NBA Draft Grades Are Grossly Overrated, and Here Are Some Grades From 2003 as an Example
By Jason McIntyre
Now, onto Ford’s 2003 NBA draft grades:
"Detroit Pistons Round 1: Darko Milicic, F, Serbia-Montenegro (No. 2) Round 1: Carlos Delfino, G, Italy (No. 25) Round 2: Andres Gliniadakis, C, Greece (No. 58) How many teams with the best record in their conference end up with the best big man in the draft and a draft-night steal in Carlos Delfino? By now, you know about Darko, but Delfino will also be important down the road. He’s tough, a strong shooter and plays aggressive defense. He reminds me a lot of Michael Finley. He could play an immediate role on the Pistons if he stays here next year. Gliniadakis was a nice pickup at the end of the draft. He’s a 7-footer who can actually play. The Pistons will leave him in Greece for a few years and bring him over when he’s ready. Grade: A+"
If grading this draft now, it’d have to be an F. Darko and Delfino are still in the league, but neither is very productive (and neither is with Detroit). The comparison of Delfino to Finley has proven to be laughable. Gliniadakis had an NBA career that consisted of 13 games.
"Golden State Warriors Round 1: Mickael Pietrus, G, France (No. 11) Round 2: Derrick Zimmerman, G, Mississippi St. (No. 40) I like the Pietrus pick; he was the best guy left on the board. But where does he fit? Typical Warriors. With Jason Richardson, Jiri Welsh and Mike Dunleavy already swinging between the two and three, where does Pietrus find minutes? Zimmerman was a solid second-round pick. Grade: B-"
I like Pietrus, though he has struggled to become even a role player in the NBA. The assertion that he was the “best guy left on the board” is a farce. Players that were taken after him: David West, Boris Diaw, Kendrick Perkins, Leandro Barbosa, Josh Howard, Mo Williams, Kyle Korver.
"New York Knicks Round 1: Mike Sweetney, F, Georgetown (No. 9) Round 2: Maciej Lampe, F, Poland (No. 30) Round 2: Slavko Vranes, F, Serbia-Montenegro (No. 39) Drafting Sweetney, another undersized power forward on a team filled with them gets a C, even if we do like the Georgetown product. But landing the other guy you thought about taking at No. 9, Maciej Lampe, was a huge draft steal. I’ve seen Lampe play enough to know that his slide wasn’t warranted. Lots of teams dropped the ball on him. If he can work out his contract issues with Real Madrid, he’ll make Knicks fans happy. Slavko Vranes, at 7-foot-6, is the perfect round two gamble. Grade: A-"
Sweetney ate his way out of the league, and Lampe was anything but a steal. He was a summer-league standout who the Knicks traded before the following season even began. He accomplished dick in the NBA, scoring a total of 215 points.
"Orlando Magic Round 1: Reece Gaines, G, Louisville (No. 15) Round 2: Zaur Pachulia, F, Turkey (No. 42) Round 2: Keith Bogans, G, Kentucky (No. 43) Deals: Acquired Bogans from Milwaukee for cash considerations. This is the best draft the Magic have had in years. … Grade: A"
Not quite. The Magic bottomed out after this draft, winning 21 games the next season, which worked out well, actually … it resulted in Dwight Howard. Gaines was a bust. Zaza never played in Orlando but turned into a decent backup (prone to thuggery) with the Hawks. Bogans is a decent role player, but if you’re grading this draft, at best it’s a D, considering none of the players did squat with Orlando.
"Miami Heat Round 1: Dwyane Wade, G, Marquette (No. 5) Round 2: Jerome Beasley, C, North Dakota (No. 33) It’s tough to criticize Pat Riley for passing on Lampe when 24 other teams did the same thing. Wade was the most ready to contribute now, and that was important to Riley. He should be able to step in right away and play together with Eddie Jones. The only knock on the pick is that Wade won’t give them much-needed perimeter shooting. But his athleticism, defense and maturity make up for that. Beasley is a great second-round pick. He’ll have to work harder than he’s ever worked to play with Riley, but that effort could turn him into the steal of the second round. Grade: A-"
Beasley was cut after two games with the Heat, and never returned to the NBA. Wade obviously was a great pick, but the “tough to criticize Pat Riley for passing on Lampe” line might be the worst in Ford’s entire post-draft recap.
A word to the wise – if a friend points you to the effusive praise for foreign players who were drafted Thursday night, just forward them Chad Ford’s 2003 draft grades.