What's Goin' On Chris Mullin?
The big players that were expected to draft highly on Draft Day NBA did go in that order. If you have been following the NCAA Tournament and Utah's Andrew Bogut and UNC's Marvin Williams it made sense for these great players to go so high in the draft.
When the Warriors 9th lottery pick approached, they picked Ike Diogu. Ike-who? Is this something that the Warriors management have been planning on for a long time? Who saw this coming?
Not me!
From the moments the mock draft were posted I along with my friends made fodders of Pac-10 softie Channing Frye. I wanted Fran Vazquez or even Hakim Warrick. And of course the Warriors management in their deep analysis decided to go with...another Pac-10 softie Ike Diogu from ASU. Granted he was named Pac-10 Player of The Year, but that doesn't mean much. With so many choices out there why pick a 6'8" power forward? The Warriors don't need another stocky power forward. We need a bigger guy to grab rebounds.
I hope Chris Mullin made the right decision. I heard on ESPN when they interviewed C. Mullin, he mentioned that Ike resembles a younger Charles Barkeley. I haven't really seen Ike play at all but I do have to agree in that he has the same body type. This is from the NBA:
Strengths: Has a quick, high jump off two feet that allows him to retrieve rebounds before others gather to jump. He has the strength to power through big men and will collect fouls. Runs and works transition game well.
Whether the pick is a terrible decision or not remains to be seen. But you can never underestimate chemistry. The Warriors played well with the combination of Barron Davis, Jason Richardson, and Mike Dunleavy. I still don't get Troy Murphy—too streaky and not a hustle defensive player. So with the mix of those guys above (minus Troy) and Ike Diogu and at center Adonal Foyle the Warriors just may be a contender, even going to the playoffs.
On a related note this marks the last NBA Draft where you'll see high school players. Future draftees need to clear the 19 years old mark before declaring eligible for the draft. I think this will make the NBA a better product, meanwhile these kids can go off to college to develop their game and learn about life and be educated.
What's wrong with T-Murph? The guy can board,is developing a decent outside touch, even from 3-point range, is hard-working, and from what I've seen, has decent quickness. I think Dunleavy has been the underachiever so far.
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