Re: Chad Ford on the 2014 NBA Class
I just don't buy the whole "weak draft" argument all the time. There are always players to be had somewhere. People said 2011 was the worst draft in a decade and a half, and we walked away with a future top 5-10 player and another who is starting to look like a high value pick.
Plus, for 2 years, all we heard about was the vaunted 2012 draft class and how amazing it was, and then about a month out everyone started changing their tune and said everyone after Davis was likely a role player. Years leading up to that draft, Barnes was supposed to be the next Kobe, Sullinger was supposed to be a potential #1, and Drummond was supposed to be the next Dwight. Come draft day, Barnes is a decent starter on a good team, Sullinger is struggling, and while Drummond looks good now, his stock was so low he slipped to 9th.
There's no such thing as a sure draft class. No guarantees either year, except these two things: someone's probably gonna walk away with a 2013 pick that's unbelieveable, and a bunch of people are probably gonna walk away from 2014 disappointed. Happens every year.
Can't thank this post enough, STEREO.
And I now can't help but take a trip down memory lane in reaction to it.
In 2010, Barnes was basically what Wiggins is today. I mean, he was as can't-miss as it gets. And while he may not have been AS lauded as having off-the-charts athleticism, he was still thought of as elite, but with an advanced skill set and basketball IQ that was subject to "never before seen at this age" hyperbole.
Like you said, 2011 was supposed to be just the most abysmal draft in the history of drafting, what with the lockout uncertainty keeping so many "top" prospects in school. There were only two real sure-fire starters, but not stars, at the top. Sullinger, PJIII, and Barnes, even after a disappointing freshman year compared to the hype, were surefire top 10 or better locks until they left NBA teams with even less to choose from. Well, 2011 really was pretty bad, but the first overall pick has been incredibly good so far in his young career. Still, though, it's too bad we had to pick a PG with Rivers coming out next year...
Yes, while discussing 2011 as a down year, most were talking about 2012 as the real horn-of-plenty in terms of talent. The hold-overs from 2011 would be at the top of the draft still, but this draft would also likely see Austin Rivers come out, the only real competition for Drummond as the number one overall pick. That beanpole Davis had a chance to be special, too, but Drummond had everything basketball-wise on top of being built like an enormous man as just a boy. And Rivers' understanding of the game (he's Doc's son!), along with his size as a PG and absolutely unstoppable ability to get to the rack, was going to make him hard to pass up. Then, as the draft approaches, we see that Barnes still isn't playing like the Black Falcon Mamba he was billed to be, Rivers is wildly inconsistent and really more of an undersized gunner SG, Drummond may not know how to play basketball, and Sullinger and PJIII are late 1st round flyers.
Now in 2013, Shabazz has been the most recent to see his stock go from future HOFer while in high school to probably very good, but not a star, as a prospect in the upcoming draft. Noel was another high school phenom, yet now this draft is commonly referred to as having no stars. Oh, and Steven Adams was formerly thought of as maybe THE headliner for this "year of the center."
So I guess just wake me up when Jabari Parker, the former next big thing, and Wiggins, who stole his crown from the top of the backboard and left four quarters in its place, actually play a college basketball game, because I refuse to let myself be fooled for the gazillionth time in buying into the hype for the next whoever based on youtube high school highlights.
. I would also not mind trading all of our picks this year for a 2014 unprotected pick.
