not bashin shane here, i love shane's personality n what he brings on the court. but shanes offensive game is really limited, and he definitely didnt seem to have the potential to be an elite defender due to his average athleticism... i know shane has high bball iq n great leadership skills, but can you really pick someone that high just by their leadership, ball IQ, n defense? bruce bowen, ben wallace, raja bell, all these players were not drafted but turned out to be great defenders..n they all have better athleticism than shane.even the kid from the bucks n sefolosha are good defenders were picked low in draft. Even Joe johnson, jefferson, haywood, gerald wallace, were picked below shane even tho they have wayyy more physical talent. again im not questioning the rockets traded for shane, nor am i trying to judge who is the better player...i would take shane over richard jefferson anyday...i just dont understand what was so intriguing about shane that they were convinced to pick him 6th overall
Being the NCAA player of the year helped. So did the fact that he was a phenominal college player with tons of upside. Did he reach his potential? Not offensively but he is a solid NBA starter and that is a win with a lottery pick these days
What did Bruce Bowen, Ben Wallace or Raja Bell do in college? Did those guys even goto D-1 schools? Shane was player of the year and the leader of a championship team. You cheery picked 4 guys drafted after Shane as if there aren't sleepers in every draft. Why didn't you list Eddie Griffin? One more thing, Shane was a great pick for the Griz at #6. They went from a horrible team that never got over .500 to a regular playoff team during Shane's tenure. They were able to turn Shane into the 7th pick when they finally traded him. He did alot for that franchise on the court and even more off the court by connecting with fans and being an example in the community.
I think if every 6th overall pick turned out to be a Shane Battier, that would be a pretty damn good thing.
1. Went to the big show twice. 2. Won it once. 3. Player of the Year. 4. 3x DPOY 5. Who's yo daddy? 6. Number Retired by one of the best basketball programs in the nation. I'd say he was worth the #6. There is a reason he was traded for 2 guys that may be your idea of a lottery pick. My guess is that you would go "Al Davis" and select someone that jumps the highest. Google search--> Stromile Swift.
Yeah, I think they did. I think they reached a bit for him, but they knew he was a no-risk pick. I remember the Grizzlies talking about what a smart player he was and how he had a knack for getting any job done. And, I'm sure his charisma helped. Google yielded me this: http://www.ibiblio.org/craig/draft/2001_draft/Players/battier.shtml [rquoter]Shane Battier has peaked. He's not athletic. And that National Championship trophy he won two months ago doesn't have upside printed on it. While scouts remain more impressed with high school kids who don't work up a sweat in games, Battier says its brains, not brawn that gets the job done in the NBA. "Basketball players win basketball games," Battier told Insider. "Athletes win track meets." Battier who is among the most articulate and intelligent basketball players to come along in a very long time remains philosophical about the workout process and criticisms he keeps hearing as a player. "I look at it in terms of the stock market," Battier said. "A lot of the younger guys are like the IPO's. The potential for greatness is obviously there. But there's a chance that they could dissolve and fail, as opposed to a blue-chip stock that you know will improve steadily every single year." Battier's stock may be on the rise however. He reportedly bested Michigan State guard Jason Richardson in the Atlanta Hawks "Superman" test -- where players basically continue to dunk the ball until they can't get off the ground any more. And at the NBA physicals, Battier scored highest on the lateral agility test. "People checked their watches and said, "Is that right?' '' Battier said. "I'm not the sloth that I'm sometimes made out to be. I do have some athletic ability. Obviously, I'm not a Vince Carter or a Kobe Bryant, but I'm athletic enough to get the job done." Battier said he's more interested in being drafted by the right team than being drafted number one. Again, the most mature stance to take. Though Battier said it would be difficult to face the losing ways of a lottery team (he's lost a total of 30 games in his high school and college career) he seemed intrigued by the challenge a team like the Los Angeles Clippers would pose. Battier would be one of the oldest players on a team filled with college drop outs like Lamar Odom, Quentin Richardson, Keyon Dooling and Darius Miles. "That would be interesting," Battier told Insider. "I think I could come in right away and provide maturity and consistency. These kids have one good game and think they've arrived. I think I could provide the stability to make them even better." Chad Ford - Sportstalk.com (June 12th) Strengths: Absolutely one of the best defenders to come out of the college ranks in some time can block, steal and draw charges .... Has shown the ability as a leader as he took a very young but talented Duke team to the championship .... As fundamentally sound as anyone in college basketball knows the game's ins and outs .... Team player who is unselfish will dish if a teammate is open ... Has become a very good three-point shooter often he would spot up and wait for J. Williams to set him up.... Gets into great position on the blocks for rebounds .... Posses some guard skills in that his ball handling is good enough to get past most defenders.... Has good timing on his blocks this is important considering he's not much of a leaper ... Intelligent does a lot of little things that won't show up in the box score and most of the time acted like a second coach on the floor for Duke... Weakness: Not super athletic has gotten this far based on his fundamentals and intelligence ... Goes through periods were his jump shot can be inconsistent ......Doesn't really defend or play very well against physical players .... Can he make the adjustment to playing defense in the NBA after all the NBA is faster and stronger than the college game .... Even though Battier is a wonderful player he has played with tremendous talent at duke in terms of point guards (Wojciechowski , Avery , and J. Williams)as teammates... [/rquoter]
You cant forsee the future. If you could, Kwame would have gone in the 2nd round, not first pick... Oh yeah, and Jordan would have been #1.
I was hoping the Rockets would draft him that year actually. With Steve and Mobley, I think Shane would of been the missing piece for that team with his defense smarts and leadership, they could of done some things. But then again if we did drafted right, we wouldn't have gotten the chance to draft Yao Ming.
He is still starting in a playoff team, makes defensive teams and is talked about for DPOY. He is having a better career than a lot of lottery picks.
It was a great pick IMO and was the first step in turning that franchise around, remember they had some nice current-era Rocket like runs (team play), especially when they added Hubie Brown (bet you forgot about that). Battier was a decent offensive player back then too, his decline began with Van Gundy (remember Camby claiming JVG robbed him of his offensive game, not buying it but...). Ya it was a reach, but they don't regret it. They rented him out, made their runs, then got Gay out of it. What else could you ask for?
