HOOPSWORLD
Second Round Success In Portland?

By: Wendell Maxey   Last Updated: 6/16/08 9:23 AM ET | 939 times read
Increase Font Size
Decrease Font Size
Adjust font size:
Kevin Pritchard knows a thing or two about the second round of the NBA Draft.

In 1990, Pritchard was selected 34th overall by the Golden State Warriors out of Kansas - in the same second round that yielded players like Toni Kukoc and Antonio Davis - and now the former guard turned Blazers General Manager has the chance to snag a Kukoc or Davis himself. Portland will have three second round selections (along with the 13th overall pick) with the NBA Draft fast approaching, that is if Pritchard decides to keep those picks.

The Blazer faithful can only hope there is a keeper in the bunch.Come out, come out Kyle Korver (51st overall in 2003), Carlos Boozer (35th overall in 2002), Mehmet Okur (38th overall in 2001) and Michael Redd (43rd overall in 2000) wherever you are. 

Yet looking at Portland's second round pick history, the odds may be a bit stacked against them. Here's a word of advice: Bring your passport, because there's a good chance you may find yourself in Europe. So to hold you over while workouts continue and draft day creeps up, here's a quick look back at Portland's second rounders since 1989 (when the draft moved to a two round format):

2007- Demetris Nichols, Syracuse (53rd overall):  Nichols was promptly traded to New York on draft day for a 2008 second round pick. The 6-8 forward was soon waived by the Knicks, signed with Cleveland, released, before signing with Chicago where he appeared in 11 games and averaged 1.2 points per game for the Bulls.

2007- Taurean Green, Florida (52nd overall): Green was a much beloved rookie last season in Portland before he was dealt to Denver at the NBA trade deadline for Von Wafer. The former Florida Gator played a total of 17 games last season between the Nuggets and Blazers and averaged 1.6 points per game in 4.4 minutes of play.

2007- Derrick Byars, Vanderbilt (42nd overall): Byars was traded with cash to the Philadelphia 76ers for Petteri Koponen, who was selected 30th overall. After being waived by the Sixers out of training camp, Byars played overseas in Germany and France with Chorale Roanne Basket, the defending champs of in the French basketball league.

2007- Josh McRoberts, Duke (37th overall): Out of Portland's four second round picks from last season, McRoberts is the last man standing.  He shuttled between Portland and Boise, where he played for the Idaho Stampede and averaged 7.8 points, 6.0 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 26.5 minutes in eight games with the Blazers' D-League affiliate. In Portland, the rookie forward played in 8 games and scored 12 points total in 28 minutes. It's safe to say head coach Nate McMillan is still trying to find out where McBob fits in the Blazers big picture.

2005- Ricky Sanchez, IMG Acedemy (35th overall): The Puerto Rican native certainly has racked up the frequent flier miles, that's for sure. Sanchez was traded on draft night for Jarrett Jack to Denver where he became a main stay in the NBDL. He was a member of the Puerto Rican National Basketball Team in 2007 and traded later that summer to Philadelphia.

2004- Ha Seung-Jin, South Korea (47th overall): Many a GM caught Asian fever after the Houston Rockets selected Yao Ming first overall in '02, and then Blazers GM John Nash was no different. But the 19-year-old, 7-3, 308 pound Ha turned out to be a joke. Despite appearing in 46 games in his two years in Portland - where he averaged 1.5 points, 0.3 blocks and 1.5 rebounds per game - Ha was shipped to the Milwaukee Bucks in 2006 and waived months later. He is now a member of the Korean National team and will compete in the 2008 Summer Olympics.

2003- Nedzad Sinanovic, Bosnia-Herzegovina (54th overall): Another 7-10 who didn't make the cut in Portland, Sinanovic currently plays for the Köln 99ers of the Basketball Bundesliga, although he is being loaned out from his parent club, Real Madrid Baloncesto.

2002- Jason Jennings, Arkansas St. (43rd overall): Like so many who fail to stick in the league, Jennings opted to play over in Europe after being drafted and released by Portland in '02.

2001- Ruben Boumtje Boumtje, Georgetown (50th overall): Coming out of the center factory of Georgetown, Boumtje Boumtje saw some minor playing time his rookie year. The 7-footer appeared in 33 games and averaged 1.2 points per game, but in the end turned into a disappointing pick. He was subsequently traded to Cleveland in 2004 with Jeff McInnis in exchange for Darius Miles. After the Cavs waived him, Ruben latched on with the Orlando Magic in 2005 before heading overseas (France and Germany) for the past two seasons.  

1997- Alvin Williams,Villanova (48th overall):  Williams is another on the long list of players who've endured mircrofracture surgery and never fully recovered. Williams first experienced knee troubles his rookie year and underwent surgery days after he was dealt to the Toronto Raptors as part of the Damon Stoudamire trade. The Raptors then attempted to trade Williams to Boston the following season but the trade was voided after Williams failed to pass his physical. But in the end, it was a somewhat of a blessing in disguise for Toronto as Williams played all 82-games in back-to-back seasons (2001-02, 2002-03) and averaged 11.8 and 13.2 points per game. But it was the beginning of the end for Williams. He played in 56 games the following season and underwent mircrofracture surgery, missing the entire 2004-05 season. Toronto waived him the next season, and Williams played out a 10-day contract with the Los Angeles Clippers in 2007.

1996- Marcus Brown, Murray State (46th overall): You have to wonder what Brown would have contributed to the Blazers had he stayed in Portland. After a season in Portland and one in Detroit, Brown has flourished overseas in Italy, France, Spain, Turkey, Lithuania and Russia where the 6'3 guard has been all-everything in the Euroleague: He's an eight-time MVP, has won 16 championships and is the all-time leading scorer (2,119 points) in the Euroleague. Not bad for a second round cast-off.

1994- Shawnelle Scott, St. John's (43rd overall): Scott has been a little bit of everywhere after a failed attempt in Portland. The 6-10 center played two seasons in Cleveland, a season in San Antonio before playing 21 games for the Denver Nuggets in 2001-02. After Scott was waived by Denver that year, he went on to see time with Oklahoma City (CBA), Connecticut Pride (CBA), Long Island (USBL,ABA) as well as Puerto Rico, Italy, China and currently plays for Metis Varese in the Euroleague.

1993- Kevin Thompson, North Carolina State (48th overall): 13 games – that was the extent of Thompson's playing career with the Blazers. From there, Thompson made his rounds in Europe with Italy, and Turkey and the 6-10 center has played in Spain the past six seasons.

1992- Reggie Smith, Texas Christian (31st overall): It's never good when your name makes headlines for all the wrong reasons. But that's what happened in 1993 for Smith. Smith – during his rookie season – was involved in an off court incident with three other players (Dave Johnson, Tracy Murray and Jerome Kersey)who  were he was accused of allegedly having sex with two 16-year-old girls in Salt Lake City in 1992. Although the Blazers did not face charges in the end, Smith was suspended and his time in Portland came to end at the end of '93. Since then, Smith's had stints playing pro ball in Spain, Australia and France.  

1991- Marcus Kennedy, Eastern Michigan (54th overall): Like many second rounders who followed him, Kennedy never suited up in the regular season for Portland. Then again, Kennedy did help pave the way for future Blazers traveling overseas to play professionally, as the 6-7 forward has gone from Italy to Spain to Argentina to Japan, and even spent two season in the CBA with Grand Rapids.  

1989 - Clifford Robinson, Connecticut (9th pick in second round): Talk about saving the best for last….or in this case first. Before Uncle Cliffy suited up for the New Jersey Nets, Golden State Warriors, Detroit Pistons and Phoenix Suns, Robison represented Rip City with his trademark headband all the way to the 1992 NBA Finals, and actually won NBA Sixth Man honors in 1992-93. Robinson averaged 14.6 points and 4.6 rebounds per game, played in 1,380 games and ranks 35th all-time in career points (19,591). And after playing 18 years in the NBA, Robinson will forever be beloved in Portland.

(No second round selections: '90,'95,'98'99,'00,'06)

Email to a friend
Email to a friend Print Version
Print version Deliscious
del.icio.us Digg This
Digg this

About the Author: WENDELL MAXEY
Wendell Maxey is an NBA Writer for HOOPSWORLD and has appeared on NBA TV, NBA Radio on SIRIUS, and ESPN Radio. Wendell has covered the NBA for the past five seasons in New York, New Jersey and Portland and is a member of the Professional Basketball Writers Association. You can reach him at wmaxey@hoopsworld.com.

Comments (2 posted) Post your comment
Please be respectful of the writers in your comments or they will be removed
posted By HoopsNationCA, 16 June 2008 10:25:50 AM
Nice article. Good background and a fun look at whatever happened to... It's a good reality check that the majority of second rounders are more akin to Derrick Byars than to Micheal Redd.
posted By wmaxey, 16 June 2008 12:13:00 PM
i hear you hnca....two other current blazers - james jones and steve blake - are also notable second rounder with staying power. but more often than not, guys end up playing overseas than actually lasting in the league.



Checkout HOOPSWORLD on


NBA
NBA Rumors
NBA Salaries
NBA Newswire
NBA Transactions
NBA Trade History
NBA Stats
NBA Standings
NBA Teams
NBA Chats
NCAA BASKETBALL
NCAA Scores
NCAA Stats
NCAA Newswire
NCAA Standings
NBA DRAFT
Top 100 Prospects
Mock Draft
Owed Draft Picks
ABOUT THE SITE
RSS Feeds
Contact Us
Privacy Policy
Advertise With Us
Site Map
 

 


 
USA Today 
NBA Salaries  
NBA Teams  

Bookmark and Share

Email to a friend
Email to a friend
Print Version
Print version
Deliscious
del.icio.us
Digg This
Digg this
DID YOU ENJOY THIS ARTICLE

Avg Rating 5.0/5
 (total 1 votes)



TOP STORIES







PRIVACY POLICY | TERMS AND CONDITIONS | CONTACT US | SITE MAP | RSS FEEDS
AmericanEagle.com
© 2007 Fantasy Sports Ventures