I agree completely with Kayman's analysis. Great points! Jay Williams was so highly touted...yet he is not even high in the race right now for ROY. Right now I would handicap the ROY race as: 1) Yao Ming 2) Amare Stoudamire 3) Dujwan Wagner 4) Caron Butler / Drew Gooden 5) and finally Jay Williams is 5th Chris
But still, Denver passed on Stoudimire and Caron Butler for a project. Not a good move I think. Imagine If they had Stoudimire and Caron Butler and still had James Posey. This would have been a much better team than they are now. Stoudamire will be far better than Hilaro will ever be and Caron Butler, well need I say more. His preformance speaks for itself.
Noone has to feel as stupid as the Warriors passing on Stoudamire and Gooden for Dunleavy. Both are younger and already much better, Stoudemire was a little understandable because he was an unpredictable HSchlr--not picking Gooden is much less understandable however. As others have said Tskit may not be 19 yet and has huge physical, cultural and mental adjustements. I don't think the Nuggets are dissappointed in their draft--except that in hindsight they would have taken Stoudemire instead of one of their pair (like probably ever other team that had their chance at him except for us). Jay W has not lived up to expectations, but he was still Rookie of the Month in the East one month I believe--that is a lot more than the guy picked 1 slot behind him.
I consider Dunleavy to be a bust because of his draft position (No. 3). It is clear by now that he doesn't have the talents to become a star in this league. His biggest problem is that he can't create his own shot. Because of his fundamentals and basketball knowledge, Dunleavy will probably become a decent role player who can be a thrid or fourth option on a good team. That sounds like a bust for a No. 3 overall pick. I wouldn't consider Denver's picks to be busts. Hilario IMHO has as much potential as Stoudmaire. He has legit size (6'11" barefooted) and can be a center, which is very valuable these days. Tskitishvili was drafted as a project. It is obvious that he doesn't have the body to play in the NBA yet. However, he has good athleticism and a sweet jump shot, which give him the potential to become a Dirk-type player in a few years. This guy was a bench warmer in Europe. Ironically, he was playing on the same team with Boki, who was the star of the team. This leads us to Boki Nachbar, who is also considered a bust by some people. This may not be Boki's fault. But if Rudy keeps him on the bench like he currently does, we have a bust in the making. Another rookie bust IMO is Frederick Jones. Many poeple said on the draft night that this guy didn't deserve to be picked that high and he proved it. He'll never prove to be worth a first round pick.
lalala, nice summary, I had thought about Fred Jones too, but didn't mention it because he is sort of in that nomans draft area where just as many completely fail as stay on an NBA roster after a few seasons. But clearly he doesn't look too promising, this for a team who when Reggie Miller was injured was very short on quality play and quality shooting at both guard spots.
Thinking of it. Denver's draft is really not too bad. The only miss for them you can argue is Stoudemire. But Hilario has similar potential and Tskitishvili also has the potential to become a franchise player. I would rather take a risk at taking potential superstars than say Caron Butler. I really don't rate Butler that highly. He's a nice player and may become an All-Star one day but that's it he doesn't have much upside as others and certainly no franchise player.
None of these guys should be considered busts yet. It is halfway through their rookie year and many of them are early entry players. Give them some time. Anyone remember how horrid Kwame Brown was last year? Isn't he doing pretty good this year? I'd say that pick wasn't a bust. Whether he was worthy of #1 may still be arguable, but lets look in 4 or 5 years and decide them. That's when we can really tell. Evaluating busts from last years draft even is better than doing this years at this point.
I'm sorry, but I just don't see Skitishvili going anywhere. If we wasn't good enough to get significant minutes in Europe, he's not good enough for the NBA. Project, yeah right.
With all the media coverage and hype surrounding top prospects, fans are expecting quick dividends. One of the smartest things Charles Barkley ever said was something to the effect of: [ Teams in lottery in the past used to get immediate help when they drafted that high. Now you have younger guys who are "projects" and they take 3 or 4 years to develop when those 3 or 4 years could've been spent in the collge ranks honing their skills and playing instead of riding the pine and collecting a check]. CB had a great point, unfortunately any and all teams in the NBA want the next great player so they will draft a player with loads of potential and hope that he pans out. I do agree with the assessment that it is way too early to start labeling players as busts.
