Empty the Bench

We’ve always been amazed at how few NBA draft picks pan out, regardless if they’re taken in the first or second round. The NBA Draft is more reliable than the NFL or NBA, but just barely. Still, every year valuable contributors can be found after the first round of the draft if teams do their homework. Watching the league this year, it struck us that there may be more high-profile second rounders in the NBA this season than there has ever been.

Highlighted by the All-Star contributions of Gilbert Arenas and Michael Redd, afterthought picks are having a dramatic effect on the playoff race and will feature prominently into the 2007 postseason. ETB takes a look at the cream of the crop so far, names two honorable mentions for each position, and also hazards a guess as to who could make this list a few years down the road. Only second-rounders from the past 10 years were considered, and no undrafted players have been included (i.e. Ben Wallace). This is a joint ETB article.

STARTERS

Point Guard

Gilbert Arenas, 2001, Golden State Warriors (Arizona)

We remember when Gilbert was a fantasy darling in the second half of the 2002-03 season for the Golden State Warriors. The knock on Gil coming out of Arizona was that he was a ‘tweener—that he would never have the requisite passing skills to play the point or the spot-up jumper to be a two. That may still be true, on some level, but Arenas’ hybrid game is damn hard to stop, and he’s turned himself into a perennial All-Star.

The man has burned three teams for 50+ this season, he has his Washington Wiz in the unlikely position of hosting their opponent in the first round of the playoffs, and he’s carrying more than a few fantasy basketball teams. His numbers in 06-07 are extremely impressive (28.9 points, 85% FT, 6 assists, 5 rebounds, 2 steals), but Agent Zero (yeah, we dislike the moniker, too) has made the buzzer beater his personal calling card.

Shooting Guard

Michael Redd, 2000, Milwaukee Bucks (Ohio State)

Michael Redd is as pure a scorer as there is in the NBA these days. He sees double-teams on a nightly basis, and yet he manages prolific scoring (20 points/game over his career) with great efficiency (45% career). Redd’s jumper rivals Ray Allen’s for deadliest in the NBA, he’s learned to create his own shot, his passing is decent, and he’s more than capable of putting the lowly Bucks on his back for an entire game. If he was playing anywhere but Milwaukee (ok, or Charlotte, Memphis, etc), Redd would be a household name, but for now has to settle for being revered by close followers of the NBA and not necessarily the casual fans out there David Stern tries so hard to appease.

The duel with Ben Gordon earlier this season, in which he scored 52 points (44 in the first three quarters), was a shining testament to his offensive proficiency. Redd doesn’t beef up his numbers by taking it to the rim and drawing fouls as much as he should, but that only makes his contributions more curious: is anybody in today’s NBA as adept at filling it up the old-fashioned way? More about Michael Redd can be found here.

Small Forward

Rashard Lewis, 1998, Seattle SuperSonics (Alief Elsik High School)

All he wanted to do was play for his hometown Houston Rockets when he declared for the 1998 NBA Draft straight out of high school. To his chagrin, however, the team he grew up adoring politely said “no thanks,” despite having three first-rounders that year, and ETB favorite Lewis reacted by busting out in tears. Call us crazy, but after spending those picks on Michael Dickerson, Bryce Drew, and Mirsad Turkcan, we have a feeling the Rockets are the ones crying now. A lot could have happened between then and now, but can you imagine Lewis, McGrady, and Yao together in Houston? Scary.

The 25-year-old flew under the radar for a spell, but the last couple of years Rashard has made a case for himself as a card-carrying member of The NBA Elite. Another prolific scorer in the vein of Arenas and Redd, Lewis is set for a big pay day this offseason and should be put in a situation to achieve full-fledged stardom in the 2007-08 season. On the year, Lewis is putting up 21.8 points, 7 rebounds, 47% FG, 2.3 three-pointers, 7 rebounds, and 87% FT a game. Meanwhile, Mirsad Turkcan married Dina Dzanković, Miss Serbia and Montenegro 2005.

Power Forward

Carlos Boozer, 2002, Cleveland Cavaliers (Duke)

Quick: name another professional athlete from Alaska (that dude in the NHL doesn’t count because, well, the NHL doesn’t count). ETB will always remember Boozer’s villianous treachery toward the Cleveland Cavaliers and their vision-impaired owner Gordon Gund (“I’m signing the deal—wink wink—right now… promise”). That move could be a defining moment in the history of both franchises, and has stuck in the craws of the Cavs’ owner and his team’s fans alike, prompting Gund to say, “In the final analysis, I decided to trust Carlos and show him the respect he asked for. He did not show that trust and respect in return” in a letter to Cleveland fans.

Daytime drama moments aside, Carlos has blossomed in Utah to the tune of 21 points, 11.6 rebounds, and 56% FG this season, all career highs. He may be injury prone, suiting up in just 84 games during his first two years in Utah, but when he’s healthy the big Boozer can be an extremely relentless post player who crashes the boards with grace, style, and grit. Like his teammate Mehmet Okur, below, he was selected to his first career all-star game this season, but sat out with an injury. Boozer was also a member of the 2004-05 USA Olympic men’s basketball team, which won a bronze medal (whoopee) with Larry Brown as the head coach.

Center

Mehmet Okur, 2001, Detroit Pistons (Tofas Bursa)

Another member of the Jazz frontcourt, Okur has developed into one of the premier perimeter shooters in the NBA and is a headache for the lumbering big men around the league. Memo is expected to become Utah’s franchise record holder for three-pointers made in a season any game now (he’s averaging nearly two a game, along with over 18 points) and he also made the first All-Star appearance of his five-year career this season.

While Okur does leave a lot to be desired in terms of traditional center skills (rebounds, blocks, interior defense, shooting percentage), his talent and contributions to the 43-23 Jazz cannot be denied. Indeed, along with Boozer and Deron Williams—not Andrei Kirilenko—Memo can be credited with lifting the Utah franchise from the post-Stockton and Malone doldrums and turning them into an NBA force once again. This team was very fortunate to catch the Detroit Pistons with their hands cuffed when Memo became a free agent. As much as GM Joe Dumars wanted to resign him, the money just wasn’t there once Rasheed Wallace came into the picture. Thank god the ‘Stones had Darko, though, to fall back on…

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Point Guard

Mo Williams, 2003, Milwaukee Bucks Utah Jazz (Alabama)[OOPS: Thanks to commentor Sujal for pointing out this oversight] – Mo has really stepped it up in this, his contract year, but look for him to further improve his game next season, whether it’s in Milwaukee or not.

Rafer Alston, 1998, Milwaukee Bucks (Fresno State) – Scrappy little bastard, isn’t he? We’re surprised he still hasn’t choked Van Gundy, and for that alone he deserves mention.

Shooting Guard

Manu Ginobli, 1999, San Antonio Spurs (Viola Reggio Calabria) – It pains us to list the NBA’s premier flop artist here, but there’s no denying what he brings to his team: clutch shooting, tenacious defense, and above-average passing. Man, we really don’t care for Manu. No, sir, not at all.

Cuttino Mobley, 1998, Houston Rockets (Rhode Island) – Mobley has carved himself out a nice little career, with career averages of 16.4 points, 4 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 43% FG per game. Not sure how much he has left in the tank.

Small Forward

Stephen Jackson, 1997, Phoenix Suns (Butler Community College) – The three-fingered man doesn’t like him much. Neither do we. But when he’s not infesting his team with black cancer or getting arrested, SJax is fully capable of dropping 30 on any given night.

Kyle Korver, 2003, Philadelphia 76ers (Creighton) – We’re not going to mention the Kutcher thing (shit, too late). This guy is pure three-point shooting: nothing more, nothing less. That’s the kind of skill that will translate to a long NBA career for Korver.

Power Forward

Zaza Pachulia, 2003, Orlando Magic (Ülker) – Now with the Atlanta Hawks, Zaza is currently enjoying the best season of his four-year career: 12.1 points, 7 rebounds, and 47% FG a game. He’s really come on since Joe Johnson went down, and has been a boon for fantasy owners at the same time (like me).

Ryan Gomes, 2005, Boston Celtics (Providence) – When Paul Pierce went down, Gomes really stepped up. He’s been sidelined with a sore foot lately, but there’s no question this kid will have a nice, long NBA career… and that he hasn’t yet reached his full potential.

Center

Mark Blount, 1997, Seattle SuperSonics (Pittsburgh) – Blount has bounced around a bit during his career, but could have found a home for at least a few more seasons in Minnesota. At least, it sure looked that way until the scouting report got out on him and he started to stink up Target Center. Still, he’s having his best season as a pro.

Marc Jackson, 1997, Golden State Warriors (Temple) – Okay, Jackson hasn’t done much lately, and you could probably make a case for Anderson Varejao, below, appearing here instead. But though he’s proven to be somewhat of a Stephen Jackson cancer at times, when he’s at his best Jackson is a tough rebounder and defender on the blocks.

FUTURE STARS?

Monta Ellis, 2005, Golden State Warriors (Lanier High School)
Trevor Ariza, 2004, New York Knicks (UCLA)
Paul Millsap, 2006, Utah Jazz (Louisiana Tech)
Amir Johnson, 2005, Detroit Pistons (Westchester High School)
Anderson Varejao, 2004, Orlando Magic (FC Barcelona)