Q12543 wrote:Thabeet is a reminder that a franchise can royally screw up the draft and still be successful. Other than Conley, who amongst their core players was one of their draft picks? Gasol, Randolph, Allen, and Lee all came via trade or free agency. And they aren't even close to being a "major market" team!
And don't forget in 2008, Memphis traded us Love and Mike Miller (and Brian Cardinal who was pretty decent for us!) for Mayo AND they took on Jaric and his terrible contract!
If that trade had been reversed, most of the guys on the board would still be ragging on McHale and saying that's why we've been a bad team for the last 7 years!
And what has Memphis done since? Win. What have we done? Lose, point fingers, and bitch about it. Ok, maybe that's a little harsh, but it feels like it sometimes on this board. :)
The Wolves had to give up Antoine Walker in that deal though. That set the franchise back years.
Remember also that Memphis dumped Gay (another high pick) for Prince and some other players. Conely is the only high pick they actually picked that still on their roster correct?
monsterpile wrote:Remember also that Memphis dumped Gay (another high pick) for Prince and some other players. Conely is the only high pick they actually picked that still on their roster correct?
Carlos Danger wrote:Does anyone remember the circumstances of why we traded Ty Lawson? I don't remember if that was a prearranged trade (we picked him for another team). If only we had kept him and traded Flynn to Denver instead...
I think it was pre-arranged. Drew and I were on the Lawson bandwagon that year and it amazed me he went so low, all because of his age and height. The season prior at UNC was historic in terms of his efficiency and assist/TO ratio. He really should have been a top 8 pick.
Carlos Danger wrote:Does anyone remember the circumstances of why we traded Ty Lawson? I don't remember if that was a prearranged trade (we picked him for another team). If only we had kept him and traded Flynn to Denver instead...
I think it was pre-arranged. Drew and I were on the Lawson bandwagon that year and it amazed me he went so low, all because of his age and height. The season prior at UNC was historic in terms of his efficiency and assist/TO ratio. He really should have been a top 8 pick.
I was in on Lawson too. He came back for one more season in college and was terrific.
I said at the time that draft was loaded with PG talent just pick some PGs out of a hat and you might get some good players. I was right all the guys sans Flynn have had some degree of success and Patty Mills late in the 2nd round has been good too. The other PG that has ended up being disappointing based on his draft spot is Tyreke Evans but I was never convinced he was a PG but regardless he isn't a star and it's really weird after he really blew up his rookie year.
I will add that trading the #18 for a future pick wasn't such a bad deal since we still had another 1st rounder to go which we used on Ellington which I really loved that pick at the time. That draft was poorly executed and we had some bad luck with Flynn but you look at some of the players from that draft and you see how a te can rebuild quickly if they make some of the right decisions while avoiding poor ones. I hope that's us for once.
Q12543 wrote:Thabeet is a reminder that a franchise can royally screw up the draft and still be successful. Other than Conley, who amongst their core players was one of their draft picks? Gasol, Randolph, Allen, and Lee all came via trade or free agency. And they aren't even close to being a "major market" team!
And don't forget in 2008, Memphis traded us Love and Mike Miller (and Brian Cardinal who was pretty decent for us!) for Mayo AND they took on Jaric and his terrible contract!
If that trade had been reversed, most of the guys on the board would still be ragging on McHale and saying that's why we've been a bad team for the last 7 years!
And what has Memphis done since? Win. What have we done? Lose, point fingers, and bitch about it. Ok, maybe that's a little harsh, but it feels like it sometimes on this board. :)
The Wolves had to give up Antoine Walker in that deal though. That set the franchise back years.
Oh my God WHY DID YOU MENTION THAT?! You've just triggered my depression over that tragic loss of talent. No one could shimmy like that guy.
Walker really could have been a good player. In fact, he was... sorta. Obviously, he could have been better.
He was a knucklehead. I remember reading about Antoine Walker's comeback just a year or two ago. 40 pounds overweight while fighting for one more reclamation payday, this is what the reporter saw when he showed up for the interview...
"The air is thick with the smell of smoke. The blinds are drawn. A lighter sits on the coffee table, next to a giant jug of Crystal Geyser water. Unlit incense sticks are nearby. On the TV a game of NBA 2K12 is paused in the second quarter--the Pacers versus the Spurs. There is a large box of Cheez-Its on the floor and bagged-up cartons of Kentucky Fried Chicken in the corner. Boxes of Corn Pops and Cap'n Crunch line the top of the refrigerator.
In five hours Walker will take the court for the Idaho Stampede of the NBA's Developmental League."
[Note: I still can't believe the 2006 Heat won a title with Walker and Williams in such important roles. It's the most unlikely title since... maybe what's happening before our eyes this season.]
Q12543 wrote:Thabeet is a reminder that a franchise can royally screw up the draft and still be successful. Other than Conley, who amongst their core players was one of their draft picks? Gasol, Randolph, Allen, and Lee all came via trade or free agency. And they aren't even close to being a "major market" team!
And don't forget in 2008, Memphis traded us Love and Mike Miller (and Brian Cardinal who was pretty decent for us!) for Mayo AND they took on Jaric and his terrible contract!
If that trade had been reversed, most of the guys on the board would still be ragging on McHale and saying that's why we've been a bad team for the last 7 years!
And what has Memphis done since? Win. What have we done? Lose, point fingers, and bitch about it. Ok, maybe that's a little harsh, but it feels like it sometimes on this board. :)
The Wolves had to give up Antoine Walker in that deal though. That set the franchise back years.
Oh my God WHY DID YOU MENTION THAT?! You've just triggered my depression over that tragic loss of talent. No one could shimmy like that guy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uwsbJa9QyKo
We didn't give up Antoine we gave up Fatoine. It's debateable which of those guys means you gave up more of in a trade. Lol
Looking back (and even at the time) Flynn definitely wasn't the right pick but I still wonder what type of player he could have been. He actually didn't have a completely terrible rookie season, and showed flashes from time to time. That injury really set him back. He was an incredibly gifted athlete and relied on his athleticism but post injury he wasn't nearly the same.
The Rage Monster wrote:Looking back (and even at the time) Flynn definitely wasn't the right pick but I still wonder what type of player he could have been. He actually didn't have a completely terrible rookie season, and showed flashes from time to time. That injury really set him back. He was an incredibly gifted athlete and relied on his athleticism but post injury he wasn't nearly the same.
I agree. I think he would have been even better his rookie year if he was allowed to run the pnr. Playing in the triangle hurt him more then anyone. Hiring Rambis was a big mistake and the Triangle has not been proven to work without top 10 talent on the team.
