Drafting big men...

[markp@edu15.coe.ufl.edu (mark piotrowski)]

hey y'all,

found this on the OnHoops site (a great NBA site -- www.onhoops.com) which
may help in the battie/mercer/van horne @ #3 and foyle/daniels/etc @ #6
debate.

enjoy!

P.S. I'm looking for Mercer and trade the #6 down and unload Dee/Dana/or Dino.
NOT VAN HORNE!! I see another Michael Smith


                          The Legend of Bigfoot


I am a huge Timberwolves fan, which means I can finally wake from a seven
year depression that came every winter. Yeah, its cold up here, but watching
Doug West as the closest thing to a franchise player, and seeing our entire
pre-McHale draft history traded, it just makes the winter seem that much
colder. But now there is hope for this young team, with deft drafting, and
sly trade maneuvers, and some luck in free agency. The T'Wolves are still
lacking in two areas: 27th in 3pt shooting (CN: Young Aussie Shane Heal
might be able to fix that, he was 100% (2 of 2) on threes in the
playoffs...), and 27th in rebounding. The obvious analysis here is to find a
big man who can play defense and has enough game on the low block to open up
the wing. But this is the Golden trap that has plagued so many general
managers on draft day over the years.

The truth is, the mythical seven footer who can give you defense, draw
double teams, and clear the glass, only comes along once every four or five
years. But the age old axiom "You can't teach size," has brought ugly game
to so many NBA franchises. The list of promising big men turned draft day
busts is almost endless. Perhaps the most famous is Sam Bowie, drafted ahead
of the greatest player to ever live. But names like Felton Spencer, Luc
Longley, Joe Kliene, Jon Koncak, and Benoit Benjamin were all lottery picks
who never averaged in double digits in points or rebounds (CN: Big Ben
averaged 14.0 points and 10.3 boards with Seattle and the Clippers in
1990-91). Many of these guys have been paid millions of dollars to go out
and foul the legitimate big men in the game. And the list of other first
rounders who failed to pan out after being labeled as "projects" is
painfully long. Hence the Acie Earl Ugliest Skills Golden Chuck.

The general managers of the NBA are so in love with size, that they so often
forget to check whether these guys actually have any skillz. My beloved
Timberwolves are responsible for two of those lottery picks listed above,
and the total number of seven foot stiffs that have appeared on their roster
explains why this team's record was 152-422 over its first seven seasons.
Names like Longley, Spencer, Brad Sellers, Randy Bruer, Stacey King, Sean
Rooks, Cherokee Parks and Stojko Vrankovic have littered the T-wolves'
roster, and doomed this team to many more chances at lottery busts.

Now McHale changed basketball when he drafted a high school senior with the
number five selection. Garnett has established himself as the prototype
swing man for the next century: a seven footer who moves without the ball,
hits the medium range jumper, and rejects weak shot attempts like a center.
The move to bring Tommy G over from Golden State flushed the remains of the
worst trade disaster in recent memory (Donyell Marshall, ahead of Juwan
Howard!!) This quickly proved valuable as not only can he shoot and grab
rebounds, but Tommy gets you steals, blocks, and provides leadership. And
Marbury may prove in time to be the best point gaurd in his draft, with
passing and scoring, who was brought in after a wonderfully lop-sided
draft-day trade.

But perhaps the big key to the change in the Timberwolves fortunes, and the
best example of McHale's managerial talent, is not in their big three names,
but the decision to bench the seven foot stiff, and play five basketball
players. Back in November, having seen enough bad play by the 7-2 Vrankovic,
Flip Saunders and Kevin McHale, while they both believed in post presence,
decided to start an undersized, 6-10 journeyman at center. Now Dean Garrett
didn't exactly light the city on fire with rim-rocking dunks, finger
wagging, or highlight reel baseline moves, Deano did just one thing well: he
played hoop. Dean Garrett will never be an all-star, and he will probably
never get a shoe contract, but he has game (CN: We Love DG22). He showed
this most admirably in the playoffs, when matched with Hakeem the Dream, he
was able to duel him to a virtual draw, giving his team a chance to compete.

I think it is fair to say that height is not everything. If you need another
example, Sir Charles is still one of the best offensive rebounders in the
game, and he's under 6-6 with high heels on. And Michael Jordan is averaging
more boards in the playoffs than all of the Bulls' centers combined, (CN:
and the Bulls are 8-1).

So why do so many stiffs get drafted? I think the obvious reason is because
players like the Dream, Ewing, the Admiral, and Shaq have been so dominant.
But all four of these guys were picked number one. If the big man has game,
then every scout in America knows it, which is why Tim Duncan is a
no-brainer for the number one pick next month. But to take a chance on a
project big man in hopes that he will solve a teams problems is a foolish
prospect. So, before you boo your team for taking Chauncey Billups over Tony
Battie or Adonal Foyle, just remember that Big Men may look like trees, but
they do not grow on them.

          -Chris Manrodt