Drafts 2001-2005

2001

You would like a mulligan on this one right, MJ? Gasol is probably the best big man right now behind D12, Joe Johnson is a top tier player, Tony Parker is a 3 time champ and a finals MVP, Zach Randolph is (was?) crazy but gives you a 20/10 night after night. So, yeah, bad choice MJ, bad choice

Championship Builders: None

Biggest Jump: Mehmet Okur from 37th to 10th

Pick Order. Picking Team -- Player Selected ( Original position drafted)

1. Wizards -- Pau Gasol (3)
2. Clippers -- Joe Johnson (10)
3. Hawks -- Tony Parker (29)
4. Bulls -- Shane Battier (6 )
5. Warriors -- Zach Randolph (19)
6. Grizzlies -- Gerald Wallace (25)
7. Nets -- Richard Jefferson (13)
8. Cavs -- Jason Richardson (5)
9. Pistons -- Tyson Chandler (2)
10. Celtics -- Mehmet Okur (37)


2002

Solid solid class featuring 4 quality dependable big guys (if we count Nene as dependable), Amare could overtake Yao as the first pick depending on where he lands this summer. Also a very bad drafted class as we have 3 second round picks in the top 10.


Championship Builders: Rockets
Biggest Jump: Luis Scola from 55th to 9th


Pick Order. Picking Team -- Player Selected ( Original position drafted)

1. Rockets -- Yao Ming (1)
2. Bulls -- Amare Stoudemire (9)
3. Warriors -- Carlos Boozer (34)
4. Grizzlies -- Caron Butler (10)
5. Nuggets -- Tayshaun Prince (23)
6. Cavs -- John Salmons (26)
7. Knicks -- Nene Hilario (7)
8. Clippers -- Matt Barnes (45)
9. Suns -- Luis Scola (55)
10. Heat -- Drew Gooden (4)



2003

Four franchise players. Its 1984 all over again and as in 1984 the redoing of this class changes everything! Cleveland get Lebron but the Pistons come away with Dwayne Wade, basically taking away the 2006 title from the Heat and Shaq’s fourth title. What Detroit does with Wade? Bring him off the bench? We all know Wade was ready to be a impact player in year one, does Larry Brown plays him? Do the trade him? I’m guessing both Dumars and Brown would realize what they have in hands and do the right thing (Trading Rip after a year or two). Kaman goes to the Heat (no more Shaq) and Perkins take Kaman’s spot in the Clippers (Sorry Kendrick. Sorry Celtics)

Championship Builders: Cavs, Pistons, Nuggets, Raptors

Biggest Jump: Kendrick Perkins from 27th to 6th


Pick Order. Picking Team -- Player Selected ( Original position drafted)

1. Cavs -- Lebron James (1)
2. Pistons -- Dwayne Wade (5)
3. Nuggets -- Carmelo Anthony (3)
4. Raptors -- Chris Bosh (4)
5. Heat -- Chris Kaman (6)
6. Clippers -- Kendrick Perkins (27)
7. Bulls-- David West (18)
8. Bucks -- Leandro Barbosa (28)
9. Knicks -- Boris Diaw (21)



2004

Fourth straight solid talent filled class. And you wonder why we are getting a better product (player wise). The impact of this class: Al Jefferson getting selected by the Bobcats so the Celtics don’t have the golden ticket to get the Big Ticket. No 17th banner for the Celtics. Oh look, the Hawks selects a point guard!

Championship Builders: Magic, Bobcats

Biggest Jump: Anderson Varejao from 30th to 11th


Pick Order. Picking Team -- Player Selected ( Original position drafted)

1. Magic -- Dwight Howard (1)
2. Bobcats -- Al Jefferson (15)
3. Bulls -- Josh Smith (17)
4. Clippers -- Emeka Okafor (2)
5. Wizards -- Andre Igoudala (9)
6. Hawks -- Jameer Nelson (20)
7. Suns -- Loul Deng (7)
8. Raptors -- Kevin Martin (26 )
9. Sixers -- Ben Gordon (3)
10. Cavs -- Devin Harris (5)
11. Warriors -- Anderson Varejao (30)
12. Sonics -- J.R. Smith (18)



2005

Can we say “5 straight good class?” Not exactly a deep class but you rarely have the first 6 teams selecting coming out with a big smile in their faces. We have two franchise point guards, one big swing man who wants to be a second banana and three really good big man who happens to be young enough to get better. Oh look, the Hawks selects a point guard!

Championship Builders: Bucks, Hawks

Biggest Jump: Anderson Varejao from 30th to 6th


Pick Order. Picking Team -- Player Selected ( Original position drafted)




1. Bucks -- Chris Paul (4)
2. Hawks -- Deron Williams (3)
3. Jazz -- Danny Granger (17)
4. Hornets -- Andrew Bogut (1)
5. Bobcats -- Andew Bynum (10)
6. Blazers -- David Lee (30)
7. Raptors -- Raymon Felton (5)

Drafts 1996-2000

1996

Well, well, look who is not selected by the Lakers. Kobe gets drafted by his hometown Sixers. Do the Sixers accept Vlade Divac for Kobe? Probably not, they were in full rebuilding mode at the time, unlike the Hornets. The Answer gets shipped to Canada and Steve Nash doesn’t have to be the play behind Kevin Johnson, Jason Kidd and Sam Cassell as he becomes the starting point guard for the powerful Vancouver Grizzlies. So, the Lakers don’t get Kobe nor Fisher but the immediate impact of this draft would be Peja’s selection by the Pacers. This is a 52 win Pacers team that already had Reggie Miller and Ricky Pierce as their shooters. A team that attempted almost 17 threes per game was obviously a 3 point shooting team; you couldn’t find a better scenario for rookie Peja

Championship Builders: Sixers, Twolves ( Pairing Jermaine O'neal with KG could had been interesting)

Biggest Jump: Four players jumped 12 spots (Kobe, Nash, JO and Fisher)

Pick Order. Picking Team --Player Selected ( Original position drafted)

1. Sixers -- Kobe Bryant (13)
2. Raptors -- Allen Iverson ( 1)
3. Grizzlies -- Steve Nash ( 15)
4. Bucks -- Ray Allen ( 5)
5. Twolves -- Jermaine O’neal ( 17)
6. Celtics -- Marcus Camby ( 2)
7. Clippers -- Stephon Marbury ( 4)
8. Nets -- Shareef Abdur-Rahim ( 3)
9. Mavs -- Antoine Walker ( 6)
10. Pacers -- Peja Stojakovic ( 14)
11. Warriors -- Zydrunas Illgauskas ( 20)
12. Cavs -- Derek Fisher ( 24)

1997

This is a pretty crappy draft class; a 3 player class headed by Tim Duncan. Now picture this: 18 year old TMac playing with 19 year old Kobe. I love this post

Championship Builders: Spurs, Sixers

Biggest Jump: Stephen Jackson from 42nd to 4th

Pick Order. Picking Team --Player Selected ( Original position drafted)

1. Spurs -- Tim Duncan (1)
2. Sixers -- Tracy McGrady (9)
3. Celtics -- Chauncey Billups (3)
4. Grizzlies -- Stephen Jackson (42)
5. Nuggets -- Tim Thomas (7)

1998

With the number one pick in the 1998 NBA Draft, the LA Clippers select: Dirk Nowitzki. Sorry Dirk.

Championship Builders: Clippers

Biggest Jump: Rashard Lewis from 32nd to 5th

Pick Order. Picking Team --Player Selected ( Original position drafted)

1. Clippers -- Dirk Nowitzki (9)
2. Grizzlies -- Vince Carter (5)
3. Nuggets -- Paul Pierce (10)
4. Raptors -- Mike Bibby (2)
5. Warriors -- Rashard Lewis (32)
6. Mavs -- Antawn Jamison (4)
7. Kings -- Al Harrington (25)
8. Sixers -- Matt Harpring (15)
9. Bucks -- Larry Hughes (8)
10. Celtics -- Jason Williams (7)

1999

These are the rookies of the lock out shortened season. If you sit down and analyze this players careers so far ( how good they are, injuries, character issues, impact, success) you are going to find a “but” in most of these guys. Everybody has issues, right?. Look at BDiddy ( injuries, clashes with coaches, not always “there”) Manu (injuries) Brand (injuries and a record breaking skills diminishing pace), Artest ( Being Artest), Kirilenko (Cry baby). This is actually a deep class fill with quality players, great players to have as your second or third option...but with issues.

Championship Builders: None

Biggest Jump: Manu Ginobili from 57th to 2nd

Pick Order. Picking Team --Player Selected ( Original position drafted)

1. Bulls -- Baron Davis (3)
2. Grizzlies -- Manu Ginobili (57)
3. Hornets -- Elton Brand (1)
4. Clippers -- Lamar Odom (4)
5. Raptors -- Ron Artest (16)
6. Twolves -- Shawn Marion (9)
7. Wizards -- Richard Hamilton (7)
8. Cavs -- Andre Miller (8)
9. Suns -- Jason Terry (10)
10. Hawks -- Andrei Kirilenko (24)
11. Cavs -- Corey Maggette (13)



2000

Worst class since 1991. Amazing, 11 years in the league, 58 players, 2 All Star selections ( Kmart and Redd in 2004).
Fun Fact: Michael Redd is the lowest selection to be “re-selected” as number one ( so far)

Championship Builders: None

Biggest Jump: Michael Redd from 43rd to 1th

Pick Order. Picking Team --Player Selected ( Original position drafted)


1. Nets -- Michael Redd (43)
2. Grizzlies -- Kenyon Martin (1)
3. Clippers -- Jamal Crawford (8)
4. Bulls -- Hedo Turkoglu (16)
5. Magic -- Quentin Richardson (18)
6. Hawks -- Mike Miller (5)
7. Bulls -- Eddie House (37)

Drafts 1990-1995

1990

Very weak draft class this 1990 one. We get one of the best defensive point guards in league history in Gary Payton but very little after that. Another blow to the dynasty of the Bulls as Toni Kukoc is taken by the Nuggets. We have lots of dependable and reliable role players. Is that a good thing to say about a player?

Championship Builders: None

Biggest Jump: Cedric Ceballos from 48th to 7th

Pick Order. Picking Team --Player Selected ( Original position drafted)

1. Nets -- Gary Payton (2)

2. Sonics -- Derrick Coleman (1)

3. Nuggets -- Toni Kukoc (29)

4. Magic -- Kendal Gill (5)

5. Hornets -- Dennis Scott (4)

6. Twolves -- Antonio Davis (45)

7. Kings -- Cedric Ceballos (48)

8. Clippers -- Elden Campbell (27)

9. Heat -- Loy Vaught (13)

10. Hawks -- Bimbo Coles (40)

11.Warriors -- Tyrone Hill (11)

1991

Fourth straight weak year, in 4 years the biggest names selected have been Gary Payton and Shawn Kemp. Together they had like a 3 year window for the championship not exactly what would you call franchise names. In this class I’m torn between keeping Larry Johnson as the first choice and selecting Dikembe Mutombo first . LJ had a great run with the Hornets it was until he played with the Knicks that his production and value went down. His collection of injuries didn’t help him neither. In the other hand Dike was a helluva defender. He could easily be swatting a couple of shots per game right now at his 44 years old

Championship Builders: None

Biggest Jump: Rick Fox from 24^th to 7th.

Pick Order. Picking Team --Player Selected ( Original position drafted)

1. Hornets -- Larry Johnson (1)

2. Nets -- Dikembe Mutombo (4)

3. Kings -- Steve Smith (5)

4. Nuggets -- Kenny Anderson (2)

5. Heat -- Terrell Brandon (11)

6. Mavs -- Billy Owens (3)

7. Twolves -- Rick Fox (24)

8. Nuggers -- Stacey Augmon (9)

9. Hawks -- Bison Dele (10)

10. Magic -- Dale Davis (13)

11. Cavs -- Greg Anthony (11)

12. Knicks -- Luc Longley (7)

1992

Best class in the last 5 years. Not exactly a deep one but gave us two franchise centers and that’s a hard thing to find (Right, Blazers?). This class was headed by one of the top five centers of all time, Mr. Shaquille O’Neal, and one of top defenders at the center position Mr. Alonzo Mourning. Robert Horry is also in this class but not selected by the Houston Rockets, does he turns into Big Shot Rob without winning 2 rings in his first three years?

Fun fact here: 5 of these 12 picks were the original ones.

Championship Builders: Magic, Heat

Biggest Jump: P.J. Brown from 29^th to 10th.

Pick Order. Picking Team --Player Selected ( Original position drafted)

1. Magic -- Shaquille O’Neal (1)

2. Heat -- Alonzo Mourning (2)

3. Twolves -- Latrell Sprewell (24)

4. Mavs -- Jim Jackson (4)

5. Nuggets -- Robert Horry (11)

6. Bullets -- Tom Gugliotta (6)

7. Kings -- Laphonso Ellis (5)

8. Bucks -- Doug Christie (17)

9. Sixers -- Cleareance Weatherspoon (9)

10. Hawks -- P.J. Brown (29)

11. Rockets -- Anthony Peeler (15)

12. Heat -- Christian Laettner (3)

1993

For the third straight year the number one pick doesn’t change. CWebb is going to the Magic but Penny is headed to the city of brotherly love scratching the trade that got Penny in a Magic uniform. Now, who is a better fit to play alongside Shaq, Penny or CWebb? After that we got some players that had their share of 15 minutes of fame. Sam Cassell was drafted by the Mavs stripping the Rockets, for the second straight year, of a key component of their championship teams.

Championship Builders: Magic, Sixers

Biggest Jump: Nick Van Exel from 37th to 7th.

Pick Order. Picking Team --Player Selected ( Original position drafted)

1. Magic -- Chris Webber (1)

2. Sixers -- Arfenee Hardaway (3)

3. Warriors -- Allan Houston (11)

4. Mavs -- Sam Cassell (24)

5. Twolves -- Jamal Mashburn (4)

6. Bullets -- Vin Baker (8)

7. Kings -- Nick Van Exel (37)

8. Bucks -- Shawn Bradley (2)

1994

We get one future Hall of Farmer ( Kidd) and one guy that should had have a Hall of Fame career. I’m talking about Grant Hill. If you don’t remember him with the Pistons, let me tell you this guy was good! Injuries really did a number on this guy. A healthy Grant Hill would have really shift the power in the early 2000s. If he had been healthy while playing with a TMac in Orlando would had give the Magic a couple of players in the Jordan-Pippen mold. Only the Basketball Gods know if that would have worked...again…

Championship Builders: Bucks, Mavs

Biggest Jump: Jalen Rose from 13th to 3rd.

Pick Order. Picking Team --Player Selected ( Original position drafted)

1. Bucks -- Jason Kidd (2)

2. Mavs -- Grant Hill (3)

3. Pistons -- Jalen Rose (13)

4. Twolves -- Eddie Jones (10)

5. Bullets -- Glenn Robinson (1)

6. Sixers -- Juwan Howard (5)

7. Clippers --Briant Grant (8)

8. Kings -- Donyell Marshall (4)

1995

Deepest class since 1987. We have 4 quality players that could have been franchise players and two others that really had a chance (can u imagine the harm that Stoudamire would inflict on others playing with the current rules). I think at the end everything worked for the best as the selections went down in the real world. I rather had seen one good year of KG in Minessota than seeing him rotten away with the Warriors. I also have the gut feeling that Sheed enjoy being healthy in his early 20s unlike Blake Griffin, Antonio McDyess or Danny Manning. Just saying.

Championship Builders: Warriors

Biggest Jump: Michael Finley from 21^th to 3rd.

Pick Order. Picking Team --Player Selected ( Original position drafted)

1. Warriors -- Kevin Garnett (1)

2. Clippers -- Rasheed Wallace (4)

3. Sixers -- Michael Finley (21)

4. Bullets -- Antonio McDyess (2)

5. Twolves -- Jerry Stackhouse (3)

6. Grizzlies -- Damon Stoudamire (7)

7. Raptors -- Kurt Thomas (10)

8. Blazers -- Theo Ratliff (18)

9. Nets -- Joe Smith (1)