# the steal of the draft is.....



## tigerblue (Apr 22, 2003)

last night david aldridge stated that steve blake could be the steal,ioun't know.i'm going with josh howard.

*and you?*


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## Nevus (Jun 3, 2003)

Troy Bell


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## BillyMadison (Jun 26, 2003)

*Chad Ford: Clips leaning toward T.J...*

WOW.. What happened here?

MY choice? Marcus Hatten


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## dmilesai (Jul 19, 2002)

Jason Keep, Wayne Wallace, Brandon Hunter, and Rick Rickert in the 2nd.


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## dmilesai (Jul 19, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>Nevus</b>!
> Troy Bell


:yes:


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## Hollis (Jun 4, 2002)

Duh....Hollis Price!

Nah, if Bell goes after pick 20 then I'd say he's the steal....


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## brandenburgbrew (Jun 9, 2003)

Keith Bogans will be the steal of the draft.


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## BULLS23 (Apr 13, 2003)

*The steal*

I'm going with Troy Bell . . . Especially anywhere after 16. He's gonna be on the All-Rookie First Team barring any injuries. You heard it here first.


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## sniper10 (Jun 5, 2003)

Luke Walton, dwayne wade at 7, barbosa, west


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## TerpNation (Jun 13, 2003)

#1: David West/Mario Austin - I have a strong feeling that one of these two will slide into the second round. Whichever one does will be the #1 steal of the draft, and the other will be right up there......

#2: Carlos Delfino - I've gotta hitch my wagon to one of the under-hyped foreign players, and Delfino's my guy. Most reports like to compare him to Manu Ginobilli.....except Delfino's quicker, stronge and has a better shot.....


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## BobbyDigital32 (Mar 16, 2003)

Barbosa...I cant believe he is projected to go in the second round now.


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## STCBBall3 (Jun 21, 2003)

Troy Bell, and Jarvis Hayes, no matter where he goes.


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## Cam*Ron (Apr 13, 2003)

Troy Bell and Maurice Williams and Marcus Hatten


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## vcshox123 (Sep 23, 2002)

*Reece*

Reece Gaines if you consider him as a steal since hes going to go in the early 1st round.


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## KeonBackinTO (May 26, 2003)

Dhantay Jones he will be drafted in 2nd and will be more productive eventually then most late first rounders ( Excluding Ebi and West).


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## bruno34115 (Apr 14, 2003)

this years caron butler is: jarvis hayes. he has been slipping but i think he is back in the lottery.
this years amare stoudemire is: mike sweetney. people are afriad he is undersized but this dude is a great post player just like brand


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## Matiz (Jun 5, 2003)

No doubt- Troy Bell, perhaps Hayes and Hatten
Europeans: Planinic!


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## Coyat (Jun 18, 2003)

Bell, Walton, Howard, Barbosa, Blake, Austin


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## krob (Jul 6, 2002)

"The Machine"


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## TheS100 (Oct 25, 2002)

Troy Bell above all others and David West.

Also Jason Keep, Wayne Wallace, Luke Walton, Leandro Barbosa, and Rick Rickert. Kind of funny that one guy had the same as me. Great minds think alike. 

Also, anyone who knows me knows I'm a big fan of true point guards so I hope Steve Blake makes an NBA team.


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## jsa (Jul 16, 2002)

Carmelo Anthony. All he does is win national championships.


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## TruthSeeker (Jun 16, 2003)

Chris Marcus has a lot of talent if he can stay healthy he will be very valuable to someone--he might even go undrafted--then he would surely be a steal. What has happened to Erwin Dudley?


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## kg_theGREATEST (Feb 21, 2003)

Wayne Wallace
Troy Bell
David West
Theron Smith
Ndudi Ebi


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## MiamiHeat03 (Mar 28, 2003)

James Lang.


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## RD (Jun 10, 2002)

Sofoklis Schortsanitis.

The Clippers getting him in the 2nd is a massive steal IMO. 

He'll probably be left overseas for another year, so he'll be able to mature and improve his game in a place that he is comfortable. Then the Clips will bring him over, and in 3/4 years, he'll be starting over Chris Kaman.


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## agoo (Jun 1, 2003)

*Re: The steal*



> Originally posted by <b>BULLS23</b>!
> I'm going with Troy Bell . . . Especially anywhere after 16. He's gonna be on the All-Rookie First Team barring any injuries. You heard it here first.


I already said that when I did my mock a few weeks ago.


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## EBP2K2 (Jun 23, 2003)

how bout Lampe?


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## Brian34Cook (Mar 26, 2003)

Cookie or Walton.. Good steals for LA!


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## TheRifleman (May 20, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>brandenburgbrew</b>!
> Keith Bogans will be the steal of the draft.


He is the steal and gotten by Orlando for cash only!


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## Damian Necronamous (Jun 10, 2002)

Maciej Lampe will be the steal. He was projected to be the 5th -8th pick by many people and he ended up being the 30th!

He'll definitely be a big steal. Teams shouldn't have been stupid enough to pass up on a player like that because of a contract situation.


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## Aloe (Jun 23, 2003)

Keith Bogans or Luke Walton.


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## TheRifleman (May 20, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>Damian Necronamous</b>!
> Maciej Lampe will be the steal. He was projected to be the 5th -8th pick by many people and he ended up being the 30th!
> 
> He'll definitely be a big steal. Teams shouldn't have been stupid enough to pass up on a player like that because of a contract situation.


He has MASSIVE contractual problems. I don't see him in the NBA unless there is another mark Cuban out there. 

Also, the Lakers made out in this draft - big time.


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## feedy (Apr 7, 2003)

I think Brain Cook was defenitly a steal for L. A. They just got a younger Robert Horry in some aspects. 
But I can't see how NOBODY picked up MARCUS HATTEN.


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## Miamisheat2002 (Jun 7, 2003)

Lampe... a top 8 talent at 30...for once Scott Layden did something right, not that he had much choice.


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## Kid04 (Jun 23, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>Miamisheat2002</b>!
> Lampe... a top 8 talent at 30...for once Scott Layden did something right, not that he had much choice.


:laugh: Knick fans thought they'd try it again with Marcus Hatten, but it didnt work that time...

it was an emotional roller coaster (HATTEN! HATTEN!) "the pick is vranes" (aww what the hell?) he walks up to the podium and they are shocked he is 7'4"


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## RD (Jun 10, 2002)

Aside from the contract problems, Lampe likely wasnt going to go as high as people projected anyway. He isn't anywhere near as athletic or agile as people were led to believe, and he was probably a late lottery/mid 1st rounder, not top 5. Still a steal where he was drafted at, just not quite as big as most probably think.

I don't quite understand the Horry comparisons with Cook. Horry was a much better athlete, much more agile, a better ball handler, and a better deep shooter. Horry was a 3, and has developed into a combo forward. Cook does not have any ability to play the 3 spot.

The Lakers biggest need was a big man who could defend and rebound. So they draft a big man who plays more on the perimeter, is a below average rebounder for his size, and deemed soft by some. It doesn't fill a need, and he certainly was not a steal. I don't even think he'll be much of an upgrade over a Slava Medvedenko. Slava too brings offense, but not much else. That's what Cook will do.

Luke Walton though was a great pick. He doesnt have any star ability, but he's going to be an excellent role player. He'll fit in very well there.


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## Sed (Apr 29, 2003)

Good:

Malick Badiane at 44 ...
great pick up for Houston

Another PF for LA Clips .. at 34
Bad Mofo Sofo .. good pick up, but now he'll probably play in Greece next year.

Lampe at 30 .. to New York (I heard they popped champagne after making this pick)
Say whatever yu want, but this kid can play

Bell at 18 .. surprising
Finally a guy that can run with Paul Pierce, drive and kick for the shooters.

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Foolish:

Dahntay Jones at 20, stupid mistake !

Outlaw at 23, nope, he won't cut it!!

Pietrus at 11, wtf does GS want with another super athletic cant-hit-the-three-a-lick SG ??

Wade at 5 ..
What are they gonna do with Jones and Terry? 

Sweetney at 9 ...
Yeah, like he'll ever be like Elton Brand...


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## RD (Jun 10, 2002)

Troy Bell is a Grizzly, not a Celtic. The C's drafted him, but moved him.

I agree about Badiane ... Finally a low post presence(on D). That whole Houston team is finesse ... They have zero power on that team. They need someone with toughness on the block.


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## Vinsanity (May 28, 2002)

i'll say lampe......


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## Scinos (Jun 10, 2003)

I thought Lampe, Sofo and Barbosa were big steals....


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## starvydas (Jul 16, 2002)

James Lang #48, Lampe #30, Schortsianitis #34, Pachulia #42


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## TiMVP2 (Jun 19, 2003)

Shorty, barbosa, and lampe.I was hoping my spurs would get one of those 3 and they got barbosa but traded him for pheonix's futre pick.They better suck for every year until we get that pick!!


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## TwinkieTowers (Jul 16, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>Damian Necronamous</b>!
> Maciej Lampe will be the steal. He was projected to be the 5th -8th pick by many people and he ended up being the 30th!
> 
> He'll definitely be a big steal. Teams shouldn't have been stupid enough to pass up on a player like that because of a contract situation.


Exactly. Look at how much the Seattle Mariners had to pay just to have NEGOTIATIONS with Ichiro: something like $13 million. So far, he has been worth the price. However, you never know how being a low draft pick will affect a player.


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## Cam*Ron (Apr 13, 2003)

can i say mo mo mo betta. nuff said


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## City Wide All-Star (May 24, 2003)

Travis Hansen slipped out of the first round and into the Hawk's hands at 37. That's robbery. Hansen is a great player.


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## Amareca (Oct 21, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>TiMVP2</b>!
> Shorty, barbosa, and lampe.I was hoping my spurs would get one of those 3 and they got barbosa but traded him for pheonix's futre pick.They better suck for every year until we get that pick!!


Too bad the pic is top 25 protected the first year, than top 21 protected...

And the Suns hold the options to give the Spurs the pick whenever they want.


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## RocketFan85 (Jun 8, 2003)

Malick Badiane and Lampe


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## GhostofMarbs (Jun 19, 2003)

The Suns got exactly who they wanted in Zarco at 17 and Barbosa in the trade with S.A. The future first rounder will be no higher than 25 in the first 5 years or 20 after that.

Steal of the draft unfortunately has to go to the Lakers tho, for managing to pick up Cook ! Damn ! He should have gone in the early to late teens.


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## _Chip_5 (Jun 16, 2003)

The steals or at least the picks i like the most are...

Dwayne Wade at number five. I think the Raptors should had tried to take him. But i guess they don't want Wade playing PG and don't think he'll be better than Morris Peterson or Alvin Williams. But i just think Wade is too much of a talent to pass up. Especially for Chris Bosh who i don't think is going to be all that good.

Pietrus at number 11, even though most might not agree with me. I just think Pietrus is going to be one of the best players from this draft, right up there with Dwayne Wade and possibly Carmello Anthony. And will be like a clone of Shawn Marion or at least a Desmond Mason along with tremondous defense. Also the guy is a winner, already winning multiple titles in his career in Europe/France. And looking at his FG% he shot almost 60 percent from the field and 40 percent from three point range...that's pretty good for a player who isn't a good shooter, as some say.

Planinic at 22 isn't really a steal. But i think he'll fit perfectly there on the Nets, especially if Kidd comes back. I believe he averaged almost a triple-double before his car accident, and has lately turned his game back to where it was before the accident.

The Suns getting Barbosa is a steal. Barbosa playing behind Marbury can be very scary for opponents down the road.


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## agoo (Jun 1, 2003)

Brian Cook was a steal for the Lakers, who had a very good draft with him and Walton. Badaine will prove to be a steal for Houston in the second round.

The Clippers made a good pick with Sofo, except when you consider that signs point to Brand being back next year and they have Wilcox and Ely from last years draft and they took Kaman in the first round. :banghead: Also, they appear to be losing Odom, Miller, and Magette this year in free agency, which leaves them with Piatowski and Richardson as the only guys in the backcourt and small forward who have played significant minutes before. I don't get it.

Another good pickup was Lampe, but when you remember that his buyout is rumored to be at around ten million and the Knicks can only contribute $350k, with a second round contract, it will take a good long while for Lampe to come around.


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## RD (Jun 10, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>agoo101284</b>!
> 
> 
> The Clippers made a good pick with Sofo, except when you consider that signs point to Brand being back next year and they have Wilcox and Ely from last years draft and they took Kaman in the first round. :banghead: Also, they appear to be losing Odom, Miller, and Magette this year in free agency, which leaves them with Piatowski and Richardson as the only guys in the backcourt and small forward who have played significant minutes before. I don't get it.


The Clippers will not lose Miller, Odom, or Maggette in free agency this year. They are restricted, and the Clippers will match any offer. Each player is guaranteed back, unless the Clips swing a sign and trade, in which they will get back a player to replace them. Had they drafted a PG, then Miller would have been let go, but it appears they want to give him another look.

Jaric and Dooling have played a pretty decent amount of time too. Jaric, Miller, Dooling at PG.
Maggette, Q, Pike at SG.
Odom, Fowlkes at SF.

There was no room for a wing player. 

Up front, Parks and Rooks are FA's and are gone. Before the draft, all the Clips had up front were Brand, Wilcox, Ely, and Wang. You need more than 4 frontcourt players. So they drafted 2, though Sofoklis will be overseas next year.

I understand the Kaman pick, though Im not sure if I like it.


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## The Mad Viking (Jun 12, 2003)

I guess Laker's fans have so much faith that they automatically assume the players they draft are good.  

Cook and Walton are STIFFS!!! :upset: 

Brandon Hunter is the steal of the draft. He will have better career numbers than Cook and Walton combined.

Jerome Beasley is another steal. He will destroy Zarko. Plus he has better hair.


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## T(he)-MA(gi)C (May 8, 2003)

In order: 

Brian Cook
Travis Hansen


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## earl (May 22, 2003)

blake, mo williams and gaines


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## RD (Jun 10, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>The Mad Viking</b>!
> I guess Laker's fans have so much faith that they automatically assume the players they draft are good.
> 
> Cook and Walton are STIFFS!!! :upset:



First time I have agreed with you, though only on the Cook pick. Walton is a 2nd rounder and can be a role player. If a player in the 2nd round has any impact on your team, it's a steal.

Anyway, all of a sudden Brian Cook was a lottery talent that fell to the Lakers or something like that. Cook had a lot of questions before the draft, and now that he's a Laker, you see all these Laker fans loving the draft. Nevermind the fact that Cooks two weaknesses are the two biggest things they needed in a big man; defense and rebounding. They got a slightly more athletic Slava Medvendenko.


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## agoo (Jun 1, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>RD</b>!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Well, Cook was a second rounder that rose swiftly to the lotter, then fell to the midsecond round in most mocks. Either way, he can contribute now for the Lakers, which is what they were going for based upon their picks.


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## RD (Jun 10, 2002)

Cook never rose into the lottery.

He rose up to about the 19, 20 range, and he went 24th. That isn't a steal IMO, and I dont even think he'll play up to the level of a 24th pick.

Of course he'll compete for time next year. The Lakers have nobody after Shaq up front, so anybody they would have drafted would compete for time. But Cook does not address any needs. If they let Horry go, the team is actually worse. Cook is not Robert Horry. He is not the outside shooter Horry is, he is not as clutch as Horry is, and he is not as tough, as good a rebounder, or as good a defender as Horry is. And Horry isnt exactly a standout at anything. Cook is a big man who plays more on the perimeter, and can score a few points. His value is in scoring. That's what Slava Medvedenko did for the Lakers last year. Cook doesnt bring anything that Medvedenko doesnt do. The Lakers needed a guy who could board and play D, and they got a guy who is below average at both. Not a very good pick IMO.


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## TMOD (Oct 12, 2002)

Kirk Penney, Josh Powell, Chris Marcus, Ronald Dupree, Doug Wrenn, Marquis Estill, Carl English, Britton Johnsen, Jason Keep. Whoever signs these guys and gives them a chance. All of these guys could potentially be decent players in the 7-9 range on a depth chart.


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## HORNETSFAN (Jun 11, 2002)

What is with the "Cook a steal" thoughts? He will be a solid player, but in no way a "steal." This is around where he should have been picked. He has the "soft" reputation as well as the "unmotivated' reputation. He has very little inside game and a solid perimeter game. He was a second rounder until shortly before the draft and then he was hyped into the late teens. He ended up getting picked at 24. That is no "steal." Lampe is clearly the steal of the draft (if the contract can be worked out).


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## allenive21 (Jul 28, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>HORNETSFAN</b>!
> What is with the "Cook a steal" thoughts? He will be a solid player, but in no way a "steal." This is around where he should have been picked. He has the "soft" reputation as well as the "unmotivated' reputation. He has very little inside game and a solid perimeter game.


Obviously you have never seen the Illini play. Cook has a very sweet turnaround that is almost unblockable with his long arms. Cook can also go left and right, unlike most big men. His "soft" reputation disappeared for his Senior year when he picked it up a notch because guys like Robert Archibald, Corey Bradford, and Frank Williams were all gone. Cook got most of his points from the inside and hit some big 3's. Cook's strength is his inside game, a lot of teams would double Cook everytime he touched the ball. Wonder why? He is mentally weak as in he doesn't have the natural instinct on the court. For example when the Illini would go down, Cook would go and hang around the perimeter and try to make a 3 or create his own shot. Obviously this can and will be fixed by the Lakers. Now you tell me why Cook has little inside game.


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## Amareca (Oct 21, 2002)

There are more reasons that Lampe dropped so far.

For example almost no athleticism. Seeing the clips of him actually made me think that the rumors that he can't dunk off of one foot are true.


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## bananas (Apr 20, 2003)

i fail to see how bell was a steal at 16. i understand that he will be a servicable player in the league, but how can you guys say he was a steal as a mid-first rounder. maybe in the early 2nd round i could call that a steal for his talent but definitely not in the middle of round 1.

sofoklis schortsanitis is not going to be a star in this league and was not a steal even at early second round. in the right situation he could become a decent starter, however not on the clippers. i would've liked to see the lakers take him the previous pick. he is the perfect fit for them - a big body in the paint that can defend and rebound. and that is all he will do in this league, defend and rebound. i don't see him developing with this clippers. they have wilcox and ely at the four already and he definitely won't get playing time over either of them (i think wilcox will be an all star down the road and ely a very productive big man).

my steals of the draft are carlos delfino (det), leandrinho barbosa (pho), maciej lampe (ny) and andreas glyniadakis (det).

i'll start with the two detroit picks. from the information i've read, delfino is a ginobili caliber talent and plays the same style as emmanu. delfino, at 20, has a very strong body and is very tough at 6'7. his primary positions are the two and three, but he can play point in limited minutes (not sure if he'll ever even play spot minutes at pg in the nba). carlos is known for his great one on one defense and can defend one-three positions. offensively he is not as skilled as ginobili yet. he doesnt have the quickness of emmanu, but their overall athelticism is similar. delfino is the better shooter of the two and like emmanu, he can create for himself as well as other players though i give the edge to ginobili as far as driving through the paint and distributing. also remember that delfino is only 20, while ginobili is 26. whether carlos plays in the league next year and can provide a spark off the bench at the 2/3 spot or stay overseas and gets heavy minutes and develop his game further, both options are positives for him and detroit.

as far as andreas goes, i knew nothing about him before the draft. but ronzone (the pistons scouting guru) along with ford (from espn) have both claimed that he was a big time steal for the last pick in the draft. he is a legit 7 footer with a big body and has the skills/mind set to bang in the nba in acouple years. he'll definitely stay overseas next year (ie. like okur did 2 years back) and develop his offensive game. supposedly if he entered the draft next year he would have been a lottery pick (just like okur who was a steal in the second round in 01'). if he can come contribute in 04/05' season for even 15 min a game he'll be a steal as the last pick in this years draft.

barbosa is a basketball player, i understand that he dropped due to his lack of communication without being able to speak english. and his position requires great communicative skills with the other players on the court. he already has the skills and body and talent to be a starter in the league. all barbosa needs now is time, to adapt to his new home, the life of a nba player, and learning english. he won't be hurried along to develop due to being behind an allstar point in marbury but give him two years behind stephan and he'll make an excellent 3rd guard for the suns. he has exceptional footspeed and overall quickness to progress into a gary payton caliber defender - will he make it that far is another question, but the potential is there. like i said, two years down the road, once he has worked on his jump shot (which is marion-esque akward) and communication he'll be a solid player.

we all know lampe is a very skilled big man, on offense atleast. and we all know now that he isn't as mobile as scouts/reporters made him out to be the past 6 months. but the skills are there, he can put it in the basket from outside and inside. in addition, the old cliche you can't teach size and lampe is 18 years old and an approximate 7' footer. offensively, a rik smits comparison isn't far off imo, same could be said for defense (read: a poor defender). though lampe is on bad terms with his team overseas and is under contract with real madrid for a long time. whether he has enough money to get out of that contract (the knicks could possibly sign him to a larger deal if they like him and he could pay it off, i think? since he is a second rounder) and when will he be able to play in the league. contributing is another question, he needs to get stronger like most draftees and will have to adapt to those physical beasts at his position of power forward. but there is no doubt in my mind, if lampe ever gets to the league, that he can become a solid #3 possibly #2 scoring option on a team.

of course, i am a little biased towards detroit since i am from there and am a fan of the pistons. but add in darko and they had the best big man along with two steals later.


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