With the annual accusations of David Stern's lottery fixing in full force, it's officially time to direct our Blue-and-Gold attention to the NBA draft upcoming on June 28th. Much of IC nation has already started the decision-making process regarding who the next favored son to join Indy shall be. Some have even been doing so since before the 2011-2012 season began. Once a draft junkie always a draft junkie, I guess. With the draft process still in its infancy, it's difficult to pinpoint the type of talent that will be available around the Pacers' pick come draft night, so I won't try to mock it out. I did, however, decide to do a little digging to see the type of player that has been available at 26 in the past, and to be honest, the results aren't all that surprising: some good, some bad, and some in between. If you're interested, take a look after the jump to see how other teams have fared in the 26th slot...
| Pick | Year | Player | College | Team |
| 26 | 2011 | Texas | ||
| 26 | 2010 | Washington | ||
| 26 | 2009 | USC | ||
| 26 | 2008 | IUPUI | ||
| 26 | 2007 | Oregon | ||
| 26 | 2006 | UCLA | ||
| 26 | 2005 | Cincinnati | ||
| 26 | 2004 | Oklahoma St. | ||
| 26 | 2003 | Ndubi Ebi | High School Sr. | TWolves |
| 26 | 2002 | Miami | Spurs (to 76ers) | |
| 26 | 2001 | Seton Hall | 76ers | |
| 26 | 2000 | Mamadou N'diaye | Auburn | |
| 26 | 1999 | Vonteego Cummings | Pittsburgh | Pacers (traded to Warriors for rights to Jeff Foster) |
| 26 | 1998 | Sam Jacobson | Minnesota | Lakers |
| 26 | 1997 | New Mexico | ||
| 26 | 1996 | Georgetown | Pistons | |
| 26 | 1995 | Sherell Ford | Illinois-Chicago | Supersonics |
| 26 | 1994 | Florida St. | Knickerbockers | |
| 26 | 1993 | Geert Hammink | LSU | |
| 26 | 1992 | David Johnson | Syracuse | Trailblazers |
Well, it appears teams in the modern NBA have done a much better job of identifying talent late in the first round. From 2000 to 2009, only one player (Ebi) failed to last three seasons in the NBA. Hamilton and Pondexter are obviously still "pending" prospects that require more time to determine their roster impact. Hill, Brooks, Gibson, Dalembert, Allen, and Salmons have all played meaningful roles on their respective teams, with some even parlaying solid play into consistent starting jobs. This type of trend bodes well for a franchise that has recently gained much praise for its ability to ascertain productive talent in less-than-ideal drafting circumstances (late lottery to mid-first-round purgatory).
Besides appallingly unfortunate incidents such as mass bowl haircuts and the one-ear styled earring, what was wrong with the 1990s? Specifically, what was wrong with NBA teams drafting in the late first round? From '92-'99, only Charlie Ward, Jerome Williams, and Charles Smith lasted more than three seasons. No one in the 90's class of 26th picks averaged double-figures in any statistical category. Either the 90s provided a dearth of late first round talent, or 90's scouting left much to be desired, because finding that late-round producer proved to be quite an elusive task. No matter the answer, based upon the recent aforementioned trends, Pacer fans ought to be hopeful of their team finding the next George Hill at 26 rather than having to ask what in the world a Geert Hammink is supposed to be.
For those hoping to find that desired Pacers' superstar to pit against the likes of LebWade, it ain't happening at 26. Best case scenario is likely a bench sparkplug/fringe starter (after development) who will add another decent tool to a roster packed full of solid, but unspectacular parts. Will that be enough by itself to get this team in a position to truly contend as early as next season? No.
So, what should the Pacers do? Should they keep the pick? Try to find a solid contributor in the mold of George Hill, Taj Gibson, etc? Should they take a chance on a project? Should they package the pick with something else to try and speed up the flight toward championship contention? What say ye IC nation?
No comments:
Post a Comment