft was way too interesting to ignore, so I'll just chime in with my uncontentious thoughts:
I'm frankly amazed at how down so many of you are on Blake Griffin. I don't think he'll be a transcendental player, but barring injury I think there's a 1% chance that he'll be a "bust." He is maybe the most athletic player I have ever seen in college basketball, and given the right situation, I see him as the next Amare Stoudamire, only a little better (with all the limitations that implies). Of course, he is walking into an absolute nightmare situation, so I don't expect him to be amazing right off the bat. But he will be a consistent 20-10 guy eventually.
Notice that when North Carolina played Oklahoma they quadruple-teamed Griffin, and didn't let Hansborough within 20 feet of him. They didn't want him to foul out in the first four minutes. Hansborough couldn't guard Griffin one-on-one if he were 6 inches taller.
(Note: the Clippers have actually made some decent moves and/or draft picks in the last 25 years, and every single time they did, it ended with a career-ending injury. So, there's always that possibility)
I'm more down, or at least dubious, about Ricky Rubio than most. Only in the sense that he does have a huge possible downside ... the only access most of us have to him is the olympics, which, frankly, don't mean much; and, despite the recent run on point guards, historically PG is the most difficult position to draft. There is often little correspondence between good college point guards and good pro point guards. The list is a mile long, but to make my point, Kenny Anderson was BY FAR the best point guard I've ever seen in college. He was a good pro (at one point very good), but nothing truly special.
I think there is a chance Rubio will be a bust. Though so much of it depends on where he ends up. However, I do agree that his "upside" is higher than any other PG in the draft.
I am absolutely dumbfounded (and stupified) that DeJuan Blair lasted so long. And I am so fucking pissed that he went to the Spurs. He is going to be an impact player this year, I predict.
(Note: don't look now, but the dreaded Spurs have made themselves relevant -- very relevant -- again)
Like everyone else, I'm very curious to see what Minnesota does. They need to parlay their picks into a defensive center (Thabeet), to get Jefferson back to his spot. I'm not sure how they're going to do that, though. Their hands are tied because they can't move Rubio just anywhere (certainly not to Memphis), which makes the pick even more dubious.
In my humble opinion, Shaq will make Cleveland a much better team, right away. You guys seem to forget that he made his entire career playing with slashers (and making them much better, not worse). He is also motivated enough and smart enough to know that he has to play second fiddle, and the historical evidence suggests that he will do so (even if for selfish reasons).
I agree that it would be amazing to see LeBron on a run-and-gun team, but that ain't happening in Cleveland with or without Shaq. So this may not help to retain LeBron after 2010, but I think it will make them the frontrunners in the East for the title next year.
That said, Orlando will be awfully good if they resign Turkoglu. I like the Carter addition.
Also, Cleveland will have to baby Shaq quite a bit. Lots of down time and splitting minutes most of the time. Though he is apparently on a diet and in the gym already.
And frankly, comparing Shaq to Z is like comparing apples to dead chipmunks. Z is done. His tin hands and lead feet utterly crippled Cleveland in the playoffs. I think half of Cleveland's turnovers can be attributed to Z not being in the right place at the right time, or the ball ricocheting off of his manos de piedra.
And comparing Shaq to Z defensively is more than a little unfair. Z plays on the best defensive team in basketball, Shaq played on the worst. Shaq has lost about 11 steps, but he's still a presence, and (as was noted) can still guard any 5 in the league one-on-one. We certainly can't say the same about Z.
And, finally, a belated Congrats to the Lakers fans on the board. Sorry for being a dick. It wasn't intentional -- I just should have said congrats before being so critical.
I was really hoping you'd close by predicting that Chinemelu Elonu would suck.
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From now on, please refer to Rubio as 'Blanco Chocolatay'.
How great is the next Cavs/Lakers game going to be, by the way? Kobe, Lebron AND Shaq in a three way shit-storm? Sign me up!
"Even gutter hags trump pretty boys." - BabyCakes
Welcome back, bao!
From Amar'e Stoudemire's Twitter 40 minutes ago (@amareisreal): Breaking News! Amar'e Stoudemire to the Lakers!!
Funny thing is that a ESPN reporter is going to have to pick up the phone and waste his time on this.
Why thank you, sir.
On a positive note for you: from a historical perspective, the Lakers need a team in the west to push them to the next level. If the Spurs stay healthy, the Lakers may have found their huckleberry.
(Note: I don't trust the Nuggets to continue to ascend)
Yeah, goddamn those evil silver bastards, they're looking really good right now. Esp. assuming Ginobili is 100% next year. (As well as Duncan and Parker.)
Now where the eff is this story about Stoudamire?! Someone at a legitimate news source say SOMETHING!!!
Does anyone here have an ESPN insider account? I'm trying to look at the NBA rumors...
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