Can any future GMs tell me who you would pick with the #1 draft pick last year just based on the talent without considering the money and the fan base?
Amare was picked #9 by Phoenix, so why didn't the other 7 GMs pick Amare (excluding Houston for picking Yao), including the great Jerry West who picked Gooden and traded him for Mike Miller. I suppose you are a good talent evaluator, you should apply for the GM jobs at the other 7 clubs.
I'm saying both would have deserved the #1 pick when looking back at the year. If Caron Butler had been a phenom, then it should have been him. Yao went #1, and there was really nothing the other rookies did that would convince me that Yao was not deserving of #1 just for his play on the court.
Yeah let's be smartasses instead of staying on topic. The Bulls didn't need a post player. Golden State has Jamison as a PF. Don't be too quick to say Gooden is going to be worse than Stoudemire in the long run. The same with Tskitishvilli. Plus they got their physical post in Nene. New York traded for McDyess so didn't need Amare. Don't know what Cleveland was thinking. Happy?
I am asking, BEFORE last season, BEFORE everybody knows who can score/board etc, whom would you pick with the #1 pick based on talents ONLY?
I think Yao would have been picked. The talent was mediocre enough for Dunleavy to be a top 5 player on many draft boards.
Yao. 7'6. Can't teach height. And he's not a stiff. He had known offensive skills. Plus almost every center sucks.
So that settled it. There is just no better choice. I would love to pick a baby Shaq last year as the #1 pick, but there is none. I would love to pick a Jordan last year, but there is none. So I just picked the best I can get and be happy with it. Right now, Yao is 17-10. He shoots 5.9 out of 12.3. He is 2 years younger than J. O'neal who is averaging 20 Pts by shooting 8.2 out of 17.9. If Yao can be like a J. O'neal, I would be happy. Anything above 20-10 is a bonus.
If Yao could be as good as J O'Neal, I think almost everyone would be very happy. O'Neal has that confidence/attitude/intangible though. Yao has yet to really show that. It's not just about skills. You have to have that inner desire. We'll see, but we should wait before building a team around the guy.
I think its a different story with Francis. He doesnt seem to have the same raw talent that Yao does, he's good, but I dont know that there will bea time when he will go down in history as being one of the greatest. Yao could if he worked on his game. Francis definately has issues, most of which have already been discussed inother threads. He does appear have that 'fire in his eyes' and you can tell this byt he way that he wants to take control of the game all the time. Wether he is succesessful or not is another story, but he does have the drive.
I think Steve has far more raw physical talent than Yao but unfortunately, he has yet to figure out how to lead a team to championship.
Raw physical talent? No. Raw athleticism? Yes. 7'6 with skills is a rarity. 6'3 athletic guards are a dime a dozen. One of Steve's caliber are rarer, but there are many more Steve's that will come, but not many Yao's. Steve lacks leadership? No, he's just bone-headed. Steve has the desire/will/determination/heart/whatever you want to call that innnate intangible quality. The problem is he doesn't understand he can't do it all on his own. It seems more and more apparent that he won't ever understand this. As long as he's getting 20, 5, & 5 he won't get it. That is an amazing line but turnovers, inability to lead a fast break, poor defense, and doing what's best for the team are better. Yao has yet to prove he has the heart or leadership that warrants building a team around him. Go read the first post in A-Train's trade Steve thread. If people have that attitude, then they better be sure Yao has the mental capacity to be the centerpiece.
