Spurs versus Suns draft comparisons

[95pro]

Good points but just about every pick outside the top 3 are considered huge crap shoots compared to a consensus #1 pick in Duncan. I don't think the draft choices are really comparable. So, picking Duncan probably wasn't "savvy" but you do have to evaluate who is left on the board after #3 and do some pretty good scouting to try and find the diamond in the rough.

By the way, I don't think Dan fell in love with the 3 point late in his career. I think he evolved into that type of player out of necessity. He couldn't jump or move the way he wanted to offensively late in his career.

Agreed.

Wasn't his knee giving him trouble at some point?

 

[Phrazbit]

I get what you mean, but I don't think I'd agree. Some mocks had Stoudemire still on the board at #9, and others had him already gone. So the Suns' "brilliance" was that other people passed on him, and they snapped him up. The Suns capitalized on the blunders committed by the teams who picked the likes of Tskitishvili (Denver) and Dajuan Wagner (Cleveland) ahead of Stoudemire, but that's more being in the right place in the right time than having real insight.

More impressive picks are when you reach for someone who isn't on the radar and he turns out to be a star. For example, the Dan Majerle pick was famously booed, but he was a real find there, a very effective two-way player until he fell in love with the three-point shot later in his career.

Some had him gone, but a lot had Jefferies and Ely going ahead of him, I remember the prevailing thought seemed to be that Jefferies was going to our pick if he was still available for us.

So, its not like they stumbled into him after everyone else was gone. They also said (and I realize teams say this all the time) that Amare was #1 on their board.

It was a phenomenal pick. And the Suns demonstrated their faith in him by giving him serious minutes right off the bat. There are probably only a handful of guys who received comparable minutes straight out of high school.

 

[elindholm]

Some had him gone, but a lot had Jefferies and Ely going ahead of him, I remember the prevailing thought seemed to be that Jefferies was going to our pick if he was still available for us.

True, I remember that also, so it was an effective smokescreen by the Suns. In fact, it was so effective that, to this day, David Aldridge continues to insist that Jeffries will have the better career when all is said and done.

 

[Mainstreet]

My recollection is Jerry Colangelo had two interviews with Amare Stoudemire before the draft. If he fell to #9, the Suns were going to select him. JC gave his blessing on this pick based upon those personal interviews. If he had doubts about Amare, those interviews dispelled any questions. I do believe there was a smokescreen the Suns put up.