From Deseret News archives:
Bucks couldn't pass on big man in the middle
Utah's Bogut headed to uncertain future as No. 1 pick overall
Nobody ever knows for sure.
Such No. 1 overall draft picks as Kwame Brown, Michael Olowokandi and Joe Smith in the last 10 years establish the truth of that disclaimer
There's simply no such thing as a can't-miss pick.
With that out of the way, here's a quick analysis of this year's draft:
As expected, the Bucks couldn't pass up a chance to get a dominant player in the middle and chose Utah's Andrew Bogut. ESPN "experts" Stephen A. Smith and Greg Anthony both expressed the opinion that Bogut won't be enough to get the Bucks to the playoffs, but they're forgetting that in the Eastern Conference, it doesn't take that much to reach the postseason. Bogut will tally some double-doubles this season, but a Bucks resurgence also presumes they will be able to hire a coach who can coach and hang on to Michael Redd.
The Jazz obviously think they scored big in this draft, getting Illinois' Deron Williams. It's a good place for Williams to land, too, because the Jazz have a good track record for developing point guards.
The Jazz's pick left the next-best point guard in the draft, Wake Forest's Chris Paul, to go to the Hornets at No. 4. New Orleans desperately needed a point guard since the departure of Baron Davis, but he'll be facing an uphill battle. Unlike the Jazz, which has some talented offensive players to make Williams look good, the Hornets aren't a well-stocked franchise at this point.
Another Tar Heel, Raymond Felton, was a good pick for Charlotte at No. 5. The word on Felton is that he's a shoot-first, pass-later type point guard who will need two or three seasons in the NBA to develop. But in their second season the Bobcats aren't going anywhere soon, and Felton can develop right along with the franchise.
Comments
- Kirilenko will not play tonight 2:37 a.m.
- Dry spell dooms UVU 2:32 a.m.
- Griffins cruise by St. Thomas 2:32 a.m.
- WSU wins conference road opener 2:30 a.m.
- Oden hurt, done for season? 12:56 a.m.
- USU home-court streak ends 12:55 a.m.
- USU names field after Merlin Olsen 12:52 a.m.
- Utes stop Idaho State 12:51 a.m.
- Y., U. to learn bowl destinations 12:49 a.m.
- Utes' team staying well-tuned 12:48 a.m.
- Why is Y. ignoring spew of hatred?
309 - Letters: Liberal because LDS
247 - Y. profs: Beck not all-knowing
195 - Hate not limited to 1 in-state rivalry
189 - Aggies shoot past Cougars
179 - N.Y. Senate rejects gay marriage
128 - Unbeaten BYU takes trip to Logan
105 - George lost in rivalry hatefest
104 - Harpring's NBA career is over
94 - Ed Smart 'appalled' at testimony
90
I got some e-mail from Aggie fans regarding a column I wrote last week...
We'll be watching the AGGIES in the NIT. At least BYU will BE in the NCAA....
You're right, the REFs don't care...they laugh when they leave the...
Las Vegas- Wyoming v USC Poinsettia- Air Force v Cal Armed Forces- Utah v....
Just another mental lapse. This is the NBA, this isn't a regular high school...
T-Buck, ESPN's box has CJ Miles shooting 3-for-10. Not a great deal of...
Tiger Woods used the media build up and sponsorship $$$ to attract...
Hey fellow Aggies, quit whining. We lost to the better team tonight. BYU...
I am glad the Cougars won this one too. What was the score with AZ...
More Maynor, 10 min. of Fes, we get the win. Since Jerry's extension, Fes...
Ivan--thank you buddy. It's always good to get the input of a BYU fine...


You can be the first to comment on this story.