2006 nba draft

[Fafnir]

If you could do that draft again, Rondo goes #2.

1.) LaMarcus Aldridge
2.) Rajon Rondo
3.) Andrea Bargnani
4.) Brandon Roy (because of those knees)

Roy wouldn't go in the Top 20 because of his knees, in retrospect.  He retired before the age of 30.

Yes he would have, he was a hugely productive SG throughout his rookie contract.

[Bankshot]

1.   Andrea Bargnani, Forward, Italy
2.   LaMarcus Aldridge, Forward, Texas (to Portland)
3.   Adam Morrison, Forward, Gonzaga
4.   Tyrus Thomas, Forward, Louisiana State (to Chicago)
5.   Shelden Williams, Forward, Duke
6.   Brandon Roy, Guard, Washington (to Portland)
7.   Randy Foye, Guard, Villanova (to Minnesota via Portland)
8.   Rudy Gay, Forward, Connecticut
9.   Patrick O'Bryant, Center, Bradley
10.   Saer Sene, Forward, Senegal
11.   J.J. Redick, Guard, Duke
12   Hilton Armstrong, Center, Connecticut
13   Thabo Sefolosha, Guard, Switzerland (to Chicago)
14   Ronnie Brewer, Guard, Arkansas
15   Cedric Simmons, Forward, North Carolina State
16   Rodney Carney, Forward, Memphis (to Philadelphia)
17   Shawne Williams, Forward, Memphis
18   Oleksiy Pecherov, Center, Ukraine
19   Quincy Douby, Guard, Rutgers
20   Renaldo Balkman, Forward, South Carolina
21   Rajon Rondo, Guard, Kentucky (to Boston)
22   Marcus Williams, Guard, Connecticut

I can't stop laughing at New York picking Balkman at 20 when they desperately needed a point guard.

Shelden Williams at 5 is a laugher as well.  Everyone knew on draft day that he would be a bust at #5.  And Adam Morrison at #3!

[Donoghus]

In retrospect, a pretty crummy draft.  Not 2000 (worst ever?) but not very good either.

[Finkelskyhook]

All those players picked ahead of Rondo.....Wow.

[celtsfan84]

1.   Andrea Bargnani, Forward, Italy
2.   LaMarcus Aldridge, Forward, Texas (to Portland)
3.   Adam Morrison, Forward, Gonzaga
4.   Tyrus Thomas, Forward, Louisiana State (to Chicago)
5.   Shelden Williams, Forward, Duke
6.   Brandon Roy, Guard, Washington (to Portland)
7.   Randy Foye, Guard, Villanova (to Minnesota via Portland)
8.   Rudy Gay, Forward, Connecticut
9.   Patrick O'Bryant, Center, Bradley
10.   Saer Sene, Forward, Senegal
11.   J.J. Redick, Guard, Duke
12   Hilton Armstrong, Center, Connecticut
13   Thabo Sefolosha, Guard, Switzerland (to Chicago)
14   Ronnie Brewer, Guard, Arkansas
15   Cedric Simmons, Forward, North Carolina State
16   Rodney Carney, Forward, Memphis (to Philadelphia)
17   Shawne Williams, Forward, Memphis
18   Oleksiy Pecherov, Center, Ukraine
19   Quincy Douby, Guard, Rutgers
20   Renaldo Balkman, Forward, South Carolina
21   Rajon Rondo, Guard, Kentucky (to Boston)
22   Marcus Williams, Guard, Connecticut

I can't stop laughing at New York picking Balkman at 20 when they desperately needed a point guard.

Shelden Williams at 5 is a laugher as well.  Everyone knew on draft day that he would be a bust at #5.  And Adam Morrison at #3!

In the interest of boredom at work and having some time on my hands, here is my reorder of that top 22, stopping at the first 22 players picked, which is an awful draft, probably only behind 2000 and 1986.  I may be missing a class or two, but wow, what an awful draft.

1. LaMarcus Aldridge, Forward, Texas (to Portland)
2. Rajon Rondo, Guard, Kentucky (to Boston)
3. Rudy Gay, Forward, Connecticut
4. Andrea Bargnani, Forward, Italy
5. Brandon Roy, Guard, Washington (to Portland)
6. Thabo Sefolosha, Guard, Switzerland (to Chicago)
7. J.J. Redick, Guard, Duke
8. Ronnie Brewer, Guard, Arkansas
9. Randy Foye, Guard, Villanova (to Minnesota via Portland)
10. Tyrus Thomas, Forward, Louisiana State (to Chicago)
11. Rodney Carney, Forward, Memphis (to Philadelphia)
12. Hilton Armstrong, Center, Connecticut
13. Renaldo Balkman, Forward, South Carolina
14. Marcus Williams, Guard, Connecticut
15. Shawne Williams, Forward, Memphis
16. Shelden Williams, Forward, Duke
17. Adam Morrison, Forward, Gonzaga
18. Quincy Douby, Guard, Rutgers
19. Oleksiy Pecherov, Center, Ukraine
20. Patrick O'Bryant, Center, Bradley
21. Cedric Simmons, Forward, North Carolina State
22. Fab Melo, err, I mean, Saer Sene, Forward, Senegal

It gets mediocre at #6 and pretty bad at #12.  Of course, Kyle Lowry and Paul Millsap, who were drafted later, easily crack the top 7 here if they were included in my rankings.  

Jordan Farmer, Shannon Brown, Daniel Gibson, and a few other decent little guys were picked later on too.

[Neurotic Guy]

Honestly, you could probably do this with every draft.  It isn't a perfect science.

True, but given the abundance of threads/comments that have spoken to who we missed out on, it's good to point out when we got the steal.  Sully may turn out to be a stesl, but it's hard to forget (at least on this blog) what happened the last time a guy fell to us on draft day.  Different circumstance and hopefully different outcome.

[mqtcelticsfan]

Honestly, you could probably do this with every draft.  It isn't a perfect science.

There aren't many drafts where the 21st pick in the draft is one of the 2 best players in it.

[mctyson]

And the funny thing about this draft was that JJ Reddick was presumed to be the bust in the lottery, looked like it the first couple years, but its turned out that he was picked almost exactly where his value in the NBA is today.  Sometimes it works out.

[MJohnnyboy]

I think Rondo is better than Aldridge or atleast has done more. No hate on Aldridge (he's one of the best young forwards in the game), but Rondo is one of the best at the most stocked position in the league, not to mention he's proven to be one of the better defensive guards in the league (even if he does take too many risks). Aldridge is borderline elite, but Rondo has proven he definitely is elite.

[MJohnnyboy]

And the funny thing about this draft was that JJ Reddick was presumed to be the bust in the lottery, looked like it the first couple years, but its turned out that he was picked almost exactly where his value in the NBA is today.  Sometimes it works out.

JJ Redick worked hard at adjusting his game to the league and proving to everyone he could be more than just a three-point shooter. Shows you can always improve your game with just the right amount of commitment.

[saltlover]

Yes, good job Danny for getting Rondo, but we had pick #7 in that draft, and traded it away needlessly.  I remember I really wanted Brandon Roy, and I was ticked that Portland turned our #7 into Brandon Roy at #6.  And even tho his body gave out, he had some great years early in his career when he was cheap.  I think it was the first NBA draft I followed closely.

Overall, I like Danny, but that trade for the PG who's name I can't even remember, he was that bad, sticks out to me as one of his biggest errors, just as Rondo was one of his biggest coups.  Goes to show no one wins them all, and hopefully no one loses them all.

[ausbacker]

It gob-smacks how mediocre that draft is after the first 5 picks are done in retrospect.

[celtsfan84]

Yes, good job Danny for getting Rondo, but we had pick #7 in that draft, and traded it away needlessly.  I remember I really wanted Brandon Roy, and I was ticked that Portland turned our #7 into Brandon Roy at #6.  And even tho his body gave out, he had some great years early in his career when he was cheap.  I think it was the first NBA draft I followed closely.

Overall, I like Danny, but that trade for the PG who's name I can't even remember, he was that bad, sticks out to me as one of his biggest errors, just as Rondo was one of his biggest coups.  Goes to show no one wins them all, and hopefully no one loses them all.

Sebastian Telfair, whom, while not good by any means, was actually in an NBA rotation last year (backing up Nash in Phoenix).

But also invoved in that trade was the Theo Ratliff contract which eventually became a major part of the KG deal.

Serendipitous.  Sometimes, like in this particular transaction, it is better to be lucky than good.

[Edgar]

It gob-smacks how mediocre that draft is after the first 5 picks are done in retrospect.

top be honesst aldrige is really worthfull

[Bankshot]

And the funny thing about this draft was that JJ Reddick was presumed to be the bust in the lottery, looked like it the first couple years, but its turned out that he was picked almost exactly where his value in the NBA is today.  Sometimes it works out.

In this horrible draft, JJ Redick should have gone higher than he did.