by Jonesy on Mon Jun 30, 2003 2:35 pm
I few things i noticed about this years draft:
1. While being one of the most boring drafts in history (trades wise) it was probably the deepest draft since 96.
2. Why the hell did the Warriors draft that French sg Pietrus when they already have an abundance of sg's and there were so many quality pg's available, which is what they are gonna need when Gilbert lands in Denver.
3. In the current nba you are almost better off skipping college and getting drafted on "potential" instead of what you have already acheived.
4. There were quite a few steals in this years draft imo:
29. Dallas Mavericks Josh Howard, F, Wake Forest - a solid player who can contribute right away.
32. Los Angeles Lakers (from Toronto) Luke Walton, F, Arizona - Very versatile player who already knows everything he needs to know to succeed in the league.
34. Los Angeles Clippers Sofoklis Schortsanitis, F/C, Greece - big time potential if the Clipps don't screw it up, which they probably will.
38. Washington Wizards Steve Blake, G, Maryland - Blake will be a solid pg in the nba.
43. Milwaukee Bucks Keith Bogans, G, Kentucky - was probably the most dominant player at pre-draft workouts along with Troy Bell and will be an immediate contributor at both ends of the floor if he can get any playing time with the Bucks.
51. New Jersey Nets Kyle Korver , F, Creighton
(traded to Philadelphia) - Big time talent who can shoot as well as anyone in the ncaa and is a legitimate 6'10. I can't believe this guy slipped so low (he was even in consideration for national player of the year last year) but it is a nice pickup by the 76ers for such a low pick.
5. I was surprised to see that Jason Gardener wasn't picked at all. He was a solid pg for his years at Arizona and would have made a nice reserve pg in the L. Probably his lack of height and relatively poor outside shot hurt his chances. He'll probably still show up in somebody's summer league team.
6. I was surprised to see UNLV's Marcus Banks selected so high (13th overall), didn't think he was that good.
7. It was great to see the Eastern conference get some potentially great players to hopefully even things out a bit in the not too distant future.
8. Knicks pick of Sweetney was a good one if a bit strange due to their logjam at the 4 spot (McDyess, Spoon, Kurt Thomas, Othella Harrington and now Sweetney) - guess we will see a trade fairly soon in NYC.