I didn't feel the work done by the hoopsvibe had enough depth so I thought I would look into two teams, the Sonics and the Jazz, that I have very closely.
SONICS
2006 -- #10 - Sene - looks like he will be a roster player - looks to be a bad pick but still very few players in that draft making an impact). Call it a D in a really tough course.
2005 -- #25 -- Johan Petro (he is a rotation/roster player which is a good pick at #25 of the first round. If he improves and becomes a rotation player this is an A pick, if he doesn't and is on the roster then it is in the B range). Call it B+
2005 (Second Round) - Bonus points for Mickael Gelabale.
2004 -- #12 Robert Swift -- Hard to evaluate. If he becomes a middle of the road starting center it is an A+ pick to get a center at #12. If he is a rotation center that gives you 25 minutes it is a B+ pick at 12. That is the most likely scenario. Give it a B based on conservative projection really an Inc.
2003 -- #12 Nick Collison -- This is an B+ pick. Collison will be a 12 year pro and play 25 minutes a night either as a starter or a rotation player. This is a perfect example of what I am talking about. If you pick #12 it is not a guarantee. Mike Sweetney went before Nick and is a roster player.
2003 -- #14 Luke Ridnour -- Perspective is key here. Luke is a disappointment in the minds of most Sonics fans. However, he was the #14 pick. That is more than likely a player that is on the cusp of starter v. rotation and that is exactly what Luke is. Call it a B+ pick.
2002 -- No pick
2001 -- #12 Vladimir Radmanovic -- This is a C. He never was more than a rotation player and at #12 a player should be knocking on the door of starting rather than being a specialist.
2000 -- #17 Desmond Mason -- This is a A pick. Mason has started and been a consistent rotation player his entire career. Moreover, the Sonics used him as an asset to get a Franchise player, Ray Allen.
Overall Report Card: D, B+,B,B+,B+,C,A and one set of bonus points
GPA: 3.2 with the bonus points added.
That really is very strong drafting for the Sonics considering where they were picking.
I will do the Jazz in a later update.
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2 comments:
I'd grade at least a half to full grade lower on a lot of those picks. Mason wasn't an A pick. B at best given his longterm outside shooting woes in recent years and defense that either has diminished or was overrated some.
This is just my opinion, but the Sonics drafts have been disasters this decade.
The Mason pick was a good selection. Michael Redd was the only player selected below Mason that has been better. I would give it a solid A.
2001 was a disaster. Look at all the players picked below Vlad that were much, much better. Richard Jefferson, Zach Randolph, Gilbert Arenas, Gerald Wallace, Dalembert, and Tony Parker. F minus for the Sonics.
2002-The Sonics didn't pick until late in the second round and picked some guy from Germany no one has ever seen again. Darius Songalia went with the next pick. Darius is still in the league. The other guy is currently playing for the New Yorker Phantoms Braunschweig. Great pick. F+
2003-Guys I would rather have picked below Nick Collison and Luke Ridnour: Troy Bell, David West, Josh Howard (I can see why so many GM's passed on this guy. He is 6-6, long arms, plays great defense and was ACC player of the year on a team he carried regular season ACC champion banner. No one would want that guy on their team.).
At least Nick and Luke can be productive so this 2003 picks gets a C+.
2004-Josh Smith and Al Jefferson went three and five picks after Swift. Of course high school picks have never really worked out for the Sonics (Shawn Kemp and Rashard Lewis). How many more years are Sonics fans going to have to endure the Swift/Sonics hype machine? The front office is still feeding the media garbage about his "improving" game for them to spew drivel placating the dwindling fan base. First it was "he is working with Jack Sikma" Now it's, have you seen how much Robert Swift has bulked up since 2004. Really? Kids fill out from age 18 to 21? I had no idea. If Robert Swift isn't in the paint blocking at least a few shots a game and pulling down 8-10 rebs this year for 82 games this pick get another F. So I will agree with you that it is still an incomplete due to his POTENTIAL not yet arriving.
2005-There only about 10 guys in this draft that were worth picking and all of them except David Lee were gone by the time the Sonics picked. I don't think anyone expected Lee to be that good and the Gelabale pick in the second round was a great pick. A-
2006-This draft could have been worse. We could have picked JJ Redick. C
So the Sonics get an average of a 2.4 for a C+ which fits pretty well because we are a C+ organization right now.
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