2011 NBA Draft Diary
Pick 26: One guy falls a long way every year, and this year it was Jordan Hamilton, whose slump is getting Rashard Lewis-esque here. It finally ends, however, when he is picked by Dallas at #26.
Dallas just won the NBA championship, and they did it without Rodrigue Beaubois (injured, then DNP-CD) or Caron Butler (out for the year) playing in the second half of the season. They had enough depth even without those two players, who, conceivably, would be a pretty strong starting wing rotation in their own right. And now they've added to that depth with both Corey Brewer and Jordan Hamilton. Hamilton is a lottery talent that should never have fallen this far. With no buyout or injury issue, it's bizarre why he did. He's somewhat selfish on the court, but not THAT selfish. Dallas gets a steal.
.....At least, they briefly get a steal. The Mavericks later make an entirely unexpected deal - they wriggle their way into the aforementioned Blazers/Nuggets deal, and trade Hamilton's draft rights to Portland [edit: Denver], in exchange for Rudy Fernandez and the draft rights to Petteri Koponen. Koponen is largely irrelevant - there is not a great chance that he ever joins the NBA, and even if he does, Nick Calathes is better - and so the inclusion of Rudy is the main one. It is also a bizarre one. Assuming Jub Jub Barea is re-signed - and he surely must be - the Mavericks will now have a five guard rotation of Barea, Rudy, Beaubois, Jason Terry and Jason Kidd. Shawn Marion and Corey Brewer are at small forward; if Butler is retained, as well as perhaps Peja Stojakovic, then the depth becomes ridiculous. And that all assumes that there's no chance DeShawn Stevenson, who started the vast majority of their championship season, returns.
Where, exactly, is Rudy going to play? And why would you give up what may go on to be the draft's biggest steal just to get a 37% shooting temperamental Spaniard who doesn't play much defense and who is fully committed to returning to Spain at the earliest possible opportunity? Not a Mavs-like move.
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Dallas just won the NBA championship, and they did it without Rodrigue Beaubois (injured, then DNP-CD) or Caron Butler (out for the year) playing in the second half of the season. They had enough depth even without those two players, who, conceivably, would be a pretty strong starting wing rotation in their own right. And now they've added to that depth with both Corey Brewer and Jordan Hamilton. Hamilton is a lottery talent that should never have fallen this far. With no buyout or injury issue, it's bizarre why he did. He's somewhat selfish on the court, but not THAT selfish. Dallas gets a steal.
.....At least, they briefly get a steal. The Mavericks later make an entirely unexpected deal - they wriggle their way into the aforementioned Blazers/Nuggets deal, and trade Hamilton's draft rights to Portland [edit: Denver], in exchange for Rudy Fernandez and the draft rights to Petteri Koponen. Koponen is largely irrelevant - there is not a great chance that he ever joins the NBA, and even if he does, Nick Calathes is better - and so the inclusion of Rudy is the main one. It is also a bizarre one. Assuming Jub Jub Barea is re-signed - and he surely must be - the Mavericks will now have a five guard rotation of Barea, Rudy, Beaubois, Jason Terry and Jason Kidd. Shawn Marion and Corey Brewer are at small forward; if Butler is retained, as well as perhaps Peja Stojakovic, then the depth becomes ridiculous. And that all assumes that there's no chance DeShawn Stevenson, who started the vast majority of their championship season, returns.
Where, exactly, is Rudy going to play? And why would you give up what may go on to be the draft's biggest steal just to get a 37% shooting temperamental Spaniard who doesn't play much defense and who is fully committed to returning to Spain at the earliest possible opportunity? Not a Mavs-like move.
