Comments on: 2008 Thread: Kings @ Knicks 1/2/2008

By: Sly Williams

Sly Williams — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 13:51:55 +0000

I was using PER from basketball reference as a quick measure. Take Ilgauskas, who surprisingly has a higher career PER than Camby (19.4-18.3). (perhaps also surprisingly, Camby has played more NBA games)
Stojankovic has the same PER, 18.3. Iverson and Allen are in the 20′s. O’Neal has a higher PER including his 4 years in Portland, much higher in Indiana.
I think that if any of these 12 players were chosen by Isiah, it would have been a decent player, even if he didn’t choose the best or worst.

You bring up an interesting point about missed games. I would also choose the player with a higher peak, as long as that peak included complete seasons and playoffs. I am thinking about Bill Walton, the season Portland started 50-10.

By: Nick

Nick — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 13:13:24 +0000

I don’t see how you can look at the picks and get so excited. Only McGrady is a multiple time all-star. After that only Stoudamire has even been a starter for more than one full season and he peaked as a rookie it seems. Lee, Frye and sometimes Ariza, Balkman and Robinson are regular rotation players with only Lee looking like he will be in anyone’s top 8 consistently through his career. Is that all that is expected is to me a back of the rotation bench guy for a non-lottery pick?

By: Mike K. (KnickerBlogger)

Mike K. (KnickerBlogger) — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 12:58:48 +0000

Sly – Kobe and Nash are better than Camby. Iverson depends on where you sit on the possession fence. Ray Allen, and Jermaine O’Neal – possibly equal. Ilgauskas – I don’t think so. Stojakovic, ‘Toine, Shareef, Dampier – Not even close.

Unless you’re taking away points for games missed due to injury, but personally I’d rather have a great player for a shorter period of time instead of a good player for a long period of time.

By: Patrick Ewing

Patrick Ewing — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 04:48:27 +0000

Mike K. (KnickerBlogger) Said:
January 3rd, 2008 at 10:36 pm

I, KnickerBlogger, take back the following statement: “I might even dare say he’s possibly the best drafter of all time.”

—

Thank you.

By: jon abbey

jon abbey — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 04:12:06 +0000

also the rumor was that Lee was forced on him by others in the Knick hierarchy, others here probably recall the specifics better than me.

By: Sly Williams

Sly Williams — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 03:55:37 +0000

I call Camby a failed pick. Why? Because the draft was so strong, he was the 8-12th best player chosen.
Better than Camby were: Iverson; Kobe; Marbury; Ray Allen; Steve Nash; Jermaine O’Neal; Ilgauskas. That’s 7. Stojankovic; Antoine Walker – about the same.
Abdur-Rahim and Dampier would have been acceptable. Picking the 8-12th best player of the top 20, with the #2 pick, is a miss.

McGrady was projected as a 6 or 7 pick, and Isiah took him 9th. This pick dropped into his lap because a few teams didn’t want to gamble. An example of the projected pick of McGrady is from Hubie Brown a minute after TG was drafted (see 1:55 of this video.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tk-ac0W7VJY

I am unconvinced that Isiah is a good drafter.

By: Brian Cronin

Brian Cronin — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 03:47:59 +0000

Oh right, I totally forgot Jimmy King! I’ll edit him into my comment! Thanks, Mike!

By: jon abbey

jon abbey — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 03:18:19 +0000

heh, I didn’t remember that was you, Mike, but thanks.

with the blossoming of Bynum and Rondo this year (and NY’s corresponding massive holes at C and PG), I think Isiah’s draft record has taken a couple of pretty sizable hits, just another thing that’s gone wrong in this perfect storm from hell we’ve suffered through so far this season.

By: Mike K. (KnickerBlogger)

Mike K. (KnickerBlogger) — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 02:36:57 +0000

I, KnickerBlogger, take back the following statement: “I might even dare say he’s possibly the best drafter of all time.” Even though I qualified it with a “might” and “possibly”, I believe that there is zero chance that Isiah is the best drafter of all time.

BC – Don’t forget that Isiah drafted Jimmy King (2nd round).

By: L.A.

L.A. — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 00:59:22 +0000

The draft history is interesting. Brian listed 9 players. Many look good at first glance, yet not a sing one can make the follow 2 statements – A) I have not been arrested during my NBA career (Stoudamire) and B) I have won a singe playoff series in my career(all the rest). McGrady is the most striking example, maybe in the history of the NBA, to be such an elite player who has never one a single playoff series.

My point is that maybe Isiah’s draft history is very much like his trades and free agent signings. He gets guys who put up numbers or seem pretty good on some level(see Marbury, Crawford, Curry, Randolph) but can never win anything significant.