Jun 29th, 2010
Quincy Pondexter became the third player from the same San Joaquin Memorial High School team in Fresno to be taken in the first round. Robin and Brook Lopez were also first-rounders -- Photo by Ferrell/Getty
The NBA Draft is old news, but it takes us a few days to make a snap judgment.
Our next piece of instant analysis will be an evaluation of Portland Trail Blazers’ choice of Sam Bowie instead of Michael Jordan with the second pick of the 1984 NBA Draft. (It’s a rather short article titled “Oops.”)
OK, so here are our stream-of-consciousness reactions.
– It is no coincidence that the Pac-10, which in 2009-2010 was worse than it’s been in at least 20 years, had just two players drafted, its fewest in 24 years. It is also no coincidence that the 1986 season was probably the last time the conference was worse. In 1986, no Pac-10 team finished in the top 20, only two made it to the NCAA Tournament and both lost in the first round. (Free subscription to this website for a year if you know who the Pac-10’s highest draft pick was in 1986. It Washington State guard Keith Morrison, who was taken in the fifth round.)
– The Pac-10 should feel better about itself since Big Ten had only one player drafted.
– Kentucky had five players drafted in the first round, which says so much about John Calipari we don’t know where to start. So we won’t. (When they say “Cal” in Lexington or at NCAA headquarters, they are not talking about the school in Berkeley.)
– Who with a straight face can claim they thought back in January that Paul George would be the 10th overall pick? The guy was playing just outside the Bay Area (we claim Fresno State as a local team when it suits our needs), and we barely heard of him. We’ve heard of Boy George, Susan George, King George, Christopher George, Phyllis George, Eddie George and Gorgeous George. But who is Paul George? Maybe this video will give you an idea.
In the meantime, we will warm your heart with another person with the last name of George.
– Guess how many point guards (the most important position on the floor) were taken in the NBA Draft: one, uno, un, eins, unum, um, bir, een, em (we’d tell you what one is in Russian, but our computer does not carry those symbols, but it is pronounced “a-deen” or something like that). John Wall was the only one. Yeah, yeah, we know Eric Bledsoe will be point guard in the NBA, but Wall was without question Kentucky’s point guard. And the others – Avery Bradley, Greivis Vasquez, Armon Johnson, Terrico White and Willie Warren – are all combo guards. Where have you gone Chris Paul, Rajon Rondo, Deron Williams, Steve Nash, Chauncey Billups, Derrick Rose, Jason Kidd, Baron Davis or even Aaron Brooks, Andre Miller and Steve Blake.
– NBA folks like to tell you they are not swayed by a few games in March, but you can’t tell me Gordon Hayward would have been the ninth overall pick were it not for his play in the final three games of the NCAA Tournament. Hayward averaged 10.0 points on 30.4 percent shooting, including 16.7 percent shooting on threes, through the first three postseason games. He was in a horrible shooting slump and no doubt would have stayed at Butler if the Bulldogs had lost any of those games. It was his showing against Kansas, Michigan State and Duke that got him noticed. Presumably, Jerome Randle would have been drafted if Cal had won a few more NCAA games and Randle had put up some numbers.
It is urgent that the Lakers bring Brown and Fisher back to the fold. Those of you remembering Steve Blake is a participant that can run the club to another win are incorrect. Just observe the Clipper games from last year and you will see he isn't practically stronger than Farmar actually. Bringing Fish, Brown and contributing a decent big man to interchange Powell and Mbenga should be the Lakers destination this off season if they want to beat Miami or Boston. I am sure there is some 6'9 guy out there that can play a bit who will come for the 1.6 million over 2 years to try and win a title. They can offer Fish 2 years at 8 million and Brown at 2 years for 7 million and go from there.
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