I read this morning in the papers that we still owe that pick to PHX in 06?

I just don't recall this!

It really shows the dilution of NBA talent when the teams are so chicken SHoyt that they must take so many not so ready for prime time players.

They don't know about Lenny Cook? Omar? Wil Avery? Kwame? FOr every Lebron there are 7 players whom disappear.

I don't know the answer, and Yeah you take the money, but its the teams whom are so dammed scared of NOT taking these kids. Many of them won't even be ready in 3 years at age 21, and they become restricted free agents. Tyson chander is a perfect example of a kid whom could have used more time.
I read Kwame ate popeyes chicken for a month straight and did not know how to go to the dry cleaners! This is a high pressure biz and these kids are not always ready. Shaun Livingston looks 15 years old. ANd then there are the Euro kids. Thats a whole other story.

I hope Jameer lights it up big time in the NBA and has a chance to eat up Telfair and spit him out. I felt bad for the kid. Children where being taken over this ready made man and it cost him big time. He will have his time to prove himself and I hope he does well.

Seems Joshs Childress got more attention from his afro than his game!

Im glad Isiah sat this one out, its garbage and its ruining both college ball and the NBA.

Its funny how Jay Bilas can talk so much smack about kids as they are walking up to the podium!

I also think if the knicks do anything they would be smart to wait and see what huge moves are made with Shaq, T-Mac, etc and try to get some crumbs or be a third cog in making a deal work. We are not players this year, but we have serviceable pieces that could help facilitate a big deal for someone and we can make out nice.

i like jay bilas, i think he is one of the even-keeled college analysts and he knows his stuff pretty well, but that was just poor judgement--especially what he did to Josh Smith with his parents sitting right there. For better or for worse, this is a night for these kids--and with guaranteed millions-they are the ones who made the right decisions. they should let TNT handle the draft--they used to have Hubie Brown do most of the analysis and perhaps bring in a Rick pitino or Rick majerus--guys who really know their stuff.

ESPN had Dck Vitale acting like an arrogant idiot, two guys who watched very little basketball and Jay Bilas giving his opinion like they were coming from the ole mighty himself. The only guy I thought did a good job was Fran Frachilla, the only guy who has the expereince of being a big time coach on the college level working the draft.

It was an awful presentation, the draft I felt like I was watching the roulette wheel with some of these moves---i mean why did portland buy that extra draft pick to take literally the same type of player they just drafted before--who actually subs for him on the Russian team? I guess they needed buddies. One of those picks was for Telfair and somebody made a decision that Telfair was going to be a Trailblazer at any cost.


Miami shocked me a bit--i know they may be shopping Caron Butler--but at pick 19 with a precarious PG situation and a true lack of size-why not take a chance on Harrison--its not a big investment??? Just like Dampier 8 years ago, 28 teams let a 7 foot athletic player slide by and will be kicking themselves for it.

Dallas was aggresive and is building a ton of nice young assets.

I think Wash really helped themsleves and than got very luck with ramos falling to them at 33.


Boston truly has a strange brew of players--how many shooting G can one team have? They also shouldve taken Harrison IMHO with their last pick.



Chicago stole that 7th pick. I guess that makes up for the Jay williams disaster.

Toronto has a big skilled team--as long as they are not injured with adding a guy who can step in at C 6-11 285 with 7 foot Bosh at PF, add in Carter Marshall and Rose--they immediately become a playoff team iMHO.

I liked Utah's draft, but I think they shouldve held to Pavel. Dallas could comeback at them with pick 29 next year. Taking a guy like Pavel with pick 21 is what you want. the money is smallish and you give the guy a legit 3 years to develop. But they got big physical skilled guys who will step in immediately. Shouldve kept Pavel

Memphis was also smart and aggresive--they took physical skilled athletes who were undervalued into the second round for no cost which would enable them to move guys like williams and wells. The logo knows the draft is a major way to accumulate talent and he is the master.


NY did fine at 43--i wouldve liked to see us more aggresive--if Donny Walsh--who said the other day he couldnt imagine a scenario where Harrison would fall to them at 30---we couldve had that
picks 20-21 and 28 and we still dont have a C or even a prospect 7 footer. If hes good enough for Indiana with Bird and Walsh, hes good enough for the knicks.




Atlanta drafted 3 SFs? I guess Steven Jackson is gone/ they have 0 size at all.

Charlotte and Orlando walk away with solid stuff--but how many teams in the east are expansion teams? jees if you take out Paul Pierce you are talking Atlanta Boston Charlotte

Cleveland got a nice piece they are going the right way.


i still have 0 clue what Miami did. terrible job IMHO.


there was a lot of talent in this draft but it was a scattered mess. the worst draft was that year with darius Miles--this draft was significantly better IMHO it was just the most scattered unkown draft since the origin.

Nalod, good post and I am suprised to see this post come from you, but nevertheless it is a good post. I made a similar thread a while ago, when I mentioned the euro hype, I also threw in the HS hype, this draft was a joke, guys like livingston, both smith boys and the euro players taken are just not ready, and some of the teams that took these guys need help now!!! I mean there are not 8 Kobe's in this draft!!!! I mean If I am a GM and my job is on the line, how do I take a guy that won't help me anytime soon, as I watched nelson fall and fall and fall, I was just upset, this is a guy who was college basketball player of the year and he was getting bypassed by teams that needed PG's such as Atlanta.. Bilas was right about Smith, the kid does not know how to play the game yet, it is the truth.... Bilas was a fine college basketball player himself he knows talent and has the credentials to speak upon such matters.... I look at the knicks pick, they took a 18 year old kid with the 43rd pick, that was a good safe pick and really the way it should be with these kids who need time to develop, the difference with the knicks pick is that this kid played 1 year of highly competitive college ball at a big time basketball school and did damn well!! These kids comming out are destroying the college game as well as the pro game....

The marbury trade is looking better and better!!

Yes, we owe Phoenix another pick. I believe it's protected to 25.

Nalod the pick in 2006 is protected until something like #25 I am not sure, but each year the number goes down( Ie: top 18 protected) until the knicks have to surrender it unprotected in the year 2010, so if the knicks want to give them the pick in 2006 I think they can.

HS phucked! Good one. HOw about TeenPhucked? PewbPhucHed?

Add EuroPhucked to that!

Great analogy with Daniels and Howard! They really need a minor league system if they want to take these kids.

this draft left me unimpressed to the point i'm still waiting for the real draft to commence.....maybe next year

NBA teams have convinced themselves that players who didn't go to college have to be more talented than those who did. That's just not the case...

[Edited by - VDesai on 06/27/2004 12:34:46]

the NBA should have a minor league system like baseball- have a 12 man pro roster and then a developmental league roster- when someone is hurt, just call them up- what good does it do to have some rookies/1st year players in street clothes on the sidelines with a non-existent injury.

then, these younger guy's can play, earn a decent living and perhaps develop to NBA material.

I'd be much more interested in watching a NBDL team of Knick prospects go up against other such teams-


Then, some of these local kids that didn't get drafted could think- 'yea, I'll go to the Knicks summer league & if I don't make the team, I'll definitly make their NBDL roster'

Right now, if Isiah calls, you've got to calculate what spots are open on the Knicks and what other teams might you have a better chance of making...

Would have to put a cap on minor league. Problem is lots of kids would skip college to earn 50k, which is not enough compared to both the education, and growing in an environment like college than the isloated intense business world of minor league.

I dont' have nearly the answers to tackle this complex problem.

Basically, only 30-40 new jobs are created each year in the NBA. about 25% are going to Euros, so we are talking about just a handful of kids. IN that perspective, things are not all that bad. We got 8 kids that went in the first rounds, and maybe 2 will impact in next two years.

But what about players just stay in college one year? Melo improved alot that one year, but so many kids need to stay. That is the bigger problem.