The 2014 NBA Mock Draft

What an interesting last couple of weeks to lead into the 2014 NBA Draft. Contract opt outs, prospects injured, prospects retiring, prospects signing with European teams. All of these things have added interesting components to a draft that is honestly just as wide open as last year's, when a seemingly unknown Anthony Bennett was the top overall pick.

Biggest difference? This year is more talented and talented deep.

But those changes have made the draft different. Joel Embiid's injury changed the top 3 and quite possibly the first overall pick. Dario Saric's new European contract changed the top 10. Isaiah Austin's retirement changed the first round. The contract opt outs of Carmelo Anthony and LeBron James will have effects on the league, and therefore the draft, that remain unknown. But what we do know is that they will have an impact on this draft.

So without further pause, after weeks of redrafts, here is the official In All Directions 2014 NBA Mock Draft:

1. Cleveland Cavaliers: Jabari Parker - Duke
Why?: I think the exit of Embiid makes this one a no brainer. Parker fills far more of a need for Cleveland* (yes, that is an asterik) than Andrew Wiggins does. Should the Cavs keep this pick, Parker will slide nicely into the starting rotation. With Tristan Thompson in the middle and Kyrie Irving and Dion Waiters at the guard sports, the implementation of Parker as a power forward allows Luol Deng to move down the the 3-spot and give Cleveland a dangerous starting five.

*And here is the asterik: Absolutely the best trade package I have seen rumored so far would be Cleveland sending this pick and Jarrett Jack to Utah for No. 5, Derrick Favors, Alec Burks and possibly the 23rd pick. If this trade is on the table, I absolutely see it being made. My choice for #1 overall stays, but I believe that this is Utah's pick or at least being made for Utah. Parker, a mormon, would be an amazing poster child with the Jazz where he and Trey Burke could be this era's answer to Stockton and Malone for the Jazz.

2. Milwaukee Bucks: Joel Embiid - Kansas
Why?: I do not think a team takes long to gamble. Wiggins is basically another OJ Mayo and Exum is not needed when you have Brandon Knight and Ramon Sessions at the point. In fact, while I have seen a lot of draft boards with Exum here, it would be a downright stupid choice unless they move one of the other two point guards, specifically Brandon Knight. They have talent inside, but it is still one of the areas with less talent overall, so they will take the gamble on Embiid and hope that he heals quickly and well. I think its a bad move for anyone to make this pick in the top 10 and potentially in the lottery. I, if I were a GM, wouldn't take him in the first round. Yes, he has talent. But we've seen this story end before (Greg Oden?) and I don't see it worth the pick. However, I think the Bucks will see it or at least try to.

3. Philadelphia 76ers: Andrew Wiggins - Kansas
Why?: Philly has coveted Wiggins all along and I absolutely think he falls to them here no matter who goes #2 overall (unless there are trades in the top 2). Philadelphia needs all of the help they can get and plenty of draft picks to make that happen. Taking Wiggins is the best option, even if they weren't in love with him. He can be a dynamic scorer and will play well off of Michael Carter-Williams.

4. Orlando Magic: Dante Exum - Australia
Why?: When Embiid went down, Orlando cried. All of them. But I still think they also get their guy here in Exum. Jameer Nelson's time has ended and Exum completes a solid starting lineup and will create insane mismatches because of his length. It also frees Victor Oladipo up to stay strong at a natural 2-guard spot.

5. Utah Jazz: Julius Randle - Kentucky*
Why?: Whether this pick is for Utah (or as I suspect for Cleveland) they both covet a small forward. Unfortunately there is a bit of a drop off between the top guys who can play that spot (Parker and Wiggins) and the next highest rated one (probably Doug McDermott). So instead, you have to take the next best option, which is Randle, who is also a guy who can play a little swing forward or play natural power forward to free up Luol Deng (Cleveland) or Marvin Williams (Utah) to play their natural small forward position.

6: Boston Celtics: Aaron Gordon - Arizona
Why?: I'd love for Boston to get Randle, but even if he is available, they seem to have a love affair with Gordon. They see him as a Kevin Garnett-like big man who can move and scorer off the dribble. They better hope they are right.

7. Los Angeles Lakers: Marcus Smart - Oklahoma State
Why?: The Lakers need to pull the trigger on rumored trade to sent Steve Nash to the 76ers for draft picks. It gets them options and prospects and frees up the point guard position where change is needed. Smart can feed the ball to Kobe when he's healthy and be a score-first guy when Kobe isn't.

8. Sacramento Kings: Noah Vonleh - Indiana
Why?: About the only hole in the Kings lineup is at power forward. If they get Vonleh and he pans out, they should be a playoff team out west with a bevvy of young talent. If they aren't, this pick will be the one that everyone comes back and looks at. After all, Vonleh couldn't help his college team even make the NCAA Tournament, so why wouldn't he be the one to blame?

9. Charlotte Hornets: Adreian Payne - Michigan State
Why?: Especially if Josh McRoberts blots, Charlotte should covet another big man more than anything in this draft and that could help Payne jump a lot because of Dario Saric's new contract which will keep him away from the NBA for at least two years, even if drafted. That loss to the draft could be Payne's gain with the new look Charlotte organization.

10. Philadelphia 76ers: Zach LaVine - UCLA

11. Denver Nuggets: Dario Saric - Croatia
Why?: This is the first team that probably can gamble on Saric. He fills a need when (and if) he comes, but they have a lot of talent still without him. They may not make the gamble, but honestly they are the first team to come up with a pick that could have that option.

12. Orlando Magic: Tyler Ennis - Syracuse

13. Minnesota Timberwolves: Rodney Hood - Duke
Why?: With the likelihood of Love's loss, you really need to fill his shoes as best possible with this pick, even if you get a good return for him. Hood can't fill Love's shoes, but he can put on his socks. He is a long swing forward who can rebound well and shoot the ball with good consistency.

14: Phoenix Suns: Doug McDermott - Creighton

15. Atlanta Hawks: Gary Harris - Michigan State

16. Chicago Bulls: Jusuf Nurkic - Bosnia

17. Boston Celtics: James Young - Kentucky

18. Phoenix Suns: Nik Stauskas - Michigan

19. Chicago Bulls: Glenn Robinson III - Michigan

20. Toronto Raptors: Shabazz Napier - UCONN

21. Oklahoma City Thunder: TJ Warren - North Carolina State

22. Memphis Grizzlies: Kyle Anderson - UCLA

23. Utah Jazz: Bogdan Bogdanovic - Serbia

24. Charlotte Hornets: Elfrid Payton - UL-Lafayette

25. Houston Rockets: KJ McDaniels - Clemson

26. Miami Heat: PJ Hairston - Texas Legends (D-League)

27. Phoenix Suns: Jordan Adams - UCLA

28. Los Angeles Clippers: Jerami Grant - Syracuse

29. Oklahoma City Thunder: Cleanthony Early - Witchita State

30. San Antonio Spurs: Mitch McGary - Michigan

Redrafting the 2005 NBA Draft

A guard heavy year overall, 2005 wasn’t a bad draft at all. While you see a significant drop off from the draft’s two best players (guards Chris Paul and Deron Williams) to the rest of the field, nobody was really too horrible in terms on lottery picks. There were guys that didn’t pan out, but the draft as a whole had a lot of guys even going late first round and in the second round who were sustainable and helpful. An easy argument could be made for who should be on this list between pick 10 and picks into the low 20’s as there is a lot of talent (i.e. Brandon Bass, Jason Maxiell, Ryan Gomes) who I did not make part of the top 15 of a redraft.

To show the depth, there were 24 undrafted players from 2005’s eligibility list that have gone on to play in the NBA at some point, including recognizable (to NBA fans) names like Will Bynum or Chuck Hayes.

Yet at the top stood two and that helps this draft’s stock in the history of drafts. Because both of those top players are likely headed some day to the Hall of Fame.

Pick 1: Milwaukee Bucks

Who they took: Andrew Bogut

Who they should have took: Chris Paul (4^th pick)

Why: This is a no brainer. CP3 is in a class of his own from this draft. Court vision, scoring aptitude, the way he runs the floor. In all of those areas, Paul looks more like NBA2K than reality. He’s a smooth scoring point who should be considered a top 10 player in today’s league. Thanks to time with the NBA-owned Hornets and the recent Clippers ownership debacles, he has been on his fair share of controversial rides, but has always come out cleaner on the other end. With a lot of time left on his career, he is a lifetime 18.6 ppg and 9.9 apg guy who has led the league in assists on three separate occasions.

Pick 2: Atlanta Hawks

Who they took: Marvin Williams

Who they should have took: Deron Williams (3^rd pick)

Why: Maybe not directly behind (but close to) Chris Paul in ranking the league’s point guards, Deron took a steady growth to the top of his game and then cashed in for a major payday. He developed in Utah and became one of the top young points in the league before cashing out and heading to New Jersey where he didn’t let up, posting a career high in assists per game in his first year as a Net. Atlanta made a critical mistake by missing out on Williams (and then Chris Paul too). They took Williams to help an inside game that didn’t need help. They had everything they needed in the ATL except a point guard (because Tyronn Lue and Royal Ivey weren’t getting it done, combining in the 2005-06 season for less points and less assists than four of their teammates). Williams would have taken Atlanta over the top and changed the trajectory of the organization immediately. And that isn’t easy.

Pick 3: Utah Jazz

Who they took: Deron Williams

Who they should have took: Raymond Felton (5^th pick)

Why: This may come as a shocking choice. And I will openly admit that I initially was thinking Felton at #4, but when you look at the needs in Utah, Andrew Bynum would have made no sense. Utah needed a solid swing guard and with Paul and Deron off the board, Felton would have had to have been the pick. Felton doesn’t have the flash of the other two and never has. But he has been consistent wherever he has gone, averaging below 10 ppg for the first time just this last season. He was what kept Charlotte afloat in his first five years in the league, maxing out at 14.4 ppg and 7.4 apg in his third year, while never missing more than four games in a season. Although he missed some time when he left for New York, he posted career highs in minutes (38.4), points (17.1) and assists (9). In a world where Mehmet Okur and Andrei Kirilenko were doing the heavy lifting, Felton would have been a more than adequate accessory point guard.

Pick 4: New Orleans Hornets

Who they took: Chris Paul

Who they should have took: Andrew Bynum (10^th pick)

Why: This is where you just bite the bullet. Although the Hornets also needed a guard, you have to just go ahead and take Bynum here and pray he stays healthy. Because a healthy Andrew Bynum (both physically and mentally) could possibly have been the best big man in the modern NBA. He struggled as a rookie, when he was the youngest person to ever play in a NBA game, but struck the next year, playing in all 82 games (which is nice since he’s played in 26 combined the last two years with three teams). In his final season as a Laker, he finally showed what he could do when (mostly) healthy, by averaging 8.7 ppg and 11.8 rpg while being an All-Star and an All-NBA 2^nd team selection. If you are New Orleans, you have to take this gamble and hope he doesn’t get hurt, because a Bynum/David West combo would have been very powerful even without adequate guard play.

Pick 5: Charlotte Bobcats

Who they took: Raymond Felton

Who they should have took: Danny Granger (17^th pick)

Why: Granger has become another sad tale of injury lately, but before he played 46 games in three years, he was a prolific scorer and considered amongst NBA elite. Just four seasons in and passed on by 16 teams; he posted back to back years of 24+ ppg. Charlotte needed that hallmark of consistency and Granger was that and more when healthy. With a scorer like him, maybe they wouldn’t have been held playoff less for so long and avoided being the laughing stock of the league.

Pick 6: Portland Trail Blazers

Who they took: Martell Webster

Who they should have took: David Lee (30^th pick)

Why: Portland was set in the guard position going into the 2005-06 season and Lee would have been a perfect second punch inside with a young Zach Randolph. Especially at this point in his career, David Lee was much more versatile and didn’t play as flat footed as his aging body does today. It would have afforded the Blazers cap space as well as they could have easily parted ways with Joel Przybilla to use the cheaper Lee in the same role.

Pick 7: Toronto Raptors

Who they took: Charlie Villanueva

Who they should have took: Monta Ellis (40^th pick)

Why: The only reason Ellis comes this low is because he is known to have a terrible attitude and has been some form of a cancer in many different places at many different times. His personality upside is limited, but his basketball upside is terrific. Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady were no longer options and the Raptors were flat out terrible. How they won as many games as they did is one of life’s great mysteries. The only help they had was a young Chris Bosh, who was still coming into his own and Villanueva scored over 1000 points strictly because they needed him to on a team where the go to guy was Mike James or Morris Peterson. And while Ellis did very little in his first year, this would have been an excellent pick to say “it can’t get any worse” and let him grow. In fact, he has averaged 10 or more points higher every single season than he did his rookie year, peaking with 25.5 ppg in his fifth year and even hitting 19 ppg last year, his 10^th in the league.

Pick 8: New York Knicks

Who they took: Channing Frye

Who they should have took: Andrew Bogut (1^st pick)

Why: Bogut shouldn’t have been the top pick, but that doesn’t mean he hasn’t had a valuable and productive NBA career, making an All-NBA team as recently as 2010 and leading the league in blocks in 2011. He has not had the scoring punch he did in college, but has been a strong defensive presence, averaging a block or more a game in all but two seasons and has never had a worse rebounding career than his first. With lifetime 11.6 ppg and 9.3 rpg marks, he won’t set the world on fire, but he has been an integral option in both Milwaukee and Golden State.

Pick 9: Golden State Warriors

Who they took: Ike Diogu

Who they should have took: Gerald Green (18^th pick)

Why: Green always has been the tail of about 14 different players. His only consistency has been his inconsistency. Since his drafting 9 years ago, he has been part of 8 different NBA teams, three foreign teams and three NBA Developmental League teams. But the fact is that when he is on, he can be explosive and not just as one of the game’s best dunkers. His game and mentality has adapted to the NBA level, something that the straight out of high school version didn’t have. He was skinny and cocky and brash and he dropped in the draft because of it. But years later, he has found a foot hold in Phoenix where he set career high marks in every significant statistical category but rebounds per game (and he was 0.1 off of that mark) and field goal percentage (though .445 isn’t shabby). If you are the Warriors, you pass on flame out Diogu and take the raw talent, hoping to make him mature earlier.

Pick 10: Los Angeles Lakers

Who they took: Andrew Bynum

Who they should have took: Marcin Gortat (57^th pick)

Why: Before the Lakers latched onto Pau Gasol, they were searching for any kind of big man. Kwame Brown, Chris Mihm, Ronny Turiaf. They thought (and kind of did) hit a jackpot (planned big, reality small) with Bynum. But with him gone, you go to the next strongest long term post. Gortat would be a steal today even though he didn’t play in the NBA for two full seasons after being drafted, instead staying with his German team. Though he doesn’t have the upside of Bynum, he also doesn’t have the downside of Bynum. By his second season in the league, he found his footing as a role player in Orlando. By the time the Lakers were running out of steam and the Heat was becoming the perennial favorites, Gortat was averaging over 15 ppg and 10 rpg in Phoenix. Imagine those numbers backing up what an older Gasol was lacking instead of relying on an emotionally unstable Bynum.

Pick 11: Orlando Magic

Who they took: Fran Vazquez

Who they should have took: Jarrett Jack (22^nd pick)

Why: Orlando was a great combination of young possible future stars and aging, but helpful veterans like Grant Hill and Stacey Augmon. It’s still odd that they didn’t break through at this point, but even more guard depth from Jack would have been great, especially when their actual pick still hasn’t played a NBA game. Jack could have backed up Deshawn Stevenson and bolstered the team by playing alongside point guards Steve Francis, Jameer Nelson and Keyon Dooling. An additional 6.7 ppg doesn’t seem like much, but the athleticism Jack brings to the game would have been a lot.

Pick 12: Los Angeles Clippers

Who they took: Yaroslav Korolev

Who they should have took: Nate Robinson (21^st pick)

Why: Because why not? Sadly, I think Robinson’s place in NBA history will be more of a circus act. And while his numbers fluctuate, this is still a guy who averaged 17.2 ppg and 1.3 spg as a fourth year player in New York. And he is 5-FOOT-9! He did well in half a season in Denver last year and is still averaging 11.4 ppg for his career. He is dynamic, but often wrongly overlooked.

Pick 13: Charlotte Bobcats

Who they took: Sean May

Who they should have took: Marvin Williams (2^nd pick)

Why: Williams is considered a pretty big bust, but mostly because he went before Deron Williams and Chris Paul. He still is averaging a career 10+ ppg and 5+ rpg, so he is not as much a bust as just not good enough to be a #2 overall pick. Still Williams would have helped this Bobcats team still (eternally?) looking to find their footing. If nothing else, he has been consistent, playing in almost every game every season and averaging that lifetime scoring number because he hovers almost right at 10 ppg per season.

Pick 14: Minnesota Timberwolves

Who they took: Rashad McCants

Who they should have took: Ersan Ilyasova (36^th pick)

Why: Few probably though Ilyasova would ever stick in the NBA. He’s not a knock your socks off kind of guy. But as is the trend most of the time in these redrafts, you need a guy between 11-15 who will just work and give you solid, consistent numbers. He has done that in Milwaukee, an organization seemingly always in a state of flux. He missed his initial year in the league, but has spent his last three seasons putting up the best numbers of his career while averaging a fair 27 minute per game off the bench.

Pick 15: New Jersey Nets

Who they took: Antoine Wright

Who they should have took: Channing Frye (8^th pick)

Why: Frye is another guy who flies under the radar because of not living up to initial expectations. He even put up 12.3 ppg as a rookie in New York before falling off. Then he landed in Phoenix and has been steady, averaging between 10.5 and 12.7 ppg, shooting near 43-percent from the field and as high as 89-percent from the foul line.

Redrafting the 1994 NBA Draft

1994 proved to be an interesting draft. At the top were Hall of Famers but by mid-lottery, it was bust after bust after bust. Some of the better NBA hanger ons in this class came late in the first round and even in the second round. Players were starting to leave early and next top crop of kids were going into college. It was kind of an in between year that produced a unique sampling of career results and a rarity: co-rookies of the year. And neither was the top pick, at least in 1994.

Pick 1: Milwaukee Bucks

Who they took: Glenn Robinson

Who they should have took: Jason Kidd (2^nd pick)

Why: Well just on the surface, let’s talk about his 10 All-Star appearances. How about being the co-Rookie of the Year that first season? Kidd was one of only four guys in this draft to make an All-Star team and an All-NBA team. The Bucks’ actual top pick, Robinson, wasn’t one of those four. Kidd spent his career as a top point guard from start to finish, no matter where he landed. He was the assist leader in the league five times, made six All-NBA teams, 9 All-NBA defensive teams and a couple of Sportsmanship awards all while racking up 17,000 career points and 12,000 career assists. Was Kidd the most complete player in this draft at the time? No. If it weren’t for injuries to others, would he be at the top of this list? No. But that isn’t how this works and the Bucks would have thrived much better with Kidd at the helm for a few years than what they got out of the ‘Big Dog.’

Pick 2: Dallas Mavericks

Who they took: Jason Kidd

Who they should have took: Grant Hill (3^rd pick)

Why: The next ‘next Jordan,’ Hill didn’t “pan out” as projected. But, expectations were too lofty and his Achilles didn’t like him. However, that didn’t stop Hill from being a more than serviceable athlete during his long NBA tenure. And a Mavericks team that could have combined Jamal Mashburn and Hill would have been pretty powerful and had a nice place to build from offensively with Hill and actual pick Kidd scoring at about the same clip for their careers.

Pick 3: Detroit Pistons

Who they took: Grant Hill

Who they should have took: Juwan Howard (5^th pick)

Why: The third of the guys who would go on to be All-Stars and All-NBA performers. Howard was quietly consistent always, from his time at Michigan through his retirement at the end of the 2012-2013 season.  Howard’s strengths at the time of the 1994 Draft were evident. He could play with his back to the basket and was a strong interior defender. The question marks? How does he play on his own? He was probably the least brash of the Fab Five, so what did Howard’s personality due when alone? He showed that early and was diverse in his approach perhaps as the most overall NBA ready player in this draft, as evidenced by his long tenure in the league. In a world without Grant Hill, Detroit would have served well building around Howard.

Pick 4: Minnesota Timberwolves

Who they took: Donyell Marshall

Who they should have took: Glenn Robinson (1^st pick)

Why: For all I criticized Robinson for going first, he was a solid NBA role player and at times peak performer. Minnesota wanted a bruising small forward and with Robinson and Hill off the board, they took the best option. But looking back, Robinson would have been available and the right choice to team with Laettner on what may have been the worst franchise in the league.

Pick 5: Washington Bullets

Who they took: Juwan Howard

Who they should have took: Jalen Rose (13^th pick)

Why: Washington wanted to see if they could get some of that Wolverine brashness, which is why they took on Howard and later Chris Webber via a trade. They would have gotten that by the buckets picking Rose. In Washington, Rose would have thrived better with an immediate opportunity to run the show unlike the floundering in Denver like he did before his trade two years into the league. And if being the captain didn’t work out with the Bullets, he showed (especially during his tenure in Indiana) that he could be a good deck hand while making a run at a title.

Pick 6: Philadelphia 76ers

Who they took: Sharone Wright

Who they should have took: Eddie Jones (10^th pick)

Why: At this point, Philadelphia was pretty quietly establishing busts. Shawn Bradley was Shawn Bradley and Clarence Weatherspoon was a decent filler guy, but Philly needed a playmaker here. Sharone Wright was never that guy, floundered and was out of the league by 1998. And while there were still guys like Rose on the board then, he wouldn’t be now so you take the best player maker in Eddie Jones who had a solid career as a started, culminating in 2000 when he was in his 3^rd All-Star game, made the All-NBA 3^rd Team and was on the All-NBA Defensive 2^nd Team.

Pick 7: Los Angeles Clippers

Who they took: Lamond Murray

Who they should have took: Donyell Marshall (4^th pick)

Why: So it wasn’t a great year after the top four or five picks, but Marshall would have still been a strong fit in LA where they were throwing it all at the wall to see what stuck. It was a small forward heavy draft with a lot of unknowns in how guys could adjust to the NBA. Marshall was about the last of the ones who could adjust on a competitive level and would have been the best option.

Pick 8: Sacramento Kings

Who they took: Brian Grant

Who they should have took: Wesley Person (23^rd pick)

Why: A lot of the longer tenured guys in the draft were picked later and Person was one. He was a fringe lottery pick, but was thin and wasn’t strong around the basket or in creating his own shot. In Sacramento, with Bobby Hurley sidelining himself, they needed another ball handler and shooter and used Person more in this way than as the small forward that most teams tried to use him as throughout his career.

Pick 9: Boston Celtics

Who they took: Eric Montross

Who they should have took: Charlie Ward (26^th pick)

Why: Take the Heisman winner, he is an athlete. Ward had a productive stay in New York and his gritty style was the basis when he moved to the Spurs of how they play in San Antonio now. The Celtics needed an identity and you can’t blame them for taking Montross, well regarded as a Bill Laimbeer/Kevin McHale guy who slipped to them at nine. But knowing now that he was more the Eric Piatkowski kind of guy, you take a chance on the tough as nails point guard.

Pick 10: Los Angeles Lakers

Who they took: Eddie Jones

Who they should have took: Brian Grant (8^th pick)

Why: The draft wasn’t deep and Grant was going to be a bruiser. The Lakers, like the Celtics needed an identity to get back to their winning ways and Grant really was the best choice to at least establish some fear from the opponents. Luckily for the Lakers, they didn’t have to draft in retrospect and got a lot more out of Eddie Jones than teams drafting higher got out of their prospects.

Pick 11: Seattle Sonics

Who they took: Carlos Rogers

Who they should have took: Monty Williams (24^th pick)

Why: Seattle wasn’t struggling in 1994 and all they needed was a role guy. Instead, they brought in a guy they didn’t need and immediately traded him for no value. The value they could have gotten from Williams, a true leader and coach (even then) would have been better bang for the buck at 11. He could have played behind Detlef Schrempf and beside Kendall Gill to give this pretty deep Seattle team more depth.

Pick 12: Miami Heat

Who they took: Khalid Reeves

Who they should have took: Carlos Rogers (11^th pick)

Why: Rogers was strong for a couple of years. That is all anyone was getting out of him, but the Heat needed a guy who could come in and get the job done. He had no longevity but I don’t know that the Heat needed that in 1994, just something.

Pick 13: Denver Nuggets

Who they took: Jalen Rose

Who they should have took: Lamond Murray (7^th)

Why: I mean, take the best available player. This draft kind of sucked.

Pick 14: New Jersey Nets

Who they took: Yinka Dare

Who they should have took: Lawrence Funderburke (51^st pick)

Why: Considering eight guys were picked before him that never played in the league and most picked before him weren’t as efficient, why not. Can’t be any worse than Yinka Dare, right? Dare was out of the league about the same time Funderburke found a footing and made his way into the league. When he did, he was a vital backup for Chris Webber in Sacramento during the Kings’ years almost capturing a Western Conference title. Even if he didn’t come to New Jersey until 1997, it would have been helpful during a seven year stretch that the Nets were pushing toward contendership, much like the Kings.

Pick 15: Indiana Pacers

Who they took: Eric Piatkowski

Who they should have took: Voshon Lenard (46^th pick)

Why: How Piatkowski spent 14 years in the league is the biggest mismanagement of funds since Enron. Lenard was an ace shooter when on his game and found a footing in Miami eventually where he was part of the team that took them out of the cellar at the end of the 1990s.