A Poorly Researched Big Board for the 1998 Draft (Author - Joe)
A Poorly Researched Big Board for the 1998 Draft (Author - Joe)
A Poorly Researched Big Board for the 1998 Draft
I looked at the draft file and the draft notes, but given that these players were so present in my basketball childhood, a lot of my decisions in shaping this Big Board were influenced pretty heavily by whether they looked cool on TV when I was growing up. Fuck Matt, Brad Miller is the man.
Anyway, here it is - I tried to mix in some sound analysis alongside my obviously biased opinions. Sound off! I want to hear peoples' hot takes. Let's discuss.
1. Paul Pierce SF 6'7'' 235 21 B B- C B C+ A
Call me a homer, but in a draft including a lot of flawed stars, The Truth feels like the safest bet to take at first overall. His notes and ratings show no major weaknesses besides some turnovers (par for the course with many young stars), and he’s a HOF name, so you know his floor is incredibly high. If you’re picking at 1, the one thing you don’t want to do is whiff – so all things equal, two-way stars get the nod over elite offensive players at this spot in my book. Make sure you’ve got an extra wheelchair in the locker room come playoff time!
2. Vince Carter SF 6'6'' 220 21 B+ C+ C C+ C A
The ratings aren’t much to look at right now, but we all know what VC is capable of. In case you forgot, what he’s capable of most relevantly is teabagging Frenchmen against their will. He would have dropped on my board a bit due to his notes referencing poor defense, but the fact that he’ll still get some stocks offsets that a bit. On top of that, his secret stipulation linked to wanting to play with T-Mac instantly gives him elevated value if the GM picking wanted to trade him on draft day. Yes, there’s a reason I’m writing the Big Board and not someone else. hmu
3. Dirk Nowitzki PF 7'0'' 245 20 B B+ C- C C+ A
Dirk is clearly the high-risk, high-reward gamble among the top 3. His flexibility as an elite scorer for both an Inside and Outside offense is absolutely tantalizing, as teambuilding becomes so much easier around him. That said, if I’m picking first, am I gonna just go ahead and take a big man who’s a below average rebounder, bad positional defender, and doesn’t get stocks? It’s a tough pill to swallow. Best to wash it down with some sauerkraut and a sausage, methinks.
4. Mike Bibby PG 6'1'' 190 20 C B B C D+ A
I see these ratings and I read Bibby’s notes, and he feels a bit like a Walmart-brand Chauncey Billups to me. Not that that’s a knock – Chauncey would have won ROTY if it weren’t for Duncan. C inside is unimpressive until you read that he’ll be a “special scorer.” Like VC, his ability to get stocks will offset some poor on-ball defense, and high strength in a point guard is an amazing quality to have. Exceptional PGs are still the crown jewel of FBB, and this guy is head and shoulders above the other PGs in this class.
5. Rashard Lewis SF 6'10'' 215 19 C+ B D+ C C+ A
It was real close for me between Lewis and Jamison at 5 and 6, but Lewis being a teenager (and therefore having the chance to increase in underlying potential) gives him the edge. I like that Lewis will likely be an above average rebounder at the 3, and the fact that he doesn’t pass much bodes well for his turnover numbers. He should take and make a ton of 3s, and that’s not a given at the SF position in the 90s. Weston will probably jump in the lottery again and get to reunite him with his good buddy Ray Ray.
6. Antawn Jamison SF 6'8'' 223 22 B C+ C- C B A
I think Jamison’s current active league comp is Juwan Howard, though will likely be a better rebounder and stretch the floor a bit more. He feels like a high-floor pick, too, even with his deficiencies on defense. Should be an inside scoring beast at the 3 – if he can be paired with some top tier scoring at the 4 and 5, he could be the perfect guy for a pure Inside focus. It shouldn't have any bearing on his SLN effectiveness, but I always thought this dude was boring as hell.
7. Larry Hughes SG 6'5'' 184 19 C+ C+ C+ B C A
Call me crazy (or Call Me Maybe), but I think Larry Hughes is clearly the second best PG prospect in this draft despite being listed at SG. I absolutely LOVED Hughes growing up, so that’s coloring my image here, but I have a good feeling he will have no problem scoring at a high rate to go along with being an elite defender (pretty sure he led the league in steals at least once). Hughes looks an AWFUL lot like the Goliath of the Garden himself, Jeff McInnis, on his draft day a couple years ago – VERY similar rating profile, and McInnis is pretty objectively the best player in the league, so do what you will with that information.
8. Bonzi Wells SG 6'5'' 210 22 B C+ C- C+ C+ B
It might be a reach to snag this guy inside the top 10, but I love that he sports the second highest inside rating in the whole class after Vinsanity AND he’s already a C+ rebounder as a 2-guard. Like Jamison, he could be an incredible addition to a team with a Balanced or Inside focus, and that’s more of a rarity at the 2 than the 3. Doesn’t appear to have any major weaknesses, has extremely positive notes, and if camped correctly, I think could be an above average starter for sure.
9. Brad Miller C 6'11'' 244 22 B- C B- C B- A
He might be found under the header “Fugly Slut” in Matt’s Chicago Bulls Burn Book, but Big Bad Brad will find a home within the top 10. Like I said on the boards, he was Jokic before they invented Jokic - what a hoss he was. A big with high quickness is pretty unique, and a high jumpshot rating is double great – it means while he’s doing all his inside scoring and getting other bigs in foul trouble, he will be hitting his free throws. I expect Miller to be among the top bigs in TS%. It’s just gravy that he’s going to be an excellent rebounder.
10. Matt Harpring SF 6'7'' 231 22 C+ B- D C+ C+ B
While he’s probably not going to end up a superstar if he’s starting with C+/B- scoring at the 3, Harpring is an extremely safe play to round out the top 10. His B- outside is high, and he’s the second best Outside shooter among SFs after Lewis. I like that he’s starting at C+ rebounding already, and it sounds from his notes like his defense will progress substantially naturally. Draft analysts have been describing him as "scrappy," "gritty," "high basketball IQ," and "a real Wes Welker-type."
11. Michael Olowokandi C. 7'0'' 269 23 C+ D+ D- C B A
As I’m thinking about it, 11 might even be too high for this guy, even though his big lazy ass is probably loaded with potential. It’s difficult for me to overlook how historically underwhelming he was in real life - being a horrendous FT shooter and NOT being Shaquille O’Neal otherwise isn’t exactly exciting. Or maybe, I’m just shitting on him in this article so that he drops to me at 14…who can know these things??
12. Cuttino Mobley SG 6'4'' 190 23 C+ B C+ C C- B
Cat is going to do one thing in this league, and that’s get buckets. Well, maybe two things if you count secretly dating Steve Francis when he’s drafted next year (yes, that happened, look it up). His B Outside is nearly a B+, so I expect that to tick up within his first camp and for him to start looking like the Glen Rice-type of mold pretty soon. His C+ inside is also on the high side, so if he can be a B-/B+ scorer after his first camp, he will make an immediate impact.
13. Jason Williams PG 6'1'' 190 22 C C+ B+ C D+ A
This draft is really pulling at my heartstrings…or perhaps my Harprings (*rimshot*). So many of my favorite players as a youth make their debuts! It absolutely pains me to see one of the most electrifying guards of all time find himself all the way down at 13 in this draft, but there are just so many red flags in his draft notes. Poor shooting and high passing could mean bad percentages and high turnovers, two absolute no-no’s for your PG. I’m praying that he gets enough steals to justify him pulling shit like this in live games:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=BI4CkbTsQDA&ab_ ... isRallakis
That remains perhaps the single coolest basketball play of any kind I’ve seen in my entire life.
14. Raef LaFrentz C 6'11'' 240 22 B- C+ D+ B- C+ B
Guess who the recipient of that elbow pass was, who managed to blow the highlight by not being athletic enough to dunk it? It’s another Celtic legend, Raef Lafrentz! I used to shit on him mercilessly, but he will be a cool guy to have in SLN. He will shoot the 3 at a good clip from the 5 position (!) and he had a number of real life seasons where he averaged close to 3 blocks a game, so that will likely carry over. Let’s not have another disaster like Jim-McIlvaine-gate where everyone forgets to check the guy’s Basketball Reference page and some bum who was getting 6 blocks per 36 drops way too far in the draft.
15. Tyrone Nesby SF 6'6'' 225 23 B- B- C B- C- C
Yeah I’m gonna be honest, I’ve got no fucking clue who Tyrone Nesby is. I looked him up yesterday, and he was underwhelming enough that I still don’t know who he is today. But holy cow, look at those ratings! And he has draft notes! And they’re literally glowing! Is this guy ashes’ brother-in-law or something? Why is he randomly going to be amazing? This is what makes the draft fun. Somebody is gonna reach for this joker and is either gonna be handsomely rewarded or pretty disappointed. What is the late lottery for if not taking big home run swings?
I looked at the draft file and the draft notes, but given that these players were so present in my basketball childhood, a lot of my decisions in shaping this Big Board were influenced pretty heavily by whether they looked cool on TV when I was growing up. Fuck Matt, Brad Miller is the man.
Anyway, here it is - I tried to mix in some sound analysis alongside my obviously biased opinions. Sound off! I want to hear peoples' hot takes. Let's discuss.
1. Paul Pierce SF 6'7'' 235 21 B B- C B C+ A
Call me a homer, but in a draft including a lot of flawed stars, The Truth feels like the safest bet to take at first overall. His notes and ratings show no major weaknesses besides some turnovers (par for the course with many young stars), and he’s a HOF name, so you know his floor is incredibly high. If you’re picking at 1, the one thing you don’t want to do is whiff – so all things equal, two-way stars get the nod over elite offensive players at this spot in my book. Make sure you’ve got an extra wheelchair in the locker room come playoff time!
2. Vince Carter SF 6'6'' 220 21 B+ C+ C C+ C A
The ratings aren’t much to look at right now, but we all know what VC is capable of. In case you forgot, what he’s capable of most relevantly is teabagging Frenchmen against their will. He would have dropped on my board a bit due to his notes referencing poor defense, but the fact that he’ll still get some stocks offsets that a bit. On top of that, his secret stipulation linked to wanting to play with T-Mac instantly gives him elevated value if the GM picking wanted to trade him on draft day. Yes, there’s a reason I’m writing the Big Board and not someone else. hmu
3. Dirk Nowitzki PF 7'0'' 245 20 B B+ C- C C+ A
Dirk is clearly the high-risk, high-reward gamble among the top 3. His flexibility as an elite scorer for both an Inside and Outside offense is absolutely tantalizing, as teambuilding becomes so much easier around him. That said, if I’m picking first, am I gonna just go ahead and take a big man who’s a below average rebounder, bad positional defender, and doesn’t get stocks? It’s a tough pill to swallow. Best to wash it down with some sauerkraut and a sausage, methinks.
4. Mike Bibby PG 6'1'' 190 20 C B B C D+ A
I see these ratings and I read Bibby’s notes, and he feels a bit like a Walmart-brand Chauncey Billups to me. Not that that’s a knock – Chauncey would have won ROTY if it weren’t for Duncan. C inside is unimpressive until you read that he’ll be a “special scorer.” Like VC, his ability to get stocks will offset some poor on-ball defense, and high strength in a point guard is an amazing quality to have. Exceptional PGs are still the crown jewel of FBB, and this guy is head and shoulders above the other PGs in this class.
5. Rashard Lewis SF 6'10'' 215 19 C+ B D+ C C+ A
It was real close for me between Lewis and Jamison at 5 and 6, but Lewis being a teenager (and therefore having the chance to increase in underlying potential) gives him the edge. I like that Lewis will likely be an above average rebounder at the 3, and the fact that he doesn’t pass much bodes well for his turnover numbers. He should take and make a ton of 3s, and that’s not a given at the SF position in the 90s. Weston will probably jump in the lottery again and get to reunite him with his good buddy Ray Ray.
6. Antawn Jamison SF 6'8'' 223 22 B C+ C- C B A
I think Jamison’s current active league comp is Juwan Howard, though will likely be a better rebounder and stretch the floor a bit more. He feels like a high-floor pick, too, even with his deficiencies on defense. Should be an inside scoring beast at the 3 – if he can be paired with some top tier scoring at the 4 and 5, he could be the perfect guy for a pure Inside focus. It shouldn't have any bearing on his SLN effectiveness, but I always thought this dude was boring as hell.
7. Larry Hughes SG 6'5'' 184 19 C+ C+ C+ B C A
Call me crazy (or Call Me Maybe), but I think Larry Hughes is clearly the second best PG prospect in this draft despite being listed at SG. I absolutely LOVED Hughes growing up, so that’s coloring my image here, but I have a good feeling he will have no problem scoring at a high rate to go along with being an elite defender (pretty sure he led the league in steals at least once). Hughes looks an AWFUL lot like the Goliath of the Garden himself, Jeff McInnis, on his draft day a couple years ago – VERY similar rating profile, and McInnis is pretty objectively the best player in the league, so do what you will with that information.
8. Bonzi Wells SG 6'5'' 210 22 B C+ C- C+ C+ B
It might be a reach to snag this guy inside the top 10, but I love that he sports the second highest inside rating in the whole class after Vinsanity AND he’s already a C+ rebounder as a 2-guard. Like Jamison, he could be an incredible addition to a team with a Balanced or Inside focus, and that’s more of a rarity at the 2 than the 3. Doesn’t appear to have any major weaknesses, has extremely positive notes, and if camped correctly, I think could be an above average starter for sure.
9. Brad Miller C 6'11'' 244 22 B- C B- C B- A
He might be found under the header “Fugly Slut” in Matt’s Chicago Bulls Burn Book, but Big Bad Brad will find a home within the top 10. Like I said on the boards, he was Jokic before they invented Jokic - what a hoss he was. A big with high quickness is pretty unique, and a high jumpshot rating is double great – it means while he’s doing all his inside scoring and getting other bigs in foul trouble, he will be hitting his free throws. I expect Miller to be among the top bigs in TS%. It’s just gravy that he’s going to be an excellent rebounder.
10. Matt Harpring SF 6'7'' 231 22 C+ B- D C+ C+ B
While he’s probably not going to end up a superstar if he’s starting with C+/B- scoring at the 3, Harpring is an extremely safe play to round out the top 10. His B- outside is high, and he’s the second best Outside shooter among SFs after Lewis. I like that he’s starting at C+ rebounding already, and it sounds from his notes like his defense will progress substantially naturally. Draft analysts have been describing him as "scrappy," "gritty," "high basketball IQ," and "a real Wes Welker-type."
11. Michael Olowokandi C. 7'0'' 269 23 C+ D+ D- C B A
As I’m thinking about it, 11 might even be too high for this guy, even though his big lazy ass is probably loaded with potential. It’s difficult for me to overlook how historically underwhelming he was in real life - being a horrendous FT shooter and NOT being Shaquille O’Neal otherwise isn’t exactly exciting. Or maybe, I’m just shitting on him in this article so that he drops to me at 14…who can know these things??
12. Cuttino Mobley SG 6'4'' 190 23 C+ B C+ C C- B
Cat is going to do one thing in this league, and that’s get buckets. Well, maybe two things if you count secretly dating Steve Francis when he’s drafted next year (yes, that happened, look it up). His B Outside is nearly a B+, so I expect that to tick up within his first camp and for him to start looking like the Glen Rice-type of mold pretty soon. His C+ inside is also on the high side, so if he can be a B-/B+ scorer after his first camp, he will make an immediate impact.
13. Jason Williams PG 6'1'' 190 22 C C+ B+ C D+ A
This draft is really pulling at my heartstrings…or perhaps my Harprings (*rimshot*). So many of my favorite players as a youth make their debuts! It absolutely pains me to see one of the most electrifying guards of all time find himself all the way down at 13 in this draft, but there are just so many red flags in his draft notes. Poor shooting and high passing could mean bad percentages and high turnovers, two absolute no-no’s for your PG. I’m praying that he gets enough steals to justify him pulling shit like this in live games:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=BI4CkbTsQDA&ab_ ... isRallakis
That remains perhaps the single coolest basketball play of any kind I’ve seen in my entire life.
14. Raef LaFrentz C 6'11'' 240 22 B- C+ D+ B- C+ B
Guess who the recipient of that elbow pass was, who managed to blow the highlight by not being athletic enough to dunk it? It’s another Celtic legend, Raef Lafrentz! I used to shit on him mercilessly, but he will be a cool guy to have in SLN. He will shoot the 3 at a good clip from the 5 position (!) and he had a number of real life seasons where he averaged close to 3 blocks a game, so that will likely carry over. Let’s not have another disaster like Jim-McIlvaine-gate where everyone forgets to check the guy’s Basketball Reference page and some bum who was getting 6 blocks per 36 drops way too far in the draft.
15. Tyrone Nesby SF 6'6'' 225 23 B- B- C B- C- C
Yeah I’m gonna be honest, I’ve got no fucking clue who Tyrone Nesby is. I looked him up yesterday, and he was underwhelming enough that I still don’t know who he is today. But holy cow, look at those ratings! And he has draft notes! And they’re literally glowing! Is this guy ashes’ brother-in-law or something? Why is he randomly going to be amazing? This is what makes the draft fun. Somebody is gonna reach for this joker and is either gonna be handsomely rewarded or pretty disappointed. What is the late lottery for if not taking big home run swings?
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And we ride on dem thangs like ev-ery day
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And parties don't stop 'til eight in the Monin
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