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June 30, 2006 ...We hear that Justin Williamsa center from Wyoming that went undrafted will be playing with the Sacramento Kings on their summer league squad. I like Williams and I feel he has an excellent chance to make Sacramentos roster. He is a sorely needed shot blocker.
June 29, 2006 ...The day after the draft is not the time to say who did well and who did not. Check back in four or five years. ...Lets do just that. How about 2002? What happened four years ago? Yao Ming was the number one pick. It could be argued that Amare Stoudemire was the best pick in the draft but after having a micro-fracture surgery last season Amare still has to prove he can perform at the ultra-high level he was performing at in 2004-05. ...Jay Williams (Duke) was the second pick. Who knows what he would have achieved had he not crashed his motorcycle. If he never plays ball professionally againhe will make a great television personality covering the NBA or college hoops. Weve caught him on various ESPN gigs and he is good. In some kind of order the next best players from the 2002 draft are Drew Gooden, Tayshaun Prince, Carlos Boozer, and Caron Butler. Gooden went fourth. Butler was tenth. Prince and Boozer were selected 23rd and 34th respectively. ...The jury is still deliberating on these players from the 2002 draft that seem to be headed in the right direction; Nened Krstic (24th), Qyntel Woods (21st), and Chris Wilcox (8th). ...The lowest pick from that draft that is still in the show is Rasual Butler. He was nabbed 52nd out of 57 selected that year. ...The highest pick that is M.I.A. is DaJuan Wagner who was taken sixth by the Cavs. ...Undrafted in 2002 but balling in the NBA in 2006 are Udonis Haslem, and Josh Davis. Both were listed in the first round on our site in 2002. Smush Parker is also an undrafted player from the class of 2002. ...I was personally disappointed with myself yesterday for not having four of the late second round picks referenced on this site. Each year I think Ive done enough homework yet somehow NBA teams unearth these international prospects that I am not aware of. I will do better next time. ...The players we listed in our top 60 this year that went undrafted were: Mike Gansey, Yemi Nicholson, Taj Gray, Justin Williams, Eric Hicks, Jamaal Williams, Nik Caner-Medley, Brandon Bowman, Michael Southall, J.P. Batista, Kyrylo Fesenko, Curtis Stinson, Robert Hite, Darius Washington Jr, and Kevin Pittsnogle.
June 28, 2006 Updated at 3:53 PM . We WILL give our thoughts on the draft as it unfolds in our LIVE DRAFT BLOG. ...The important thing is the ORDER. The player rankings for the 2006 NBA Draft have been considered and re-considered. They are solely my opinion taking all things into account. You can find more info and better draft capsules on other sitesbut you may not be getting any independent thoughts. That is why every mock draft in the world listed Darko Milicic before Dwyane Wade a few years back. Maybe everyone just Xeroxed what ESPN was saying without actually looking up stats and investigating the way we do. Weve made stupid picks beforebut our really dumb moves seem (hopefully) behind us as weve gathered experience. ...You can see our work in two Microsoft Excel spreadsheets that we have posted on the web. The first is the raw datawhich compiles career numbers for each prospect in college. ...The second spreadsheet is listed in alphabetical order with the capsules I wrote for each draftable player. I want a job in the NBA doing this stuff. I certainly have a passion for it.
June 27, 2006 We posted our 2006 Draft RankingsFirst Round.
June 20, 2006 ...Let the withdrawals begin. The NBA season is over and now comes the part where the newspaper is boring to read and the highlights shows are boring to watch. ...The Miami Heat winning the title is breath of fresh air for basketball. And to state the obviousDwyane Wade is special. Game 5at the end, whether you thought he was fouled or not , Wade made a play that only about three guys in the history of the game could have made. His escape dribble off the double-team, with the shot clock expiring and then drawing a foul, led to two money free throws. Ice buckets - my man Gus Armstead would call them. I could see MJ doing thatand I could see Kobe doing that but thats about it. ...I am happy for Gary Payton, and Alonzo Mourning. `Zo was a huge factor in the Heats success. He will be a free agent this off-season.
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