2000 NBA Draft Grades

2000 NBA DRAFT GRADES

Here is the next installment and probably the last for a while. The draft was stacked with Forwards as you’ll see here but overall was weak. There were some second round gems as always. In my opinion, the best player in this draft came in the second round.(Redd)

1. NJ Kenyon Martin- (A-) Tough, aggressive player who coming out was thought of somewhat of a risk due to the fractured fibula he suffered during the NCAA tournament. Good pick for NJ here as they needed a big and he would carry them along with Jason Kidd to multiple playoff series including an NBA Finals appearance. Signed with Denver last off-season.

2. Van Stromile Swift- (C) Seems to just be breaking out now. The grade of C reflects him being the 2nd pick overall and not being a dominating force. I have no doubt in my mind that he is going to be a decent player but this high in the draft a little more is expected. This could be one that could be changed in the immediate future. Should have played more, stats don’t tell the whole story on this guy.

3. LAC Darius Miles- (C-) Broke out after his high school postseason performances. Has had a few off the court issues since he joined the league but with those aside he still isn’t much more than a freakish lanky athlete with a raw game. His per minute averages are pretty good but at 3rd overall not what you’d expect. Game still improving.

4. CHI Marcus Fizer-(F) Very good college player (1st team All American-Junior Year) who carried a strong performance in the NCAA’s into a very high pick. Has had some serious injuries that have hurt his performance but still a brutal turnout for Chicago who I’m sure had high hopes. He finished second team All Rookie and showed promise but career averages of 9ppg and 4rpg? You don’t draft a backup with #4. No upside left at all.

5. ORL Mike Miller- (A-) NBA Rookie of the Year. Great shooter, played 3 years in Orlando before being traded to Memphis. While in Memphis where minutes are split among many, he proved that he needs to be on the floor as a starter. Not a good defensive player but can really light it up>> Shot over 50% from the floor and 43% from 3pt last season. Solid pick here, could’ve done a lot worse.

6. ATL Demarr Johnson- (F) Another super lanky forward played one season at Cincinnati before bolting. Based on what he’s done and where he was drafted, F is the grade but with all players in this draft the book is still open especially in Demarr’s case as he almost never walked again after an accident he was in.

7. CHI Chris Mihm-( C) Finally the streak of forwards selected ends. CHI traded this pick to CLE. Not a bad pick due to the fact that this draft was weak and that he is 7” and can play a little bit. He will never dominate although he did have his best season this year. Will be in the league a long time.

8. CLE Jamal Crawford- (B) CLE traded pick to CHI. First guard taken. Coming off his best season, maybe the best offensive player in the draft. Will never be a PG as originally thought but does have a place as a scorer in the league. I see him as a 6th man Ricky Davis type.

9. HOU Joel Prizbilla- (C-) HOU traded pick to MIL. 7”1 240 lbs. drafted on pure size/potential. Lack of centers really helped this kid out. Coming off his best season in a remarkably unspectacular career. Good rebounder and can block shots well but a monstrosity on offense. With that said, (C-) because he can play D and this draft you have to consider what else was left at this point for bigs.

10. ORL Keyon Dooling- (C-) Played 2 seasons at Missouri. Has good size and is a great athlete. Looked decent this season as a backup on the Heat. Looks like a career backup as he still cannot hit the NBA three. Game still improving.

11. BOS Jerome Moiso- (F) Rick Pitino really blew this one. Moiso was extremely raw, in fact I remember watching him play for the Celtics his rookie year he looked he never played basketball before in his life. I felt like getting a hold of Pitino and ask him “how can you possibly draft this guy?” I believe he is out of the league, but I know he played in Toronto for a bit so maybe he’s around somewhere.

12. DAL Etan Thomas- (B) Very good rebounder, turned that skill into a huge contract last summer. Not much of an offensive threat but he’s not going to kill you either. Another player whose stats do not reflect his performance. Once again considering how bad this draft was this was a solid pick.

13. ORL Courtney Alexander-(F) Good scorer in college, never stuck around in NBA after averaging over 17 ppg his rookie year on a terrible team. That alone almost saves him from an F. He’s not in league anymore as far as I know but I could be wrong. Let me know if anybody actually knows. Think he is somewhat of a headcase.

14. DET Mateen Cleaves- (F) Hate to do it to the guy as he is one of the best college point guards I have seen in my lifetime, but his game is all about the intangibles which doesn’t or didn’t as in this case translate to the NBA. Great leader will be a coach someday but never found a way to hit the NBA three. Still on a roster(Seattle) where he averaged .9 ppg this year. Hometown favorite pick here and why not in this draft. Right?

15. MIL Jason Collier- (D) Traded to HOU. Not the worst player by any means in this draft. That honor could go to a number of players. Collier did manage to scrap his way tp 11ppg and 6 rpg in 2003 for that brutal Atlanta team. May bounce around the league for a while due to the fact he is 7”0 213 lbs.

16. SAC Hidayet (Hedo) Turkoglu- (B+) Solid pick here for SAC. Took a lot of people by surprise with this one. Good scorer but total defensive liability, solid sixth man type. Put up 14ppg this year in only 26 minutes a game. Came up big for the Kings in the playoffs years ago.

17. SEA Desmond Mason-(A) 2001 Slam Dunk Champion. Spectacular athlete who does many things well except hit the three. Other than that, solid numbers all the way around. Shoots well from the field. Starter now but could also provide a lot of things off the bench. Was involved in the trade that brought Ray Allen to Seattle.

18. LAC Quentin Richardson- (A) Knock on him was that he couldn’t shoot but could rebound and play well down low for a guard. Not the greatest shooter percentages wise, but he did lead the league in threes made (and also attempted). Still rebounds well which is amazing considering he is mainly a fixture on the three point line now. Good pick here.

19. CHA Jamaal Magloire- (A) Developing into one of the best true centers in the game. Still with the team that drafted him which is a rarity in this draft. Injuries cut short this past season but he is on his way to being a double double machine in the league for years to come. Finding a big this late is a steal.

20. PHI Craig (Speedy)Claxton- (B-) High-quality pick here even though he played only one season in Philly. Put together some really solid years in Golden State before signing with New Orleans before this season. Will stay in the league due to all around game that translates well off the bench.

21. TOR Morris Peterson- (A-) Doesn’t do a whole hell of a lot besides score but he can light it up quick.(Dropped 37 against the Celtics this past year). A relative steal this late in the draft. Can score from just about anywhere on the floor. Good complimentary player.

22. NY Donell Harvey-(F) Even this late in the draft can’t hide the fact that he is a bust. This late in the draft there really wasn’t much left but there were still some values left to be had.

23. UTAH DeShawn Stevenson-(F) Maybe worth the risk this late but definitely not the second coming of Kobe Bryant. Bust in Utah. He has shown that he can score in the NBA with Orlando but little else. His Orlando performance deserves a different grade. He is still in the league though which a plus is. Considering a certain SG that is still on the board a F is the grade.

24. CHI Dalibor Bagiric- (F) The last of Chicago’s three picks. If anyone can tell me anything about this guy please do. Enough Said.

25. PNX Jake Tsakalidis- ( D) Low risk/high reward pick here.For a guy whose 7”2 he hasn’t done much at all but he fills up space and grabs an occasional rebound. That’s it but he is still in the league, so therefore a D is the grade.

26. DEN Mamadou Ndiaye- (D) Never played with Denver but has played with four other teams. Is basically twelfth man material, I don’t give him an F because he is still around and this late in the draft this is what is commonly found.

27. IND Primoz Brezec- (C-) Maybe the toughest grade to give here. Reason being he did nothing while in Indiana, the team that drafted him. In his defense Indiana was a deep team but he had his chance. On talent I’d give the pick a A as finding a big this late is tough, but he gave Indiana no return on investment, that said Charlotte has found a good player and you have to give them an A as well for getting him.

28. POR Erick Barkley- (F) Didn’t have much of a chance, came out too early. He was damn lucky to get guaranteed money for three years. The main knock on him was his shooting, and it proved to be valid.

29. LAL Mark Madsen- (B-) We all know he cannot dance but he is a scrappy player who has two rings. You cant measure a player like him with stats, its just impossible. One thing you can guarantee with him is that he will give you maximum effort every time out. With the last pick in the first round you really cant complain here.

Notable Second Rounders(In order they were drafted):

Marco Jaric, Jake Voskhul, Eddie House, Eduardo Najera, Michael Redd, Brian Cardinal, Jason Hart