Cs Choose Acie Earl over Cassell

[gocelts]

Keep in mind this was WAY before the internet, and the only college games you could watch. were the "big ones". This was also at a time when it was pretty tough to pinpoint value outside of the top 8...so when we drafted Acie I was extatic (for the record i wanted Van Exel)...I couldnt believe we got an awsome center out of that draft and a the same time Philly was gushing over Shawn Freak of nature Bradley that year, so in reality we realy didn't do THAT bad..it was such a BPA and need pick at the time. Now clearly the pick turned out to be crap and C brass pretty much gave up on him anyway the next year with Montrose, but all and all it wasnt THAT bad.

That pick definetly goes down as the biggest flop I was the most excited about...more so than Gerald or Mercer.

[GreenGrizz]

Acie Earl used to be a good college player. I thought it was not a bad pick for #18. We didn't need guards that time.

[7seventynine9]

didnt he drop like 46 on the Celtics?

[tombattor]

Keep in mind this was WAY before the internet, and the only college games you could watch. were the "big ones". This was also at a time when it was pretty tough to pinpoint value outside of the top 8...so when we drafted Acie I was extatic (for the record i wanted Van Exel)...I couldnt believe we got an awsome center out of that draft and a the same time Philly was gushing over Shawn Freak of nature Bradley that year, so in reality we realy didn't do THAT bad..it was such a BPA and need pick at the time. Now clearly the pick turned out to be crap and C brass pretty much gave up on him anyway the next year with Montrose, but all and all it wasnt THAT bad.

That pick definetly goes down as the biggest flop I was the most excited about...more so than Gerald or Mercer.

You are right on the money. I was pretty excited about Acie Earl and also for Montross because if he had come out the year Acie did, after winning the national title, he would have been a top 5 pick. I think we got him at 10 or something.

But those were the days before the zone defense in the NBA, so guys like Montross and Acie Earl were too slow for the NBA. I think they'd be better in today's NBA where they allow zone defense.

[theman]

For some reason I got a slight shock when I first read that title, GWVan!

Whew...

I'm shocked that Cassell was in the same draft as Acie Earl. Damn, he's old.

[floyd]

-= original quote snipped =-

But those were the days before the zone defense in the NBA, so guys like Montross and Acie Earl were too slow for the NBA. I think they'd be better in today's NBA where they allow zone defense.

I don't know man - seems to me that big slow guys are even more useless now than ever before.

[tombattor]

-= original quote snipped =-
I don't know man - seems to me that big slow guys are even more useless now than ever before.

You're probably right. I was just throwing it out there, since that's what made them good college players.

[sully00]

-= original quote snipped =-



How is this different than Danny drafting Gerald Green? Gerald was a consensus lottery pick who Danny never had in for a workout, and who got drafted on upside. Danny took Gerald over a whole host of better players, because (at least in part) of his "talent by reputation".

Because Danny had seen Gerald Green play ball, never mind friggin walk whether he had him in for a individual workout or not. Gerald Green looks like a basketball player and is plenty athletic he just hasn't developed into much of a ball player yet.

It wasn't like Earl didn't play 4 seasons in the Big 10 conference.

Ainge also took Green because he was a commodity, someone other teams wanted even on draft night. I guess we could debate whether guys that went after Green were better or not it is not a list of NBA starters. Essentially taking Green cost him one guy and sadly it was the guy he knew as well as anybody and that was Ellis.

Then again Acie Earl did score 50 points in a game.

[vct33]

To this day, the Acie Earl pick is the most disappointed I've ever been on draft day. I'm not talking about what came to be of Acie Earl. I'm talking about turning off my TV while I was watching the draft because I wanted to throw up. I was on vacation with a bunch my friends in Myrtle Beach. Two of us stayed in the hotel to watch the draft that night (while the others went out to chase some tail. ) I wanted to jump off the balcony when they announced the pick.

This feeling of disgust was nearly matched the following year when we chose Eric Montross.

[tombattor]

To this day, the Acie Earl pick is the most disappointed I've ever been on draft day. I'm not talking about what came to be of Acie Earl. I'm talking about turning off my TV while I was watching the draft because I wanted to throw up. I was on vacation with a bunch my friends in Myrtle Beach. Two of us stayed in the hotel to watch the draft that night (while the others went out to chase some tail. ) I wanted to jump off the balcony when they announced the pick.

This feeling of disgust was nearly matched the following year when we chose Eric Montross.

Why? Because you wanted who else? Or is this a story from hindsight?

Neither worked out, but both players were highly-touted big time college players who filled our need.

[theman]

There is an old NBA adage that state "If you are going to make a mistake, make a BIG mistake."

[vct33]

-= original quote snipped =-


Why? Because you wanted who else? Or is this a story from hindsight?

Neither worked out, but both players were highly-touted big time college players who filled our need.

Didn't I just say that it wasn't hindsight? I was just never impressed with Acie Earl. Sometimes you can't explain it but you just know a guy doesn't have it. He just seemed like a lazy bum to me in college and I didn't think he had the mental game to compete in the NBA. Who did I want at the time? Well my first choice was probably never on our radar in the 1st round but I wanted Nick Van Exel. I knew that wasn't a possibility so while we were on the clock I was hoping for Chris Mills.

As for 1994, I didn't love anybody at 10 except Jalen Rose but I also would have been happy with Carlos Rogers. However, there were two guys that I knew I didn't want, Eric Montross and Yinka Dare. I hate the old "draft for need" strategy. Unless you're the defending champions, you freakin need to draft the best available player.

[tombattor]

-= original quote snipped =-
Didn't I just say that it wasn't hindsight? I was just never impressed with Acie Earl. Sometimes you can't explain it but you just know a guy doesn't have it. He just seemed like a lazy bum to me in college and I didn't think he had the mental game to compete in the NBA. Who did I want at the time? Well my first choice was probably never on our radar in the 1st round but I wanted Nick Van Exel. I knew that wasn't a possibility so while we were on the clock I was hoping for Chris Mills.

As for 1994, I didn't love anybody at 10 except Jalen Rose but I also would have been happy with Carlos Rogers. However, there were two guys that I knew I didn't want, Eric Montross and Yinka Dare. I hate the old "draft for need" strategy. Unless you're the defending champions, you freakin need to draft the best available player.

No, you didn't say it was hindsight. How can it be hindsight when you said you turned off the TV during the draft?

To be honest, I thought Yinka Dare might be a good pick too. Maybe you had some special scouting video and info I didn't have, but from watching college basketball, Yinka Dare and Montross looked like beasts and would fill our hole at center. I also wanted Carlos Rodgers because I thought he'd be a good shot blocker inside. But like you said, Jalen Rose probably would have been the best pick there.

[vct33]

-= original quote snipped =-


No, you didn't say it was hindsight. How can it be hindsight when you said you turned off the TV during the draft?

To be honest, I thought Yinka Dare might be a good pick too. Maybe you had some special scouting video and info I didn't have, but from watching college basketball, Yinka Dare and Montross looked like beasts and would fill our hole at center. I also wanted Carlos Rodgers because I thought he'd be a good shot blocker inside. But like you said, Jalen Rose probably would have been the best pick there.

I said that it wasn't hindsight. I don't have any special information. I just have intuitions about certain players. Sometimes it's guys that I think are being drafted way to high because of measurements and stats. Sometimes there are guys who I think are sliding way to far for the same reasons despite the fact that they can just play ball. Sometimes I'm way wrong but more often I'm way right. It's not even that I can make a judgment about every player. It's just certain players and only twice in the past 25 years has Boston taken the guys that I thought were just flat out misses. It just so happened to be in consecutive years.

In this past draft I had strong feelings about three guys. One guy I thought would be taken too high and be a bust and two that I thought would be taken too late and be nice surprises. The bust: Joakim Noah The surprises: Jared Dudley and Glen Davis. Believe me I was thrilled to get Davis in the 2nd round.

[RoyHobbs]

I was a big fan of the Acie Earl pick at the time.

I hated the Montross selection, though; I wanted Jalen Rose. Of course, that one turned out okay for us, as we traded Montross and the rights to Samaki Walker for the rights to Antoine Walker and a #1 pick the following year (sixth overall, used on Ron Mercer).