Request for help: players whose stock has jumped during the tourney?

[Eja117]

Looking back there are some eras where it was a curse to be a tourney guy in some ways.

For example Emeka Okafor was taken 2nd after a dominant year right behind a high school guy and Ben Gordon was taken 3rd. So arguably those guys benefited from a good run, but it was kinda a weak draft. Sebastian Telfair was taken before Jameer Nelson who had a heck of a year and a ton of nobodies (Rafeal Arujo, Robert Swift) were taken ahead of guys with great tourney runs and NCAA careers like Tony Allen and Chris Duhon.

Josh Childress could maybe have been the tourney riser that year. Not sure. But that was basically the year of high school with 8 first rounders. There were also a bunch of Euros in that one.

[Boris Badenov]

Draft Express has a mock draft history for each prospect. Google Draft Express  20XX mock draft. Then select a name and look at their mock draft history.

That is awesome. Can't believe I never noticed it with all the time I spend on DX. TP.

[Eja117]

Mike Dunleavy Jr. (Ew). Chris Wilcox, and Drew Gooden all picked before Amare S in 2002 and Juan Dixon picked 17th

However Boozer slipped to the 2nd round

[bdm860]

Joakim Noah's stock jumped after he won MOP and Florida won their first title with him (and Hordord) in 2006, with a lot of people saying he'd go #1 if he declared in '06.

http://sports-law.blogspot.com/2006/04/power-of-situation-joakim-noahs.html

After leading the Florida Gators to an NCAA title, many thought that sophomore Joakim Noah would declare for the 2006 NBA Draft. A number of draft experts, including Aran Smith of NBA Draft Net and Chad Ford of ESPN (and Brigham Young University-Hawaii) predicted that Noah would be the first or second player selected, especially given the unusual absence of premiere talent in this year’s draft. In contrast, because of what appears to be deeper class in the 2007 NBA Draft, Noah might struggle to be a top 10 pick next year.

John Wallace, back in '96 after leading Syracuse to the championship game, is probably an example of a guy whose stock rose, but then fell back to where it should have been (he missed flights for workouts, talked down to exectives, etc.).  If these blogs were around back then, you'd have a lot of evidence of people wanting to pick Wallace at #6 instead of Antoine.  I remember watching the Celtics draft show, and the way I remember it, before the C's picked at #6, ML Carr got up and asked a room full of reporters who they think the C's should draft, and I remember a lot of the crowd seemed to be saying Wallace.  NY Times article talking about how he was expected to go #6 to #12, before being drafted #18:

http://www.nytimes.com/1996/06/28/sports/pro-basketball-it-s-a-mystery-why-wallace-no-18-wasn-t-picked-earlier.html

What is clear: John Wallace would have taken John Wallace much earlier, and that may explain why a player the Knicks believed would go no lower than 12th and possibly as high as sixth was available to them.

[Eja117]

Looking at the 2002 draft makes me want to puke

http://www.nbadraft.net/nba_draft_history/2001.html

[fairweatherfan]

An cautionary tale of a guy whose stock would've gone up had he taken the opportunity - in 1999 Harold Arceneaux of Weber State dropped 36 points to knock out the 3 seed North Carolina, then 32 in a loss to Florida.  He would very likely have been a 1st rounder, but came back as a senior and wound up going undrafted (in a historically bad draft) and never played in the league. 

[Eja117]

Bill Curley from BC

[fairweatherfan]

Again an older guy, so not much mock draft info, but Glen Rice went from not making the top 48 for the 1988 Olympics (all college guys, remember) to getting picked #4 the next year.  Mainly due to breaking the all-time tournament scoring record (still stands) to lead Michigan to a title, despite their coach quitting just before the tourney (!).

[bdm860]

I disagree with some of the guys mentioned.  Guys like Mercer, O'Bannon.  These guys were 1st team All-Americans, MVP of their teams who were #1 seeds, O'Bannon was the Wooden Award winner, etc.

Going to the Final Four/championship game didn't increase their stock, it just maintained it.  Like Towns and Okafor didn't just increase their stock by going to the Final Four, they were already suppose to be top picks before the tournament even started.  That's kind of how I feel about Mercer and O'Bannon and some of the other guys who have been mentioned.

[Quetzalcoatl]

I'm really starting to like this draft.  Hopefully someone good falls to us, because I think we're going to fall into the playoffs

[Donoghus]

Little fuzzy where he would've fallen pre-tourney (guessing still lottery) but Lamar Odom helped himself in the '98 tourney.  That run probably also got Tyson Wheeler drafted.

[Eja117]

I disagree with some of the guys mentioned.  Guys like Mercer, O'Bannon.  These guys were 1st team All-Americans, MVP of their teams who were #1 seeds, O'Bannon was the Wooden Award winner, etc.

Going to the Final Four/championship game didn't increase their stock, it just maintained it.  Like Towns and Okafor didn't just increase their stock by going to the Final Four, they were already suppose to be top picks before the tournament even started.  That's kind of how I feel about Mercer and O'Bannon and some of the other guys who have been mentioned.

I couldn't really remember what O'Bannon was pre draft. I just knew these guys were busts for whatever reason. Like I'm not sure if O'Bannon was hurt or not. Just that he got drafted pretty high after a good run and didn't deliver.
For Mercer I noted that not only did he not deliver, but his teammates picked after him arguably delivered more, especially in relation to where they were drafted.

[GetLucky]

Two Words: Derrick Williams

He had an amazing tournament run with Arizona (I think they reached the Final 4) and got drafted #2 overall, behind Kyrie Irving and ahead of Jonas Valanciunas, Tristan Thompson, Brandon Knight, Kemba Walker, Klay Thompson, The Morris Twins, Nikola Vucevic, Tobias Harris, Kawhi Leonard, Nikola Mitotic, Kenneth Faried, Reggie Jackson, Norris Cole, Jimmy Butler, and Nikola Mirotic, not even mentioning Chandler Parsons and our own Isaiah Thomas, whom everyone passed on.

Basically, in the almost foolproof draft, the Timberwolves still found a way to screw up. 

Williams is now on the Kings, and George Karl just said a Coke machine could rebound better than him.

[Eja117]

I kinda think having the name God got God Shamgod drafted.

Also being tall, from Duke, and mildly resembling Christian Laetner got Erik Meek drafted.

Serge Zwicker. Awful tourney. Drafted pretty high in the 2nd round. Could hardly move. Was from UNC.

[Donoghus]

Marcus Fizer is another one that comes to mind although he already had a pretty solid college resume.  Team goes to the Elite 8, he declares, and gets drafted in the top 5 in what ends up being a horrendous draft.