| Pacing The Draft Bob Loblaw |
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Like the more popular, and infinitely more watchable, NFL, the NBA draft every summer leads to
speculation, predictions, and plenty of conversation. With smaller rosters in basketball the draft can
often lead to quicker returns or busts than football. Most drafted players will be thrust into action
early and often since the roster size and paycheck dictate that they learn the ropes and contribute
quickly. Over the last 10 years or so, the NBA draft has become almost as much of a crapshoot as
horse racing, hold-em tournaments, or trying to win the under bet when Tim Donaghy is reffing.
With the huge amount of high school grads, foreign players, and underclass college hoopsters
declaring, often way before they are ready, gauging potential success is a must for any seasoned
NBA exec. Very few of the draftees are ready to contribute right away since the lure of the money
leads them to leave school early. Knowing who to draft and who to pass on is essential in the
Association these days and it can make or break a franchise. Bad drafting will keep your team
consistently in the lottery, just not the type of lottery you want to win 3 years in a row.
On that note, many of us have become disgusted with the pathetic and lackluster performance
of the Indiana Pacers. A team that made the Finals in 2000, and was a perennial playoff team, is
currently one of the worst in the league. Losing Reggie Miller to retirement certainly was a blow, but
the future of the franchise has been stalled by poor drafting decisions that have, more often than
not, failed to produce. Let’s have a look at the past 10 First Round picks shall we?
1997-Austin Croshere
He had his moments but was never a consistent star like Larry Bird had hoped when he used a
lottery pick on him, probably seeing an image of his younger self in Croshere. After a brief shining
moment in the playoffs he got a huge contract extension, which took the Pacers years to dig out
from under, rendering him virtually untrade-able. He was finally traded at the end though and never
became a centerpiece of the franchise. At the time of the pick it was not a big deal as the Pacers
had a good core, but it would come back to haunt them.
1998-Al Harrington
The high school phenom was picked as a project while the Pacers still had the pieces in place to
make a run at the title, allowing Harrington time to develop. A smart pick in that sense, he was
traded to Atlanta just as he was coming into his prime. The Pacers thought so highly of his
improvement that they traded back for him in 2005, only to discover that he did not fit into Rick
Carlisle’s offense. He would later be traded as part of the deal to get Steven Jackson out of town by
any means necessary. Harrington has turned into a good player, but the Pacers did not have the
system in place to best utilize him at the time. In retrospect, this was a good pick in terms of talant,
but it did not benefit Indiana much.
1999-Jonathan Bender
In the pantheon of drafting, there are certain picks, the ones that we are reminded of every year:
Sam Bowie over Jordan, Peyton Manning over Ryan Leaf, ones that help or hinder a franchise for
years to come. At the time this looked like another project, as the Pacers were one of the top teams
in the league and did not need much immediate help. They traded up to get Bender, who everyone
was sure would be a future star. Nothing could have been more wrong. He would show flashes of
brilliance but never was a consistent player and missed many a game due to knee issues. The
mistake was compounded when, once again based purely on potential, he was given a rich contract
extension. He retired at the ripe old age of 25 with a bad knee, having never fulfilled his potential.
His $7 million-a-year salary was sent to his home for the last year as the Pacers paid dearly for their
whiff. JB was the 2nd straight high school player picked picked by the Pacers who was not the
cornerstone of the team 5 or 6 years later as planned; the lack of production from these picks are a
major reason for the failings of today. Oh yeah, in picking Bender the Pacers missed on picking Rip
Hamilton, Andre Miller, Shawn Marion, Jason Terry, Corey Maggette, or Ron Artest, (could have saved
the trades to get him) all of whom are stars in the NBA now and without a doubt are producing more
bang for their bucks than Bender.
(Editor's note: he always seemed like a nice enough guy, but I could never get over the fact that Bender
actually signed the back of his credit card: Jonathan Bender #24.)
2000-Primoz Brezec
If you’re going to be consistent, do it well. Yet another pick who never really played and has had his
best years elsewhere. Bird’s 3rd straight project pick, Brezec played in his homeland, then came
over here, sat on the bench, and was traded. He has been a solid player for others; nothing
spectacular, but productive. Again, the Pacers missed out on his best years.
2001
Instead of a pick, Indiana traded on draft day for Jamaal Tinsley. While Tinsley has often played well
on the court and is a solid point guard, his off-court actions and arrests have led to much of the loss
of interest of the fans. His run-ins in the stands in Detroit, at various bars, and even in a shootout
downtown, have left many disgusted with him and the team. He is currently injured; Jamaal’s ability
is not in question, but his character is. He certainly has a checkered past but, unlike the 2 picks
before him, at least he is still on the team and playing…
2002-Fred Jones
A decent player when he played, he has since been shipped out after he was not re-signed. Never a
superstar, he did win the slam dunk contest. When he was here he played and did not get arrested,
so definitely a step up.
2003
No pick due to the myriad of questionable trades.
2004-David Harrison
One thinks Harrison has scored more at the local bars than on the court. This year he is averaging
as many points per game as fouls, usually not a good combo. He is streaky when he plays but has
never become a starting big man and will probably be let go after this season unless he takes a big
pay cut, lowering the chances of him buying Murphy The Goat many more shots out on the town.
He too has had off-court troubles, being suspended for drug use earlier this year. Not the worst pick
of the bunch, but still not good.
2005-Danny Granger
Definitely the best pick of the last 10 years. Granger is arguably the best player on the team in his
3rd season and shows much future promise as a scorer and a leader. He has had no off-court issues
so far and plays hard every night. Could any of his success be due to the fact that he actually
stayed in college for 4 years, grew up as a player and person and was prepared for the next level
when he arrived? He is one of the definite bright spots for the Pacers now and in the future.
Hopefully re-signing him will be a priority, but with the past record he will probably be traded to the
Knicks for Eddy Curry and Isiah Thomas.
2006-Shawne Williams
Yet another underclassmen, we are still waiting for him to break out and become a star. His play has
been inconsistent when he has gotten into games, and, more troubling, his name has come up more
times from the news desk than the sports guy. He was suspended at the start of the year for a DUI
arrest and hanging around with some shady characters. Not too far back, a man wanted for murder
in another state was arrested at his home and had been using his car. While Williams has not been
involved in the crimes, he may not be running with the best crowd for a young, rich hoops player.
Maybe he can ask Jamaal for some advice on whom to hang out with. It is still too early to judge his
game, but hopefully he stops having the off-court issues as the franchise does not need anymore of
those for the rest of the decade or so.
2007
No first round pick-traded for players no longer here. Rating: not good.
Other than Granger, there has been little contribution from the last 10 years of draft picks. 10% is
good when talking about turnovers, debt, or loss percentage, but not when it comes to draft pick
production. Croshere had his moments and Harrington and Tinsley have been good when they have
played, but by and large lots of whiffs in there. The jury is still out on Harrison and Williams, but off-
court issues and lack of consistent play have soured many fans on them already. As Larry Bird so
eloquently put it the other day, “We don’t want our players hanging around with murderers. That’s
not a good sign.” Those are the kind of executive decisions the franchise needs right now.
The team was able to mask the poor picks during the run of the late 90’s as they had enough
talent that the rookies could sit and watch as Reggie, Jackson, the Davis’s, and Smits led us to
victory. Now the lack of production from those picks, coupled with basing the foundation of the
franchise around loose cannons Artest and SJack, has come back to haunt Indiana, as the franchise
has little talent to show from these drafts. Unless talent migrates to the state, losing will continue.
The 2008 first round pick looks like it will be a high one. A talented and honorable player would be
the first place to look. I know any job I have interviewed for that pays more than $20 per hour has
required a college degree: maybe playing for the Pacers should too. Maybe being a proven
commodity, as in: “you led your team to the Final 4 and we know what we are getting out of you”
would be a safer bet then the “upside” player who might be a handful down the road. But in the
end all that matters is that our players beat the hell out of those Pistons fans that night in Detroit
and we can always be proud of that.
speculation, predictions, and plenty of conversation. With smaller rosters in basketball the draft can
often lead to quicker returns or busts than football. Most drafted players will be thrust into action
early and often since the roster size and paycheck dictate that they learn the ropes and contribute
quickly. Over the last 10 years or so, the NBA draft has become almost as much of a crapshoot as
horse racing, hold-em tournaments, or trying to win the under bet when Tim Donaghy is reffing.
With the huge amount of high school grads, foreign players, and underclass college hoopsters
declaring, often way before they are ready, gauging potential success is a must for any seasoned
NBA exec. Very few of the draftees are ready to contribute right away since the lure of the money
leads them to leave school early. Knowing who to draft and who to pass on is essential in the
Association these days and it can make or break a franchise. Bad drafting will keep your team
consistently in the lottery, just not the type of lottery you want to win 3 years in a row.
On that note, many of us have become disgusted with the pathetic and lackluster performance
of the Indiana Pacers. A team that made the Finals in 2000, and was a perennial playoff team, is
currently one of the worst in the league. Losing Reggie Miller to retirement certainly was a blow, but
the future of the franchise has been stalled by poor drafting decisions that have, more often than
not, failed to produce. Let’s have a look at the past 10 First Round picks shall we?
1997-Austin Croshere
He had his moments but was never a consistent star like Larry Bird had hoped when he used a
lottery pick on him, probably seeing an image of his younger self in Croshere. After a brief shining
moment in the playoffs he got a huge contract extension, which took the Pacers years to dig out
from under, rendering him virtually untrade-able. He was finally traded at the end though and never
became a centerpiece of the franchise. At the time of the pick it was not a big deal as the Pacers
had a good core, but it would come back to haunt them.
1998-Al Harrington
The high school phenom was picked as a project while the Pacers still had the pieces in place to
make a run at the title, allowing Harrington time to develop. A smart pick in that sense, he was
traded to Atlanta just as he was coming into his prime. The Pacers thought so highly of his
improvement that they traded back for him in 2005, only to discover that he did not fit into Rick
Carlisle’s offense. He would later be traded as part of the deal to get Steven Jackson out of town by
any means necessary. Harrington has turned into a good player, but the Pacers did not have the
system in place to best utilize him at the time. In retrospect, this was a good pick in terms of talant,
but it did not benefit Indiana much.
1999-Jonathan Bender
In the pantheon of drafting, there are certain picks, the ones that we are reminded of every year:
Sam Bowie over Jordan, Peyton Manning over Ryan Leaf, ones that help or hinder a franchise for
years to come. At the time this looked like another project, as the Pacers were one of the top teams
in the league and did not need much immediate help. They traded up to get Bender, who everyone
was sure would be a future star. Nothing could have been more wrong. He would show flashes of
brilliance but never was a consistent player and missed many a game due to knee issues. The
mistake was compounded when, once again based purely on potential, he was given a rich contract
extension. He retired at the ripe old age of 25 with a bad knee, having never fulfilled his potential.
His $7 million-a-year salary was sent to his home for the last year as the Pacers paid dearly for their
whiff. JB was the 2nd straight high school player picked picked by the Pacers who was not the
cornerstone of the team 5 or 6 years later as planned; the lack of production from these picks are a
major reason for the failings of today. Oh yeah, in picking Bender the Pacers missed on picking Rip
Hamilton, Andre Miller, Shawn Marion, Jason Terry, Corey Maggette, or Ron Artest, (could have saved
the trades to get him) all of whom are stars in the NBA now and without a doubt are producing more
bang for their bucks than Bender.
(Editor's note: he always seemed like a nice enough guy, but I could never get over the fact that Bender
actually signed the back of his credit card: Jonathan Bender #24.)
2000-Primoz Brezec
If you’re going to be consistent, do it well. Yet another pick who never really played and has had his
best years elsewhere. Bird’s 3rd straight project pick, Brezec played in his homeland, then came
over here, sat on the bench, and was traded. He has been a solid player for others; nothing
spectacular, but productive. Again, the Pacers missed out on his best years.
2001
Instead of a pick, Indiana traded on draft day for Jamaal Tinsley. While Tinsley has often played well
on the court and is a solid point guard, his off-court actions and arrests have led to much of the loss
of interest of the fans. His run-ins in the stands in Detroit, at various bars, and even in a shootout
downtown, have left many disgusted with him and the team. He is currently injured; Jamaal’s ability
is not in question, but his character is. He certainly has a checkered past but, unlike the 2 picks
before him, at least he is still on the team and playing…
2002-Fred Jones
A decent player when he played, he has since been shipped out after he was not re-signed. Never a
superstar, he did win the slam dunk contest. When he was here he played and did not get arrested,
so definitely a step up.
2003
No pick due to the myriad of questionable trades.
2004-David Harrison
One thinks Harrison has scored more at the local bars than on the court. This year he is averaging
as many points per game as fouls, usually not a good combo. He is streaky when he plays but has
never become a starting big man and will probably be let go after this season unless he takes a big
pay cut, lowering the chances of him buying Murphy The Goat many more shots out on the town.
He too has had off-court troubles, being suspended for drug use earlier this year. Not the worst pick
of the bunch, but still not good.
2005-Danny Granger
Definitely the best pick of the last 10 years. Granger is arguably the best player on the team in his
3rd season and shows much future promise as a scorer and a leader. He has had no off-court issues
so far and plays hard every night. Could any of his success be due to the fact that he actually
stayed in college for 4 years, grew up as a player and person and was prepared for the next level
when he arrived? He is one of the definite bright spots for the Pacers now and in the future.
Hopefully re-signing him will be a priority, but with the past record he will probably be traded to the
Knicks for Eddy Curry and Isiah Thomas.
2006-Shawne Williams
Yet another underclassmen, we are still waiting for him to break out and become a star. His play has
been inconsistent when he has gotten into games, and, more troubling, his name has come up more
times from the news desk than the sports guy. He was suspended at the start of the year for a DUI
arrest and hanging around with some shady characters. Not too far back, a man wanted for murder
in another state was arrested at his home and had been using his car. While Williams has not been
involved in the crimes, he may not be running with the best crowd for a young, rich hoops player.
Maybe he can ask Jamaal for some advice on whom to hang out with. It is still too early to judge his
game, but hopefully he stops having the off-court issues as the franchise does not need anymore of
those for the rest of the decade or so.
2007
No first round pick-traded for players no longer here. Rating: not good.
Other than Granger, there has been little contribution from the last 10 years of draft picks. 10% is
good when talking about turnovers, debt, or loss percentage, but not when it comes to draft pick
production. Croshere had his moments and Harrington and Tinsley have been good when they have
played, but by and large lots of whiffs in there. The jury is still out on Harrison and Williams, but off-
court issues and lack of consistent play have soured many fans on them already. As Larry Bird so
eloquently put it the other day, “We don’t want our players hanging around with murderers. That’s
not a good sign.” Those are the kind of executive decisions the franchise needs right now.
The team was able to mask the poor picks during the run of the late 90’s as they had enough
talent that the rookies could sit and watch as Reggie, Jackson, the Davis’s, and Smits led us to
victory. Now the lack of production from those picks, coupled with basing the foundation of the
franchise around loose cannons Artest and SJack, has come back to haunt Indiana, as the franchise
has little talent to show from these drafts. Unless talent migrates to the state, losing will continue.
The 2008 first round pick looks like it will be a high one. A talented and honorable player would be
the first place to look. I know any job I have interviewed for that pays more than $20 per hour has
required a college degree: maybe playing for the Pacers should too. Maybe being a proven
commodity, as in: “you led your team to the Final 4 and we know what we are getting out of you”
would be a safer bet then the “upside” player who might be a handful down the road. But in the
end all that matters is that our players beat the hell out of those Pistons fans that night in Detroit
and we can always be proud of that.