Just curious, and thought this would give us bored Rockets fans something to talk about. Given what (little) we know of Vassilis Spanoulis's game, where do you think he would have gone had he come out in this year's draft. Remember, given his tremendous play in Europe, he is a somewhat known commodity to NBA GMs. Also, given that we fans like to predict where other European players--who we have never seen play, let alone seen a highlight reel of them--will go in the NBA Draft, I thought it would be a good discussion. Personally, I think Spanoulis would have gone anywhere between 17th and 30th overall. He is definitely a first round prospect. Of course, teams would take athleticism and potential over a less athletic, somewhat proven commodity. I think once Rodney Carney was off the board, teams started taking players who could have gone later in the first or possibly even the second round. Spanoulis's age (24) would have been a strike against him (just like it was for 24-year-old Alexander Johnson), although I think that is a stupid notion promulgated among NBA teams. Sergio Rodriguez, the first European guard taken, went 27th overall, although many mock drafts had him going higher. Perhaps he is a better prospect than V-Span, but a team might have gone for Spanoulis's proven track record. Bottom line: I think the Rockets came out of this summer with: (1) a high second rounder (Novak) who this team likely would have taken late in the first round if they were picking there; (2) a former second rounder (Spanoulis) who may have been a mid to late first rounder in this year's draft; (3) an undrafted "1-year veteran" who--if he had made the strides in his game a year earlier--would have been at least a mid second rounder; and (4) the 16th pick in the 2004 NBA Draft (Snyder). Not bad. Not bad at all.
Based on my limited knowlege of him, either #24 to Memphis or #25 to Cleveland. I definitely think he'd be a better pick than Kyle Lowry overall, but Memphis might have wanted the passer over the scorer.
that's the best way to look at it. the rockets know exactly how good he is and his rookie contract (the one which he just signed) should reflect where he would go in the draft. find the rookie who has the most similar contract to vspan, and you'll find where in the draft he would've gone (give or take).
Not necessarily. First round rookie contracts are pre-determined, so the drafted player has little choice over how much he makes. V-Span was free to openly negotiate on a contract amount. Given that the Rockets are desperate for backcourt depth, Spanoulis could have received a salary greater than what he would have received had he been a 2006 first rounder. Likewise, if the Rockets somehow played V-Span's desire to play in the NBA against him in negotiations, they may have gotten him at a price LOWER than what he would have gotten had the Rockets taken him (hypothetically) in the lottery.
Well according to some, Badiane would have been a top 10 pick. LOLLERBALL (the original, not the crappy remake)
No. Stromile came out in 2000. Battier was in the 2001 NBA Draft. Also, applying this discussion to NBA veterans is not the same thing. Battier and Swift have each had the opportunity to hone their skills in this league for 5-6 years. Battier has obviously performed well overall. Swift has been an utter disappointment. However, if each player COMING INTO THE LEAGUE was to go in the 2006 Draft, Swift likely would have gone a little higher due to his freakish athleticism and "untapped potential". Swift probably would have gone in the top half of the lottery (probably top 5) and Battier might have gone anywhere between #5 (he was as good as Shelden Williams coming out of college, if not better) and #10 (he was much better than Saer Sene will EVER be).
Swift came out in the 2000 NBA Draft, which is, according to a consensus, the absolute worst draft of the last 30 years and possibly the entire history of the NBA. The best players in the whole draft, by far, were Kenyon Martin and Mike Miller and Quentin Richardson, which should tell you something. It's hard to imagine Swift going much higher then or now (it doesn't get too much higher than No. 3 anyway).
I don't know about that. I have a pretty good feeling about Sene. Unlike a lot of raw, skinny, Africans, he actually looks like a basketball player (his shooting stroke is sound, and he seems to have some real instincts at shot-blocking). It wouldn't surprise me in the least if he develops into a defensive force.
Probably first overall, though the three team trade involving Wade and Chris Bosh for Spanoulis would have been tempting.
Ironically, he got paid about the same as Rudy Gay. Let's just say his value rose since he was drafted a couple of years ago.
