NBA Draft Reviews

Last Mock Update: 6/20/2012

Order Team Pick Ht. Wt. Pos. College Year
1. New Orleans Anthony Davis 6-10 200 PF Kentucky FR.
2. Charlotte Michael Kidd-Gilchrist 6-7 210 SF Kentucky FR.
3. Washington Thomas Robinson 6-8 220 PF Kansas FR.
4. Cleveland Andre Drummond 6-10 265 PF/C Connecticut FR.
5. Sacramento Harrison Barnes 6-8 210 SG/SF North Carolina SO.
6. Portland Damian Lillard 6-2 185 PG/SG Weber State SR.
7. Golden St. Meyers Leonard 7-1 245 C Illinois SO.
8. Toronto Brad Beal 6-4 205 SG Florida FR.
9. Detroit John Henson 6-10 200 PF North Carolina JR.
10. New Orleans Tyler Zeller 7-0 250 PF North Carolina SR.
11. Portland Terrence Ross 6-6 190 SG/SF Washington SO.
12. Milwaukee Austin Rivers 6-4 190 SG/PG Duke FR.
13. Phoenix Dion Waiters 6-4 215 SG/PG Syracuse SO.
14. Houston Arnett Moultrie 6-11 225 PF Mississippi State JR.
15. Philadelphia Jared Sullinger 6-9 260 PF Ohio State SO.
16. Houston Kendall Marshall 6-4 195 PG North Carolina FR.
17. Dallas Terrence Jones 6-8 220 SF Kentucky SO.
18. Minnesota Jeremy Lamb 6-5 185 SG/SF Connecticut SO.
19. Orlando Marquis Teague 6-2 180 PG Kentucky FR.
20. Denver Perry Jones III 6-11 230 SF/PF Baylor SO.
21. Boston Fab Melo 7-0 245 C Syracuse SO.
22. Boston Jeffery Taylor 6-7 210 SF Vanderbilt SR.
23. Atlanta Royce White 6-8 245 SF/PF Iowa State SO.
24. Cleveland Quincy Miller 6-9 195 SF Baylor FR.
25. Memphis Moe Harkless 6-8 245 PF/SF St. John's FR.
26. Indiana Tony Wroten 6-5 204 PG/SG Washington FR.
27. Miami John Jenkins 6-4 220 SG Vanderbilt JR.
28. OK City Andrew Nicholson 6-9 220 PF St. Bonaventure SR.
29. Chicago Draymond Green 6-6 230 SF/PF Michigan State SR.
30. Golden St. Doron Lamb 6-4 175 SG Kentucky SO.
31. Charlotte Jared Cunningham 6-4 188 SG Oregon State SR.
32. Washington Festus Ezeli 6-11 255 C Vanderbilt SR.
33. Cleveland Will Barton 6-6 175 SG Memphis SO.
34. Cleveland Evan Fournier 6-6 200 SG Poitiers 92 INT.
35. Golden State Khris Middleton 6-7 215 SG Texas A&M JR.
36. Sacramento Orlando Johnson 6-5 205 SG/SF UC Santa Barbara SR.
37. Toronto Kevin Jones 6-8 260 PF West Virginia SR.
38. Denver Furkan Aldemir 6-10 215 PF GS Medical Park 91 INT.
39. Detroit Tyshawn Taylor 6-3 185 PG Kansas SR.
40. Portland Drew Gordon 6-9 230 PF New Mexico SR.
41. Portland Jae Crowder 6-6 235 SF Marquette SR.
42. Milwaukee Tomas Satoransky 6-7 185 SG/SF Cajasol 92 INT.
43. Atlanta Kim English 6-6 200 SG Missouri SR.
44. Detroit Mike Scott 6-8 240 PF Virginia SR.
45. Philadelphia Kris Joseph 6-7 210 SF Syracuse SR.
46. Washington William Buford 6-5 200 SG Ohio State SR.
47. Utah Darius Miller 6-7 230 SF Kentucky SR.
48. New York JaMychal Green 6-9 225 PF Alabama SR.
49. Orlando Kyle O'Quinn 6-10 240 PF Norfolk State SR.
50. Denver Tornike Shengelia 6-9 220 SF/PF Spirou (Belgium) 91 INT.
51. Boston Quincy Acy 6-7 225 PF Baylor SR.
52. Golden St. Kevin Murphy 6-7 195 SG Tennessee Tech SR.
53. LA Clippers Hollis Thompson 6-8 206 SF/SG Georgetown JR.
54. Philadelphia Yancy Gates 6-9 260 PF Cincinnati SR.
55. Dallas Scott Machado 6-1 180 PG Iona SR.
56. Toronto Herny Sims 6-11 240 C Georgetown SR.
57. Brooklyn Maalik Wayns 6-1 205 PG Villanova JR.
58. Minnesota Cameron Moore 6-10 230 PF/C UAB SR.
59. San Antonio Darius Johnson-Odom 6-3 212 SG Marquette SR.
60. LA Lakers Robert Sacre 6-11 260 C Gonzaga SR.
 
NBA Draft Review of 2003
DATE: June 26, 2003

madison NBA Draft Reviews - The Draft Review


Site: Theatre at Madison Square Garden, New York
DRAFT OBSERVATIONS
Through the years, there have been few NBA drafts with a surefire lock for the number one pick. Lebron James was ranked by most experts and journalists as the number one amateur player in the world. During his senior year, "The Lebron Effect" was tremendous leading up to the draft. His popularity and fame were so high that the demand for his games to grew in epic proportions. Auction websites such as EBay were selling video taped games for $25-$50.00 dollars. ESPN took it a step further and commenced to broadcast nationally televised games during his senior season. Even casual fans were tuning in to catch a glimpse of the next potential Michael Jordan. And unlike many of the Early Entry underclassmen, freshman Carmelo Anthony led Syracuse to the NCAA Championship while sophomore sensation Dwyane Wade took Marquette to the final four. For the first time in a long while, the NBA had three stars in Anthony, Wade and Lebron, who had already established fan bases before playing in the NBA. But add to this list the Serbian sensation, Darko Milicic who just turned 18, and had already played two years of professional ball in Yugoslavia's top league. Scouts and GM's were enamored with his height and shooting ability. UNLV's Marcus Banks went from being an early second draft pick to one of the hottest names in the draft. Through private workouts Banks' stock went through the roof.

One of the most interesting stories on draft night was the drama of Maciej Lampe. Although considered by many to be one of the top ten talents in the draft, he unbelievably slid out of the first round before being the first second round selection by the New York Knicks. Lampe's stock plummeted when his overseas team, Complutense, sent memos to all of the NBA informing them that Lampe had a huge buyout and they still maintained his rights. This information made a lot of team's leery about drafting a player in the first round that could have legal problems.

Although both Jason Kapono and Luke Walton didn't perform the way many scouts and GM's hoped and although they weren't marked as definite draft prospects, they did the best job of improving their draft stock. Slovenian guard Sani Becirovic also deserves admiration for coming back from two serious knee injuries that were so devastating, many called it career ending. Had Becirovic come out two years earlier, he quite possibly would have been a top twenty selection. Unfortunately, his injuries kept him out of the game for a year and he had opportunity for only one mediocre workout before the draft. Many will tell you he was probably only at 35-40 percent of his true playing level. Nevertheless, Becirovic's success as a draftee is a testament to his perseverance and ability as a ball player.

This draft also led to a rule change as Sofoklis Schortsanitis and Darko Milicic were allowed to enter the NBA draft despite being age seventeen when they declared. Commissioner David Stern pointed to the league's former rule that stated a player must be eighteen when they declare for the draft. Stern then went on to say that both Schortsanitis and Milicic were eligible if they were eighteen at the time of the draft. This worked out great for Milicic, but would Schortsanitis been better served staying overseas? He dropped out of the first round and was selected in the second round, 34th overall, by the Los Angeles Clippers.

Then came the pick that made the most commotion and virtually no one knew about it. The Portland Trailblazer's selection of Nedzad Sinanovic had many wide-eyed and open mouthed. After almost three years with the Bosnian Army, Sinanovic decided he was going to play basketball again. His agent had him signed and on his way to the Spanish club, Unicaja Malaga. Here, the raw prospect would workout, gain experience and training, but would never actually play for the team, giving him extremely low exposure to scouts and GMs. During this time Sinanovic developed tremendous potential, and because of his age, was automatically eligible for the draft. But with a non-English speaking agent and virtually no publicity, the prospect of going undrafted was at the door. This fate, however, was what Sinanovic was hoping for. Going undrafted equated to more dollars for the player. As a free agent, he would have bypassed the rookie pay scale and been able to sign a contract with any NBA team for an unrestricted amount. Needless to say, gone are the days of international surprises!
DRAFT DETAILS
Automatically Eligible for Draft: All NCAA seniors, International players born in the year 1981, or players that transfered from a college team to a professional team in the same calendar year are automatically entered.
Draft Order: 14-29 Order is determined by season records and tiebreakers per team.
Early Entry: High school seniors and International draftees are eligible for the draft if they are in the same year in which they turn 18. All other candidates 18 and over such as H.S. Seniors, Freshmen, Sophomore, Juniors, Seniors and Internationals prospects born 1982-1985 can apply.
Irregularities: None.
Lottery Picks: 1-13 Order is detremined by ping pong balls with the team with the worst record getting the most chances.Each team in the lottery is assigned a certain number of combinations, such that teams with worse records are assigned more combinations increasing their odds of landing a top-3 pick. There are a total of 1,000 combinations that are assigned, one of the combinations does not belong to any team and the 4 balls are redrawn if it is encountered. Having 1,000 combinations makes it easier to calculate the probability of receiving the first pick in the draft.
Total Rounds: Two
DRAFT SNIPPETS

First Pick: Lebron James (1st overall)
Naismith Player Of the Year: T.J. Ford (6th overall)
Last Man Standing: Andreas Glyniadakis (58th Overall)
First Point Guard: T.J. Ford (6th overall)
First Shooting Guard: Lebron James (1st overall)
First Small Forward: Carmelo Anthony (3rd overall)
First Power Forward: Darko Milicic (2nd overall)
First Center: Chris Kaman (6th overall)

Dominant Alumni: Foreign Leagues (20)
Darko Milicic (2nd overall)
Mickael Pietrus (11th overall)
Zarko Cabarkapa (17th overall)
Aleksandar Pavlovic (19th overall)
Boris Diaw (21st overall)
Zoran Planinic (22nd overall)
Carlos Delfino (25th overall)
Leandrinho Barbosa (28th overall)
Maciej Lampe (30th overall)
Sofoklis Schortsanitis (34th overall)
Szymon Szewczyk (35th overall)
Slavko Vranes (39th overall)
Zaur Pachulia (42nd overall)
Malick Badiane (44th overall)
Sani Becirovic (46th overall)
Pacellis Morlende (50th overall)
Remon Van De Hare (52nd overall)
Nedzad Sinanovic (54th overall)
Xue Yuyang (57th overall)
Andreas Glyniadakis (58th overall)

Final Four:
Syracuse: Carmelo Anthony (3rd overall)
Kansas: Kirk Hinrich (7th overall), Nick Collison (12th Overall)
Texas: T.J. Ford (8th overall)
Marquette: Dwyane Wade (5th overall)

Total Underclassmen Declared: 74
Oldest Player Drafted: Travis Hansen (25)
Yougest Player Drafted: Sofoklis Schortsanitis (18)

 
NBA Draft Review of 2001
DATE: June 27, 2001

1999 NBA Draft Reviews - The Draft Review


Site: Theatre at Madison Square Garden, New York
DRAFT OBSERVATIONS
The 1999 NBA draft had few franchise players like Elton Brand but will nonetheless be remembered as a solid draft class. Perhaps the deepest position in the draft was the small forward position. Eleven small forward were drafted in the first round. When it comes down to talent and high quality role players this class proved that you don’t need a franchise rich draft to have a good crop of prospects.

The Chicago Bulls dominated for several years with six NBA championships featuring three Hall of Fame players in their starting lineup. What rival wouldn’t wait and hope for a downfall? Their faith was fully rewarded as the Bulls finished the season 13-37, far from the championship glory that fans and media grew accustomed to. The Bulls vilified GM Jerry Krause, blaming him for purposely breaking up the team while outside accusers also scrutinized him. This draft brought increased pressure for Krause to choose wisely. Owning the first pick, he had several options. Krause could take Steve Francis, the high flying crowd pleaser from Maryland, Lamar Odom, the talented but troubled youngster, or Elton Brand, the dominate big man from Duke who was arguably the best player on the best team in the nation. With few applause Krause chose steady big man Elton Brand. Some questioned Brand’s size but Krause was convinced that he would not only succeed but potentially reach star status. A year later, Krause proved himself correct when Brand was named Co-Rookie of the Year with Steve Francis. Krause also made another excellent choice in Ron Artest, a native New Yorker like Brand. In their high school days the two joined forces on their AAU team and became fast friends. In the end, Krause blew the tandem up by trading Brand and Artest in the span of three seasons. Since then Artest and Brand have become All-Stars among the league’s best for their respective teams.

The dream is not to be drafted by an NBA team but to be drafted by the right NBA team. Steve Francis looked as happy as a man on his way to a root canal. He literally threw his hands in the air after hearing his name called as if saying "Why me Lord". Before the start of the draft, Francis informed the Vancouver Grizzlies that he didn’t want to be selected by a team too far from his Grandmother in Maryland. She had raised him after his mother’s unfortunate death. After the draft, Steve Francis (in John Elway fashion), forced the Grizzlies to make a trade with the Houston Rockets. This was a destination that was extremely pleasing to Francis. He was elated with the thought of staying closer to home (for those who might not know, NFL player John Elway was originally drafted by the Colts. He and his father apparently had problems with the Colts coach at the time. Elway was traded to the Denver Broncos where he became a Hall of Fame quarterback). Francis has been a three-time All Star, but still has reportable character issues and is viewed by some as a spoiled athlete.

McDonald’s never tasted so good. Jonathan Bender, who by many accounts was a talented blue chip college bound player, still looked a few years shy from entering the NBA. No one envisioned the 205 pound 6-11 high school Center going pro, but that all changed suddenly when he played in the Annual McDonald’s All American game, the showcase for the best high school talent in the land. Bender put up a dominating performance with shooting three point baskets with amazing fluidness and displaying unbelievable athleticism. He even broke the legendary McDonald’s scoring record of Michael Jordan - 30 points. In 31 minutes Bender had 31 Points, 10 rebounds, and 3 blocks in a performance that would catapult him to the top of the NBA draft board. But Toronto never kept Bender and immediately traded him to the Pacers. Sadly, Bender never reached his potential as injuries withered away his progress. Finally, chronic knee problems lead to his retirement in 2006 at the tender age of 25.

Sometimes smaller is better in the world of basketball. Small school love was in full effect as teams were drafting players from schools not famous for basketball. The first team to start the trend was Golden State as they picked up Jeff Foster from Southwest Texas State. Foster captured team’s interest with a strong showing at Portsmouth and the Nike Desert Classic. Next Jerry West, in his typical fashion, drafted Division III Devean George of Augsburg College. This small school player earned All Tournament Honors at Portsmouth and became the first Division III player to be drafted since Lamont Strothers in 1991. Lastly, Antwain Smith was drafted out of St. Paul’s college in Virginia after an above average showing in Portsmouth. These players proved that despite the major college conferences, there’s a place for small school players in the NBA.

Sometimes what you see isn’t what you get. Mavericks GM and Coach Don Nelson looked at the draft and figured that if he was going to gamble, going with a big man would be his best bet. Leon Smith was an extremely talented big man who stood out in Chicago’s public league. The Illinois Player of the Year had a number of Division I scholarships lined up. In the end it was down to Fresno State or the NBA. Despite unfavorable reports about his draft status (pegged by many to be a second rounder), Smith entered the NBA draft with barely as much buzz as fellow teen phenom Jonathan Bender. San Antonio gave up Smith as part of deal with the Dallas Mavericks. Nelson knew Smith was a bit of a project and wanted his big man overseas to develop a little more before entering the NBA. Smith however rejected this notion and insisted that he was NBA material. Physically he was ready but it became clear that his mental capacity was still immature and self-esteem battered. Since the age of five Smith had been a ward of the state, living in various foster homes and shelters. Two weeks after signing, he attempted suicide by swallowing 250 aspirins. In an alleged deranged state, he was found in his home passed out wearing green war paint. After being released from the hospital Smith again found trouble when he threatened his ex-girlfriend and damaged her mother’s car. He was then put in a program for psychiatric treatment and payment arrangements were made for his 1.45 million dollar contract to be disbursed over 10 years. Smith has made two returns to the NBA, one with the Atlanta Hawks in 2001-02 and the other with Seattle Supersonics in 2003-04. He continues to receive treatment and play basketball for minor league teams.

China’s first is not as good as the sequel but just as important. Wang Zhi-Zhi drew a host of blank stares on draft night. While a superstar in China, Zhi-Zhi’s rise onto radar of pro NBA scouts came about during the 1996 Olympic Games were he had a very good game against the U.S. dream team with 12 points and 7 rebounds. Even more mysterious to NBA officials (and even Chinese reporters) is how Zhi-Zhi could be selected when he never declared for the draft. Every document that was available at the time listed Wang Zhi-Zhi as being born in 1979. Thanks to his agent, the Mavericks were able to get a hold of Wang’s true birth date showing the legal documents that indicated that Zhi-Zhi was born in 1977 and making him draft eligible. It took two years for Zhi-Zhi to join Dallas when Chinese basketball officials finally allowed him to pursue his NBA career. After Wang left for the NBA his Bayi Rockets team that was a dynasty in the Chinese Basketball Association had been beaten by the Shanghai Sharks with there promising newcomer Yao Ming. Yao then went on to become the first pick in the 2002 NBA draft.

Spice up your NBA team with some international flair. Two of the best players in the draft were two of the biggest steals, and both international players. Andrei Kirilenko was only 18 years old but already had three years of professional basketball experience in Russia. Blessed with tremendous athleticism and potential, Kirilenko had pro scouts buzzing with excitement. Utah took him with the knowledge that he would stay overseas for a while. Two years later Kirilenko made his debut in the NBA where he has blossomed as not only one of the most versatile players, but also one of the best small forwards in the game today. Unlike Kirilenko who had a lot of buzz, Manu Ginobili was a relatively obscure commodity. Ginobili was known as a solid player in the second division of Italy but not a future NBA prospect. In Europe young players are often identified and put on premier teams to slowly develop. Ginobili played for his father Jorge’s local team Bahia Blanca while growing up in Argentina. This explains why he was under the radar to many pro scouts. Ginobili stayed overseas for four years after being drafted where he became a superstar. Suddenly teams were grimacing about this 57th pick joining forces with Spurs’ Tony Parker and Tim Duncan. Needless to stay these worries were well founded as Ginobili helped San Antonio win two world championships. He further established his talent leading Argentina to a gold medal in the 2004 summer Olympics.

DRAFT DETAILS
Automatically Eligible for Draft: All NCAA seniors, International players born in the year 1977, or players that transfered from a college team to a professional team in the same calendar year are automatically entered.

Draft Order: 14-29 Order is determined by season records and tiebreakers per team.

Early Entry: High school seniors and International draftees are eligible for the draft if they are in the same year in which they turn 18. All other candidates 18 and over such as H.S. Seniors, Freshmen, Sophomore, Juniors, Seniors and Internationals prospects born 1978-1981 can apply.

Irregularities: None.

Lottery Picks: 1-13 Order is detremined by ping pong balls with the team with the worst record getting the most chances.Each team in the lottery is assigned a certain number of combinations, such that teams with worse records are assigned more combinations increasing their odds of landing a top-3 pick. There are a total of 1,000 combinations that are assigned, one of the combinations does not belong to any team and the 4 balls are redrawn if it is encountered. Having 1,000 combinations makes it easier to calculate the probability of receiving the first pick in the draft.

Total Rounds: Two
DRAFT SNIPPETS
First Pick: Elton Brand (1st overall)
Naismith Player Of the Year: Elton Brand (1st overall)
Last Man Standing: Eddie Lucas (58th overall)
First Point Guard: Steve Francis (2nd overall)
First Shooting Guard: Wally Szczerbiak (6th overall)
First Small Forward: Lamar Odom (4th overall)
First Power Forward: Elton Brand (1st overall)
First Center: Aleksander Radojevic (12th overall)

Dominant Alumni: Foreign Leagues (6)
Frederic Weis (15th overall)
Andrei Kirilenko (24th overall)
Rico Hill (31st overall)
Wang Zhi-Zhi (36th overall)
Gordan Giricek (40th overall)
Emanuel Ginobili (57th overall)

Final Four:
Connecticut: Richard Hamilton (7th overall)
Duke: Elton Brand (1st overall), Trajan Langdon (11th overall), William Avery (13th overall),
Corey Maggette (14th overall)
Michigan State: None
Ohio State: None

Total Underclassmen Declared: 39
Oldest Player Drafted: Lee Nailon (24)
Yougest Player Drafted: Andrei Kirilenko (18)
Trade Transactions: Draft Day Trades
 
NBA Draft Review of 2001
DATE: June 27, 2001

madison NBA Draft Reviews - The Draft Review


Site: Theatre at Madison Square Garden, New York
DRAFT OBSERVATIONS
Labeled by many to be the most important pick in the short tenure of Michael Jordan's campaign as Wizards general manager, Kwame Brown initially seemed far from being an early entry candidate. He was steadfast in his commitment to the University of Florida Gators and since his high school sophomore year, looked forward to becoming a part of the great collegiate basketball program under the leadership of Coach Billy Donovan.

But things quickly changed within the span of a month after Kwame’s impressive play and display of skills in all-star games. What was once a birth right for fellow prep to pros Tyson Chandler and Eddy Curry became a golden opportunity to not only be rated the top high school player in America, but to also become the first high school basketball player to go number one overall. Despite his preference to be a regular student athlete, he could no longer stand by as his family struggled. Kwame's mother, suffering from a degenerative disc in her back, was unable to generate income for the family. Brown entered the draft seeing an opportunity to gain solid financial footing for his family. His work ethic and maturity caused everyone from Michael Jordan to Wizards owner Abe Pollin to ooze with praise, but on draft night Kwame didn't appear fazed by the expectations that came with this honor. Now the very things that many praised in Brown are reportedly the things he lacks. To the surprise of none, the plugged was pulled on the Kwame Brown era. Wizards management agreed to a sign-and-trade deal that would send Brown to the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2006-07 season in exchange for small forward Caron Butler and point guard Chucky Atkins, but after failing to perform with the Lakers, Brown was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies in the February 2008 season for fellow draftee and star Pau Gasol.

Chicago Bulls Vice President Jerry Krause established his NBA reputation as a scouting genius when he helped build the Bulls' championship dynasty in the early and mid-nineties; and it was one NBA Draft in particular that helped to solidify this reputation. In 1987 Krause acquired small school gem Scottie Pippen in a trade with Seattle and tough nosed defender and rebounder Horace Grant. In 1999 Krause was at it again as the Bulls (who had lacked any serious winning talent since the retirement of Michael Jordan and the free agency departures of Dennis Rodman and Scottie Pippen) picked up two talented young players in Ron Artest and Elton Brand. But it was clear that no one on the team was untouchable. In a move many questioned on draft night and still do till this day, the Bulls traded Elton Brand for the draft rights to high schooler Tyson Chandler and power forward Brian Skinner. This was a shock to many as Brand was not only co-rookie of the year, but consistently put up solid numbers of 20 PPG and 10 RPG during his first two seasons. The Bulls prep show continued as Eddy Curry was selected with the 4th pick. Now the team had youth and potential, but did it work? Fast forwarding through time it seems that Jerry Krause's power of observations and scouting didn't pan out. Chandler and Curry have developed into quality players on other teams.

The case of Eddy Curry is even more interesting. Although talented, he’s been plagued with health issues over the past couple of seasons. With missed games during the regular season and playoffs, he was alleged to have a benign heart arrhythmia. Several prominent cardiologists cleared Curry as healthy to play, but the Bulls were still concerned. GM John Paxson went on to ask Barry Maron, another prominent cardiology specialist in the field of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, for his opinion on Curry’s condition. Several prominent athletes had already died from hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, most notably former Boston Celtic great Reggie Lewis and the collegiate star of Loyola Marymount, Hank Gathers. Curry was finishing off a career year were he would demand big money and Paxon found himself not only trying to protect the team's financial future, but also the player’s health. Dr. Maron suggested that the Bulls do a DNA test to see if Curry was predisposed to the disease. What proceeded was a round of legal counsel and media controversy, as many said the right to one's privacy preceded any employer from asking for this kind of test. In the end Eddy Curry denied this request under the right of privacy. A frustrated GM John Paxson grudgingly traded Curry to the New York Knicks.

Big steals on draft night were late round picks Samuel Dalembert, Jamaal Tinsley and Tony Parker. Dalembert was a solid choice at #27, but question marks were still there. Having only played organized basketball for 5 years, Dalmbert was unpolished despite his athletic ability and great potential. He’s now viewed as one of the best young players at his position. Tinsley and Parker have played big roles in getting their teams to elite level status. Notably, Parker has won 3 NBA titles with the San Antonio Spurs. Interesting enough, both players were at opposite ends of the spectrum. Tinsley was deemed too old with not enough potential while Parker was deemed too young with loads of potential.

Who was the biggest draft day steal? Gilbert Arenas, who at Arizona played the majority of his basketball career at the shooting guard position. Many skeptics viewed him as a guy who would struggle in the NBA and it was thought that he lacked the ball handling and court vision to play point guard. Many doubted if Gilbert could even make Golden State's team, but by the end of his rookie season, Arenas started in 30 of the 47 games he played. Even more impressive, he was the first 2001 NBA Draftee to make the All-Star team. Earl Watson, Bobby Simmons, Trenton Hassell and Mehmet Okur round out the list of draft day steals in the second round.

Every draft features players that made the decision to actually declare for the draft. Here are a few that should have held off, as they fell on draft night. Omar Cook had an impressive freshmen season with St. John's, but his perimeter shooting and questionable maturity level kept him out of the first round. The same goes for sophomore Kenny Satterfield and fellow freshman Alton Ford. The two biggest sliders of the draft were injured senior Loren Woods and prep star Ousmane Cisse. Rumors were rampant that Woods' bad back would require surgery to correct. He went from being a potential top 20 draft pick to sliding all the way down to 46. Ousmane Cisse tore his anterior cruciate ligament during his senior season. To compound this issue, Cisse shrunk in height. Although listed at 6-9 before the draft, he measured at 6-7 on draft night. Needless to say, GMs didn’t think he could play the power forward position.

Kedrick Brown made draft history by being the first player ever drafted in the lottery out of a junior college. Before the draft many in the media said that Brown had been promised by the Boston Celtics. Charlotte University returned to the first round as alum Rodney White went 9th in the lottery. It had been twenty-one years since a Charlotte alum went in the first round. Previously it was Chad Kinch, who went 22nd in the 1980 NBA Draft. Eastern Illinois returned to the draft with Kyle Hill. The last Eastern Illinois graduate to be drafted was 15 years prior with Kevin Duckworth drafted 34th in 1986. At the time, the 2001 NBA Draft had the most high school players drafted in the first ten picks, four in all.

DRAFT DETAILS
Automatically Eligible for Draft: All NCAA seniors, International players born in the year 1979, or players that transfered from a college team to a professional team in the same calendar year are automatically entered.
Draft Order: 15-29 Order is determined by season records and tiebreakers per team.
Early Entry: High school seniors and International draftees are eligible for the draft if they are in the same year in which they turn 18. All other candidates 18 and over such as H.S. Seniors, Freshmen, Sophomore, Juniors, Seniors and Internationals prospects born 1980-1982 can apply.
Irregularities: The Minnesota Timberwolves have forfeited there first round draft pick. Would have been the 18th overall selection.
Lottery Picks: 1-13 Order is detremined by ping pong balls with the team with the worst record getting the most chances.Each team in the lottery is assigned a certain number of combinations, such that teams with worse records are assigned more combinations increasing their odds of landing a top-3 pick. There are a total of 1,000 combinations that are assigned, one of the combinations does not belong to any team and the 4 balls are redrawn if it is encountered. Having 1,000 combinations makes it easier to calculate the probability of receiving the first pick in the draft.
Total Rounds: Two
DRAFT SNIPPETS
First Pick: Kwame Brown (1st overall)
Naismith Player Of the Year: Shane Battier (6th overall)
Last Man Standing: Bryan Bracey (58th Overall)
First Point Guard: Raul Lopez (25th overall)
First Shooting Guard: Jason Richardson (5th overall)
First Small Forward: Shane Battier (6th overall)
First Power Forward: Kwame Brown (1st overall)
First Center: Eddy Curry (4th overall)

Dominant Alumni: Foreign Leagues (7)
Pau Gasol (3rd overall)
Vladimir Radmanovic (12th overall)
Raul Lopez (25th overall)
Tony Parker (29th overall)
Mehmet Okur (38th overall)
Antonis Fotsis (48th overall)
Robertas Javtokas (56th overall)

Final Four:
Duke: Shane Battier (6th overall)
Arizona: Richard Jefferson (13th overall), Gilbert Arenas (31st Overall), Michael Wright (39th overall), Loren Woods (46th overall)
Maryland: Terence Morris (34th overall)
Michigan State: Jason Richardson (5th overall) Zach Randolph (20th overall) Andre Hutson (52nd overall)

Total Underclassmen Declared: 74
Oldest Player Drafted: Ken Johnson (23)
Yougest Player Drafted: DeSagana Diop (18)
Trade Transactions: Draft Day Trades page

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