Draft talk has been red hot, and now that we have an NBA champ, it will get even more blistering. And one theme of draft chatter around the league is the Finals, and especially the Finals MVP. Dwyane Wade Every team would like to clone Finals MVP Dwyane Wade. As you may have noticed, the NBA is all about trends, and that's especially true in the draft. In last year's draft, the search was for the next athletic big man -- the next Amare Stoudemire. The year before, it was the next LeBron James. Teams have been looking for the next Shaq for over a decade. And the quest for the next MJ is akin to the search for the Holy Grail. The theme this spring: Who's the next Dwyane Wade? "The NBA has a bit of a herd mentality," one NBA GM told Insider. "When something works for a team, everyone tries to copy it. With the way the rules have changed, I think more and more of us are trying to find the next super guard who can take over a game with his athleticism, quickness and toughness. There is no Dwyane Wade in this draft. But there are one or two guys who can play that way." Bill Simmons isn't happy about the trend, but NBA GMs and coaches love superstars they can trust with the ball at the end of the game. Whether it's Tim Duncan, Shaq, Kobe, Hakeem, Michael or Magic, stars still make the NBA world go 'round. Here are the four contenders in the 2006 NBA draft. Though they are not considered to be in Wade's stratosphere, who predicted superstardom for Wade when Miami drafted him at No. 5 just three years ago? Randy Foye, Villanova: Foye gets compared to Wade more than any other player in the draft. They are both athletic combo guards who possess a quick first step, finish strong around the basket and have a good midrange game. Both players are very tough, with a fast-running motor. Foye is actually a little more explosive vertically, but he doesn't have the end-to-end speed of Wade. Compared to Wade at the same stage, Foye is a better 3-point shooter and appears to have a little bit better handle. Their collegiate numbers were similar, with the most glaring difference found in shooting percentage. In his second and final season, Wade averaged 21.6 ppg, 6.3 rpg and 4.4 apg on 50 percent shooting from the field and 32 percent shooting from 3-point range. Foye's numbers in his senior season were almost as strong: 20.5 ppg, 5.8 rpg and 3 apg on 41 percent shooting and 35 percent from long distance. Wade is about 2 inches taller, with a 4-inch advantage in standing reach. And when he was drafted, Wade was more than a year younger than Foye will be.Add it up, and you know why scouts call Foye a "poor man's Dwyane Wade." Brandon Roy, Washington: Roy doesn't have a rep as a super-quick guard with explosive athleticism. But his combine numbers show he's quicker and more athletic than NBA guys seem to think. Like Wade, Roy is a natural leader on the court who wants to take the big shot at the end of the game. He has a number of different ways to score and can be unstoppable at times. His senior-season numbers -- 20.2 ppg, 5.6 rpg and 4.1 apg on 51 percent shooting -- are very close to the numbers Wade put up his final season at Marquette. The one big difference is 3-point shooting: Roy shot an impressive 40 percent from long range this season. Roy measures about an inch taller, but Wade's long arms give him a 1-inch advantage in reach. And while Roy has two more years of college experience than Wade, he's only six months older than Wade was when he was drafted. That experience and his drive are strong suits for Roy, considering that teams are looking for someone with Wade's heart and character. Shannon Brown, Michigan State: Brown has blown away just about every team he's worked out for. His combination of athleticism, strength and speed is unparalleled for a guard in the draft. If Brown had participated in the Orlando combine, he likely would've measured out as the top athlete in the draft. Like Wade, Brown has great hands and is unusually long for a player his height -- though he's considerably shorter than Wade. He's also really improved his shooting, especially from midrange. And he's younger than Wade at the same stage. Unlike Wade and Foye, however, he doesn't have the handle to play part-time point guard in the NBA, according to scouts. While Brown is ranked below Roy and Foye, a few scouts believe he could end up being the best of the group. Guillermo Diaz, Miami: Diaz is the biggest sleeper of the group. He's a big-time athlete who unexpectedly became a star in his sophomore season. He's the smallest guy of this bunch, but also perhaps the toughest. He has a quick first step, is relentless taking the ball to the basket and has an improving jump shot. The biggest knock against Diaz is his lack of success at the college level. Diaz has not shown he can put his teammates on his back and carry them to victory. He is still learning the game and gets confused at times when defenses crack down on him. But if he continues to mature as a player, he has the physical tools to be an explosive NBA scorer. http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/draft2006/insider/columns/story?columnist=ford_chad&id=2493823
I'd be most excited about Roy of those listed, though if you could combine Roy and Foye it would be perfect. I think the 2 inch height difference and 4 inch standing reach difference really does make a big difference for a guy like Foye. It doesn't sound like much, but you become more of a liability defensively and you are really much more of a tweener. You can still obviously be a very good player in the NBA, even as a rookie at Foye's size (look at Chris Paul, who is even smaller), but I do think that it means your game will have to be a little different. Maybe it's just being tired of so many tweener guards on the Rockets and not wanting yet another one...who knows.
i've daydreamed about a Roy Foye backcourt, they both can handle enough point guard duties to make it worth, and both are tremendous defenders, would really be nasty.
For those familiar with Foye, is he closer to Wade or Francis in his playing style? I've looked at some video clips of him, and reminds me a lot of Steve Francis. Does he make good decisions with the ball?
One thing about Foye that reminds me of Steve is that he appears to have small hands. Which is in stark contrast to Wade, whose huge mits allow him complete control of the ball when in certain situations such as attacking the basket.
I watched Foye alot and i would say he plays and has a similar body to franchise although that is not a bad thing i think every one agrees francis plays a good style and is immensly talented! Foye does make better decisions and plays like francis with a wade tinacity and late game ability so he's basically the best of both though he's not the physical specimen wade is! i like his chances to have a more succesful carrer than francis and he would be my choice if we were going to blow everything up aside from tmac and yao i would draft foye trade up for roy trade luther and stro for al harrington and really use our youth! That being said i think our best plan of action and most likely is to draft brewer sign james trade for jr smith! Lineup YAO/DEKE STRO/JHO/HAYES TMAC/JR/BOWEN JR/BREWER/HEAD JAMES/ALSTON I really like jr now man the kid is only 20 and has all star potential that roster really eliminates the immediate issue of age we then have alot of youth and energy to play with! And we can really get up and down the court! Lets compare this team to The Heat Yao>shaq Stro=haslem Tmac=Wade JR BREWER N HEAD CLOSE TO WALKER JAMES>WILLIAMS HOUSTON BENCH MUCH GREATER THAN THE HEAT BENCH!
IDK, but Alston, Head, and Bowen are not better than Zo(playing like a madman), Posey, and Payton. T-Mac <= Wade