NBA Draft scores high, low points
Last Thursday, sports fans settled in for the 4 1/2-hour marathon known as the 2003 NBA Draft.
Now that it’s over, the analysis must begin: Which team had the best picks, which player had the biggest fall, and dare I say the most important – who was the best dressed? So in an attempt to bring forward the most pertinent information, here are the first ever Daily Bruin NBA Draft Awards:
Best Team Picks: Detroit
For a team that had the best record in its conference last season, as well as new head coach Larry Brown, anything from Thursday’s draft would just be a bonus. But the Pistons knew exactly what to go for. Some would say taking Serbia’s Darko Milicic over Syracuse’s Carmello Anthony was a mistake, but Milicic offers tremendous upside.
As the most versatile international player, Milicic is aggressive at the post, tough, shoots from the perimeter, and still can play in the paint as a formidable shot blocker. Though he won’t offer the same point potential as Anthony, he will help the defensive-minded Pistons.
Even with the No. 2 pick, Detroit also scored big with another first rounder, Italy’s Carlos Delfino, a 6-foot, 7-inch shooting guard. Delfino was a steal at No. 25, after a serious ankle injury scared off most teams. Delfino could become an immediate factor on the team with his shooting ability.
Finally, the Pistons ended the evening with another international player, Andreas Gliniadakis from Greece. It never hurts to have a 7-footer hanging around, especially someone who can add five fouls against Shaq, Duncan and Yao.
Worst Team Picks: tie, Memphis and Los Angeles Clippers
Grizzlies: Jerry West, one of the most highly regarded general managers, traded two first-round picks for what was really two second-round marginal players. Boston College’s Troy Bell (No. 16) and Duke’s Dahntay Jones (No. 20) have proven themselves on the collegiate level, but trading away their picks to Boston wasn’t West’s smartest move.
Clippers: With the probability of Michael Olowokandi’s departure rising everyday, the team used its No. 6 on center Chris Kaman. Then to try and replace Elton Brand, the team brought in “Baby Shaq,” Greece’s Sofoklis Schortsanitis. This inability to keep free agents has become too problematic for the team and thus the future remains dark.
Best Family Member in the Audience: tie, Leroy Kaman and Mary Anthony
Anthony (Carmelo’s mom): After her son was picked third by the Denver Nuggets, Mrs. Anthony couldn’t produce anything more than a “yes” under tearful sobs in an interview with ESPN’s Stuart Scott. You know the people at ESPN were drooling … tears, excellent.
Kaman (Chris’s father): His name is Leroy Kaman, isn’t that just funny enough?
Best Dressed: Wade family
Marquette’s Dwayne Wade showed off a classic style of the navy suit, blue shirt and blue tie. But most impressive may have been his high school bride Siovaughn and son Zaire. She came in a tasteful black cocktail dress that was simple, yet elegant (no one ever goes wrong with the black cocktail dress), while they dressed their toddler son in a blue-on-blue suit, matching his father perfectly.
Worst Dressed: LeBron James
Sorry buddy, but that all-white ensemble just looked a little too much like Chris Rock at one the MTV awards he hosted a few years back. Though not leather like Rock’s, the Italian wool that matched his mother’s dress was not fitting of him. Should have prepared a little more to find something that matched better with the new crimson colors of Cleveland.
Honorable Mention: The new satin team hats.
After each pick, traditionally the player is given a hat with the team logo on it. But this year, they chose to make satin hats instead of the basic cap and it just looked silly. Example: Chris Bosh’s purple hat from the Toronto Raptors. The new look made him seem more ready for a date with Richard Simmons than Vince Carter.
Best Line of the Night: tie, Jay Bilas and David Stern
Bilas: After the Seattle Supersonics took Oregon’s Luke Ridnour, ESPN’s Jay Bilas described the former Duck, “(Ridnour) can’t guard the chair I’m sitting on, and he couldn’t bench 185 pounds one time.” Classic.
Stern: It was just too much fun watching the NBA commissioner struggle over some of the international names. Something to the likes of “The New Jersey Nets pick, um … Zar-Zarko Chabarkapa.” Ok, let sound it out together Zar-ko Cha-bark-a-pa.
Best Name: Ndidu Ebi
The high schooler’s first name is pronounced “Doody.” Enough said.
Saddest and Last Player in the Green Room: Maciej Lampe
As a projected lottery pick, Polish forward Lampe suffered a huge slide to the second round after late-breaking contract issues with his European team Real Madrid. Finally, the Knicks took him as the first pick in the second round, only ESPN captured numerous shots of the distraught kid.
Bach is distraught after the Sacramento Kings had no draft
picks. E-mail her at jbach@media.ucla.edu.



