I hope it's not too early to start a new thread. But early entry declaration season has begun and we already have a cast of 27 certain lottery picks, questionable decisions and what-is-he-thinking's. http://espn.go.com/nba/s/2003/0414/1538762.html So the top 3, barring a minor miracle is: 1. LeBron James 2. Darko Milicek 3. Carmelo Anthony After that, I suppose it'll depend on camp/workout performace, who else enters/backs out and specific team needs. I'm surprised to see Chris Bosh (Ga Tech) named as a possible #4. Also interesting, Detroit will have the Grizzlies' pick unless it's #1 overall. With a solid team, a lottery pick and money to spend on free agents, the Pistons' future looks bright.
The top three pick is perhaps the biggiest "lock" since..... I don't even know when. i am more interested in the bouncing balls on May 21st(?). Cleveland will not get the first pick..... trust me!!!
I think Anthony could go before Darko (even though I like Darko better), but they with James will be the top 3, no questions.
The lottery is in Secaucus, New Jersey. Fifteen minutes away from my house. I'll rig it when nobody is looking, and the Golden State Warriors will get the number one pick. We'll be unstoppable!
But then Mr.James will become the biggiest bust in NBA history..... then, one day, Golden Warrior traded him to XXX team and he will become better than Michael Jordan!!!
i also hope that the Knicks get one of the top3 picks. Look at Lebron's homepage, looks like he wants te be a Knicks. (orange background) Has any1 seen James Lang and Villaneuva(i think he will be the steal of the draft 2003) play? is there a chance that Lang will be avaiable at the 31st pick? i know he has weigt problems and he didn't look very good in the McDonlady game, but he has huge potential i think. And with Dice down, the Knicks need a Center, even when he comes direct out of HS.
I agree with you. The #1 pick never seems to go to the worst team, especially when there's a consensus #1 pick. 2002: Houston leapfrogs 4 teams to win the right to draft Yao Ming. Chicago settles for Jay Williams and Golden State picks Mike Dunleavy Jr. 2000: New Jersey wins #1 despite having only a 4.4% chance. 1997: With two lottery picks, Boston was set to start a new era with Tim Duncan in the middle. Instead, San Antonio, who missed the playoffs mainly because David Robinson was hurt, wins, and goes on to win the 1999 NBA Championship. Boston picks Ron Mercer and Chauncey Billups. 1993: The Chris Webber draft. Orlando barely missed the playoffs and I believe they finished .500. One year after picking Shaquille O'Neal #1, they have another #1 pick. They pick Webber, trade him to Golden State for Penny Hardaway. Orlando makes the 1995 NBA Finals. Meanwhile, Golden State ends up trading Webber for Tom Gugliotta, whom they trade to Minnesota for Donyelle Marshall.
I am pretty sure that Villanueva is going to go to Illinois next year, not the NBA. LeBron is obviously going to go number one, but pick number two is going to be based on team preference. I think there are some teams that would take Anthony with the pick, while there are others who would take Milicic. We will just have to wait and see who ends up with the picks.
I'm praying that the Pistons land Carmelo Anthony. If they land him you can start engraving the Pistons name on the NBA trophy about 2 or 3 times over the next several years. Most of the mock lottery drafts I've done at the ESPN website ends up with the Pistons getting 6' 10" Brazilian Anderson Varejao. Whoever picks James at #1 is going to land a bust.
Villanueva will NOT goto Illinois. I think Andy Katz reported that he has already ruled them out. He will be or already has taken a campus visit to Kansas. I think the other schools that recruited him were Syracuse, UConn, Carolina, plus some others to I think
Wasn't this the draft that prompted the NBA to change the lottery system, so the worst team has a better chance to win, and the best team has, essentially, an infintesimal chance? On a related note, I can't believe Shaq has been polluting the NBA for nearly 10 years now. God, I feel old...
I thought that was the Patrick Ewing draft. After LeBron at #1, the selection of #2 vs. #3 will be situational. A team that needs to go big will take Darko; a team that needs a shooting forward / guard will take Anthony.
I'm not so sure that James ahead of Anthony is as easy a choice as it seems like. Without going into a lot of detail, the 2 got similar numbers last year but LeBron did it against high school competition and Anthony did it in college (and playing in arguably the toughest conference in the country).
Yes, the lottery was implemented after the Patrick Ewing draft but it went through a minor modification after the Chris Webber draft. See, that's what I'm thinking too, but from everything I've read about the draft, NBA personnel folks believe that Lebron is a potential once-in-a-generation superstar. They believe Carmelo would be a good player, even a star, but nowhere near what Lebron can become.
As crazy as it sounds, Keith Langford's mom is a regular poster on the Kansas boards. She gives great inside info about the viewpoint of the players from time to time. Langford was CV's "tour guide" for his official visit to Kansas, and his mom said Keith believed it was either Kansas or the NBA. He's going to declare (didn't he already?) and if he isn't projected top 20 he'll follow Self to Kansas.
According to Andy Katz he will more than likely be available at 31, even later. http://espn.go.com/nba/s/2003/0414/1538762.html If he's not going to get picked in the fist round, staying in the draft is a stupid, stupid move. You get picked in the first round, you at least have a guaranteed contract. Anything after, there's a very good chance you will get cut, and you end up unemployed and out of school. Better off spending a year in college getting in shape.
There's at least five guys on that list who are just looking to see what they could be worth at the camps. As long as you withdraw before some date (late June?) and don't sign with an agent, you can go back into school.
The smart thing to do imho, and I'm glad NCAA changed the rules a few years back so players can make an informed decision. I believe Jason Gardner did that a couple of years ago, withdrew and ended up having two more productive years at Arizona.
June 19th Last year was the first year players were allowed to do it. Don't remember if that foul whore came out, then back or not. IIRC Dunleavy was gonna stay until the NCAA changed the rule and he decided to test the waters.
They changed the rules last year for high school seniors, not college underclassmen: http://espn.go.com/ncb/news/2002/0425/1374084.html And Jason Gardner was in the draft two years ago: Jason Gardner Withdraws from 2001 NBA Draft I don't remember when the current rule for college underclassmen was set, but I'm pretty sure it's been effect for a few years. In the mid 90's, you could be drafted in the 2nd round, but still go back to college (I believe Voshon Leonard went back to Minnesota after being drafted), then they made it so you could go back if you withdrew by the deadline.
Tonight we find out who gets LeBron. Even though I'm a Spurs fan through and through, I would love to see Houston get the #1 pick two years in a row to have Yao and LeBron. Them or Denver as then I would actually go to some Nuggets games.
LeBron should go to the Cavs, but the lottery is going to be fixed and he will go to a Big Market team, i.e. Chicago or New York
I had to say that, or NY and Chi would have moved up. Even if I'm a Celtics fan, living in Denver I want the Nugs to do well. 1 or 3 would be great. 1 for obvious reasons, 3 since it eliminates a potential PR nightmare (ie if Melo's the popular choice at 2, at 3 it don't matter, take who's left).