2003 Post-Draft Analysis

By Cave Creek Coach Mark Long

Here are some grades for the draft. Note that I graded based on a number of factors including how the players will affect the team this year, what their future is, will they make the top 6, and more. I put a lot of weight on whether a team got the help they needed to make a run this year or whether they built for the future when they should have. PS- Do not take any of this too serious. It is the opinion of one guy who is trying to have fun!

Ginobli, Gadzuric, E. Williams. Ginobli at #9 was, I think a steal. Time will tell, but I would bet he has better career than any of the guys picked 4-8. Gadzuric and Eric Williams will both the the type of strat guys who never hurt you but never are difference makers. Overall Ginobli can fill some PG minutes and Gadzuric will fill some C minutes.

Grade: B+/A-

Diop and Q. Woods. Hard to see either of these guys getting any minutes on this team. Plus, bad luck strikes as the day after Diop is drafted reports are he tore an ACL. Woods may get some more playing time in Portland, but probably not enough to have significant trade value and he wont be on the top 6 next year. Maclean was picking 30 and 31, and has a solid roster, so I don’t know that anyone would have made Maclean a better team.

Grade: D

Wilcox and Elden Campbell. Obviously Iowa was trying to fill a need at the Center/PF position. Wilcox has the potential to be a solid NBA player, but I wonder when Brand gets back what happens to Wilcox. Wilcox will never be an All-Star but could become a poor mans Horace Grant type.

Grade: C

M. Bradley, C. Anderson. Another team trying to find some rebounding big guys. Chris Anderson has a solid card and his blocking makes him a solid backup this year. But neither has a chance to make the top 6 for next year. Im going to give this draft a bit higher rating than it perhaps should based on the players, because I think these two players, as subtle as they are, turn Richmond into a serious contender this year.

Grade: B

Jay Williams, Dunleavy Jr. Dunleavy Jr. is going to be a very nice player for the future, and with Ray Allen and Wally Szcerbiak injured Dunleavy was needed for next year. Jay Williams probably will never play again, but Akron is one of the few teams he helps this year providing a very solid backup to Darrell Armstrong. Interesting – the player he picks first won’t help this year, and the player he picked last will fill out his roster nicely this year but be no help afterwards. Good smart draft.

Grade: A

Dixon, James, Arroyo, Butler. Lets face it, River City is not winning it this year which is why Arroyo was a great pick, but James and Butler were not. If Butler were repeating his performance he would have been a top 5 pick, but he is in the dog house, over weight, and injured. James is too old to give you much. Arroyo was a nice pick for the future, but with Prince, Dunleavy, and Ginobli on the board he should have passed on Butler.

Grade: D+/C-

Hoiberg, Collier, McCarty, Jackson, Gooden. Gooden and Jackson were picked way, way too high. I think Gooden is about what he will be. Hes not tall enough to hang with the big boys, and not fast enough or has enough touch to run at the 3. He will have a long career, but as a backup type player. Jackson has potential to be a decent scorer, but his defense, rebounding, and passing deficiencies will keep him from being anything more than a strat backup. McCarty has underachieved as much as anyone in recent memory in the NBA. Hoiberg is doing nice next year, if he does not get picked.

Grade: D

Salmons and Okur. Very nice draft here. Okur has some real potential. I think he could be an All-Star in the next few years. He’s similar to Nowitzki without the passing but better rebounding. He can run the floor, post up, and hit the 3. Salmons is a youngster who will struggle for minutes in Philly, but will get more and more over the next few years and has shown flashes of being a solid player.

Grade: A-

Horry, Blount, Booth, Ely, Jeffries. Very interesting draft. Went heavy on big men on a team already filled with big men. Tried to hit a home run picking Jeffries, who is not much now but has slight potential to develop. I kind of like Ely, although he probably will never be more than 10000 other centers who can block a few shots, rebound, and roll replays. Booth was a nice pick for next year. Solid and improving. I have watched Blount and liked his skills, but he has the energy of a slug. Overall failed to get much help now or for the future and still needs some small guys. Again, picking where he was, there was not a ton of help coming though.

Grade: D-

Tskitshvili, Wagner. Tskitshvili is one of those guys that we could look back and say great pick. He is not even close to potential, and with expansion teams needing minutes he is probably not going to get picked up. Wagner was a risky pick for someone who is not winning this year, and who already is loaded with soft scoring small men. Seems obvious he was trying to catch lightning in a bottle here. Had the right idea to try and find some possible future players.

Grade: D+

Palacio, Boozer. Boozer was a great pick for this team that was severely lacking in tough guys. However, the recent trade has all but killed Palacio’s future value as he is now far at the end of the bench.

Grade: B

Welsch, Jacobson, Amare Staudamire. Well it is hard to fail when you come out of the draft with not only what could be the best rookie card, but with a guy destined to be a star. The kid is 19 and by age 23 should be one of the top 4-5 players in this league. Jacobson is a Steve Kerr type who will be around for a while because he can hit the open jumper but never be more than a role player because he plays matador defense. Welsh I have never seen play, but for some reason is playing a ton lately. However, for as many minutes as the guy is getting he is being relatively unproductive stat wise.

Grade: A

Hunter. Decent pick for where he was selected. He’s another one of those enigmas who seems to have a million dollar body and a 10 cent head. Lazy would describe him. Does not have the offensive game to ever be a top Center, but could develop a defensive and rebounding presence if the fire gets lit. Will play all his minutes on this team which was lacking a center.

Grade: C-

Willis, Pack, Evans, Simmons, Ming. Simply put a great draft. Simmons, Evans, Pack, and Willis would not have been so great for a team not making a run for it, but with the Aces, already loaded with talent and not needing to look to the future for a championship, these were great picks. I doubt Ming will ever be a good enough scorer to ever be in the Shaq, D. Robinson, Duncan mold- but more like the Smits mold which will still be solid. Simmons has a nice little card.

Grade: A to A+

Brown, Lamply. Lamply has a nice little card, but with Giricek on the board was a reach here. Tierre Brown had one of the best cards around and Galactic is one of the few teams who could have used it without reguard to the future. The guy has a bunch of 40 year olds on his team and was trying for 1 last hurrah by taking these guys.

Grade: C-

Anthony Johnson, Baxter, Voskuhl, Raja Bell, Prince, Nene. Nene is a year or so away from being a really top notch NBA player. He has the speed, athleticism, and hands to be a 25/12 guy. Prince will never be an all-star but as a rookie got a great defensive card that could improve and should be a good role player. Baxter could be the steal of the draft. Toronto is using this guy, and he is responding. This guy is a Dale Davis/Brian Grant type.

Grade: A

Rush, R. Murray. Karim Rush will never play with the Lakers, and quite frankly may never make it on another team. Hes there because he is young and cheap, not because he has skills. Murray was a nice pick, and should be a solid 15-20 pt NBA scorer. Funny- he puts up numbers (pts, rebounds, asst) almost exactly like the guy he is replacing- Ray Allen.

Grade: B-

Finney Longhorns and Holcome Heat: No picks

Jaric, Giricek, Cardinal. Another outstanding draft. This team is a favorite to win it all this year, and not only managed to help this year, but in the future. Giricek was a gift at #20. Jaric could develop, but it may be a few years. And Cardinal is a solid contributor for the future – although will probably get lost in the expansion draft with this team having many more worth protecting more than Cardinal.

Grade: A

Best Player Not Drafted: George Lynch. Above average D, MONSTER rebounding, and a card of replays that never hurt. Plus he is playing 30 mins/game currently.

Player that should not have been drafted: Kareem Rush. Little current or future value

Thurman Thomas "I can’t believe I lasted that long" pick: Giricek. May have one of the top 3-4 rookie cards but plummets to #20. And he is repeating his performance! I may regret not taking him.

WHOOHOO! I never expected that payday: Sean Lamply going #16. I know the guy has a decent card for this year, but Giricek was on the board and other nice one year wonder cards were picked up much later in the draft. Runner up is Mike James. A 30 year old PG having a career year, which is not all that great.

Steal of the Draft not named Giricek: Lonny Baxter. Looking into crystal ball with this one

We may all kick ourselves for not picking: Okur. In 3-4 years everyone picking 5-13 may look back and wonder what they were thinking passing up on him.