More 2004 NBA Draft Coverage

NBA Draft Mailbag - May 21st

By Shawn Siegel

njhoopsnet@aol.com

Do you have a question about CHN's Mock Draft, Draft News, or a general question for CHN's NBA Draft Expert.  Email Shawn at njhoopsnet@aol.com , RE: Mailbag with your name, question & hometown.

Shawn,

Where are Gerald Fitch and Erik Daniels?  They are better than alot of the guys in the mock draft. It seems like every year the Kentucky players get overlooked. In 2002, Tayshaun Prince was a late 1st round pick and look what he's doing in Detroit. Last year Keith Bogans was a late 2nd round pick and he had a much better season than Reece Gaines who was an early 1st round pick. It just doesn't make any sense to me why the GMs are so blind

From Shay Shotwell

Ringgold, VA

Shay brings up a good point about the success of the Prince and Bogans, who slipped in the draft, but have been surprisingly effective.  Perhaps this may open the door for Daniels or Fitch. Both played well in the Portsmouth Tournament, especially Daniels who was the 1st or 2nd best power forward in camp.  Still, Daniels is not particularly big, and would have to be more of a small forward in the NBA.  To do this, he'll have to prove to scouts he has the range to step and hit 15-20 foot jumpers consistently.  With a good performance in Chicago, he could easily end up getting drafted.  Fitch on the other hand, should get squeezed out of the draft, because of his lack of size and ball-handling ability.

Shawn,

Since the warriors have only one first round draft pick which is likely going to be #11, what player do you think we'll take? Personally I hope we land Gordon or Harris because we need another scorer off the bench and possibly a backup PG.  We also need a big man since Damp might opt out and Foyle might leave as well. I keep hearing about the 7'4" Puerto Rican center name Peter J Ramos? or BYU's Rafael Araujo from Brazil.  Which player will make the most immediate impact if Mullin decided to draft a big man instead of the best available player at #11?

From Robert

San Francisco, California

The Warriors have a huge amount of options at #11.  In this draft, after the top 4-5 players, the next 15 guys are very similar in terms of talent.  Eric Musselman did a great job with a mish-mash of talent at Golden State, and its unfortunate he got driven out of town.  Now with Coach Montgomery, the possibility of the Warriors taking Josh Childress is intriguing, though doubtful.  The real question the Warriors have to decide is are they close to winning, or are they still rebuilding.  If they're still a few years away, then it would be hard to pass up on Josh Smith if he's available.  If they think they're close to winning, Jameer Nelson or Araujo make sense.

Shawn,

Do you think Hakim Warrick and Ronny Turiaf made good decisions to come back to school?

I don't think either one will improve or boost their stock any more? Where do you think Trevor Ariza will end up doing?

Dee Cornish

Maryland

I think both players, especially Turiaf made good decisions to return to school.  I think Turiaf can become a guaranteed Top 10 pick with a good season and postseason.  With Stepp gone, the Zags will be built around Turiaf and Adam Morrison.  The two should combine to put up huge numbers, and Turiaf can improve his perimeter game and ball-handling skills which need work.  Warrick has been an overrated player this past year. He has virtually no game outside of layups or dunks, and needs to prove he is an all-round player.  Increasing his size and strength is a must, as is proving he can hit a 10 to 15 foot jumper.  Still, he will probably end up being a fringe lottery pick next year.  Ariza recently signed with an agent in a surprising move.  This past year, Ariza was a slightly above average player on a slightly below average team.  This is not impressive, but still he is a 6-8, 200 pound small forward which sounds good to NBA teams.  You have to figure he's been told that he's guaranteed to be picked late in the 2nd round.

Shawn,
Who do you see the Wizards trying to get in this draft with a potential #3?  Also, do you think [Shaun] Livingston could make in impact in his rookie season or is he more of a project?

From Tony

Washington, DC

To me, the Wizards are in a big hole right now as a franchise.  They need help everywhere, and their supposedly good player (Stackhouse & Arenas) are worse then most other "good" players.  They could certainly use a calming influence at point who controls the flow, and takes the ball out of Stack/Arena's hands in clutch situations.  Livingston is an awesome ball-handler/passer, who could be the point guard Eddie Jordan needs to bring order to his squad. With all that said, I do not think the Wizards could pass up getting Luol Deng, who could be a legitimate 18 point, 8 rebound type player from the get-go.

Shawn,

Can you tell me why David Hawkins from Temple is not being talked about.  This guy has size, plays defense, and the main thing is he can get his own shot.
 

From Turk

Chester, Pennsylvania

I am as big a fan of David Hawkins as anyone out there.  He has a few things going against him. A) He's a senior.  As far as the NBA is concerned, this makes him as old as John Chaney.  B) He had low field goal percentages from the floor (39.2%) and from three (30.4%.)  C) At 6-4, he'd be best being a shooting guard in the NBA, but he doesn't particularly have great speed and could struggle on the defensive end.  Plus, for a shooting guard, he's not particularly great at shooting, as he's more of a scorer than a shooter.  Hawkins had a decent showing at the Portsmouth Invitational where he averaged 13 ppg, and will probably end up in a league like the USBL or the NBDL.

Shawn,

Rashad [Wright] had an awesome camp at Portsmouth.  He is one of the top defending, if not the top defending point guard coming out of college this year.  I think Atlanta should take a good look at this guy.

From Alfonzo Hagan

Forsyth, Georgia

Wright definitely had a good showing at the Portsmouth camp. With some of lesser known guards in last year's camp having successful rookie campaigns (like Devin Brown & Willie Green,) teams will definitely give Wright a look. He's worked out with the Hawks recently as well as with the Magic to name a couple of teams.  Atlanta, with the 43rd pick, may be to high for Wright, who should be around the 50-55th pick if drafted.

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