Post by Mexico City on Dec 20, 2013 20:32:57 GMT -6
With the announcement of expansion teams/gms are beginning to wonder just how valuable thier picks are. Expansion teams will get the benefit of picking 4 and 5 in this upcoming 2018 draft pushing rebuilding teams picks back a bit while adding some interest as to how this might effect multiple teams and gms plans going forward. That said I have decided to take a look at the past 4 rookie drafts and see what if anything we can conclude about the value of picks. Due to time limits ill probably break this article off at 20 or so.. Obviously all these players are still works in progress and a complete picture cannot be gained just yet from this but it is fun to check things out and see what we can see thus far.
1st overall pick (2020- 2014)
1 Earvin Johnson - Olympia
1 Larry Bird - Maccabi
1 Julius Erving - Towers
1. Spurs - Lew Alcindor
1. Toronto Huskies (from Berlin ALBA) - Elvin Hayes
1. Buenos Aires Boca Juniors - Rick Barry
1. Boston Celtics - Jerry West
As you can see from the players above picking at #1 is pretty much a sure thing for gms and a reason why there's always so much hope from tanking teams to get this pick. Out of the players on this list I'd say all have nice trade value and add a ton to the teams they are on. Safe to say that whomever gets this pick in 2018 should have a stud on their hands.
2nd overall pick (2020- 2014)
2 Clyde Drexler - ALBA
2 Robert Parish - Towers
2 Moses Malone - Panathinaikos
2. Franca BC (via Panathinaikos) - Pete Maravich
2. Berlin ALBA (from KK Partizan) - Walt Frazier
2. CSKA Moscow - Sergei Belov
2. Detroit Pistons - Oscar Robertson
Much like pick 1, selection number 2 is full of guys any team/ gm would love to have each one is a unique talent. What I find most interesting about this pick thus far is every selection is a guard which to me simply shows that if an elite big is avail at 1 you take them, and if not you select the best avail back court player. Every player on this list has had at one point (save Sergei Belov I think) has or does have purple potential something not many players in the league possess.
3rd overall pick (2020- 2014)
3 Kevin McHale - Globetrotters
3 Dennis Johnson - Globetrotters
3 George Gervin - Celtics
3. Kings - Artis Gilmore
3. Tehran Mahram - Earl Monroe
3. Toronto Huskies - Willis Reed
3. CSP Limoges - John Havlicek
For teams to succeed in this league from a drafting stand point its definatly important to get into the top 3 selections, especially after looking at the players selected here. On this list you have dynamic guards and above average big men, players with solid trade value or key pieces to teams both now and going forward. You can see this pick at least early on provides a little more risk involved but then again it might not be risk as much as it is patience, as most of these guys took a season or two to really step forward.
4th overall pick (2020- 2014)
4 Arvydas Sabonis - Titans
4 Bernard King - BC Zalgiris
4 Bill Walton - Globetrotters
4. 76ers - Bob Lanier
4. Philadelphia 76ers - Wes Unseld
4. Mahram Tehran - Nate Thurmond
4. Boston Celtics - Jerry Lucas
If your looking for a solid player, maybe not elite but solid pick 4 is definatly a nice pick to have. Jerry Lucas on this list currently is really the only superstar here but the others have nice upside still and could be a key player on a good team going forward. If your an expansion team drafting here be happy that if nothing else you will get a solid player here, and if your truely lucky perhaps strike some gold. I will also say every player on this list at one time or at some point will or did have a camp put into them thus limiting the risk a bit.
5th overall pick (2020- 2014)
5 Adrian Dantley - Kings
5 David Thompson - Aoshen
5 Bob McAdoo - Zalgiris
5. Bullets - Nate Archibald
5. Seattle Sonics (LA Lakers) - Earl Manigault
5. Mahram Tehran - Kresmir Cosic
5. Brazil Franca - Lenny Wilkens
Pg's seem to be a theme here at the 5th selection other than Kresmir Cosic selected in 2015. What that tells me is here teams start to look more need, that or pgs overall just are not as highly ranked going into the drafts as the other positions. So far the players on this list appear to be guys that help teams, though the jury is out on the pgs here imo. Mostly cause you can see they have flaws to their overall pg game. That said everyone here appears to be starter worthy and helpful for teams looking to win some.
6th overall pick (2020- 2014)
6 Oscar Schmidt - Mahram
6 Jack Sikma - Maccabi
6 Jamaal Wilkes - Bullets
6. Kings (via Olympia) - JoJo White
6. San Antonio Spurs - Connie Hawkins
6. Mexico City Titans (via Atlanta Hawks) - Gail Goodrich
6. Buenos Aires Boca Juniors - Dave Debussherre
Although Dave Debussherre has the appearance of a bust at the number 6 pick (espeically when compared to players taken later that same draft) in the end Dave is starter worthy just not the upside the other guys taken at this pick have. Jojo, Connie, and Gail look to me like great 2nd or 3r d options on good teams capible of really helping teams. Seeing these guys selected here should give tanking teams at least some hope that if they drop to this selection they should still get a good player.
7th overall pick (2020- 2014)
7 Michael Cooper - Franca BC
7 Darryl Dawkins - Bullets
7 George McGinnis - Franca BC
7. Franca BC - Dan Issel
7. Beijing Aoshen (from Athens) - Dave Bing
7. Los Angeles Lakers - Bob Love
7. Atenas de Cordoba - Kari Liimo
The draft imo really takes its first true turn here at pick 7 where we see the biggest bust yet in legends Kari Liimo. He was highly regraded going both into the draft and thru his rookie year then basically turned into a real stinker. Bob Love on this list does show a savy drafting team can still strike gold at this pick. Dan issel at least right now looks to be a keeper as well but better improve the defense if he's to truely help a team long term. The jury is still out on Dave Bing though and while he might be a starter on Beijing clearly he was not worth trading up 1 spot to get and in the end maybe better suited for a 6th man role.
8th overall pick (2020- 2014)
8 Bill Laimbeer - Spurs
8 Alex English - Titans
8 Jean-Pierre Staelens - Franca BC
8. REAL - Dave Cowens
8. London Towers - Mel Daniels
8. Mexico City Titans - Billy Cunningham
8. Atlanta Hawks - Darrall Imhoff
Pick 8 imo has the better players than pick 7 maybe even picks 6 and 5. Every player selected here is a great value and while some flaws remain they all have become key members to the teams they are on. Dave Cowens on this list appears to be the guy to struggle the most at least early on but he still has plenty of room to grow while guys like Cunningham and Imhoff are key pieces to the teams they are on. Obviously you gotta love Mel Daneils who although he's barried on the Towers bench clearly is the better selection between him and bing and at some point will yield solid returns either in min played or in a trade.
9th overall pick (2020- 2014)
9 Darrell Griffith - CSKA
9 Cliff Robinson - Towers
9 Pierluigi Marzorati - REAL
9. Aoshen (via KK Partizan) - Bob Dandridge
9. Washington Bullets - Aleksander Belov
9. Brasil Franca BC - Jiri Zidek
9. Athens Panathinaikos - Emiliano Rodriguez
You can definatly tell that teams start to take more chances here at the 9th pick, selecting guys maybe not with the best ratings coming out but guys with great upside. The returns are hit and miss. Jiri Zedek clearly is the gem of these picks and appears to be on his way to a nice career as a starter and good player. Guys like Dandridge and Belov appear to be decent if nothing else, rotation guys worst case but at this point in the draft thats not completely a bad thing. Rodriguez appears to be the bust out of this group but im not sure if it is because he just never panned out or because he was selected by Athens at a time when they went thru gms like Seer trades top picks..
10th overall pick (2020- 2014)
10 Micheal Ray Richardson - Spurs
10 Tree Rollins - Titans
10 Paul Westphal - Kings
10. ALBA (via Huskies) - Geoff Petrie
10. Mexico City Titans (from the NY Knicks) - Roger Brown
10. Atlanta Hawks (via Mexico City Titans) - Tal Brody
10. CSP Limoges - Sauro Bufalini
While the jury is most definatly still out on Petrie (mostly due to his lack of min on a contending alba team) you can definatly see this pick comes with a lot more risk. Tal Brody appears to be the real deal after a slow start and lots of work. Roger Brown and Sauro Bufalini appear to be rotation guys most likely but the upside is not what there current teams probably hope. I'll keep my eye on Roger Brown mostly cause I drafted him and traded him in his first season.
11th overall pick (2020- 2014)
11 Mark Aguirre - Islanders
11 Gus Williams - ALBA
11 John Drew - Titans
11. Lakers - Sam Lacey
11. Tel Aviv Maccabi - Cazzie Russell
11. Mexico City Titans - Jiri Zednicek
11. Detroit Pistons - Chet Walker
Its pretty early to make a great judgement on Sam Lacey so ill try and hold off. Rotation/ fringe starter is my guess. Cazzie Russell is the big dissapointment here, a player armed with great athletic ability but has yet to really show anything. Jiri Zednicek is far and away the jewel of this pick and looks to be a fringe all star as the only guy here who scores and plays defense at multiple spots. Chet Walker Id say hasnt dissapointed hes done what we thought, he scores a bit but not much else.
12th overall pick (2020- 2014)
12 Bill Cartwright - 76ers
12 Marques Johnson - Titans
12 Drazen Dalipagic - Maccabi
12. Kings (via CSKA) - Ivan Vodenitcharski
12. Seattle Sonics (from Mexico City Titans) - Dino Meneghin
12. Mexico City Titans - Paul Silas
12. Seattle Supersonics - Lee Shaffer
Pick 12 is where the magic seems to be if your not selecting in the top 6 or so. Lee Shaffer is a stud, Paul Silas has been huge and guys like Dino Meneghin and Ivan Vodenitcharski give there respective gms some hope. Guys selected here seem to have one thing in common, good upside and ability. Ivan and Dino still have work to do to really be starter worthy but they certainly can get there. I will say Dino has dissapointed big time year 2 thus far and you have to wonder if Ivan will be the same as his team improves. Still any gm in this league would welcome or trade for Silas and Shaffer. Great picks there guys:)
13th overall pick (2020- 2014)
13 Maurice Cheeks - BC Zalgiris
13 Walter Davis - Towers
13 Doug Collins - Olympia
13. Maccabi - Calvin Murphy
13. Boston Celtics (from REAL Madrid) - Tom Boerwinkle
13. Beijing Aoshen - Jerry Sloan
13. Cairo Zamalek - Len Chappell
It gets harder and hard at this point in the draft to hit on players. Jerry Sloan clearly is the best guy here, he plays defense and can score a tad, definatly starter worthly. The rest? Well all have some skill some like Murphy have more upside BUT im not sure any of these guys other than sloan start for a long period of time.
14th overall pick (2020- 2014)
14 Vinnie Johnson - 76ers
14 Alvan Adams - REAL
14 Bobby Jones - Towers
14. Pistons (via Celtics) - Minco Dimov
14. Athens Panathinaikos (from CSKA) - Mirza Delibazic
14. Mexico City Titans - Happy Hairston
14. Brazil Franca - Bill Bridges
Super high expectations we're put on Mirza Delibazic at this selection and frankly few gms really understand why, he was a fringe prospect coming into that 2016 draft and im not sure he will ever pan out the way it was hoped he would. Happy Hairston is clearly a bench guy who can score at times, and its too early to tell much from Dimov. Bill Bridges here has been a good surprise but I think on a truely elite team hes the 3rd big. Still at pick 14 Im sure a lot of gms would be happy with him and what he brings.
15th overall pick (2020- 2014)
15 Sidney Moncrief - Bullets
15 Vinko Jelovac - Islanders
15 Don Buse - REAL
15. Mahram (via Aoshen) - Spencer Haywood
15. REAL Madrid (from CSP compensation pick) DO NOT FORGET - Modestas Paulaskas
15. KK Partizan - Jeff Mullins
15. CSP Limoges - Giovanni Cescutti
Solid rotation guys at least right now seems to be the theme for the guys selected here. Modestas REAL hopes pans out and he appears to have the most upside. Mullins clearly can score and haywood and Cescutti if nothing else will get min off the bench. Could be worse considering your now picking middle of the draft.
16th overall pick (2020- 2014)
16 Mychal Thompson - Olympia
16 Luis Miguel Santillana - ALBA
16 Jim Price - Lakers
16. Titans - Norm Van Lier
16. Lagos Islanders (from Buenos Aires Boca Juniors BC) - Meadowlark Lemon
16. Brasil Franca BC - Bill Bradley
16. San Antonio Spurs - Zelmo Beaty
This pick is very interesting to me as the names here all can play. Its a shame to me Lagos is so inactive and quiet overall cause Meadowlark Lemon improves every year and very few probably realize it. Beaty was a highly thought of player for KK for years and has a scoring role for teams off the bench if nothing else. Same with Bradley. Norm Van Lier currently does not get a lot of time, but hes got nice trade value and possess elite defensive albility. Should be curious to see if he starts to see the floor.
17th overall pick (2020- 2014)
17 Kiki Vandeweghe - Mahram
17 Otis Birdsong - ALBA
17 Sylvester Blye - Towers
17. Zamalek - Rudy Tomjanovich
17. Mexico City Titans (from Seattle Sonics) - Otto Moore
17. London Towers - Gus Johnson
17. Los Angeles Lakers - Georgios Trontzos
Another hit and miss kind of pick here at 17. Guys like Gus Johnson and Otto Moore we're clearly overlooked and appear to be nice starters now and going forward. Rudy T and Georgios have some upside and hype to them but clearly they are best suited for 6th to 8th man roles.
18th overall pick (2020- 2014)
18 Eddie Johnson - REAL
18 Dan Roundfield - ALBA
18 Caldwell Jones - Sonics
18. REAL (via Sonics) - Steve Mix
18. Mexico City Titans (from Milano Olympia) - Walt Wesley
18. New York Knicks - Bohdan Likszo
18. San Antonio Spurs - Terry Dischinger
Roles and upside are good words for the players selected here. Dischinger looks like the best of the bunch though while guys like Likszo and Mix hope upside gms seem to like and give chances too. Walt Wesley has had the bad luck on being stuck behind great bigs on the bench. Perhaps with his latest team he might see the floor more so we can know more about him.
19th overall pick (2020- 2014)
19 Nikos Galis - KK Partizan
19 World B. Free - BC Zalgiris
19 LaRue Martin - Maccabi
19. Knicks - Sidney Wicks
19. Tehran Mahram (from Toronto Huskies) - Willy Steveniers
19. Brasil Franca BC - Walt Hazzard
19. New York Knicks - Tom Stith
Walt Hazzard looks to be the best of this bunch as a 6th man type pg who can start when needed. The rest? All could have roles and Sidney Wicks will get a good look from athens as that team struggles. You can find decent players at this pick but now you can see it gets a lot harder.
20th overall pick (2020- 2014)
20. Reggie Theus - Pistons
20. Norm Nixon- Zamalek
20. Jim Chones - Aoshen
20. Lakers (via Bulls) - John Johnson
20. Milano Olympia (from BraZil Franca BC) - Lou Hudson
20. Lagos Islanders - Mel Counts
20. Maccabi Tel Aviv - Tom Meschery
Finally pick 20 of the first round, here we see guys taking flyers on potential and hoping for the best, So far teams have found rotation guys and here thats all you can expect. For my money id like to see Lou Hudson get more time and see how much he scores..
So there we have it, a good look at the top 20 selections and what kinda players gms can expect with those selections. Clearly there are steals each year at each pick and gms that really do there homework beyond the color charts and potentials seem to hit on more than others. To me this also shows the league that although picks 4 and 5 are nice for the expansion teams to start with it is going to take a lot more than that 1 or 2 players to change a team, and in some cases it takes a lot of patience before guys start to show anything. While tanking rebuilding teams could be sad adding two teams to this mix all is not lost. Heck if your the guy who ends up with pick 12 instead of 10 you can feel good youve got a shot at nice talent.
1st overall pick (2020- 2014)
1 Earvin Johnson - Olympia
1 Larry Bird - Maccabi
1 Julius Erving - Towers
1. Spurs - Lew Alcindor
1. Toronto Huskies (from Berlin ALBA) - Elvin Hayes
1. Buenos Aires Boca Juniors - Rick Barry
1. Boston Celtics - Jerry West
As you can see from the players above picking at #1 is pretty much a sure thing for gms and a reason why there's always so much hope from tanking teams to get this pick. Out of the players on this list I'd say all have nice trade value and add a ton to the teams they are on. Safe to say that whomever gets this pick in 2018 should have a stud on their hands.
2nd overall pick (2020- 2014)
2 Clyde Drexler - ALBA
2 Robert Parish - Towers
2 Moses Malone - Panathinaikos
2. Franca BC (via Panathinaikos) - Pete Maravich
2. Berlin ALBA (from KK Partizan) - Walt Frazier
2. CSKA Moscow - Sergei Belov
2. Detroit Pistons - Oscar Robertson
Much like pick 1, selection number 2 is full of guys any team/ gm would love to have each one is a unique talent. What I find most interesting about this pick thus far is every selection is a guard which to me simply shows that if an elite big is avail at 1 you take them, and if not you select the best avail back court player. Every player on this list has had at one point (save Sergei Belov I think) has or does have purple potential something not many players in the league possess.
3rd overall pick (2020- 2014)
3 Kevin McHale - Globetrotters
3 Dennis Johnson - Globetrotters
3 George Gervin - Celtics
3. Kings - Artis Gilmore
3. Tehran Mahram - Earl Monroe
3. Toronto Huskies - Willis Reed
3. CSP Limoges - John Havlicek
For teams to succeed in this league from a drafting stand point its definatly important to get into the top 3 selections, especially after looking at the players selected here. On this list you have dynamic guards and above average big men, players with solid trade value or key pieces to teams both now and going forward. You can see this pick at least early on provides a little more risk involved but then again it might not be risk as much as it is patience, as most of these guys took a season or two to really step forward.
4th overall pick (2020- 2014)
4 Arvydas Sabonis - Titans
4 Bernard King - BC Zalgiris
4 Bill Walton - Globetrotters
4. 76ers - Bob Lanier
4. Philadelphia 76ers - Wes Unseld
4. Mahram Tehran - Nate Thurmond
4. Boston Celtics - Jerry Lucas
If your looking for a solid player, maybe not elite but solid pick 4 is definatly a nice pick to have. Jerry Lucas on this list currently is really the only superstar here but the others have nice upside still and could be a key player on a good team going forward. If your an expansion team drafting here be happy that if nothing else you will get a solid player here, and if your truely lucky perhaps strike some gold. I will also say every player on this list at one time or at some point will or did have a camp put into them thus limiting the risk a bit.
5th overall pick (2020- 2014)
5 Adrian Dantley - Kings
5 David Thompson - Aoshen
5 Bob McAdoo - Zalgiris
5. Bullets - Nate Archibald
5. Seattle Sonics (LA Lakers) - Earl Manigault
5. Mahram Tehran - Kresmir Cosic
5. Brazil Franca - Lenny Wilkens
Pg's seem to be a theme here at the 5th selection other than Kresmir Cosic selected in 2015. What that tells me is here teams start to look more need, that or pgs overall just are not as highly ranked going into the drafts as the other positions. So far the players on this list appear to be guys that help teams, though the jury is out on the pgs here imo. Mostly cause you can see they have flaws to their overall pg game. That said everyone here appears to be starter worthy and helpful for teams looking to win some.
6th overall pick (2020- 2014)
6 Oscar Schmidt - Mahram
6 Jack Sikma - Maccabi
6 Jamaal Wilkes - Bullets
6. Kings (via Olympia) - JoJo White
6. San Antonio Spurs - Connie Hawkins
6. Mexico City Titans (via Atlanta Hawks) - Gail Goodrich
6. Buenos Aires Boca Juniors - Dave Debussherre
Although Dave Debussherre has the appearance of a bust at the number 6 pick (espeically when compared to players taken later that same draft) in the end Dave is starter worthy just not the upside the other guys taken at this pick have. Jojo, Connie, and Gail look to me like great 2nd or 3r d options on good teams capible of really helping teams. Seeing these guys selected here should give tanking teams at least some hope that if they drop to this selection they should still get a good player.
7th overall pick (2020- 2014)
7 Michael Cooper - Franca BC
7 Darryl Dawkins - Bullets
7 George McGinnis - Franca BC
7. Franca BC - Dan Issel
7. Beijing Aoshen (from Athens) - Dave Bing
7. Los Angeles Lakers - Bob Love
7. Atenas de Cordoba - Kari Liimo
The draft imo really takes its first true turn here at pick 7 where we see the biggest bust yet in legends Kari Liimo. He was highly regraded going both into the draft and thru his rookie year then basically turned into a real stinker. Bob Love on this list does show a savy drafting team can still strike gold at this pick. Dan issel at least right now looks to be a keeper as well but better improve the defense if he's to truely help a team long term. The jury is still out on Dave Bing though and while he might be a starter on Beijing clearly he was not worth trading up 1 spot to get and in the end maybe better suited for a 6th man role.
8th overall pick (2020- 2014)
8 Bill Laimbeer - Spurs
8 Alex English - Titans
8 Jean-Pierre Staelens - Franca BC
8. REAL - Dave Cowens
8. London Towers - Mel Daniels
8. Mexico City Titans - Billy Cunningham
8. Atlanta Hawks - Darrall Imhoff
Pick 8 imo has the better players than pick 7 maybe even picks 6 and 5. Every player selected here is a great value and while some flaws remain they all have become key members to the teams they are on. Dave Cowens on this list appears to be the guy to struggle the most at least early on but he still has plenty of room to grow while guys like Cunningham and Imhoff are key pieces to the teams they are on. Obviously you gotta love Mel Daneils who although he's barried on the Towers bench clearly is the better selection between him and bing and at some point will yield solid returns either in min played or in a trade.
9th overall pick (2020- 2014)
9 Darrell Griffith - CSKA
9 Cliff Robinson - Towers
9 Pierluigi Marzorati - REAL
9. Aoshen (via KK Partizan) - Bob Dandridge
9. Washington Bullets - Aleksander Belov
9. Brasil Franca BC - Jiri Zidek
9. Athens Panathinaikos - Emiliano Rodriguez
You can definatly tell that teams start to take more chances here at the 9th pick, selecting guys maybe not with the best ratings coming out but guys with great upside. The returns are hit and miss. Jiri Zedek clearly is the gem of these picks and appears to be on his way to a nice career as a starter and good player. Guys like Dandridge and Belov appear to be decent if nothing else, rotation guys worst case but at this point in the draft thats not completely a bad thing. Rodriguez appears to be the bust out of this group but im not sure if it is because he just never panned out or because he was selected by Athens at a time when they went thru gms like Seer trades top picks..
10th overall pick (2020- 2014)
10 Micheal Ray Richardson - Spurs
10 Tree Rollins - Titans
10 Paul Westphal - Kings
10. ALBA (via Huskies) - Geoff Petrie
10. Mexico City Titans (from the NY Knicks) - Roger Brown
10. Atlanta Hawks (via Mexico City Titans) - Tal Brody
10. CSP Limoges - Sauro Bufalini
While the jury is most definatly still out on Petrie (mostly due to his lack of min on a contending alba team) you can definatly see this pick comes with a lot more risk. Tal Brody appears to be the real deal after a slow start and lots of work. Roger Brown and Sauro Bufalini appear to be rotation guys most likely but the upside is not what there current teams probably hope. I'll keep my eye on Roger Brown mostly cause I drafted him and traded him in his first season.
11th overall pick (2020- 2014)
11 Mark Aguirre - Islanders
11 Gus Williams - ALBA
11 John Drew - Titans
11. Lakers - Sam Lacey
11. Tel Aviv Maccabi - Cazzie Russell
11. Mexico City Titans - Jiri Zednicek
11. Detroit Pistons - Chet Walker
Its pretty early to make a great judgement on Sam Lacey so ill try and hold off. Rotation/ fringe starter is my guess. Cazzie Russell is the big dissapointment here, a player armed with great athletic ability but has yet to really show anything. Jiri Zednicek is far and away the jewel of this pick and looks to be a fringe all star as the only guy here who scores and plays defense at multiple spots. Chet Walker Id say hasnt dissapointed hes done what we thought, he scores a bit but not much else.
12th overall pick (2020- 2014)
12 Bill Cartwright - 76ers
12 Marques Johnson - Titans
12 Drazen Dalipagic - Maccabi
12. Kings (via CSKA) - Ivan Vodenitcharski
12. Seattle Sonics (from Mexico City Titans) - Dino Meneghin
12. Mexico City Titans - Paul Silas
12. Seattle Supersonics - Lee Shaffer
Pick 12 is where the magic seems to be if your not selecting in the top 6 or so. Lee Shaffer is a stud, Paul Silas has been huge and guys like Dino Meneghin and Ivan Vodenitcharski give there respective gms some hope. Guys selected here seem to have one thing in common, good upside and ability. Ivan and Dino still have work to do to really be starter worthy but they certainly can get there. I will say Dino has dissapointed big time year 2 thus far and you have to wonder if Ivan will be the same as his team improves. Still any gm in this league would welcome or trade for Silas and Shaffer. Great picks there guys:)
13th overall pick (2020- 2014)
13 Maurice Cheeks - BC Zalgiris
13 Walter Davis - Towers
13 Doug Collins - Olympia
13. Maccabi - Calvin Murphy
13. Boston Celtics (from REAL Madrid) - Tom Boerwinkle
13. Beijing Aoshen - Jerry Sloan
13. Cairo Zamalek - Len Chappell
It gets harder and hard at this point in the draft to hit on players. Jerry Sloan clearly is the best guy here, he plays defense and can score a tad, definatly starter worthly. The rest? Well all have some skill some like Murphy have more upside BUT im not sure any of these guys other than sloan start for a long period of time.
14th overall pick (2020- 2014)
14 Vinnie Johnson - 76ers
14 Alvan Adams - REAL
14 Bobby Jones - Towers
14. Pistons (via Celtics) - Minco Dimov
14. Athens Panathinaikos (from CSKA) - Mirza Delibazic
14. Mexico City Titans - Happy Hairston
14. Brazil Franca - Bill Bridges
Super high expectations we're put on Mirza Delibazic at this selection and frankly few gms really understand why, he was a fringe prospect coming into that 2016 draft and im not sure he will ever pan out the way it was hoped he would. Happy Hairston is clearly a bench guy who can score at times, and its too early to tell much from Dimov. Bill Bridges here has been a good surprise but I think on a truely elite team hes the 3rd big. Still at pick 14 Im sure a lot of gms would be happy with him and what he brings.
15th overall pick (2020- 2014)
15 Sidney Moncrief - Bullets
15 Vinko Jelovac - Islanders
15 Don Buse - REAL
15. Mahram (via Aoshen) - Spencer Haywood
15. REAL Madrid (from CSP compensation pick) DO NOT FORGET - Modestas Paulaskas
15. KK Partizan - Jeff Mullins
15. CSP Limoges - Giovanni Cescutti
Solid rotation guys at least right now seems to be the theme for the guys selected here. Modestas REAL hopes pans out and he appears to have the most upside. Mullins clearly can score and haywood and Cescutti if nothing else will get min off the bench. Could be worse considering your now picking middle of the draft.
16th overall pick (2020- 2014)
16 Mychal Thompson - Olympia
16 Luis Miguel Santillana - ALBA
16 Jim Price - Lakers
16. Titans - Norm Van Lier
16. Lagos Islanders (from Buenos Aires Boca Juniors BC) - Meadowlark Lemon
16. Brasil Franca BC - Bill Bradley
16. San Antonio Spurs - Zelmo Beaty
This pick is very interesting to me as the names here all can play. Its a shame to me Lagos is so inactive and quiet overall cause Meadowlark Lemon improves every year and very few probably realize it. Beaty was a highly thought of player for KK for years and has a scoring role for teams off the bench if nothing else. Same with Bradley. Norm Van Lier currently does not get a lot of time, but hes got nice trade value and possess elite defensive albility. Should be curious to see if he starts to see the floor.
17th overall pick (2020- 2014)
17 Kiki Vandeweghe - Mahram
17 Otis Birdsong - ALBA
17 Sylvester Blye - Towers
17. Zamalek - Rudy Tomjanovich
17. Mexico City Titans (from Seattle Sonics) - Otto Moore
17. London Towers - Gus Johnson
17. Los Angeles Lakers - Georgios Trontzos
Another hit and miss kind of pick here at 17. Guys like Gus Johnson and Otto Moore we're clearly overlooked and appear to be nice starters now and going forward. Rudy T and Georgios have some upside and hype to them but clearly they are best suited for 6th to 8th man roles.
18th overall pick (2020- 2014)
18 Eddie Johnson - REAL
18 Dan Roundfield - ALBA
18 Caldwell Jones - Sonics
18. REAL (via Sonics) - Steve Mix
18. Mexico City Titans (from Milano Olympia) - Walt Wesley
18. New York Knicks - Bohdan Likszo
18. San Antonio Spurs - Terry Dischinger
Roles and upside are good words for the players selected here. Dischinger looks like the best of the bunch though while guys like Likszo and Mix hope upside gms seem to like and give chances too. Walt Wesley has had the bad luck on being stuck behind great bigs on the bench. Perhaps with his latest team he might see the floor more so we can know more about him.
19th overall pick (2020- 2014)
19 Nikos Galis - KK Partizan
19 World B. Free - BC Zalgiris
19 LaRue Martin - Maccabi
19. Knicks - Sidney Wicks
19. Tehran Mahram (from Toronto Huskies) - Willy Steveniers
19. Brasil Franca BC - Walt Hazzard
19. New York Knicks - Tom Stith
Walt Hazzard looks to be the best of this bunch as a 6th man type pg who can start when needed. The rest? All could have roles and Sidney Wicks will get a good look from athens as that team struggles. You can find decent players at this pick but now you can see it gets a lot harder.
20th overall pick (2020- 2014)
20. Reggie Theus - Pistons
20. Norm Nixon- Zamalek
20. Jim Chones - Aoshen
20. Lakers (via Bulls) - John Johnson
20. Milano Olympia (from BraZil Franca BC) - Lou Hudson
20. Lagos Islanders - Mel Counts
20. Maccabi Tel Aviv - Tom Meschery
Finally pick 20 of the first round, here we see guys taking flyers on potential and hoping for the best, So far teams have found rotation guys and here thats all you can expect. For my money id like to see Lou Hudson get more time and see how much he scores..
So there we have it, a good look at the top 20 selections and what kinda players gms can expect with those selections. Clearly there are steals each year at each pick and gms that really do there homework beyond the color charts and potentials seem to hit on more than others. To me this also shows the league that although picks 4 and 5 are nice for the expansion teams to start with it is going to take a lot more than that 1 or 2 players to change a team, and in some cases it takes a lot of patience before guys start to show anything. While tanking rebuilding teams could be sad adding two teams to this mix all is not lost. Heck if your the guy who ends up with pick 12 instead of 10 you can feel good youve got a shot at nice talent.
