[darkisrising19Participant]

http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/insider/columns/story?columnist=thorpe_david&page=Rookies-101208&action=login&appRedirect=http%3a%2f%2finsider.espn.go.com%2fnba%2finsider%2fcolumns%2fstory%3fcolumnist%3dthorpe_david%26page%3dRookies-101208

 

 

Insiders?

[HaleParticipant]

What if there were do-overs in the draft?

After a quarter of the season, what if teams could pick another player from the 2010 draft? Would they take a short-term approach and try for a quick fix? Would they draft differently if the guy they selected ended up getting hurt early on? Or would they simply know a lot more about these guys, as professionals, and have a different view of either their own draft pick or someone else’s?

Well, let’s have some fun and find out.

It’s too early to make final judgments or say that teams were wrong in the draft. Rather, this is just another snapshot of how the rookies look today.

Eventually, this will be a way to see how this season’s rookies evolve, as we return to this theme from time to time. As we see every year, fortunes ebb and flow over the course of a season — and a career.

Note: In the case of the Nets, Kings and Clippers, we’re not saying they took the wrong player — quite the opposite, in fact.

Still, it’s an instructive exercise. And as of today, there is little doubt that many teams would like a do-over with their pick.

But not at the No. 1 spot …

 

Wall

 

Pick No. 1: John Wall to the Wizards
Hmmm, would the Wiz take a point guard who shows competitive fire, Formula 1 speed, a willingness to defend and the charisma of a star? Of course they would.

A better debate about Wall: Where would he go in a draft with Derrick Rose and Blake Griffin? I’d guess 50 percent of the GMs would take Wall first. That’s how special he can be.

While Rose is a dynamic scorer and Griffin is a beast all over the court, Wall can be both a great scorer and a more natural lead guard than Rose, while also being an upgrade on defense. And it seems the league values guys like him more than anyone else besides star quality centers.

 

Favors

 

 

Pick No. 2: Derrick Favors to the 76ers
This looks like as much of a no-brainer as the No. 1 selection. With the Nets, Favors has shown tremendous promise as a rebounder and scorer in the paint and would have gotten plenty of minutes in Philly’s rotation.

 

 

Which looks like a better foundation to build on: Jrue Holiday and Evan Turner as a backcourt duo or Holiday and Favors as a pick-and-roll combo? Holiday and Favors are two of the youngest players in the league, and both possess a demeanor that suggests they are very serious pros.

 

Cousins

 

 

Pick No. 3: DeMarcus Cousins to the Nets
New Jersey would be a perfect spot for Cousins, if Favors weren’t available. Tough-minded coach with lots of credibility. A culture of rules and discipline (see Terrence Williams and the D-League). And a franchise center already in place. There wouldn’t be any gargantuan banners of him hanging off buildings, as we’ve seen in Sacramento. And my guess is that in Jersey, we would have seen a slimmer Cousins, who’d have had to work each day just to survive matchups with Brook Lopez and Avery Johnson’s expectations.

 

Aminu

 

 

Pick No. 4: Al-Farouq Aminu to the Timberwolves
Who knew Aminu would make more than half of his 45 3-pointers in his first 20 games as a pro? And at just 20 years of age (a full three years younger than Wes Johnson), his upside is huge. He would have been a great fit on the Wolves, an improving team that could really use perimeter shooting.

With the way Kevin Love rebounds, the Wolves would have been able to play Aminu some at the 4 with little fear of getting killed on the glass (before he builds enough strength to hold his own). Eventually, Aminu should be able to learn to do some real damage from that spot.

 

Bledsoe

 

 

Pick No. 5: Eric Bledsoe to the Kings
Sacramento has the second-worst record in the league for the year 2010, with just 15 wins since Jan. 1, never winning more than four games in a month. The Kings epitomize rebuilding, a mode they’ve been in for years. (They got good value with Cousins, but in this exercise, he’s off the board.)

Now it looks as though the team realizes that the reigning rookie of the year, Tyreke Evans, is better off playing next to a true point guard. And Bledsoe has shown the ability to play that part well this season in his stints as a starter with the Clippers. With his explosive athleticism, he would have given the Kings a very young, very interesting backcourt going forward.

 

Sanders

 

 

Pick No. 6: Larry Sanders to the Warriors
An athletic big man has been a need in Golden State for a while, and Sanders would have fit the bill beautifully. He especially would have been an upgrade on defense, as scoring is a luxury that this team does not necessarily need.

 

 

His eight blocked shots in Denver gave us a glimpse of the paint presence he can be. And he could have developed nicely next to David Lee.

 

Davis

 

 

Pick No. 7: Ed Davis to the Pistons
He’s been back for only a few games this season, but based on what he did in summer league and this past week, Davis would have been able to become a high productivity guy in Detroit.

 

 

He’s a better rebounder than he seems and he’s a finisher who knows how to get off good shots. Detroit would be a better interior team with Davis.

 

Fields

 

 

Pick No. 8: Landry Fields to the Clippers
If Aminu hadn’t been available, Fields would have been a fantastic left-field pick. It’s hard to pinpoint exactly what position Landry Fields is best suited for in the NBA, but it’s easy to say he’s an excellent wing player who would have fit beautifully next to Eric Gordon.

 

 

Fields is one of the top rebounders of this class, and his feel for the game also would work well with a beastly scorer like Blake Griffin, who demands extra attention from defenders. Fields can slash and pass — both necessities when dealing with rotating defenses — and his shot looks like it will be solid, too.

 

Johnson

 

 

Pick No. 9: Wes Johnson to the Jazz
For an offense that loves to invert its players, wings who can post up thrive (point guards, too). Johnson has a penchant for jacking up jumpers, which is not good, but in Utah he would have been forced to spend lots of time in the paint, which would be good. Given his athleticism, think Ronnie Brewer with a better jumper.

 

 

Johnson’s maturity would have helped him blend in well with the atmosphere in Utah, and his temperament would have helped him deal with Jerry Sloan’s rough side. This is perhaps my favorite fit of the top 10.

 

Henry

 

 

Pick No. 10: Xavier Henry to the Pacers
Wanted: A multitalented guard with a predisposition to defend. Also must have a high ceiling to grow with this up-and-coming team. Xavier Henry, come on down!

Impressively, Henry is currently finding ways in Memphis to contribute beyond his shooting stroke, which was considered his strength this summer but is not there yet. He takes pride in his defense and plays with a nice tempo, similar to James Harden as a rookie. He can become an excellent shooter and has the look of a player who will learn to hurt defenders in the post.

[mikeyvthedonParticipant]

He just basically does a "Re-Draft" based on what he feels these rookies would provide to these teams right now, so on and so forth. He has Wall at 1, Favors at 2, Cousins 3, Aminu 4, Bledsoe 5, Larry Sanders 6, Ed Davis 7, and round it out with Landry Fields, Wesley Johnson and Xavier Henry. Thorpe truly is Captain Hindsight. Though, no, he really isn’t. But, it is just another way to talk about his rookie ranking system, which tends to be pretty boring and mundane. Yes, the draft usually turns out to be quite different as far as player contributions as compared to where they were picked, but to leave Evan Turner out of the top 10 already seems slightly harsh. Sure, he has not played well, but why give up on him already? I guess this is just a "fun excercise", but I think an actual draft re-do would go quite differently at this point. But, those are the picks.

[LazarusMunozParticipant]

Very Interesting…Does the article say at all where Evan Turner would of slipped to?

[SwatLakeCityParticipant]

 LOVE that new Jazz pick. Wesley Johnson is the perfect Jazzman. Although Im not quite sure how I feel about the Nets drafting Cousins. They would probably use him as a 4. But to me he is more of a five. And also Cousins has a history of bad attitude just T-will. He(Twill has fallen out of favor with his coach because of his prima-dona attitude. Cousins is the same way, so why would you want 2 prima-donas on the same team when you are trying to impose a new culture in New Jersey? Wouldn’t you want as low as possible. Preferably zero if you can?

And wow, Fields jumps from mid-second to the top 10. There must be some serious love for him. And for good reason too. 

And what is Sanders doing in the top ten, let alone the lottery. Yes the warriors need an athletic big man, but I would think Davis would be a better candidate.

But I think Turner should have gone higher. He may not be doing well in Philly but that could be a number of reasons. Mostly because of Iggy doing the exact same thing as him. But without Iggy there, Turner would be much better. He still deserves a spot in the top 10.

[lalailaParticipant]

Like that love for Aminu and Davis…and why they say Favors at 2 is no brainer, i think Cousins would battle with him very well for this pick

 

[BothTeamsPlayedHardParticipant]

David Thorpe is dumber for having written it, and I am dumber for reading it.

Larry Sanders is not a good defensive player. People have to know the difference between blocking a shot and knowing where to be. Sanders has tools but is learning. He doesn’t help Golden State anymore than Brandan Wright not understanding how to play defense vastly outweighs the fact that he can block a shot.

Fields is having a nice start to the season, but there is no way he has a better career than Evan Turner. Anyone affiliated with basketball should be fired for insinuating that much.

The Clipper draft picks are playing because of situation, they got numbers for a while because of minutes, but they are now falling back to the bench because better but still bad players are getting healthy. Anyone who has watched a moment of Clipper basketball can see this.

Ed Davis is still in no way a better player than Greg Monroe. Even if this guy wanted to do something stupid like overrate a 4-game sample size, he should have noticed that Monroe still has the more impressive four game run.

It does not matter what rookie went to OKC, they weren’t going to play. It is a 50-win team that returned eleven guys. It really isn’t difficult to see why a rookie wouldn’t play. Contextualization must be hard for him.

[sheltwon3Participant]

It is still too early because right now Monroe is getting minutes and may show more in Detroit but they are in disarray same as Philly.  Sometimes a player can be good but in a bad situation.  Cousins would not be doing as good maybe if he went to NJ.  I think Turner would be playing better than Johnson is he was in Minny

[BothTeamsPlayedHardParticipant]

Monroe is in a spot where Kuester is trying to make him into the 5th option energy big man that rebounds and defends. It isn’t playing to his strengths, though making him work on those areas can benefit him long term. The poor passing of many of the Pistons really limits his touches and his ability to play the way that got him to be a lottery pick. Still, he is playing that role better than Davis, and has the skills to do far more.

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