I've seen Ford get a lot of things right. I've said for a while that NBA draft scouting (at least in terms of the very top prospects) seems to be more hit than miss. Aside from Greg Oden, typically when they hype a player as the "next big thing", it ends up basically coming true. It happens rarely, but Yao was the first I remember getting that type of hype ... and he certainly became a fine player. Then LeBron. Then Oden/Durant (1 outta 2)...
They don't hype players like that every draft. Rose was supposed to be darn good (and he was), but he didn't get that level of hype. I remember hearing about Chris Paul and the shock that he wasn't taken higher. Dwight was supposedly raw, but had huge upside. John Wall was supposed to be pretty good... and he is. Kyrie was supposed to be pretty good... and he is.
Then when they say a draft is garbage (like 2013), it tends to be true.
This 2014 draft received a lot of hype early, but they have tempered it a bit. They still say it's a really deep and serious draft, though. I believe it.
It still seems like the majority of stars end up coming within the first 5 picks of the draft... and guys like FOrd typically know who those players are and when they'll be picked.