Let's see. In 2002, we all knew we were taking Yao, and there were strong indications we'd take Nachbar too. No left-field picks there. In 2001, most everyone was tremendously happy that we managed to trade up for Eddie Griffin. In 2000, we knew it was a weak draft and we weren't going to get much -- and we didn't. There were a couple of guys better than Collier we could have gotten, but overall it'd have been better to not be in that draft at all. In '99, Kenny Thomas was only a modest surprise and was a solid pick. In '98, Dickerson was obvious, Drew was not a great idea but not a surprise, and Turkcan came out of left field. My memory gets hazy before that. I believe Rhodes was a bit of a surprise but not a crazy pick (even if Rhodes was himself). Before him, we didn't have 1st rounders for a couple of years. That's 1 crazy left-field pick in 9. On another subject, assuming we get Swift this offseason (a big assumption, but for the sake of argument), drafting a power forward would still be smart. The rookie would be 3rd string and have a chance to learn something before we have to rely on him. Power forwards are going to take a little longer to contribute than swing men. Plus, decent shooting guards are easier to find cheap and available on the market, whereas decent big men are harder to find, and you pay a premium for their size.
CD's draft reputation on the line? I dont know if anyone will agree, but CD usually has no luck with the draft. But with this draft so deep with talent, is there ANY way that Dawson could screw this up? For some reason I dont feel very "confident" going into tonights draft, but I hope im wrong. I have been seeing a ton of mock drafts that have us passing on Wayne Simien (I know mock drafts are only opinions), but there are quite a few that have Simien slipping to 29. Todays Chronicle has us takin Hodge btw. If Simien is on the board at 24 there is NO way we should even think about passing him up. If he is available, GET HIM! We need an athletic, rebounding, scoring type PF, and we can have him pretty cheap. I like Stro too, but Im beginning to think he is going to want a lot of $$$$. Maybe im dreaming, but I realistically think we can: Draft Simien, Sign Cat to MLE (if he REALLY wants to play here like people have been saying) and pick up Damon Stoudamire pretty cheaply. This means that we would have to trade Sura and Wesley obviously, but that shouldnt be too difficult.
Why do we have idiots who believe that every draft we're gona select a stud. Sometimes it's a hit and miss....you will not always pick a stud. For every stud, you'll have a dud and it's Draft Life. CD and Rudy have had success in the draft before...come on. Sam...Bob Horry.....Cat Mobley....Kenny Thomas....Othela Harrington.....Yao......I can name a few more. Everyone doesn't have to be stars, just good serviceable players.
1) tell us who you think IS a good GM when it comes to the draft - besides Lord Pop in SA 2) you forgot to mention that Simien is undersized and has injury problems 3) and yes, you are dreaming if you want all that to happen in the last paragraph why can't all of you guys be reasonable and know that there are 29 other teams out there competiting for talent - we are not going to solve all our problems in the draft, but we can make a few things happen to improve the team
Les Alexander is a regular lurker on the board, esp around draft time. CD got an extension not too long ago, but rest assured, if Les feels that the majority of the board thinks CD throated another draft after tonite, then CD will be canned in short order. So everybody get your internet pettitions ready to go!
so true clutch; and for all players who might get draftet, regardless where they get drafted... "this is the best thing, that could happen to me, to play for the [INSERT teamname] alongside [INSERT most famous player of the team]. I know [INSERT current head coach] is an amazing coach. [INSERT city of the team] is also a very beautiful city, my [INSERT some relative, who nobody knows) lives there.
I just hope we don't draft some foreign player that we'll never hear from again like the last couple of years.
What I find odd with people's comments on who we should draft, is everyone acts like a rookie will walk in and start immediately. These days, so many in the draft are about potential, especially at #24. If you were talking top 6 in the draft, maybe that's different. But, whomever we pick, even if its a great pick, won't start for a JVG team for another 3-5 years. This pick will be for a smart role player that fits with Yao/TMac, depth and increased athleticism ... and that's what we need. We already have our 2 superstars, now we need role players that can grow with them. We will address our current PF and PG needs either through trades or FA, not the draft. But, we do need to look forward, and utilize the draft effectively. That means the best athlete available who falls to us at that spot. I'd love to have 2 or 3 picks in this draft, because it would help us build our team for 3-5 years down the road. So, pretty much all positions are needed, including center. Johan Petro could be a very interesting pick for us, if he falls. Deke will only last another year or two, IMHO, and about that time, if we took a center, he'd be ready to back up Yao. Anyone we take is for down the road. Its a good spot to be in, and one that San Antonio has done well ... just getting a little better each pick, not having to fill a giant need.
Here's how the knicks draft while jvg was coaching.. http://www.nba.com/knicks/news/knicksdraftcentral2004.html 2001 39 Michael Wright Arizona 43 Eric Chenowith Kansas 2000 22 Donnell Harvey** Florida 39 LaVor Postell St. John's 1999 15 Frederic Weis Limoges (France) 46 J.R. Koch Iowa 1998 38 DeMarco Johnson UNC-Charlotte 44 Sean Marks California 1997 25 John Thomas Minnesota 1996 18 John Wallace Syracuse 19 Walter McCarty Kentucky 21 Dontae' Jones Mississippi State
Baqui -- a faulty premise inherent in your opinion of the draft is that the #24 pick in a draft is a good way to fill a need. You don't have a gaping hole in a starting lineup filled by the #24 pick in a draft. Period. Rookies take time to develop, which is why drafting for need in a low draft slot is foolish. Draft the best player available and fill the need through a trade or the FA market. Your telling us that Wayne Simien or Ike Diogu could have manned up against Dirk in the playoffs? Give me a break. Or had we beaten the Mavs, they could have gone up against Shawn Marion? Equally absurd. Wesley and Sura are aging and lack quickness. Drafting a perimeter player like Jack or Hodge wouldn't be the worst thing the Rockets could do.
Id like to say no just because this draft is pretty deep and we can still get a good player at 24 ... but I have a feeling that we are gonna trade down and end up getting somebody like Welsh in the process and then go on to draft a player that will have a hard time cracking the rotation. I hope that they realize the value of draft picks considering we have the oldest team in the league but looking at CDs past draft record.. Im not optomistic.
I'm very anxious about tonight. I just hope we dont trade our pick for a second rounder in 2008 or something like that and pick up Michekaehafelfvis Spalitwenadhier the 6'11, 150 pound point guard from the Ukraine that hit two half court shots with his eyes closed in his workout. I know I made all that up but you get the point.
LOL! Reminds me of the spin that the Rockets issued after the 98 draft, with the following alleged priority list: 1. Michael Dickerson 2. Bryce Drew 3. Mirsad Tirkshan 4. Rashard Lewis
My point is that our power forwards right now are RYAN BOWEN and SCOTT PADGETT!!!! That is completely unacceptable. There are D1 schools with better players at the 4 spot that what we have. I'm not expecting a starter here at #24 by any means. But, at #24 you damn well better be able to get a contributor out of a class as deep as this one. We have no depth whatsoever at the 4 spot, and drafting a Simien or Diogu would help alleviate that significantly. Both of those guys can give you 15-20 minutes a night. Remember, we still don't know what's going to happen with Juwan Howard. He has a very serious condition and may never play again. Someone is going to badly overpay for Stromile Swift, and Rahim is unlikely at this point. If this is the case, we'll be stuck watching Padgett and Bowen once again. Not to mention the free agent crop this year sucks. We need depth in the worst way. Passing on a PF this year is like watching Charlie Casserly ignore the issues we've been having on the O-line. Regarding Jarret Jack and Julius Hodge, I wouldn't be totally disappointed if we got one of those guys. But Jack supposedly has a top-20 guarantee. Luther Head was the guy I said to stay away from. He's a tweener guard with no experience at the point. With James, Sura, and Wesley we have a formidable lineup at guard. But, with Ryan Bowen and Scott Padgett we'll be playing 4 on 5 all next season.
