1998 Draft revisited by NBATalk- Go Cat!

Though the final verdict is still out on the Class of 1998, it looks to be one of the strongest of the decade.


Rank Player/Comments Movement
1. Vince Carter
5th pick, Golden State to Toronto Raptors
Looks like David Stern has finally found what he's been looking for. For a while it was Grant Hill, then Kevin Garnett, then Kobe Bryant who was supposed to take up the mantle of Jordan. But Carter is the real thing. Legendary hops combined with a sweet outside shot are part of the allure. The 'Dunk' at the Olympics just grew the legend. He's not Michael. No one is. But he is the closest thing the NBA will have to him for a while. We don't even think all of Donald Sterling's kryptonite, had the Clipper's drafted him, would've stopped Carter.
2000 Numbers: 27.5 ppg, 4.7rpg, 3.3 apg, 1.2 spg, 2.3 tpg 49% from the field, 42% from three, 87% from the line
1998 Numbers: 18.3 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 3.0 apg, 1.1 spg, 2.2 tpg 45% from the field, 29% from three, 76% from the line.
2. Paul Pierce
10th pick, Boston Celtics
No one was more stunned than Paul Pierce on draft day. Picked to go as high as two he watched and watched as teams, one by one passed over his name. When he fell all the way to number 10, Pierce was pissed and the Celtics felt the Leprechaun had returned. Pierce set out with a vengeance to prove that those 9 teams that passed on him made a mistake and he's made believers of us all. His 2000 numbers are fantastic despite the fact he's still recovering from a knife attack this fall. He will be a All-Star for years to come. No offense to Michael Bibby, but had the Grizzlies picked Pierce and waited on Antonio Daniels, they would've avoided the whole Steve Francis fiasco and we'd be talking playoff's right about now.
2000 Numbers: 22.6 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 3.2 apg, 1.6 spg, 3.9 tpg, 44% from the field, 40% from three, 68% from the line.
1998 Numbers: 16.5 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 2.4 apg, 1.7 spg, 2.4 tpg, 44% from the field, 41% from three, 71% from the line.
3. Dirk Nowitzki
9th pick, Milwaukee to Dallas Mavericks
Nellie bragged when he traded for Nowitzki that he'd be the Rookie of the Year. His first year was disappointing, but Nowitzki has really caught fire since then. He can play any position on the floor and, has developed into the one of the most versatile players in the league. Given the performance of Carter and Pierce, it's unlikely that he'll ever be considered the best rookie in this class, but the Mavs pulled a heist when they stole Dirk from the Bucks for Tractor Traylor. The Nuggets with Nowitizki and McDyess would at least give the Nuggets hope for the future.
2000 Numbers: 17.4 ppg, 8.4 rpg, 1.9 apg, 1.1 bpg, 1.6 tpg, 45% from the field, 40% from three, 82% from the line
1998 Numbers: 8.2 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 1.0 apg, 0.6 bpg, 1.6 tpg, 41% from the field, 21% from three, 77% from the line.
4. Antawn Jamison
4th pick, Toronto to Golden State Warriors
Jamison may have gotten lost in Vince Carter mania, but he has quietly rebounded from a miserable rookie campaign into a rock solid and versatile player. Scouts worried he's be a tweener, but he's has excelled equally at the 4 and the 3. They're tweeners when they suck, versatile when they're good. His rebounding numbers are down a bit with the addition of Danny Fortson. But with Fortson on the IR, Jamison will likely be right back up to the 8 rpg he averaged last year. Fell right into the right place, but consider this: had the Raptors kept Jamison, they would've had a better chance of keeping McGrady.
2000 Numbers: 21.1 ppg, 7.1 rpg, 1.6 apg, 1.4 spg, 2.4 tpg, 46% from the field, 32% from three, 62% from the line
1998 Numbers: 9.6 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 0.7 apg, 0.8 spg, 1.4 tpg, 45% from the field, 30% from three, 59% from the line.
5. Mike Bibby
2nd pick, Vancouver Grizzlies
Bibby still looks like the top point guard in this class and if nothing else, he has been the most consistent. His scoring, field goal percentage and assists have remained pretty constant over the past two years. Still, the Grizzlies are yearning for a step-up in his game. He has the potential to be one of the top point guards in the game, but he still hasn't tapped it. The Warriors still need a legit point guard, Bibby would've been a sweet fit.
2000 Numbers: 14.5 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 7.7 apg, 1.4 spg, 3.2 tpg, 45% from the field, 30% from three, 77% from the line
1998 Numbers: 13.2 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 6.5 apg, 1.6 spg, 2.9 tpg, 43% from the field, 20% from three, 75% from the line.
6. Jason Williams
7th pick, Sacramento Kings
White Chocolate got a little bit whiter this year after Rick Adelman put the clamps on him and all of those behind the back passes. His numbers may appear to have dropped, but the Kings are jumping for joy. His shooting percentage and assists are up and his turnovers are down, the three things Adelman really wanted to see from his point guard. Once he gets that under control, the scoring will come up again.
2000 Numbers: 9.9 ppg, 1.9 rpg, 8.4 apg, 1.6 spg, 2.4 tpg, 46% from the field, 7% from three, 62% from the line.
1998 Numbers: 12.8 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 6.0 apg, 1.9 spg, 2.9 tpg, 37% from the field, 31% from three, 75% from the line.
7. Cuttino Mobley
41st pick, Houston Rockets
Will turn out to be one of the biggest draft steals in NBA history. How did 40 players get picked ahead of Cuttino Mobley? Mobley is a spark plug coming off the bench and one of the early leading candidates for Sixth Man of the year.
2000 Numbers: 17.4 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 2.2 apg, 1.1 spg, 1.8 tpg, 44% from the field, 32% from three, 85% from the line.
1998 Numbers: 9.9 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 2.5 apg, 0.9 spg, 1.6 tpg, 43% from the field, 36% from three, 82% from the line.
8. Rashard Lewis
32nd pick, Seattle Supersonics
Lewis is one of the feel good stories of the 1998 draft. Houston shocked many by skipping on the local product even though they had three first rounders. Lewis slipped into the second round and was considered a steal by Seattle. His real coming out party was in last year's playoffs versus the Utah Jazz where he averaged 15.4 ppg and pushed the Jazz to the brink. This year Lewis is doing a little bit of everything and doing it well considering he is the FOURTH option on this Sonics team.
2000 Numbers: 16.8 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 1.5 apg, 1.85 spg, 2.4 tpg, 50% from the field, 41% from three, 86% from the line.
1998 Numbers: 2.4 ppg, 1.3 rpg, 0.2 apg, 0.4 spg, 1.0 tpg, 37% from the field, 17% from three, 57% from the line.
9. Larry Hughes
8th pick, Philly to Golden State Warriors
Larry, you're talented but you can't shoot. Hughes has already earned a Bricklayer's Union card with his abysmal shooting. And it only seems to be getting worse. Still if Hughes ever corrects his shot selection, he'll be something special.
2000 Numbers: 17.0 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 4.4 apg, 2.4 spg, 3.6 tpg, 38% from the field, 21% from three, 78% from the line
1998 Numbers: 9.1 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 1.5 apg, 0.9 spg, 1.4 tpg, 41% from the field, 15% from three, 71% from the line.
10t. Michael Dickerson
14th pick, Houston to Vancouver Grizzlies
Dickerson is in a third year funk. After posting a career high of 18.2 ppg in 1999, Dickerson has struggled a bit to find his shot this year. Still Dickerson looks like he should be a starting two guard in the league for a long time.
2000 Numbers: 15.7 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 2.7 apg, 1.6 spg, 2.3 tpg, 42% from the field, 42% from three, 56% from the line.
1998 Numbers: 10.9 ppg, 1.7 rpg, 1.9 apg, 0.5 spg, 1.3 tpg, 47% from the field, 43% from three, 64% from the line.
10t. Bonzi Wells
12th pick, Detroit to Portland Trail Blazers
Don't let the numbers fool you, Bonzi is dynamite. He has been stuck behind a very deep Blazer team, but when he gets on the floor, he is instant offense. Once Steve Smith retires, Bonzi will be one of the top 3 or 4 scorers from this rookie class.
2000 Numbers: 10.0 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 1.7 apg, 2.1 tpg, 50% from the field, 22% from three, 63% from the line.
1998 Numbers: 4.4 ppg, 1.3 rpg, 0.4 apg, 2.3 tpg, 55% from the field, 33% from three, 44% from the line.


Too early to tell:
Michael Olowokandi (1): Considering an early injection of the Clippers, Olowokandi looks like he could still be a serviceable center in the league. But number one pick in the draft?
Raef LaFrentz (3): Dan Issel just had to have this good shooting big man. Though LaFrentz will make it in the league, considering who Denver passed up to take Raef, it's no wonder they're in the cellar.
Michael Doleac (11): Has surpassed most expectations. Will never be a superstar but in the Eastern Conference, just having a pulse can get you an All-Star bid at center.
Keon Clark: One night he looks like the real deal, the next minute he's on the trading block for Corliss 'My Game's Nasty' Williamson.
Matt Harpring: Tough as nails, but shooting guard isn't where he belongs.
Pat Garrity: Role with it Pat.
Brian Skinner: See Olowokandi above.
Al Harrington: The only high-school kid to get drafted in the first round, he's show flashes of brilliance sandwiched in-between loaves of mediocrity

Busts:
Robert Traylor- George Karl and the Cavs both have things for fat power forwards
Corey Benjamin- if all you can do is jump, try out for the Olympics, not the Bulls
Mirsad Turkan- Goodbye.


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Notice how Rudy T and CD managed to select 2 out of the top 10? In your face Rudy bashers!!!

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