Redoing the NBA Drafts of 1996-2001
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by user Tedbauer2003
Hello, friends. Ted here. You can generally find me over at A Price Above Bip Roberts. To celebrate the Oden-Durant joygasm coming this Thursday night, we're looking back at past NBA Drafts and redoing them. Because our apartment is hot as balls and we don't want to sit here all day, and because we're not exactly the brightest bulbs in the box, we're redoing these Drafts just in terms of the Top 5 picks, with rationales beneath them. We're keeping "trades that might have made sense at the time" out of this, because it'll get too confusing. This is just a re-do based on talent, and in the end, it will prove absolutely nothing about the nature of evaluating talent, but it might be fun for me to do as I watch Robin Meade (meow!) on my TV. Feel free to debate this in the comments section. We never get no comments, and it makes us sad :(. Wow, that was pathetic. Anyway, we're starting with one of the best Drafts ever, 1996.
1996 Draft
The Actual Top Five
2. Raptors - Marcus Camby
3. Grizzlies - Shareef Abdur-Rahim
4. Bucks (traded to Minny) - Stephon Marbury
5. TWolves (traded to Milwaukee) - Ray Allen
The ShouldaWouldaCoulda Top Five
1. 76ers - Kobe Bryant
2. Raptors - Allen Iverson
3. Grizzlies - Steve Nash
4. Bucks to Minny - Ray Allen
5. Minny to Milwaukee - Jermaine O'Neal
Poorly Thought Out Rationale
This one is a bitch, because '96 had a bunch of marginally-good-but-important-to-relevant-teams players, ala Antoine Walker and Erick Dampier. I think if you redo it, you have to put Kobe first because he's a more transcendent player than AI ever has been (plus, putting Kobe in Philadelphia as a rookie is hysterical). It is true that Kobe always had Shaq en route to those titles, and AI basically willed himself to a NBA Finals appearance (and that ridiculous Game 1 win), and it is true that Nash might be better than both of them in terms of everything he brings. However, AI and Kobe can give you 45 whenever they feel like it, and that has some value in a league where the first to 100 often can dictate the victor.
1997 Draft
The Actual Top Five
1. Spurs - Tim Duncan
2. 76ers - Keith Van Horn
3. Celtics - Chauncey Billups
4. Grizzlies - Antonio Daniels
5. Nuggets - Tony Battie
The CouldaWouldaShoulda Top Five
1. Spurs - Tim Duncan
2. 76ers - Tracy McGrady
3. Celtics - Chauncey Billups
4. Grizzlies - Stephen Jackson
5. Nuggets - Bobby Jackson
The Poorly Constructed Rationale
No doubt on No. 1 here; the Spurs got it right, and almost caused Boston to sink back into the Harbor in the process. T-Mac, who actually went No. 9 to the Raptors, would have been an interesting fit at No. 2 because it would have meant, potentially, that he teamed up with AI in Philadelphia (or Kobe, if you're believing my Drafts all the way, and you might as well be). The '97 Draft isn't deep at all (think Chris Anstey and Ed Gray mid first round), which explains why Stephen Jackson - who legitimately went 2nd round in '97 - sneaks up to become a Top 5 pick. Criminal tendencies aside, the dude can ball. Bobby Jackson, who is as responsible for the rebirth of ARCO Arena as anyone, becomes a Top 5 pick here for his versatility.
The 1998 Draft
The Actual Top Five
1. Clippers - Michael Olowokandi
2. Grizzlies - Mike Bibby
3. Nuggets - Raef LaFrentz
4. Raptors (traded to Golden State) - Antwain Jamison
5. Warriors (traded to Raps) - Vince Carter
The CouldaWouldaShoulda Top Five
1. Clippers - Dirk Nowitzki
2. Grizzlies - Paul Pierce
3. Nuggets - Vince Carter
4. Raps to GS - Antwain Jamison
5. Warriors to Toronto - Rashard Lewis
Senseless Justification
None of the main guys in the 1998 crop have ever won shite, but Dirk is an attractive No. 1, especially considering anyone could replace Kandi Man, whose most notable NBA moment is getting utterly posterized by Amare a few years back. Dirk is a legitimate threat to do many things, and we honestly believe he will win a NBA Title before it's all said and done. Pierce has been off the radar the last 18 months with a series of injuries and his presumed continued attempts to claim they can only be treated medicinally with weed, but he's one of the best shooters and ballers in the game when he's on. Rashard Lewis sneaks into the Top 5 here from the actual second round. Lewis is good, but my friend once told me, "He doesn't have a second gear." That may be true, but the comment offends me, because the kid who said it has never seen a Sonics game in its entirety. It's kind of like how every year around the NCAA Tournament, one of your friends says, "Oh, yea. Murray State. A lock to upset. They got this power forward..." It's like, "Listen, buddy. You don't know jack shit. Just shut up."
The 1999 Draft
The Actual Top Five
1. Bulls - Elton Brand
2. Grizzlies - Steve Francis
3. Hornets - Baron Davis
4. Clippers - Lamar Odom
5. Raps - Jonathan Bender
The CouldaWouldaShoulda Top Five
1. Bulls - Elton Brand
2. Grizzlies - Ron Artest
3. Hornets - Manu Ginobili
4. Clippers - Baron Davis
5. Raps - Richard Hamilton
Ridiculous Ideas on Why
Elton Brand still goes No. 1 here, although I flirted with other guys (uhh). He's probably as consistent a PF as there is in the league, although justifiably he hasn't won shit and Hamilton has a ring - and is the main scoring threat for that team, arguably. I slide Manu up all the way from the 50s, although the Hornets would have completely mis-managed his development and he'd be a total scrub in that organization. Baron Davis - who went to UCLA - on the Clippers would have been a good fit off the bat, and Artest goes No. 2 because he is probably the best defensive player in the league and can do a lot besides being a fucking total nut job. The most controversial thing above is that I didn't put Shawn Marion, who is often called "the best player on his own team," in the Top 5. Here's why: he's good, but he's not the best player on that team. He's the third, or maybe fourth, best player. He would have gone 5, but Hamilton has a ring. He would have gone 4, but Baron is real good, and how fun was that Warriors run? (Plus, he gets extra points for definitely having nailed Jessica Alba, the more I think about it). I don't buy all the Marion hype as much as the next dude. If he ends up on a shitty team, I think he becomes a slightly taller Joe Johnson - good numbers, but broadly irrelevant.
The 2000 Draft
The Actual Top Five
1. Nets - Kenyon Martin
2. Grizzlies - Stromile Swift
3. Clippers - Darius Miles
4. Bulls - Marcus Fizer
5. Magic - Mike Miller
The CouldaWouldaShoulda Top Five
1. Nets - Michael Redd
2. Grizzlies - Kenyon Martin
3. Clippers - Desmond Mason
4. Bulls - Marko Jaric
5. Magic - Morris Peterson
Rampant Flaws in Logic
This is unequivocally the worst Draft of all-time. Three guys in this Draft ever became All-Stars: Kenyon, who is good but seemingly a coach-baiting asshole; Michael Redd, who no one still knows the existence of; and Jamaal Magloire, who I once had a poster of in my dorm room. I contemplated redoing this Draft by having the Clippers through Magic forfeit their picks, which would have been justifiable. My logic, such as it stands, is that Mason is a decent double-double threat, Jaric may still blossom into a second-tier PG, and MoPete is often ignored but has helped the Raptors (and doesn't he seem like the type of guy who would still be playing for the Magic?). The fact that Miles at one point was deemed to have a value that high made me literally laugh out loud.
The 2001 Draft
The Actual Top Five
1. Wizards - Kwame Brown
2. Clippers (to Bulls) - Tyson Chandler
3. Hawks (to Vancouver) - Pau Gasol
4. Bulls - Eddy Curry
5. Warriors - Jason Richardson
The CouldaWouldaShoulda Top Five
1. Wizards - Gilbert Arenas
2. Clippers - Tony Parker
3. Hawks - Mehmet Okur
4. Bulls - Joe Johnson
5. Warriors - Pau Gasol
Reasons to Critique Me
How funny is it that if the Wizards had known, they would have had Agent Zero from the start, rather than having to wait through his awkward Golden State growing pains period? (He went in the second round, by the way. Travesty). If Tony Parker had gone to the Clippers off the bat, he probably would have married a different starlet, which would completely have altered the space-time continuum for all of us. Okur is a legitimate double double threat and a good player; the Hawks would have used him for a few seasons then sent him to Phoenix, and the Suns would be NBA Champions right now. Joe Johnson is a guy I bagged on a few paragraphs back, but he's a bonafide scorer and gets slotted at No. 4. I didn't take any of the actual Top 5 in my Top 5 except for Gasol, who I don't even like. I wanted to put J-Rich on the Warriors, but it seemed a smidge too obvious. If you believe my Drafts, you're a moron. But no, seriously, check this out: assuming no trades, the Vancouver Grizzles would be starting Steve Nash, Stephen Jackson, Ron Artest, Paul Pierce, and Kenyon Martin off of my logic. Ha. Talk about a psychiatrist's dream locker room. '
Tomorrow: 2002-2006.
