Scouting players and predicting how their skills will translate to the NBA is one of the more difficult tasks front offices have on their plates. Looking back over past drafts and how many lottery picks never evolved into stars or even made a significant impact in the league illustrates just how often stats, combine numbers and pure gut instinct often come up short. Of course, we get the opportunity to critique these moves with the benefit of hindsight — a luxury that GMs don’t have on draft night. having said that, it’s still fun to go back in time and take a theoretical look at how these drafts should have/could have gone.
We just finished revisiting the lottery portion of the 2005 NBA Draft, which was one of the weakest in recent memory. In drafts light on impact talent, the GM who can find a diamond in the rough is king. But drafts that have a number of star-potential players can also be difficult and many an executive has made what turned out to be the wrong call. Greg Oden over Kevin Durant immediately springs to mind (sorry Blazers fans), likewise taking Sam Bowie over Michael Jordan…ouch!
The 2008 draft, which is the next one we’ll be tackling, had a number of players who have gone on to post big numbers in the league. This was the year of Derrick Rose (No. 1 overall), Russell Westbrook (No. 4), Kevin Love (No. 5), Brook Lopez (No. 10) and Nicolas Batum (No. 25). Over the next few weeks we’ll be posting a series of polls asking readers to vote on whom teams should have selected in each spot.
We’ll kick this thing off with the Bulls, who held the No. 1 overall pick that year. Should Chicago take Rose, who posted MVP numbers prior to injuries taking hold, or go in a different direction? Well readers, it’s up to you to answer that on by casting your votes below. Check back on Friday to see the results and to vote on who the Heat should have nabbed second overall. Also, don’t limit yourself to a simple button click. Take to the comments section below and share your thoughts on the pick and why you voted the way that you did. Also, if I fail to list a player who you think should be selected, feel free to post that in the comments section and I’ll be certain to tally those votes as well.
Selections
- Bulls — ?? [Actual Pick — Derrick Rose]
Whomever voted for JaVale should be banned from this site
whoever voted for micheal beasly should be banned first
Yeah, supercoolbeas was a bust and still is. Every GM has had his ‘what was I thinking’ moments, but the Heat actually signed him twice??? Riles is/will be considered one of the best GMs ever (think 180 degrees away from Phil Jackson), but the Beas signings were, too use a south FLA reference, highly questionable.
Good Luck in Houston D’Antonio!
Haha Mareese Speights has more votes than Serge Ibaka right now…
Speights DOES have a championship ring…… (trying to play Devil’s advocate…)
Darko Milicic has a ring… He was quite the lottery pick! I just don’t see why you would even bother to take the time to vote if you were gonna vote for Mo Speights. It’s a waste of ten seconds! link to sportingnews.com
Russ over Rose is some serious backseat driving. It’s like the junior varsity version of saying the Rockets should have taken Jordan over Hakeem. Yeah sure but in context there was no way in hell that was happening.
Anybody that’s doesn’t vote for Russell Westbrook should be banned
Russ Westbrook should get the #1 pick. He’s, without a doubt, been the best player from this class. While he doesn’t have the MVP that Rose does (which I still disagree with), Westbrook is light years better than Rose currently. If Rose never suffered his knee injuries and continued his high level of play, then we might have an interesting debate on our hands, but obviously that didn’t happen so Westbrook is my pick.
I would take Jordan or Love over Rose for the second pick. Rose had like 3 good years.
That was only because he was injured. If he played for a different team he might not have gotten injured and most likely would have continued playing at an elite level.