While we're waiting for the Rockets to find a point guard, here's a pointless challenge for you guys: Identify the team with the starting lineup consisting of the highest and lowest draft picks. For instance, if the Rockets start Lue, McGrady, Jackson, Howard, and Yao, that's a pick # 23, pick # 9, # 4, # 5, and # 1 - adding up to a grand total of 42. Undrafted players would count as a 59 since they weren't among the top 58 picks. You would think that the lower the total, the better the team, but that's certainly not always the case. Man, I'm really bored!
Memphis has 40 points. C: Wright (#7) PF: Gasol (#3) SF: Posey (#18) SG: Miller (#5) PG: Williams (#7) If you put Swift (#2) in at center & Battier (#6) in at SF, you can lower to 23 points.
imma venture to say the Bulls PG Kirk Hinrich - 7 SG Ben Gordon - 3 SF Luol Deng - 7 PF Tyson Chandler - 2 C Eddie Curry - 4 total (23) Crawford - 8 Pippen - 5 Gill - 5 so if you move Pip and Gill in you got 19. definitly not always the case.
what if a team like this: C:Michael Olowokandi (1) PF:Joe Smith (1) SF:Keith Van Horn(2) SGarius Miles(3) PG:Kenny Anderson (2) Totally 9 What a team! sub Shawn Bradley (2) Christian Laettner (3) Kwame Brown (1) Mike Dunleavy (3) I even didn't count those high picks who quitted very early.
The reason that isn't always the case is teams are now drafting potential talent rather than actual talent first because they don't want to miss out on the next Kevin or Kobe. The problem is it takes 3 to 5 years for them to develope and they may never develope to their fullest potential. Therefore you could have an NBA team starting 5 #1 picks with less than 5 years experience that are at best an average college team.
No way, Rasheed, Rip Hamilton, Billups and Prince were all 1st rounders. All but Prince were lottery picks. How about Utah? Assuming a starting lineup of Arroyo, Giricek,AK47, Boozer and Okur you end up with a whopping 198: Arroyo - 59 (undrafted) Giricek - 40 AK47 - 24 Boozer - 35 Okur - 40
Or maybe not. The only one of those players Utah drafted was Kirilenko. I give them credit for getting Arroyo out of nowhere too even though the Jazz was not his first team.
It's Kevin O'Connor their GM. However, he's not known for making successful draft picks though. Since Utah barely missed the playoffs last year, and that was the first time in 20 years they were in the lottery, all the draft picks they had were late first rounders. AK was truly a steal at 24, Raul Lopez/Mo Williams are decent backup point guards, Alexander Pavlovic is a promising young shooter(now with Cleveland), Jarron Collins(second round) is a servicable backup center, but the other picks didn't pan out. Guys like Curtis Borchardt (the "Big Hurt" is his nickname), Scott Padget, high schooler Deshawn Stevenson and Quincy Lewis are basically garbage guys now in the league, if they are lucky enough to be in the league at this point. However, O'Connor is quite amazing for bringing young garbage guys from other teams and Jerry Sloan is amaming at develop them into good players. Guys like Matt Harpring, Raja Bell, Gordan Giricek, Carlos Arroyo were nobody in their previous teams, but blossomed with the Jazz. That's the reason I really respect the Jazz organization, they win without glamour and superstars.
The Jazz are only one year beyond Malone and Stockton so they have had superstars for almost that entire time. You are right about finding players who weren't used much elsewhere and turning them into major role-players on an entirely role playing team. They all know their role and they all do it well. The idea that they came into the year with Arroyo as their starter really shows they had confidence in him and he wasn't just someone they lucked into like Flip Murray and Sonics because Ray Allen got hurt.
It just shows you how reliable, or unreliable, the draft is for building a team. And some people still complain that we trade away our picks. Building through the draft might be good 20 years ago. Not now.
Okay, I don't think the Pistons beat Utah on having the highest number but I don't think Ben Wallace was even drafted.
Last year's conference champs: Detroit Billup: #3 Hamilton: #7 Prince: #23 R. Wallace: #4 B. Wallace: #59 (undrafted) Total: 96 (Not as high as Utah, but I think way above average) Lakers Payton: #2 Bryant: #13 George: #23 Malone: #13 Shaq: #1 Total: 52 Also, last year's Rockets Francis: #2 Mobley: #41 Jackson: #4 Cato: #15 Yao: #1 Total: 63 (This year we drop down to 42, assuming the roster remains as is)
After thinking about it, this is their roster this year after a very successful offseason. THIS is what they had last year when they finished 42-40. They started with: Arroyo - 59(undrafted) Stevenson - 23 Harpring - 15 AK47 - 24 Oysterfat - 28 Total - 149 After a couple injuries and trades, here is what they have to finish the season: Arroyo -59 (undrafted) Giricek - 40 AK47 - 24 Mikke Moore - 59(undrafted) Jarron Collins - 53 Total - 235 OK, this was simply disgusting... it makes me sick
Last 10 championship teams: 2004 Detroit: Billups + Rip + Prince + Sheed + Wallace = 96 2003 SA: Duncan + Robinson + Bowen + Stephen Jackson + Parker = 132 2002 LA: Shaq + Horry + Fox + Kobe + Fisher = 73 2001 LA: Shaq + HoGrant + Fox + Kobe + Fisher = 71 2000 LA: Shaq + Rice + Fox + Kobe + Harper = 74 1999 SA: Duncan + Robinson + Elliot + Elie + Avery Johnson = 115 1996-1998 Chicago: Longley + Rodman + Pippen + MJ + Harper = 52 1995 Houston: Dream + Horry + Elie + Drexler + Smith = 92 1994 Houston: Dream + OT + Horry + Maxwell + Smith = 50 I, too, am bored.
