VDesai wrote:

martin wrote:I'd go with John Wallace, Walter McCarty and Dontae Pooh Bear Jones

Its a painful memory. I thought Wallace was gonna be great, but the 1996 draft is maybe the greatest draft of all time and there are 10 yr NBA players deep into the 2nd round and even Ben Wallace went undrafted. In retrospect, couldn't have traded up 18,19 and 21 to get pick 13, 14 or 15? If we could've done that we'd have been looking at Kobe Bryant, Peja Stojakovic and Steve Nash! Argh!

Its why few want to trade down. We always assume we could have just traded up. lakers were chomping at the bit for Kobe. They did not trade for the pick, they traded if CLT drafted Kobe.
I’m splitting hairs but you get the drift. Have to have a specific player and a team that is for sure willing to trade.

VDesai wrote:Of course the trade may never have presented itself. We may also not have had a good grade on Nash or Peja. That's why its "retrospect." On the surface I think it would be hard for any team to pass 18,19, 21 for pick 15 for example, but that doesn't mean if we moved up to 15 we wouldn't have just drafted John Wallace there!

rare we even had picks to trade back then.........Good points you make.