Re: mercer

[Adam A Suchocki <Twilight@world.std.com>]

I've got to diagree on Mercer - I hope I'm wrong, but he reminds me more
of Stackhouse than Jordan or Hill - he seems to be a flashy finisher, not
a go to guy or play maker...

On the other hand, I do agree that teams should not just draft for
position, but I don't really understand your analogy with Jordan and the
draft...

Houston selected Hakeem instead of Jordan (despite alreaady having a 7
foot all star center in Ralph Sampson).  They did not already have Drexler
at that point, he wasn't acquired until recently.  Despite Jordan's impact
in the league - I think a lot of teams would still build around Hakeem,
and I've never heard Houston complain about passing on Jordan.

By Hakeems second year, the Rockets were playing in the NBA finals, while
Jordan was scoring on a bad team.  Jordan won went to the finals four
times, winning four.  Hakeem went three times, winning two.  Jordan'
numbers are better, but Hakeem is definately very good.  Both were league
MVP's, both I believe were league defensive MVP's.  Jordan has the league
all time scoring average, and Hakeem leads the league in career blocked
shots.  Both are concidered in the NBA all time elite.  It's fairly
likely the two will meet in the finals this year, and if Hakeem wins, it
will be very tough to say Jordan is the clear better pick.

Don't get me wrong, I'd take either over just about anyone drafted in the
last 10 years, I just think that it wasn't a great example of a star non
center being clearly a better pick than a star center - come to think of
it, when the big man really was a star, it is very rare that any small
player has as big an impact....Grant Hill was great, but his competition
was smaller players (Big Dog, Kidd).  Look at Shaq, Kareem, Walton,
Robinson, Wilt, Ewing...when a center earns the number one pick, they are
usually
the dominant player - even Brad Daugherty was about as good as you could
get that year....

Adam

On Tue, 25 Feb 1997, Christopher Gee wrote:

> My prediction is that Mercer will be the best player taking next year when
> you look at the draft five years from now.  Yes I want Duncan for his size
> and he should be taken first, but I really think Mercer will be the man.
> Like drafts in the past, a guy
> with his ability might be more valuable to a team even though we need a
> center.  Some example are Grant Hill and Jordan both going third and
> nobody would argue now that they should have been taken first no matter
> what the teams who selected first needed.  I am not saying he will be the
> next Jordan or Hill but sometimes when a player is that special you need
> to select him even though there is a bigger need at a different position.
> I don't think Houston would have been complaining with Jordan even though
> they already had Drexler.  Those two would have won a title together, any
> arguments? It is just a prediction, so we'll wait five years and we'll see
> if I'm right.
> 
> Christopher R. Gee
> 
>