Looking ahead to the NBA draft

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June 11, 5:04 PM

by Erin Hickey, Denver Sports Examiner

 

 

Hindsight is 20/20....

As the sting of another failed playoff run fades, Nuggets fans finally have something to look forward to with enthusiasm and hopefulness... the NBA draft (June 26, 2008). Of course, it can also be a rather nerve-racking event given the team's less-than-exemplary draft performances in recent years. Here's a recap of the Nuggets' first picks since 2000. How many of these guys have you heard from since?

2000 - Mamadou N'Diaye, 26th overall pick (the Nuggets traded their 10th pick to Orlando). Players still available included Marko Jaric and Michael Redd, but otherwise, it was an appallingly weak draft. In fact, Sports Illustrated rated the entire first round class as the sixth biggest draft bust of the modern era. Ouch.
2001 - Ousmane Cisse, 47th pick (the Nuggets traded their 11th pick to Boston). Players still available included... practically no one. But if the Nuggs would've held on to their 11th pick, they could have nabbed Richard Jefferson, Tony Parker, Gilbert Arenas or Mehmet Okur.
2002 - Nikoloz Tskitishvili, fifth pick!!! Players still available included Amare Stoudemire, Caron Butler, Tayshaun Prince and Carlos Boozer. I'm not sure if anyone got fired over this pick but they should have. The Nuggs are still hurting from this one.
2003 - Carmelo Anthony, third pick. It would have been hard to screw up this draft... it was one of the most talented in NBA history. Well done.
2004 - Jameer Nelson, 20th pick (traded to Orlando). Players still available included Sasha Vujacic and Kevin Martin. Meh... not much to harp on here.
2005 - Julius Hodge, 20th pick. Career stats: 1.2 points and 4.2 minutes per game.
2006 - Leon Powe, 49th pick (traded to Boston).
2007 - No picks... they spent them on Allen Iverson the year before.

Clearly, the Nuggs are due for a good draft. Assuming they hang on to their 20th overall pick, they could have a shot at a number of solid players, including:
- Ty Lawson, the speedy PG from North Carolina who would fit right in with the Nuggs running game. Unfortunately, he's Lilliputian in stature and lacks a good shooting stroke. Still, he seems to be the consensus pick according to most mock drafts and he just recently visited the Pepsi Center for a workout.
- Robin Lopez, the seven-footer from Stanford who could fill the gap if Camby is traded. Plus, if the Nuggets take him, Utah and Houston can't.
- JaVale McGee, the seven-foot sophomore from Nevada who has lots of talent but may need some time to develop.
- Other players expected to be available near the 20th pick, including: Roy Hibbert (C, Georgetown); Mario Chalmers (PG, Kansas); Chase Budinger (SG, Arizona).

Then there's the possibility of trading up a few spots... maybe even into the top 10 if they can find a taker for Camby or perhaps Kenyon ;-) (I'm free to dream, aren't I?). But absent the chance of snatching up Rose or Beasley, I'm not sure that would be a wise move for the Nuggets. Of course, they've proven their knack for making silly draft moves over the years, so there's no telling what might happen.

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