Former Draft Picks and What Happened to Them - 2007
by peterghost on Aug 8, 2011 11:41 PM PDT
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PrintThanks to Citizen peterghost for coming up with a fine idea to help us move through this lockout summer. I'm bumping it to the front page, and endorsing the idea fully. May I suggest in fact that other citizens use the comments to sign up for other draft years to keep the series going but spread the workload (and the fun). Steve
Since there's nothing really to talk about besides the lockout in the NBA world, thought I'd start a small series for discussion in Clippers Nation.
As Clippers fans, the draft is something we all usually look forward to. It gives us a hope for the future that maybe someone we drafted will lead our not so great team into something greater. But for the most part, our draft picks don't usually pan out like we hope for them to. The reason I'm starting with 2007 is because our draft picks since 2008 are still with the team and doesn't make much sense to talk about them at the moment. Everyone else before 2008 though besides Chris Kaman have come and gone and let's see what happened to them.
2007 Draft Picks
1st round - 14th pick - Al Thornton SF
2nd round - 45th pick - Jared Jordan PG
Al Thornton
This guy showed a lot of promise in his rookie year, averaging 12 points during the year, but had a lot of random bursts of high scoring. He was drafted at the age of 24 though so his ceiling was not expected to be that high. But this dude knew how to score. Like usual though, the former coach who shall not be named usually does this thing with his rookies where he does not play them that much at the beginning of the year and wait a bit till he gives them more minutes. In his rookie year after the new year, Thornton consistently scored in double digits for the rest of the season. At one point he broke the Clippers rookie points record, scoring 39 against the Grizzlies. By the end of that season, Thornton was voted first rookie team. I was really high on him his rookie season, telling everyone that would listen that Al Thornton was the future. Once Elton Brand came back from injury, him and Thornton are gonna wreck havoc in the NBA.
But that did not happen since EB left and injuries became a reoccurring theme the next two seasons for the Clippers. Thornton though was generally injury free, playing 75 games his second season and 51 games the next season before he got traded at the deadline. It just sucked that AT did not really improve at all during the next two seasons with the Clippers. His scoring average rose his second season but that was because he got more minutes. Some articles claimed him as the most inefficient player in the league and Clippers fans now generally regard him as the offensive blackhole and mister jab jab step.
By his third season, the Clippers have traded for Rasaul Butler and the debates about who should start happened. I think most people here were in favor for AT as a sixth man but I could wrong. But he started 30 games that season before he was traded and has shown flashes of scoring brilliance while being consistent in not doing anything else needed to win a basketball game. By the trade deadline, he was traded to the Wizards for Drew Gooden and then waived the next season to sign with the Golden State Warriors.
For a small forward, his rebounding was pretty atrocious, and passing the ball was not on his to-do list. He is currently a free agent at the moment and will most likely re-sign with the Warriors. I personally wouldn't want him back unless for like a 12th man or something. But I'll buy you all cookies if he somehow ends up as an all-star in the future.
Here's some highlights:
Al Thornton Clippers (via theN00bOfLife)
Jared Jordan
I honestly didn't know this guy existed but according to wikipedia, he played Summer League on the Clippers, averaging 4 points and 5 assists but was then traded to the Knicks for cash. He never really played in the league besides Summer League and D-League but now he is playing for Greece, hopefully making money and enjoying life.
Discuss 2007 draft picks GO!
(Note: If anyone wants to help continue the series, by all means go for it. I don't have fond memories of Paul Davis nor do my Clippers memory extends past the Darius Miles years)
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the only thing i remembered about Jared Jordan
was there was time when the Clippers had DeAndre Jordan and Eric Gordon…
then had Lamant Gordon in summer league….and IF we kept Jared Jordan
we could of had a Jordan-Jordan-Gordon-Gordon line up
other than that….the thing about AT and rebounding is that in his last (half) season with us….he actually started beasting on offensive boards.
anyways, i’m more interested to reminisce about D-Miles, Q-Rich, Wilcox, Dooling…those guys
not so much Odom
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Al Thornton's rebounding
I remember his rebounding being an issue, but in his last year with the Clips, I think he was at least an average rebounder. I remember Steve writing about how AT was one of the best SF in the league at offensive rebounding, but one of the worst at defensive rebounding, which is a weird combination. High ORebs indicate hustle for boards, so low DRebs must have meant he wasn’t boxing out or something.
"Failure is not fatal, but failure to change might be." - John Wooden
2006-2007 Rookies
That year, we had Paul Davis, Guillermo Diaz, Will Conroy, all of whom I remember very clearly, and apparently someone named Dawan Robinson who I cannot remember at all.
Paul Davis was big, stiff, and couldn’t do much other than shoot jumpers. I distinctly remember the game where we were getting blown out by the Spurs (surprise surprise) and Paul Davis got like 15 garbage minutes and somehow scored 15 points against Tim Duncan. That season, Milph would always talk about how Davis would bring that up all the time.
Guillermo Diaz was small and athletic, and my girlfriend and I both were comparing him to a little athletic guard who also didn’t get much PT on the UCLA Bruins named Russell Westbrook. Obviously we had no idea Westbrook would become what he is today, but we saw similarities in Guillermo and wanted him to get more PT. Athleticism can only take you so far, but I would’ve rather seen Diaz get playing time than Daniel Ewing.
Will Conroy was also pretty small, and he came from the D-League. We had read that he had lit up the D-League before he made the jump to the NBA. I am now learning he went to Memphis before he came here, but either way, we had high hopes for him being slightly more experienced. I distinctly remember him having a cocky attitude and trying to do a lot of things on his own, less willing to defer to the skilled hands of the vets. I wasn’t a big fan.
"Failure is not fatal, but failure to change might be." - John Wooden
I really wanted Jared Jordan to succeed
I loved his passing ability, court vision, and sneaky moves, but he couldn’t shoot, couldn’t guard anyone, and pretty much never played any minutes. I hoped he could be a serviceable 3rd guard for the Clips and a real steal for a 2nd rounder. He also seemed to be a humble and hard working kid.
Paul Davis was a real tool.
I remember he was also on a TV episode of Millionaire Matchmaker where they try to match up busy millionaires with a compatible partner. It aired right before he got cut by the Clips.
"This amplifier goes to 11" Nigel Tufnel, Spinal Tap
I remember that
never watched it though
I also remember the triple-davis (in 2008..not his rookie season) Baron, Ricky, and Paul Davises
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Whattt
He was on that show?? hahaha…
"Failure is not fatal, but failure to change might be." - John Wooden
Yes and to think they chose him instead of Maggette
"This amplifier goes to 11" Nigel Tufnel, Spinal Tap
Davis' TV career..
He was on Millionaire Matchmaker, and he was also prominently featured, getting dunked on by Dwyane Wade in a commercial (was it for Gatorade? not sure). That’s decent exposure for a second round pick who never stuck in the league, but it’s also stuff that makes him look pretty lame. So the question is, does he have a great agent or a terrible agent?
In this world, you must be oh so smart or oh so pleasant. Well, for years I was smart. I recommend pleasant. - Elwood P. Dowd
by Steve Perrin on Aug 9, 2011 12:22 PM PDT up reply actions
my vote is great
when life gives you lemons…u make lemonade!
Paul Davis was a lemon of a basketball player…but hey his agent got him an NBA contract, a TV Deal, commercial…and somehow some way, we are still talking about him now!
and that is all with a tall due without a lot of basketball skills (well not NBA level)
i say, job well done for making something out of nothing
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I say great agent
Maybe other Davis TV possibilities
1. Celebrity Rehab with Doctor Drew 2. Chloe and Lamar 3. Dog the Bounty Hunter
4. Pawn Stars 5. Bait Car
"I'm a stylin'-profilin', limo-ridin', jet-flyin', kiss-stealin,' wheelin'-dealin', son of a gun!" WOOO!
Ric "The Nature Boy" Flair
Bait Car?
What the heck is a Bait Car?
In this world, you must be oh so smart or oh so pleasant. Well, for years I was smart. I recommend pleasant. - Elwood P. Dowd
by Steve Perrin on Aug 10, 2011 10:38 AM PDT up reply actions
A typical weekly Tru TV Show
where the police deliberately leave a car in a high crime area with keys in it and “bait” criminals to steal the car. They have cameras and microphones in the car so you can see and hear everything as the thieves are driving. The police can then via remote lock the doors shut the car down and arrest them. It is hilarious to hear the “f” bombs flying in the car and the excuses after they are stopped. This is Trailerpark 101 at it’s finest. (no disrespect for trailer living).
"I'm a stylin'-profilin', limo-ridin', jet-flyin', kiss-stealin,' wheelin'-dealin', son of a gun!" WOOO!
Ric "The Nature Boy" Flair
Jared Jordan
My claim to fame with Jared Jordan is that he’s the only second round pick I’ve ever ‘called’. For whatever reason, I took a liking to him and ‘lobbied’ here on ClipsNation for drafting him in the second round. Which, lo and behold, they actually did.
Other things I remember about Jordan. He led the NCAA in assists two years in a row. He played his college ball at Marist College – go Red Foxes! I also remember that the buzz starting growing on him at pre-draft camps, where he got a chance to play against other NBA point guard prospects and held his own. I distinctly remember that he was said to have significantly outplayed Aaron Brooks at one camp. Of course, Brooks was a first round pick and is having a decent NBA career, while Jordan is in Europe (where he’s doing well for himself).
In this world, you must be oh so smart or oh so pleasant. Well, for years I was smart. I recommend pleasant. - Elwood P. Dowd
Did you go to Marist?
Also the school Rik Smits played at.
"This amplifier goes to 11" Nigel Tufnel, Spinal Tap
Nope
Just a thing I do… I always say “Go whatevers!” if I happen to know the whatever. It always freaks people out. Yes, Rik Smits is the big NBA claim to fame of the Red Foxes.
In this world, you must be oh so smart or oh so pleasant. Well, for years I was smart. I recommend pleasant. - Elwood P. Dowd
Sign up sheet
Seems like citizen Erik O has signed up for the 2006 draft – he just has to take his comment above and flesh it out a bit, and put it in a FanPost. We’ll be looking for it tomorrow Citizen!
Who wants 2005? Korolev anyone?
In this world, you must be oh so smart or oh so pleasant. Well, for years I was smart. I recommend pleasant. - Elwood P. Dowd
I'm a bit busy, but if given a couple of days I could do one. How about 2004 for me?
Proud member of Club FTR. falconPUNCH! for president!
All yours
In this world, you must be oh so smart or oh so pleasant. Well, for years I was smart. I recommend pleasant. - Elwood P. Dowd
Oh wow, main page bump. Something to cross off the bucket list.
I was hoping for a John R or someone to bust out the advanced stats for Al Thornton. From what I remembered, he had some of the worst stats in terms of the advanced kinds.
Check out http://fullyclips.com/ - Really Great Clippers blog!
For 2006 I'll throw in whatever advanced stats I can find
I have no idea how to find Wins Produced for 2006… maybe John R or Michael White have links to that year… if it’s even available, especially for players of that level. I’m curious to find out more about Dawan Robinson too.
"Failure is not fatal, but failure to change might be." - John Wooden
I remember making fun of Hollinger
because he had Paul Davis rated in the top 5(? 10?) of his rookie class in PER.
Yup
Hollinger’s college ratings LOVED Paul Davis and Nick Fazekas.
In this world, you must be oh so smart or oh so pleasant. Well, for years I was smart. I recommend pleasant. - Elwood P. Dowd
by Steve Perrin on Aug 10, 2011 10:38 AM PDT up reply actions
Oh man, I'm hoping we can continue this series all the way to the Randy Smith and Bob McAdoo years. There has to be someone here whose been through that era
Check out http://fullyclips.com/ - Really Great Clippers blog!
After McAdoo and Smith are done can I do 1891 James Naismith
"This amplifier goes to 11" Nigel Tufnel, Spinal Tap
One thing
Especially as we go back to earlier years, it might be interesting to discuss the alternatives to the pick that was made. For instance, Thornton was drafted with the final pick of the lottery, 14th, the Clippers having just missed the playoffs the previous year. Rodney Stuckey, Nick Young, Jared Dudley and Wilson Chandler are among the players that were drafted after Thornton. Some have been arguably better, but there’s not really a no brainer in the group. Marc Gasol, drafted 48th, 3 picks after Jared Jordan, was the steal of the 2007 draft based on draft position. He was picked by the Lakers, stayed in Spain another season and then wound up a Grizzly in the trade that brought his brother to LA.
In this world, you must be oh so smart or oh so pleasant. Well, for years I was smart. I recommend pleasant. - Elwood P. Dowd
that sounds like a good idea
maybe another interesting thing to mention are guys they might’ve been compared to, or were in direct competition against in that draft class. I remember when we drafted Thornton, there was a lot of comparisons with him and Thad Young, because they were both tweener forwards, and were drafted within 2 spots of each other.
After Thornton made the all-rookie first team over Young, I thought we got the better pick, even though Young was snatched up before our pick. While Young hasn’t proven to be a star either, he’s still only 23, and might make Philly think about moving Iggy.
Another former clipper with ties to the 2007 draft was JamesOn Curry. He just had a funny name, so I remember him. I think he played about 5 seconds for the clips, but might be worth about 5 seconds thinking about him as well, hahaha. Obviously, going over every player in each draft with clipper ties would get a bit tedious, but considering most of the guys from 2007 are just hitting their first RFA period, there aren’t too many guys from this draft that have made their way around the league yet.
JamesOn Curry
wasnt a draft pick…
he was Chicagos
we signed him after he never played for them and ended up in the d-league
so since he never played, he was a rookie still (like Blake)
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Curry
The main thing I remember about Curry is that when the Clippers called him up from the D-League, the guys who actually pay attention to the D-League (like Scott at Ridiculous Upside) were flabbergasted. There were at least D-League 10 guards more deserving of a call up than Curry at the time.
In this world, you must be oh so smart or oh so pleasant. Well, for years I was smart. I recommend pleasant. - Elwood P. Dowd
by Steve Perrin on Aug 10, 2011 10:41 AM PDT up reply actions
I'm not fond of those discussions
Meaning no disrespect … Is Wilson Chandler in retrospect a better pro than Thornton? Sure. But at the time of the draft Thornton was pretty much on most peoples list at #14 or even higher. Most GMs would have made the same decision at the time. I doubt any GM was saying at the end of draft night “If only I had an extra pick in the mid 20’s or 30’s I would have picked Marc Gasol”. But all 30 GMs would say that now.
I wouldn't mind some "where are they now" for former Clippers
Such as Bobby Simmons, Q Ross.
Also, does anyone remember a forward, played a season or two (around 2007?), never got any minutes. Very good rebounder with great reach. He might have been undrafted. I can’t remember his flaw, might have been his poor hops and lack of offense.
Jumpin' James Singleton?
wait, you said poor hops, haha. I always likes Singleton though, especially when he got traded to the “Clippers East” (Washington Wizards)
thanks for reminding me of James Singleton
I’m fairly sure the guy I’m thinking about was not very athletic, both poor hops and slow. My memory isn’t too clear, I thought Jared Jordan played a lot longer for the Clips that he really did. The forward I’m thinking about may have played far less than a season, but the strongest impression I have of him is he had a great wingspan and could rebound pretty well.
I think you might be thinking of Rebraca
he was gigantic, although he was more of center. He would definitely fit the unathletic mold.
"It's better to be an optimist who is sometimes wrong than a pessimist who is always right"unknown
what about Melvin Ely?
i remember his nasty fro hair
same draft as Wilcox, but nowhere as good/athletic
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nah I remember eli and wlicox and rebraca
Wilcox was a monster athlete, everyone on the team loved Ely, Rebraca had heart problems. I’m going to go through the Clips rosters for the past few years and see if I can figure it out. Maybe my impression of this player was way off.
Think it was Nick Fazekas
and my memory was very wrong. Maybe I combined him with Singleton into one player.
not very athletic, both poor hops and slow
sounds like Fazekas
though he only played like half the season? late signing due to injury i believe…i never liked him, but i respected his hustle
a CN fan-favorite if i remember correctly
Cherokee Parks is also a possibility, though…i dont think u can forget him. he was basically Birdman before Chris Andersen was Birdman
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not Parks, you can't forget him
pretty sure it’s Fazekas, but I don’t know where I got the rebounding and length from.
there was also Josh Powell and Smush Parker on that team lol
man, I hated 2007-2008 so much
Check out http://fullyclips.com/ - Really Great Clippers blog!
Haha when we got Smush
That was tough to watch.
"Failure is not fatal, but failure to change might be." - John Wooden
I remember being at a game
Smush was on the jumbo tron for like a fun facts/bio thing..
they asked him “what is favorite food to cook?”
he replied “my favorite food to cook is Cup-A-Noodles”
the guy next to me said….“you don’t cook Cup-A-Noodles….”
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god
probably my most hated player ever. Think he almost single-handedly made me start hating the Lakers at the time. I really didn’t have a problem with the Lakers before him.
Smush still playing in Greece
He should change his name to “Mush” as he is way seriously overweight with crazy looking braids. You can see pics on internet.
"I'm a stylin'-profilin', limo-ridin', jet-flyin', kiss-stealin,' wheelin'-dealin', son of a gun!" WOOO!
Ric "The Nature Boy" Flair
holy sh*t! he looks like Sofo
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more like he ate the cow
I Am Witness to the 1st BLAKE GRIFFIN Triple-Double! And the 2nd Triple-Double!
Just call him a 6'4" PF with point guard skills
That’s marketable, right?
"Failure is not fatal, but failure to change might be." - John Wooden
dang
makes me want to go to greece. Between him and Sofo, the food over there has to be pretty damn good.
i just had greek food for lunch today at work
gyros are awesome!
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Late to the party
As I was reading your description, I was sure it was Fazekas. Crazy long arms, and a nose for the ball. Offensive rebounds seemed to find him. In his garbage minutes, his efficiency numbers were off the charts.
In this world, you must be oh so smart or oh so pleasant. Well, for years I was smart. I recommend pleasant. - Elwood P. Dowd
by Steve Perrin on Aug 10, 2011 10:43 AM PDT up reply actions
not sure you could
accidentally combine fazekas and singleton into one player. Sometimes for some reason, when I think of Nick Fazekas, I think of Nik Caner-Medley who played on the summer league team, and was kind of a regular on some teams roster for summer league.
hated that year's team
and had a hard time paying attention to them.
Looking him up, Fazekas couldn’t get any burn in the NBA, went overseas, came back to the NBDL, got drafted 1st overall 2010 NBDL then got waived in Dec?! Is he really that good/bad?
for 2006
I mean it’s interesting because one of the few years the Clips 1st pick wasn’t in the lottery, but even then, the Clips had traded away the pick. It also might be fun to go over a lot of the trade that effected the clips pick each year. I know at least the Kyrie Irving pick will remain in the mind of a lot of Clips fans for a while, but at least I have a really hard time remembering who we got in exchange for our 1st rounders in the past.
I think the 2006 pick was part of the trade that landed maggette with the clips, so while it would be nice to find out what Paul Davis, and Guillermo Diaz are up to, it’d also be nice to remanence on what the Clips got for the picks they traded and/or who they could’ve gotten had they not traded. Obviously, much like the 2011 1st overall pick, if the trade didn’t go through, the record would’ve been completely different, but it would be interesting (at least for me) to know who their trade partner got with the Clips pick.
*reminisce
so many mistakes in those paragraphs, i’m disappointed in myself.
lol don't sweat it. It's easy to make mistake without edit function.
;)
Proud member of Club FTR
by Lawler 4ever on Aug 11, 2011 2:28 AM PDT up reply actions
can't wait to see who's going to take on the Pike draft 94/95
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for me
Q-Rich (but I understand)
Cassell (but I understand)
Marcus Camby
Shuan Livingston
James Singleton
Ricky Davis (but only because he was turning it around when he was cut)
Baron
Mobley (but I guess it was for the better)
I Am Witness to the 1st BLAKE GRIFFIN Triple-Double! And the 2nd Triple-Double!
Bobby Simmons
he was a perfect fit for the team. Too bad he was overpaid and left.
"I'm an All-Star in my mind. You don't have to have somebody tell you that, to be an All-Star. It doesn't work that way." -Sam Cassell
i considered Bobby too
but when i thought more about that season…it was mainly his improved shooting/shot selection in the iso-heavy dunleavy era
other than…i didn’t think he was anything special…and him being on another team/system showed that
I Am Witness to the 1st BLAKE GRIFFIN Triple-Double! And the 2nd Triple-Double!
weird, I just recently read an article on Bobby Simmons
http://www.hardwoodparoxysm.com/2011/08/03/the-lost-season-bobby-simmons-04-05/
not a lot of analysis of Bobby’s MIP season, but a pretty good look back (including a heartbreaking highlights video of a close loss to the Lakers) on the 04-05 Clips.
no lamar odom or brand?
all guys on list werent really impact players except maybe brand and odom and camby in his prime
by jadedeed2327 on Aug 12, 2011 11:23 PM PDT up reply actions
Nick Fazekas...
"Blessed is the person who is too busy to worry in the daytime
and too sleepy to worry at night."
Author Unknown
by Lawler's Law on Aug 11, 2011 8:07 PM PDT up reply actions
by the way...i thought this might help people doing research
http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/LAC/draft.html
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man, where's Erik O with 2006
I’m anxious!
Check out http://fullyclips.com/ - Really Great Clippers blog!
2006=Maggette woo-hoo
"I'm a stylin'-profilin', limo-ridin', jet-flyin', kiss-stealin,' wheelin'-dealin', son of a gun!" WOOO!
Ric "The Nature Boy" Flair
Just draft picks unfortunado...
"Failure is not fatal, but failure to change might be." - John Wooden
Damn your right. How stupid of me.
I was temporarily overwhelmed by my man-crush. He has that kind of power.
"I'm a stylin'-profilin', limo-ridin', jet-flyin', kiss-stealin,' wheelin'-dealin', son of a gun!" WOOO!
Ric "The Nature Boy" Flair
Great idea! Nice read!
"look, you can find any coach you want, bring him in here and run the situation. But I don't think they are going to do as good a job as I do." -Mike Dunleavy Sr.
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