[TRC1991Participant]

2002 NBA draft re-discovered

#1 PICK: Yao Ming

BIGGEST FIND: Amare Stoudemire (9th) 6x all star, 1x all nba 1st team, ROY

BIGGEST BUST: Nikoloz Tskitishvili (5th) played for 3 diff. teams in 4 years

BIGGEST STEAL: Carlos Boozer (35th) 2x all star, 1x all nba 3rd team

GUY WE THOUGHT WOULD HAVE STUCK AROUND: DaJuan Wagner (6th)- avg 42.5 ppg in high school, 100 point scorer in high school, and even played 1 year of college ball

GUY WE ARE SURPRISED HAS STUCK AROUND: Jared Jeffries (11th)- is very limited offensively, not a strong post defender, not a real NBA talent in my opinion

2ND ROUND SLEEPER: Luis Scola (56th) – was eventually traded to the rockets for vasillis spanoulis

GUY PICKED AT THE RIGHT SPOT: Nene (7th)- His skill level and career has matched the draft slot in which he was picked

THE PLAYER THAT NEVER WAS: Minnesota’s 1st round pick was nobody; they missed their turn

SADDEST STORY: Jay Williams (2nd) crashing on his motorcycle, thusly derailing his career

GUY YOU PROBABLY DIDNT KNOW WAS IN THIS DRAFT: Tayshaun Prince (23rd) quietly fell through the radard on draft night much like he has continued to do his entire career

[LazarusMunozParticipant]

like this alot…do more of these break downs

[mikeyvthedonParticipant]

They lost the pick due to paying Joe Smith under the table. 

[OhCanada-Participant]

That Joe Smith contract was a massive fail.

[Tobe BryantParticipant]

2002 NBA draft re-discovered

#1 PICK: Kenyon Martin

BIGGEST FIND: Jamaal Crawford (8th) Sixth Man of The Year, Career Avg. of 15.4 PPG or Michael Redd,

BIGGEST BUST: Stromile Swift (2nd) 5 Teams in 9 years

BIGGEST STEAL: Michael Redd (43rd) NBA All-Star, Gold Medalist, All-NBA 3rd Team

GUY WE THOUGHT WOULD HAVE STUCK AROUND: Marcus Fizer (4th) Had plenty of physical tools, but was out of the league before he could display them.

GUY WE ARE SURPRISED HAS STUCK AROUND: Eddie House (37th) At only 5’11 and combo guard, he’s found himself on CHAMPIONSHIP contending squads and even contributing!

2ND ROUND SLEEPER: Michael Redd (see above)

GUY PICKED AT THE RIGHT SPOT: Jamaal Magloire (19th) a safe pick which had a solid career. He was even an ALL-STAR

THE PLAYER THAT NEVER WAS: SADDEST STORY: Demarr Johnson (6th) Showed plenty of flashes, but a spinal injury really threw off his potential.

GUY YOU PROBABLY DIDNT KNOW WAS IN THIS DRAFT: Hedo Turkolu (16th)

[zayto50Participant]

what would you say about drew gooden

[BKKnicksfanParticipant]

But K-Mart was the first pick in 2000, Crawford was in 2000, Redd was in 2000

[TRC1991Participant]

he meant to say 2000 draft…but good look on that one brah! agreed dermarr johnson suffered quite a setback with his spinal injuries

[providencefriars1Participant]

Ya Bk all the guys he named are 2000, he probably accidentaly put 2002

[mikeyvthedonParticipant]

What is with the "brah"? I thought at first you were using it in irony to how ridiculous a term it is, but now I am worried.

Well done on the 2002 draft, 2000 was an incredibly lame year. 2001 was kind of a tweener, the lottery was all over the place, hits in the late first and a couple nice second rounders. As a matter of fact……

2001 NBA draft re-discovered

#1 PICK: Kwame Brown, Washington Wizards: Side note, many did not rate Kwame among the top 5 in his own HS class. Was originally committed to the Florida Gators.

BIGGEST FIND: A few too choose from, with Zach Randolph (19), Gilbert Arenas (31) or Joe Johnson (10), but I think you have to go with Tony Parker to San Antonio at 28. Was an immediate contributor, has been a three time Champ and All-Star, not to mention 2007 Finals MVP. People have no idea where to rank him all-time, but his resume is nothing short of impressive.

BIGGEST BUST: Kwame Brown. Again, there are a few choices, many would say Eddy Curry due to his recent trials, but Eddy had a better peak than Kwame. A few really short careers in the lottery, Kedrick Brown, Rodney White and Eddie Griffin (RIP), but Kwame stands out as the biggest bust of this draft with his seeming indifference and lack of desire to live up to his original billing.

BIGGEST STEAL: Mehmet Okur could be the choice, but I will go with Gilbert Arenas (31). After leading Arizona to the NCAA Finals, one would have thought Gilbert would have been a lottery pick, but he was taken at 31 by Golden State. He has had his share of injuries, but has also been an exciting scorer and occasional All-Star. Currently leads the class in career scoring average at 21.2 ppg.

GUY WE THOUGHT WOULD HAVE STUCK AROUND: I will go with Omar Cook (32). After starring in the Chicago pre-draft camp, many were just as surprised that Omar was not taken in the first round as they were of Gilbert Arenas. He was a gifted passer with a nice IQ, though maybe a poor shot choice. Seemed like Orlando had gotten a steal, but Omar bounced around a few teams, and only ended up playing 22 NBA games for Portland and Toronto. He has gone on to a pretty successful European career.

GUY WE ARE SURPRISED HAS STUCK AROUND: Earl Watson (39), was a favorite of UCLA fans everywhere, but his longevity as an NBA player has been impressive. At 756, he has played the 3rd most games of anyone drafted in this class and has been constantly employed in the NBA and even a starter at times. Has turned into one of the better back-up PG’s choices out there, with his nice defense and level headed game mangement.

2ND ROUND SLEEPER: Mehmet Okur (37), Detroit Pistons. While Gilbert had much more of an immediate impact, I have to put Okur as the sleeper as the Pistons had to wait a while. 7 footer out of Turkey who had a sweet outside shot, and ended up winning a ring before signing a nice deal with the Utah Jazz. Played a key role in a few Jazz play-off runs, made an All-Star team and while he was injured most of this year, has become a great value pick for a 2nd round guy.

GUY PICKED AT THE RIGHT SPOT: Trenton Hassell (29), Chicago Bulls. For as long as Trenton played in the league (644 games), he was a nice role player for many years. His numbers were nothing incredible, but he definitely provided decent value for someone picked at 29. Scorer in college became a good defender and a spot starter on occasion.

THE PLAYER THAT NEVER WAS: SADDEST STORY: Eddie Griffin (7), New Jersey Nets. When the year started, many thought Eddie might have been the first pick in the draft. He slipped due to character issues, he had gotten into fights in HS, and even once fought with his teammate Ty Shine after a loss in college (Seton Hall). At 6’11, he was immensely talented, but also troubled and was said to be immature. Still, Houston took a gamble on him and traded their 3 first round picks (Richard Jefferson, Jason Collins and Brandon Armstrong) for his rights. At times he looked like a clone of Rasheed Wallace, a guy who could kill you in the post or pop a trey in your eye. Still after a couple years as a role player in Houston, he was waived after missing flights and practices. He went to an alcohol rehabilitation center for the entire 2003-04 season, than came back to play for the Timberwolves. Never much more than an NBA role player and still having issues with substance abuse and depression, Eddie Griffin played only 303 games in what was thought to be a very promising NBA career. Tragically, Eddie died on August 17, 2007, after ignoring a warning barrier and hitting a moving train. An autopsy found that his blood alcohol level was at .26 (legal limit in most states is .08). He was only 25 years old at the time of his passing. Tremendously talented basketball player, he was a favorite of mine, very tragic story.

GUY YOU PROBABLY DIDNT KNOW WAS IN THIS DRAFT: REUBEN "BOOM BOOM" BOUMTJE-BOUMTJE (49) 

[BKKnicksfanParticipant]

Bruh is just a term people use……

[TRC1991Participant]

my bad mikeyV, ill cool it with my teenage vocabulary

 

but that was a good list man i gave u +1 for the rouben boumtje-boumtje shoutout lol that guy was a joke! but great name haha

[Author]

Posts