Fred Jones (photo. Stephen Hill)If there’s one thing Isiah Thomas does well, it’s draft. There’s no denying what he did in Toronto: under his leadership, Zeke nabbed Damon Stoudamire, Marcus Camby and T-Mac. But the Pacers recent GM questions about Donnie Walsh have kicked up some info about Isiah’s draft decision when he was first brought on in Indiana.
“The team’s scouts were in agreement that [Tayshaun] Prince, a 6-9 shot-blocking talent with an emerging long-distance game, would be the perfect addition to a team that needed to make defensive strides, coming off its 42-40 season and first-round ouster by the Nets in the playoffs,” writes Mitch Lawrence.
“Prince was the unanimous choice - until the team’s top basketball executive, Donnie Walsh, announced that he was allowing his head coach, Isiah Thomas, to take control of the draft. Weeks earlier, Thomas had settled on Oregon guard Fred Jones after watching him in the pre-draft camp in Chicago. When it came time to make the pick, Walsh stunned his subordinates when he said, ‘I’ll let the coach make the decision.’”
Thomas chose Jones with the 14th pick in the ‘02 draft, as Tayshaun slipped down to the Pistons at #23.
March 24th, 2008 at 8:16 am
TJ says:
I wouldn’t say that the Stoudamire and Camby picks were that amazing. Camby is good, but he passed on Ray Allen, Kobe, Steve Nash, Stephon, Shareef, and Jermaine O’Neal. That is quite a list, especially with the first three most likely being Hall of Famers. Stoudamire’s best years were the first three playing on a shitty team. Mike Finley was still on the board and I think has had a better career.
March 24th, 2008 at 8:34 am
Celts Fan says:
maybe, but Nash was just “good” before all the rules changes and you can’t say those were bad picks. It didn’t pan out long-term, but those were good picks. Fred Jones on the other hand…
March 24th, 2008 at 8:47 am
Tbone says:
I clicked on Read more to get this?!??!?!?!:
Thomas chose Jones with the 14th pick in the ‘02 draft, as Tayshaun slipped down to the Pistons at #23.
C’mon Dime!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You’re better than this!!!!!!!
March 24th, 2008 at 10:41 am
doc says:
Picking Camby over Kobe is not a good pick.
March 24th, 2008 at 10:48 am
Celts Fan says:
Camby got the Knicks to the finals and has been a good player (not to mention a FORCE on a UMass Final Four team.) Kobe was a kid coming straight from H.S. well before those guys got picked highly. You can’t just arbitrarily say that now. You have to put it all into the context of how things were back then.
That’s like hating on the team that picked first overall a few years back for passing on Michael Redd even though he ended up being a mid 2nd rounder.
March 24th, 2008 at 12:00 pm
doc says:
Thats not hating its common sense Celts.Kobe is way better than Camby and from what I remember being from Philly all they were talking about was how he came to Sixers practice and destroyed Stackhouse who was a top pick the year before.And Camby was a good part on that Knicks team but he didnt get them to the finals.Jerry West said he would have picked Kobe 1rst.Aint no excuse.So Portland picking Bowie wasnt a bad pick because he was hyped up more than MJ?NO.
March 24th, 2008 at 12:01 pm
doc says:
Its not like Michael Redd. Its fuckin Kobe!
March 24th, 2008 at 12:02 pm
TJ says:
I’m not saying they were horrible picks, just not that amazing. He could have done better.
KG got drafted 5th the year before, which is pretty high to me. That ‘95 draft also proves my second point. Yea, Camby was sick in college, just like Joe Smith. But how do you feel about Smith getting drafted over McDyess, Sheed, KG, Stackhouse? You can’t just give GMs the excuse of going with what was obvious when they are supposed to know things that we don’t.
I’m not comparing people that went undrafted. I’m comparing people that went in the first half of the first round as well
March 24th, 2008 at 12:46 pm
GEE...Spring Break should be a national month long holiday and break! says:
Hindsight can be a mutha@#$#$!
March 24th, 2008 at 12:49 pm
Celts Fan says:
KG = a big guy, Kobe was the FIRST HS GUARD TO MAKE THE JUMP. That’s a big deal. Obviously Charlotte thought so too since they traded him straight up for Vlade. Not saying it was smart, but you have to put it into the context of the time.
Portland ONLY took Bowie cuz they didn’t need a 2. Kobe wasn’t thought of as the upper echelon of that draft class. He just wasn’t. period.
March 24th, 2008 at 3:36 pm
yallallreadyknow says:
isiah dont know what the fuck he doing. thats his credentials: drafting damon stoudamire and marcus camby? sad..
March 24th, 2008 at 3:51 pm
Celts Fan says:
Damon was ROY and Camby was a no-brainer. That’s not sad, those were good picks. It’s what he’s done since grabbing T-Mac that proves he “don’t know what the fuck he doing”
March 24th, 2008 at 3:54 pm
Celts Fan says:
He definitely could’ve done better had he known what we all know now about Kobe (first HS guard to make the jump though, so that was a HUUUUUUUUUUUGE question mark then. that can’t be emphasized enough) but it’s not like Camby’s been useless
March 25th, 2008 at 11:15 pm
Maynard says:
If there’s one thing he does well, it’s draft, huh? Any Knicks fan with a brain knew at the time he took Channing Frye over Andrew Bynum that it was a colossal mistake. And you guys are cool with Renaldo Balkman over Rajon Rondo or even Marcus Williams? When you have Mardy Collins, who needs Daniel Gibson, anyway, right? Monta Ellis and Francisco Garcia have game — but if they had them, then they wouldn’t have had sham Dunk Contest winner and gimmick player Nate Robinson. And Wilson Chandler isn’t much, but at least he’s endorsed by “Pony” — can Carl Landry or Glen Davis say that?
Even considering Stoudamire and Camby — with the latter a no-brainer pick at the time — you guys aren’t really reinventing the wheel by bringing up Fred Jones as an example that he might not know what he’s doing. And if you think he’s good with the draft in general, I’d say you guys are sipping the MSG kool-aid.