JAG’s Sports Blog

The NBA draft is tonight and no one player has separated themselves from the pack as the #1 pick. Every draft can’t be a 2003 draft when LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade and even Darko Milicic were talked about. The 2006 draft is loaded with players that can help a team and the term that best describes this draft is ‘the right fit’. Don’t judge this draft by tonight, but in a couple of years when we see how they contribute to their teams.

What people forget about the 2003 draft is that Dwyane Wade wasn’t even a name we heard a lot about at the time. It was considered the big 3 in LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony and Darko Milicic as to who would go #1. Some people really thought Milicic might go #1 because of his youth and toughness at only 18 years old. European players always get the benefit of the doubt as being the next Dirk Nowitzki because they play on club teams against grown men. The casual fan didn’t even know who Wade was since he played at Marquette even though he had a good NCAA tournament. Carmelo Anthony was 1 year removed from leading Syracuse to a NCAA championship and the most proven commodity, while James was the can’t miss player that has turned out to be even better than everyone thought he would be. Chris Bosh is probably still the most unknown player in the NBA to the casual fan because he plays for Toronto and no one cares what they do right now. Bosh was drafted #4 and is a stud player that puts his numbers up every night in the NBA.

The NBA can’t have a dream draft every year, but what has to be looked at is the fact that can’t miss players only occur at the very top, so you need to look at this draft as a solid draft where each team will get something. The draft in 2006 is about getting with the right team. J.J. Redick might have dominated the college boys, but the NBA is about extreme speed and strength and Redick just doesn’t fit the mold. Redick is the ultimate spot up shooter and will need to be with a team that can set him up to get off his shot. Redick needs to be with Houston as much as any team in the league or even Orlando potentially. Houston is the perfect fit because of Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady. Those two players draw double teams and if they do that with Redick on the floor, Houston can easily be a playoff team if he buries those long threes all night. Of course McGrady has to stay healthy and Ming does too after hurting his foot last season.

Andrea Bargnani from Italy is that annual European that scouts drool over and might go #1 with Toronto. With no high school players allowed in the draft anymore, players like Bargnani (20 years old), will be the rage because he’s young and has played against grown men in Europe for two years. Bargnani averaged 12+ points a game and does positive things on the floor, but hasn’t dominated play because of his age. Scouts always look at the dreaded word ‘potential’ when discussing players and that’s one of the biggest curses you can put on a player. Bargnani fits the weak European big man and that’s key because they can play great for a half and even early in the season, but wear down on the season goes on because the NBA is a potential 100 game season and you need to be physically strong. Toronto has signed Italian coach Maurizio Gherardini, so it only seems logical and obvious that they will take Bargnani. What other reason would you need with an Italian connection? Toronto has extensively scouted Bargnani and that wouldn’t make sense to spend all of that time and money unless you seriously want him.  

The young, athletic big men that everyone wants this season are LeMarcus Aldridge, Tyrus Thomas and Adam Morrison. The all-around players are Brandon Roy and Rudy Gay, while sleepers might be Randy Foye (Villanova) and Quincy Doube (Rutgers). Brandon Roy is one of the most ready to play in the NBA, while Gay might be the best player in the draft, but doesn’t seem to focus long enough as evidenced in his play at Connecticut to want to take a chance on him early in the draft. Aldridge, Thomas and Morrison will go early because they’re big and big is always a good enough reason to get chosen. Morrison is tough offensively, but people should take note of how dominate Andrew Bogut was in the college ranks, but had to work hard to get his numbers in the NBA.

There’s the Spanish kid Sergio Rodriguez who is called “Spanish Chocolate” because of his similarities to “White Chocolate” Jason Williams. He could be a future star and had at a lower pick. Fans all to often forget guys like Gilbert Arenas, Michael redd and Manu Ginobli were chosen in the second round, so going first in the draft or even the first round means nothing. Look at Kwame Brown or Marcus Fizer and countless other players that produced nothing but a paycheck and a pension for their efforts.

I could go into not letting high school players into the draft, but that would be another story in and of itself, so I won’t even mention Greg Olden being the obvious #1 pick if he had been allowed in and Kevin Durant probably #2, so that will hold. This draft does though have a lot of players that will be on NBA rosters for some time because the NBA is becoming about stars and a bunch of guys that play their roles well. You don’t need every player to be the next LeBron James or Dwyane Wade to contribute to a team. I predict you will look at this draft in 3 years and find a bunch of guys making a difference to a team that just might make the difference in them winning a title or a playoff run. A dominate, star-studded draft doesn’t automatically mean a great draft. A solid draft may be just as important in the long run and wasn’t getting the high school players out of the draft what the commissioner wanted? You better watch what you ask for.