The Comprehensive 2006 Draft Guide By Nick Prevenas 6/29/06 What just happened? I just finished watching all five hours of ESPN's NBA draft coverage. I feel dizzy. My head hurts. My eyes are bloodshot and I can hardly keep my thoughts straight. This draft made me feel like a college student after his first keg party. I'm not positive, but I think I've been traded to the Portland Trailblazers. Now that I've had a few minutes to catch my breath and try to make sense of this chaos, let's take a look at how the wildest draft in years shook down. It seems to me that the theme for tonight's draft was for the majority of the General Managers to put logic and common sense on the back-burner and draft players with no thought as to how they complement the existing rosters. I know it seems stupid to question Bryan Colangelo, one of the finest GM's in the biz, for drafting Italian uber-stud Andrea Bargnani with the No. 1 overall pick, but what does he give you that Chris Bosh and Charlie Villanueva don't already bring to the table? What's the point of having three rail-thin 7-footers who have similar offensive skill-sets? Toronto has no interior defensive/rebounding presence (no, Rasho Nesterovic doesn't count), no steady point guard, no slashing swingmen (Joey Graham is a little too mechanical for that role), and no steady three-point shooters. I'm not questioning whether Bargnani can or cannot play (I believe he's legit), but I am questioning how he fits in with the Raptors. See, most NBA lottery teams struggle for two reasons: 1) a lack of complementary pieces, and 2) a lack of an identity. The Bulls have pulled themselves out of their quagmire because they have solved both problems. Tyrus Thomas gives them another athlete on the front line who could develop into the next Shawn Marion (who, if you remember, was even more raw than Thomas when he came out of UNLV). Switzerland's Thabo Sefolosha gives them an elite perimeter defender and even more depth at the wing spots. Once the Bulls use another New York first-rounder in 2008 on an elite prospect, they could find themselves in the midst of title contention in a few years. A team like the Atlanta Hawks has failed in area No. 1 for the past few drafts, but have started to forge an identity. They believe that if a team has enough athletes, they can simply overwhelm the competition with their superior physical gifts. Of course, in order for these high-flying swingmen to reach their full potential, a steady point guard is necessary to distribute the ball and put these players in the best positions to score. I'm not here to harp on Chris Paul, because that angle's been beaten to death. But the Hawks had a chance to continue forging an athletic identity with their No. 5 selection, but opted instead to draft lead-footed Shelden Williams out of Duke. On paper, Williams fills Atlanta's pressing need for interior defense and rebounding - two of Atlanta's biggest deficiencies. However, Williams will struggle trying to adapt to an up-tempo transition attack that the Hawks will need to employ to be successful. Williams won't be able to keep up with gazelles like Josh Smith, Joe Johnson and Marvin Williams. The Duke bruiser is much more comfortable in a half-court offense, much like the offensive sets Jeff Van Gundy and Rick Carlisle tend to run. If Atlanta wanted to fill their need for interior defense, it would've been a far wiser move to trade down for lankier players like Hilton Armstrong or Cedric Simmons. Both players love to run the floor, block shots, and hit the glass. Each guy would've fit in nicely with the Hawks' current personnel. To be honest, I think South Flordia's Solomon Jones fits better than Williams. Of course, Atlanta could've simply drafted Randy Foye at No. 5 and made a serious step in the right direction. I'm on record saying that Foye will be the top player in this year's draft, and I stand by that. Foye would've given Atlanta everything they're missing in the back-court and started from day one. Maybe I'm missing something, but it seems like teams were far too willing to give up Foye this evening. Why on Earth did the Boston Celtics trade out of the No. 7 spot in order to acquire Sebastian Telfair? Granted, they were able to get rid of Raef Lafrentz in the deal, but they still had to take on Theo Ratliff's salary and give up a potential Rookie of the Year winner. There's a reason Telfair struggled to get along with Nate McMillian. Look, there's no question that Telfair has skills, but after all the hype he's experienced at such a young age, it's nearly impossible for a kid in Telfair's situation to stay humble and hungry. It's possible that a change of scenery will help Bassy, but I'd rather have Foye. Staying with the Celtics, what purpose did that trade with Phoenix to acquire Rajon Rondo serve? Unless Danny Ainge is stockpiling assets to make a move for Allen Iverson (who I can't see meshing with Paul Pierce), agreeing to pay the remainder of Brian Grant's ridiculous contract to acquire a point guard who can't shoot seems unreasonably insane. If Boston is forced to carry both Rondo and Telfair on their roster while Randy Foye averages 18 a game in Minnesota, Ainge will have some angry New Englanders to answer to. For a short time, it appeared as if Foye was heading to the whirlwind that is the Portland Trailblazers, but they had their sights set on Brandon Roy with Boston's No. 7 pick, and ended up getting him from Kevin McHale's T-Wolves. Roy was the player Portland wanted from the get-go, which tells me their confidence is already wavering in young Martell Webster. The Blazers also snagged LaMarcus Aldridge at No. 2 after sending Tyrus Thomas and Viktor Khryapa to Chicago, giving them a poor man's Chris Bosh to play alongside model citizen Zach Randolph. Portland made a mind-boggling six trades during the draft telecast, proving once and for all that they honestly have no idea what direction they are heading. I love Roy and I think Aldridge will be decent, but it will be at least another two seasons before they even begin to think about having an identity. Before I get too far, I want to mention the single-dumbest draft-day trade of the evening. First, let me mention that I'm not the biggest Rudy Gay fan. He mailed it in far too often during his college career for me to mention him as a top-pick candidate. But he's easily the most talented player in this year's class and worth selecting at No. 8, especially if that slide sparks a never-before-seen burst of inspiration. Fellow UConn prospect Charlie Villanueva excelled last season after taking a beating from the press regarding his spotty motivation, and I sense the same thing will happen to Gay this season, especially when you factor in how the Houston Rockets gave him (and Stromile Swift) away to the Memphis Grizzlies for Shane Battier and...nothing else. With Battier, you know exactly what you're getting - a decent role player. Gay will absolutely turn out to be better than Battier, especially playing in a city like Memphis with no distractions and a genuine No. 1 offensive option in Pau Gasol. People will call this move some of that old fashioned Jerry West magic, but I blame this more on the stupidity of the Rockets' front office than anything else. There's no way trades like this should happen. Speaking of West, he did make a fantastic pick by grabbing Kyle Lowry at No. 25. Imagine a Wolverine with ball-handling skills and that essentially how Lowry approaches the point guard position. There's no question that Memphis had the best draft this year. I also like what the New Jersey Nets accomplished. Pick No. 22 was used to select Marcus Williams, the draft's best passer and the unfortunate winner of the annual Last Man in the Green Room certificate. Apparently, Steve Nash (inexplicably) winning back-to-back MVPs wasn't enough to convince the other GM's that the point guard position actually matters. Whatever. Williams will get to learn the nuances of the position from one of the game's 10 best point guards of all time in Jason Kidd and provide steady back-up service early in his career. The Nets also snagged Josh Boone, a player whose stock slid considerably with his sub-par 2005-06 season. New Jersey won't need him to score, which is a plus because Boone has no real post-up moves. They will simply look to him to defend, rebound and hustle - three things the Nets were desperately missing from their front-court this past season. See? It's not too hard to take an honest look at your roster and fill holes via the draft. Well, unless you're the type of team that feels that Renaldo Balkman is an acceptable pick at No. 20. To be fair, Knicks' overlord Isiah Thomas has a terrific track record in the draft, but there's no way the offensively-challenged Balkman should've gone that high. None. I do like how Thomas targeted defensive-minded role players (along with Mardy Collins at No. 29), but common sense must be exercised when making a first-round selection. What else is there to say? In lieu of writing the rest of my thoughts in standard paragraph form, I'm going to finish this article with a bunch of top-5 lists. Let's roll. Top five draft selections that don't complement a team's roster: 1) Andrea Bargnani and Shelden Williams - discussed above. 2) Shawne Williams - Why did the Indiana Pacers draft him when they took Danny Granger last season? Why not draft Marcus Williams and send the inconsistent Jamaal Tinsley packing? 3) The Hilton Armstrong/Cedric Simmons picks - I like both guys, but they essentially give you the same things. Why wouldn't New Orleans just go with one and then draft a stud like Rodney Carney to fill the lanes and give Chris Paul another perimeter scoring option? Doesn't this team also have David West holding down the 4-spot? I'm confused. 4) Oleksiy Pecherov - The Wizards got killed defensively last season, so they logically draft a 6-10 Ukranian who can't guard anybody. Why not go after Josh Boone? 5) Dee Brown - Can't you see him trying to run a 1-on-4 fast break with his Utah Jazz teammates lagging behind and shouting, "Yo, wait up!" every time Brown enters the game? This subplot is even more interesting than the emotional Brown/Deron Williams reunion. Top five players who will fit in better than expected: 1) Maurice Ager in Dallas - A poor man's Michael Finely who can already defend exceptionally well. 2) Quincy Douby in Sacramento - The Kings have struggled filling Bobby Jackson's instant offense role for some time, and Douby will provide exactly that. 3) Shannon Brown in Cleveland - I'll bet anything Brown is starting for the Cavs by December. 4) Rodney Carney in Philly - Yeah, they already have Andre Iguodala (a fact Stephen A. Smith repeatedly forgot during the telecast), but the Sixers need all the athletic defenders they can find. Plus, if the NBA ever decides to sponsor a tag-team dunk contest, I can't see anyone toppling the Iggy-Carney team. 5) Jordan Farmar to the Lakers - He should've been gone way earlier. Kobe Bryant and the Pips land a local boy who's already better than Smush Parker. Top five moments involving Adam Morrison: 1) The look on his face after Stuart Scott finally wrapped up his 23-second question regarding how Morrison copes with diabetes. 2) His NBA Live commercial where he talked about how he rides around in a van with his moustache solving mysteries. 3) His other NBA Live commercial where he threatens to make the rest of the NBA cry like he did at the end of last season's NCAA tournament. 4) When the ESPN graphics department revealed the information that Morrison's favorite DVD is an Ultimate Fighting compilation. I could've sworn he'd say "Almost Famous." 5) Speaking of that movie, I like the fact that as I write this sentence, Morrison is almost certainly standing on someone's roof-top screaming, "I'm a golden god!" at the top of his lungs. Top five ESPN commentator moments: 1) Everything involving Greg Anthony. This man truly brought his A-game tonight and acted as the voice of reason every step of the way. In my notes during the telecast, I probably wrote, "Thank you, Anthony!" at least a dozen times. 2) The fact that Jay Bilas toned down his acerbic act from last year and stuck basically to breaking down prospects. He went a little overboard on his Balkman criticism, but at least he didn't tear him to shreds like he did with Luke Ridnour and Charlie Villanueva (both very good NBA players, by the way). 3) Stephen A. Smith. What? Speak up? Don't be shy. 4) Stuart Scott saying anything to a foreign prospect. 5) When David Stern popped out before the Utah pick and said his delay was because he was listening to Dan Patrick's pithy comments. Classic. Top five guys who definitely should have been drafted by my beloved Denver Nuggets at pick No. 49: 1) Gerry McNamara - Let's see, he won a National Title with Carmelo Anthony in 2003, he carried Syracuse on his back through last year's Big East title, he's clutch, and he has range past the three-point line. Sounds good to me. Sign this man as a free agent. 2) Mike Gansey - The fact that this man went undrafted shakes my faith in the basketball community. 3) Hassan Adams - He's better than any 2-guard the Nuggs currently have. 4) Allan Ray - Here's another big-game player who can knock down open threes. Naturally, the Nuggets don't have a roster spot for these types of players. 5) Kevin Pittsnogle - I'd rather have him on the team than Reggie Evans. In closing, I was unaware that Dick Vitale was so fond of the ACC. I think his affinity for that specific conference diminishes his credibility to accurately comment on the draft. On the bright side, at least he's not overbearing and annoying. Thanks for stopping by. Let's do this again next year. Source
