Biggest Draft WTF Moments?
well recently my team needed a center and greg monroe was available. a talented passer from Georgetown who was a top 5 recruit coming out of highschool. We selected a 24 year old named Ekpe Udoh.
to be fair to the Kings, I thought the Jimmer draft was decent cuz he could shoot.I think Knight and Evans are too similar in play and that doesnt work alot. You need contrast
But at the time I believed Evans and Knight would be able to coexist because we'd have a shooter in Knight. I think Jimmer will be solid in the near future. But even looking now, Isaiah thomas completely out played him and earned a starting position. Jimmer didn't look like anything more than just a shooter. And abysmal on the defensive end. Oh god...
The sixers taking Larry Hughes over Paul Pierce in 1998. The truth averaged over 20 a game on over 50% shooting his junior season. While Hughes also averaged 20 points a game he only shot 40%. The only reason the sixers drafted Hughes was of his upside. He was younger and more athletic but we have seen how that has turned out.
Dirk was taken in between the two but can't fault the Sixers for not taking the 7 foot german mystery man. Looking back Dirk is probably the best player in that draft and a bunch of teams missed on him.
I'm going to predict the future for my WTF moment.
Portland, Oregon
October 2012
I was extremely excited about the season for my Portland Trailblazer, looking forward to another year of contending for a championship. With a rested LaMarcus Aldridge on our team, we'll definitely make the playoffs!
We also drafted this big guy, I didn't hear much about him until my parents were jumping up and down, saying that we couldn't believe our luck, that he fell to us. One thing for sure, he was a freak-of-nature. Almost 7 feet tall with the ability to jump out of the gym. I couldn't believe my eyes seeing him in person.
1st game of the season. The big guy makes his NBA debut, and immediately they call an alley-oop play for him. Nolan Smith does a perfect lob, and he jams in down fiercely. Everyone rises out of their seats as he makes his descent.
Then it happens.
Two loud pops are heard all throughout the arena, as he crumples to the floor in pain. He's carried off, never to be seen again. Busted Knees. Again. And I'm like...
sorry Duke fans...but Mike Dunleavy Jr. at #3 just thought he was vastly overated at that pick
Bobby Hurley, thought he was a good player but not that good. There were a bunch of guys in that draft that I wouldve picked before him and very few wouldve had worse careers.
My biggest WTF wasnt even the NBA draft but concerned an NBA player! I was like WTF when Charlie Ward was drafted twice in the MLB and drafted in the NBA 1st round, but did not get drafted into the NFL...after winning the Heisman.
Thabeet going #2. I didn't think he should have been in the top 10 and boom there he goes. I was very surprised Kings passed on Rubio and selected Evans instead. Very surprised Noah fell all the way to #9. Lopez going at #10 was also a shock to me.
I know I shouldn't laugh at the Portland ordeal, but its so true. I loved watching Portland too, which sucked balls when their players were getting hurt.
@Tyrober: Yeah that Thabeet pick wasn't all that smart. And Rubio was my man crush for awhile, only because I didn't know who Evan's was. My pops knew, because watched Memphis in college.
I was very mad at the Al-Farouq Aminu pick, and maintained to this day that we should've picked up Paul George.
Also, the selection of two PF, within like 4 picks of eachother, (Chris Wilcox and Melvin Ely) seemed pretty stupid too. Especially given the way they turned out. Although Wilcox looked promising for a short while.
I was very mad at the Al-Farouq Aminu pick, and maintained to this day that we should've picked up Paul George.
Also, the selection of two PF, within like 4 picks of eachother, (Chris Wilcox and Melvin Ely) seemed pretty stupid too. Especially given the way they turned out. Although Wilcox looked promising for a short while.
Darko over Wade, Bosh, and Melo easily tops it for me. That Detroit team with any of those guys would have been DOMINANT. Marvin Williams over Chris Paul AND Deron Williams is another WTF moment- they needed a freaking PG and they pick a guy who didn't even start for UNC
Jerry Krause trades away former #1 pick 20/10 Elton Brand for the Clippers #2 pick Tyson Chandler and with pick #4 takes Eddy Curry... players passed on Agent Zero(2nd Rd.), Pau, Joe Johnson, Richard Jefferson, Tony Parker, Gerald Wallace and Z-BO...
Minnesota taking all those PG's a few years back
The Bulls trading Elton Brand who averaged 20 and 10 his first two years for a project center in Tyson Chandler
Bulls trading the rights to Lamarcus Aldridge for the rights to Tyrus Thomas.....sigh
Most of these examples are after you have seen how it has played out over a number of seasons. I highly doubt you were saying wtf straight after the Wiz took Kwame Brown, pretty sure it was pretty obvious he was the selection. Even Darko wasn't that big of surprise, I always knew he was going before Bosh and Wade and it was a toss up with Melo.
The biggest WTF moments for me were last year when the Cavs took Thompson, I had him goin around 15 - 20 or so.
Also when the Timberwolves traded Mayo for Love I was pissed off, shows what I know, very happy they did it now.
Also when the Kobe was iffy on the Lakers being serious about winning a championship, they went and selected a 17 year old big man named Bynum, I was definately like wtf. And again this proves why I should not be an NBA GM.
When my Jazz took Gordon Hayward with the 9th pick of the 2009 draft. At this time I had two players that I wanted the Jazz to take either Paul George or Ed Davis. George because, well I don't think that's necessary to explain since we've seen what he has done in Indy. But Ed Davis I was thinking could help the Jazz out at PF. At this time I knew Boozer would leave and the Jazz would be left with Millsap and Okur. (Jefferson was not with the team yet and no one thought he would come to Utah) I knew Millsap was good but I also knew that he alone wasn't enough to compensate for the eventual loss of Boozer(At this time Okur had already been hurt and probably lost forever so Millsap was the only "big man" the Jazz had), I thought Davis could help somewhat in that cause. I knew he wasn't the "savior" but he could at least help. The Jazz desperately needed a big man and what did they do? They drafted a SF, Gordon Hayward, the one position we were fine at. We had AK, so Hayward would just be coming off the bench and we still didn't have a big man to help Millsap.
So I thought well maybe its not so bad, I mean he can shoot, and he did help Baylor almost defeat Duke, so maybe he isn't that bad, then again Paul George was still available, and he was younger, a better shooter, and more athletic, surely he had more potential than Hayward. I mean he was 6'8 and still growing! (By now if I remember right, He is about 6'10!) So again what were the Jazz doing leaving him still on the board.
Turns out the Jazz knew exactly what they were doing. They knew they would find a bigman through the offseason(Jefferson), and they knew that Hayward could bring the Jazz what AK could not (but was supposed to) Now in his sophomore season, Hayward has more than proved his worth, and I no longer doubt what the Jazz were thinking when they drafted him. This last season was proof of that. (Still though I think what if the Jazz drafted George with the 9th pick instead. Would they be better off with George instead of Hayward? Who knows?)
Taylor Condrin, you do realize that any pick Seattle Sonics pick from 2002-2008 includes Kevin Durant Russell Westbrook and Serge Ibaka, right? Even though they are technically with the Thunder they were drafted as a Sonic. In 2007 and 2008 the Thunder didn't exist as a team, "they" were still the Sonics. They only moved to OKC and were renamed the Thunder in 2009. So, I'm hoping you mean any Seatte Sonics pick from 2002-2006
I also remember some big WTF's....Scottie Pippen. People were like, "WHO????" I was surprised, but I wasnt like WTF because that was the first time I ever heard of him was on Draft night. I thought that if nobody never heard of this guy and they picked him this high....he must be good.
1998-Jason Williams was a big one. I remember watching that draft and saying WTF!!! There were soooo many questions about him and there were some good players on the board. Williams had gotten kicked off Florida's team for drug use....so I though that pick was risky as hell! Jason did turn out better than I thought he would be in the NBA, but still, he went before Dirk and The Truth in that draft.
Same draft, 1998 the Clippers select Olowokandi, and I have posted this here before that I think his hype may have been orchestrated because I didnt think this guy was that good. I thought that the Clips wanted him basically because they thought he was some Olajuwon or something because it was rumored he had only been playing the sport for like 4 years and at Pacific in his final season he doubled his avgs. That pick proved to me that the Clippers were never going to win anything. I thought Bibby shouldve went first, but naturally being a Tarheels fan I wanted Vince or Jamison to go #1.
2007 Morris Almond over Glen Davis, Marc Gasol
2008 Kosta Koufos over Serge Ibaka (went 1 pick after to our conference rivals ouch)
2009 Eric Maynor when we needed a SF, then we traded Maynor to OKC a month and a half into the season.
I agree with The UnderKanter, I didn't get the Gordon Hayward pick (we needed a PF with Boozer set to leave that summer, I wanted Ed Davis) and he's not developing as fast as I'd like him to but he's definitely the best shooter on the team and we got Big Al that summer so I'd say it's all working out. Jazz made the playoffs this season so what they're doing is obviously working even tho we got swept in the first round.
Also Celtics taking J.R. Giddens in '08 is a huuuge WTF moment, they could've gotten DeAndre Jordan, Mbah a Moute, could've even fit Chalmers into their rotation behind Rondo & Ray Allen. Any of them would've been great role players on those Big 3 + Rondo teams.
It was another dissapointing season for the Kings, but we finished strong. I just couldn't wait for the draft because it would be next piece to be added to the fiscal puzzle they call a roster. I was feeling pretty good, picked me up something to eat. Came home, turned on the draft and waited for our pick. Up till then there were only a pile of guesses who we'd pick up, but no one knew for sure. And then it happened, I heard that we were involved in a three team trade (Mostly involving scrubs) involving the Bobcats, and Bucks.
To sum it up, we ended up with Jimmer ferdette, and I tried to be homer and describe the positives to the pick. I thought long and hard, but all that kept coming to mind was "What the &$#%#&@!!?". The worst part is, Brandon Knight was still available and it was believed we were looking for a PG so Evans could slide to the two guard.
So I want to know, what are your guys biggest draft 'wtf moments'. It doesn't have to be percieved to the world as a 'wtf moment'. Just a player your team drafted and at the time thought it was the worse idea your team could of thought of when drafting that player. Hindsight is 20/20 but there are times when drafts didn't exactly go the way we wanted. Do they ever?