| With The 15th Pick In The NBA Draft... Authored by Mark Kelly - July 2, 2005 - 4:03 pm
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As I settled, sweatpants on and cold drink in hand, into a cozy chair perched in front of my television set late June 28th ready to take on the task of watching five eventful hours of the NBA Draft, I couldn’t help but to reminisce over the past season in the swamp. The highs (defeating Boston on the last day of the season to earn a birth into the playoffs), the lows (a 2-11 start, seemingly dooming the entire season), the plays (a Vince Carter in-air 360 degree spin move against Los Angeles) and the injuries (the sickening thud of Richard Jefferson being undercut in late December still rings in my ears) ran through my mind like a season-in-review program seen generally on ESPN Classic.
As I drifted farther and farther into my daydream it came abruptly to and end and reality set in as NBA commissioner David Stern, in a freshly ironed suit, trudged out to the podium at Madison Square Garden. Stern, looking as powerful as ever, then delivered those lovable words, “Hello everyone and welcome to the NBA Draft”. Music to my ears.
Minus a certain NFL game in early February, the NBA Draft is my favorite event of the year. Unlike Major League Baseball’s draft, where it is tough to get a feel for the players due to the poor job networks do in televising college games, and professional football’s draft where after round four the process seems to just be redundant, the NBA has it right: short (only two rounds) and sweet (nearly every player drafted has a track record in the United States of America). How are we not supposed to be excited by that? The waiting process leading up to the draft is unbearable. Everyone and their mother has produced a mock of their own, and everyone is an expert. ESPN, recognizing the interest, attempted to pull out all of the stops to the extent that at one point, I was half-expecting Mel Kiper Jr. to pop out from behind a curtain and start raving about Raymond Felton’s open-court speed or Marvin Williams’s extraordinary leaping ability. Stick to football, Mel…
Seemingly before I could get my bearings, the names began to fly off of the board: Andrew Bogut and Marvin Williams to Milwaukee and Atlanta respectively, followed by the tremendous trio of point guards in Deron Williams (Utah), Chris Paul (New Orleans) and Raymond Felton (Charlotte). Then came the less flashy picks of Martell Webster (Portland), Charlie Villanueva (Toronto), and Channing Frye (New York).
Though eight picks had been completed, I still had a good three selections left to go before I’d stop enjoying the spectacle and start wondering about the prospects likely to be available at the 15th spot. But, Golden State had other plans when, at pick 9, they ended the wondering early when they tabbed Arizona State product Ike Diogu as their choice. The selection forced me to nearly spit out the remaining bits of my A&W Root Beer. He was the guy, the only guy. New Jersey desperately needed a power forward and, for players expected to be around at number 15, he fit the bill like a glove. For Net fans, the pick was equally damaging because the past weeks had delivered articles and mocks stating that Diogu is a likely choice in the middle of the first round.
He was considered undersized by the general public, disregarding his gigantic wingspan (7' 3½"), standing reach (9’1”) and strength (31 bench press reps). He has a polished post game, perhaps the best in the draft, shoots an outstanding percentage from the free throw line, and could develop into an elite rebounder. Everything we need.
So I’ll admit, there was a quick scream of anger let out after the selection. But David Stern’s powerful voice announcing Andrew Bynum as the 10th overall selection was a subtle way of telling me that we’d have plenty of talent to pick from. And indeed, David Stern was right again.
The 11th pick saw the Los Angeles Clippers doing a great… Los Angeles Clippers impersonation when they grabbed foreign swingman Yaroslav Korolev, yet again passing on NBA ready talent that could immiedietly be inserted into their starting lineup.
Picks 12-14 went by like a blur, forcing me to reconsider if I was actually watching the NBA draft and not some best case scenario wrote up by an overly-optimistic Net fan.
As the five minutes on the clock ticked off second by second, the New Jersey Nets were on the timer with lottery talent at their disposal: Danny Granger (top-7 selection in most mock drafts), Gerald Green (tabbed as the most talented player in the draft by some), Antoine Wright (thought to be a top-10 pick), and Joey Graham (lottery hopes). Couple these options with Denver looming in the background looing to trade up using their 20 and 22nd selections as bait and it’s safe to say that the Nets enjoyed being in the thick of the deepest draft in recent memory (and perhaps ever).
I’ll admit, as Stern took his umpteenth stroll to the front podium I was hoping he was going to spit out first names of Danny or Gerald, with last names of Granger or Green. I was enamored by Granger’s versatility and overall polished game, led by his defensive ability. In Green’s case, his other-worldly athletic ability, offensive range, and outstanding potential had me prematurely envisioning Gerald joining players Richard Jefferson and Vince Carter as card carrying members of New Jersey’s “Above the Rim” style of play. But when Stern opened his mouth, it wasn’t a Danny. It wasn’t a Gerald. It wasn’t a Joey, a Jarret, or even a Hakim. It was an Antoine.
I pride myself on my draft knowledge, so he was hardly an unknown. And though his talent was imminent, I couldn’t help but feel down, for the first five minutes or so after the selection was made, about the pick. It wasn’t because of who we got; rather, it was because of who we passed up on. In Granger and Green, these were two players who in our wildest dreams we couldn’t have imagined being around at number fifteen. They’re potential All Stars, impact players, franchises. But, in my quest to put Granger and Green in the most positive light, I unfairly downgraded Antoine Wright’s ability. So as the commissioner announced that Joey Graham had been placed on Toronto, the feeling began to sink in: this was the best possible pick for the current squad assembled by Rod Thorn and Ed Stefanski.
It takes me two hands to count the years that New Jersey critics have stated that the team is in desperate need of a sweet shooting player, whether in the starting lineup or coming off of the bench. It seems as though every year names like Wesley Person and Steve Smith pop up in off-season plans due solely to their marksmanship from behind the arc. In Antoine Wright, they finally have fulfilled that need though the draft. Though Gerald Green projects to be a better overall player at his peak than Antoine Wright, Green is just too far away for a team in win-now mode. Let’s face it, Jason Kidd isn’t getting any younger. He needs contributors as soon as possible, a role that Wright currently will fill more admirably than Green.
And while Danny Granger is talented, he’s a bit of a reach at power forward, where he would be most needed. Also, by filling the backup shooting guard and small forward positions with one player, the Nets brass are now able to go out and spend (and concentrate) their time and money on the last remaining position that ails this team: power forward. Shareef Abdur-Rahim? Donyell Marshall? Different topic, different article, but one that is made possible due to Antoine Wright’s arrival.
I hate to give the impression that Wright is going to be nothing more in his career than a serviceable replacement player. He too has the potential to be a star in this league. Antoine Wright possesses a shooting stroke and range past the NBA three point area, which contributed to his % behind the arc. Though his vertical leap isn’t in the JR Smith area (Wright was measured with a sub-30 inch vertical at the Chicago Pre-Draft camp) he’ll provide his fair share of highlight reel plays playing alongside point guard Jason Kidd. On the defensive side, Antoine has the potential to be a lockdown defender due to his above average size and instincts. Even with these traits, he’s far from a finished product. Over the summer and in training camp Wright will have to work on his ballhandling skills to enable Coach Lawrence Frank to employ three man rotations consisting of Wright, Jefferson, and Carter. His consistency must improve, along with his passiveness. This was a pick for both the present and the future. |
