2005 NBA Draft Thoughts
Some of my thoughts on the 2005 NBA Draft
You’ve got to love the NBA Draft. The teams that make the playoffs mysteriously end up taking the best players, David Stern is forced to pronounce names like Martynas Andriuskevicius and Ian Mahinmi, the Toronto Raptors always make foolish draft picks, and heralded college players who left school early, like Shavlik Randolph and Anthony Roberson inexplicably get passed over. Below are some of my thoughts on the 2005 NBA Draft.
- I never thought anyone would ever be excited about someone dubbed “The next Vlade Divac.” Did the Milwaukee Bucks really have to select Andrew Bogut?
Couldn’t they take Marvin Williams, or trade down for Danny Granger, Gerald Green or Hakim Warrick? Bogut actually made a pretty wise decision by
shaving off his moustache. I dare anyone to name the last tall, lanky, white guy, with a poorly maintained moustache, who succeeded in the NBA.
- Atlanta made a good draft pick? Are they allowed to? Shouldn‘t we stop the draft and make sure that this isn‘t illegal? The Hawks took Marvin
Williams with the No. 2 overall pick. Williams didn’t start for his college team, but he should have. As a freshman, he was willing to take a backseat
to some of the veterans on the North Carolina team. Now, that’s character.
- This may forever be known as the “point guard draft.” Deron Williams, Chris Paul and Raymond Felton will all be great point guards. By the way, does
anyone else feel bad for Paul? He will never make the playoffs as long as George Shin owns the Charlotte, I mean New Orleans Hornets. Not in the Western
Conference.
- Portland just drafted Martell Webster. I think we can declare Webster as the “most likely 2005 draftee to be arrested during his career.” On a side
note, did anyone see the hat that Webster’s 82-year-old grandmother was wearing? Is she the Iron Chef? Was she auditioning for Hell’s Kitchen? I’m not
sure, but I think those hats went out of style in the late 1360’s.
- Toronto drafted Charlie Villanueva. I have no explanation for this. Maybe Raptors general manager Rob Babcock thinks having 5,358 power forwards on a
team is the key to success. Maybe Babcock thinks that collecting scary-looking players will enable his team to reach the postseason. But then again,
Babcock basically gave Vince Carter away for nothing. Maybe he’s trying to sabotage the Raptors’ organization.
- Knicks fans are excited about Channing Frye? Channing “I couldn’t average eight rebounds per game despite being 6-11” Frye? Talk about sabotage,
what is Isiah Thomas doing? The San Antonio Spurs should send him a championship ring for trading Nazr Mohammad to them for the No. 30 pick, which
turned out to be David Lee. Mohammad for Lee. By the way, I was waiting for Stern to announce, “The New York Knickerbockers have traded this year’s
first-round pick to San Antonio for a second-round pick in 2006 and a conditional sixth-round pick in 2007.”
- Golden State drafted Ike Diogu, who never took Arizona State to the NCAA Tournament, despite being there three years. Oops.
- The Lakers took 17-year-old Andrew Bynum, even though Phil Jackson will not be there by the time Bynum is able to contribute. Oops.
- Orlando selected Fran Vazquez. A 6-10 power forward from Spain sounds intriguing, right? Well, Vazquez averaged just 8.4 points and 4.4 rebounds per
game in the Spanish ACB League. Can I get a Danny Granger? How about a Hakim Warrick?
- Doesn’t anyone else think that Sean May is going to be a bust? He was huffing and puffing in the Final Four against Michigan State. If a player
cannot get in shape for the NCAA Tournament, how is he going to be in shape when he is playing under a guaranteed contract?
- I have to mention this because I’m from Philadelphia. With their only pick in the draft, the 76ers chose Louis Williams, a 6-2 shooting guard out of
high school. The Sixers took another small shooting guard? How many do they need? Making matters worse, Williams does not shoot well. A shooting guard
who cannot shoot? What’s next, a Stuart Scott that isn’t the worst interviewer of all time? No, that’s impossible.
- The winners of the draft: Indiana somehow ended up with Danny Granger with the No. 17 pick. Boston took Gerald Green one selection later. Memphis picked Hakim Warrick at No. 19. Sacramento landed Francisco Garcia at No. 23. Let me get this straight. Four teams that qualified for the playoffs somehow ended up with the best picks, while perennial losers like the Clippers, Hornets, Raptors, Knicks, Warriors and Magic have not improved their team despite having a better selection?
NBA Column Links:
2006: 2006 NBA Draft Thoughts
2005: 2005 NBA Draft Thoughts
What Is He Thinking?
NBA Finals 2005: Unwatched Greatness
Mo Money, Still Problems?
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