Post#15 » by Pogue Mahone » Sun Feb 24, 2008 8:27 pm
Boston had a three year window to use the pick: 2000-2002.
After foregoing the pick in 2000, 10th overall (Keyon Dooling), Boston either had to use the pick in 2001, 11th overall or roll the dice and hope that 2002 was a better pick but not in the top-5.
In 2000, outside of top-9 (as stated they would have been picking 10th if they conveyed the Nuggets pick), there really wasn't a lot of choose from, draft-wise.
Sure, Hedo Turkoglu, Desmond Mason, Q-Bitch, Jamaal Magloire, Mo Pete and Speedy Claxton would have still been on the board. Do you really think any of those players, at the time of the draft, especially, was considered top-10 material?
Magloire when then already had Potapenko?
Mo Pete, Mason, Q-Bitch and Turkoglu when they already had Paul Pierce?
Claxton or Mateen Cleaves when they had Anderson?
Keep in mind, as well, that Pitino was still calling the shots for all intents and purposes.
So they rolled the dice, hoping in the stronger 2001 draft that the pick was higher. It actually fell a spot to 11th, overall but in a stronger draft. I think it was a smart decision.
Now if you want to argue that Kedrick Brown was a bad pick, go right ahead ( I actually think it was a good pick but that is for another thread.) The choice to take the 11th pick in the draft, with only one year remaining before the pick expired combined with the possibility that the pick would be a top-5 and they would lose the pick entirely--- well, I would have enacted the pick the same way that Wallace did.
If they didn't use the pick in 2001 and attempted to let it roll over to 2002, they would have lost the pick entirely.