※ [本文轉錄自 UTAH-JAZZ 看板] 作者: RonnieBrewer (Reverse Layup) 看板: UTAH-JAZZ 標題: Diamonds are Forever 時間: Fri Sep 7 00:44:37 2007 Jun 26, 2007 / 3:41 pm Diamonds are Forever By Kyle Henry The people who make decisions for your favorite NBA team are really no different from the rest of us: we all think we're geniuses, and we're always looking for ways to prove it. Come NBA Draft time, while every team would like for can't-miss prospects like Greg Oden and Kevin Durant to just fall in their laps, they're also on the hunt to score big with an unheralded player no one else was looking at. As much as such players help the team in the win-loss column, they also give the decision-makers who "discovered" them a shiny nugget to put on their resume. This year, look out for guys like Quinton Hosley (Fresno State), Morris Almond (Rice) and Gabe Pruitt (USC) to fit the bill. And here are some of the League's most recent diamonds in the rough … Kobe Bryant, No. 13 to Charlotte [traded to the Lakers] (1996) Even though Kobe was a Lottery pick in a very deep draft ─ maybe the greatest class of all-time ─ in retrospect it's crazy to think the League's best player saw 12 guys picked ahead of him. You can't really blame the teams who passed on Kobe (except for the Warriors inexplicably taking Todd Fuller at No. 11), because at the time everyone was unsure how high school players would pan out, but Hornets fans still have to feel sick that all they got for Kobe was Vlade Divac. Steve Nash, No. 15 to Phoenix (1996) Of course he got the obvious John Stockton/Mark Price comparisons coming out of college, but no one could have foreseen Nash being a two-time MVP and future Hall of Famer. Gilbert Arenas, No. 31 to Golden State (2001) The poster child for draft-day vendettas, Hibachi took his second-round selection and used it to terrorize the teams that passed on him. After two years of training with the Warriors, Arenas has blossomed into one of the League's deadliest scorers with the Wizards. And to think, guys like Joe Forte and Brandon Armstrong went in front of him. Josh Howard, No. 29 to Dallas (2003) How does a guy who wins ACC Player of the Year still reach "diamond in the rough" status? For whatever reason, 28 teams weren't convinced Jos's game was translate to the pros and the Mavs lucked out. Now he"s the second-best (and some would say the best) player on the Mavs and an All-Star. Carlos Boozer, No. 35 to Cleveland (2002) Again, it's hard to think of a guy who won a national title at Duke being a diamond in the rough, but questions about Boozer's size at the four position kept him out of the first round. After watching Dan Gadzuric, Roger Mason, Casey Jacobsen and Steve Logan go ahead of him, Cleveland took a chance on Booze and now Utah is reaping the benefits. Rashard Lewis, No. 32 to Seattle (1998) Everyone remembers Lewis crying when he was the last guy left in the green room, on the verge of becoming another cautionary tale to kids thinking of entering the NBA out of high school. But Rashard has grown into an All-Star, playing Hutch to Ray Allen's Starsky while averaging 22 points and six boards this past season. As one of the most sought-after free agents of '07, he's about to cash in. Michael Redd, No. 43 to Milwaukee (2000) Redd wasn't even considered the best player on his team at Ohio State (that would be Scoonie Penn), so no one thought much of it when he fell into the second round of the draft. After playing behind Ray Allen initially, Redd became a consistent 20-point scorer and is now one of the League's premier shooters. Tony Parker, No. 28 to San Antonio (2001) At the time, the knock on the 19-year-old Parker was that he couldn't shoot and at times played out of control. Three rings and one Finals MVP later, TP has made those who picked Jeryl Sasser and Michael Bradley in front of him look foolish. Manu Ginobili, No. 57 to San Antonio (1999) If you're going by the highest standard of all ─ winning ─ Ginobili completes the game's best backcourt with Parker. Despite being a huge superstar in Italy, the native of Argentina fell all the way to the second-to-last pick of the '99 draft. If the NBA held a do-over, he might be a Top 5 pick in a loaded draft that featured Elton Brand, Shawn Marion, Rip Hamilton, Baron Davis, Lamar Odom, Ron Artest, Andrei Kirilenko and Jason Terry. Best of the Rest David Lee, No. 30 to New York (2005) Monta Ellis, No. 40 to Golden State (2005) Leandro Barbosa, No. 28 to Phoenix (2003) Mo Williams, No. 47 to Utah (2003) Rafer Alston, No. 39 to Milwaukee (1998) Stephen Jackson, No. 43 to Phoenix (1997) http://dimemag.com/2007/06/26/diamonds-are-forever/ --

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