<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">OAKLAND ? Imagine Troy Murphy snatching a rebound and outletting to Gilbert Arenas, who takes off for the hoop flanked by Jason Richardson and Antawn Jamison. That thunderous noise in the background is Amare Stoudemire, trailing the play and looking to dunk any scraps through the hoop. Yes, Golden State Warriors fans, that could be your starting lineup tonight at the Arena against the Phoenix Suns ... if only the organization's decision-makers had demonstrated a little foresight on draft night 2002. OK, a lot of foresight. So who's to blame for allowing Stoudemire, a troubled 19-year-old at the time, to slip through their grasps that fateful evening? Is it Garry St. Jean, for failing to hire Eric Musselman ? a big fan of athleticism ? three weeks before the draft rather than waiting until three weeks after? Is it Garry Fitzsimmons, whose ultra-conservative approach to building a roster would never allow the Warriors to exhaust a high pick on an unproven teenager? Or is it perhaps Chris Cohan, who gets blamed for most things? Bob Reinhart, a longtime Warriors scout based in Georgia, admits he's as much to blame as anyone. "I saw him play twice in Florida (his senior season)," Reinhart said of the star at Cypress Creek High in Orlando. "He had what I call 'High School Syndrome.' He never ran the full length of the court. He just ran from top of the key to top of the key. </div> Source
I remember he was compared to Kwame Brown a lot, but I thought they were making up a big deal about his past too much. I mean Caron Butler had the same deal with his past only he went to college and became a straight shooter. I was hoping the Warriors could have picked at least one power forward because 4 out of 5 warriors were already tweeners. Gil = combo guard, Jrich = power guard, Jamison = wing power forward, Murphy = small power forward. I was hoping the W's would trade down for a true 4. I was liking Maybyner Hilario a.k.a "Nene" for a while. The guy is a beast... I think fellow Brazillian Tiago Splitter could be way better than him though and that guy is a super tweener, but has the body to play one specific position and flexibility to play others.
Remember, Stoudamire did not workout for anyone before the draft because he had a preselected destination, it certainly was not the GSW. He went to 6 different HSs, that's a major red flag. He's apparently overcome it, great for him, but it all looks rosy in hindsight.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting custodianrules2:</div><div class="quote_post">I remember he was compared to Kwame Brown a lot, but I thought they were making up a big deal about his past too much. I mean Caron Butler had the same deal with his past only he went to college and became a straight shooter. I was hoping the Warriors could have picked at least one power forward because 4 out of 5 warriors were already tweeners. Gil = combo guard, Jrich = power guard, Jamison = wing power forward, Murphy = small power forward. I was hoping the W's would trade down for a true 4. I was liking Maybyner Hilario a.k.a "Nene" for a while. The guy is a beast... I think fellow Brazillian Tiago Splitter could be way better than him though and that guy is a super tweener, but has the body to play one specific position and flexibility to play others.</div> Just to get a little off-topic, Tiago Splitter, is nothing like Nene. I've seen him play a few times, and I was not impressed at all. He's not physical at all and shys away from defending bigger players In fairness to the Warriors, eight other teams also passed up on Amare Stoudemire in the 2002 draft.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting shapecity:</div><div class="quote_post">Just to get a little off-topic, Tiago Splitter, is nothing like Nene. I've seen him play a few times, and I was not impressed at all. He's not physical at all and shys away from defending bigger players In fairness to the Warriors, eight other teams also passed up on Amare Stoudemire in the 2002 draft.</div> I know Splitter is not in the mold of Nene. I thought he was supposed to be a better defender than that. Oh well. I don't know these international guys as well. It's just that if Nene was nothing but a guy who scored off putbacks and wasn't a great outlet passer, it's probably not a good deal. I'm liking Dunleavy's passing, but he's not a complete player unless he has a true position that allows him to keep up with the competition on the defensive end. I like his fluidity with the ball and his ability to drive and take bigger defenders off with his first step. But that's all I like about Dun unless he can prove he can hang with elite power forwards... on both ends.
