OK, this is in response to all who think I'm wrong for poo-pooing drafting NBA players based on potential alone. Looking back at all the Hall of Fame point guards from the past 30 years, I couldn't find one who came into the league as a total project. Not one. Magic Johnson and Isaiah Thomas were All-Stars as rookies. John Stockton didn't really take off until his fourth season, but was stuck behind a good starter for three years in Utah. Future Hall of Famer Jason Kidd started from day one and was an All Star in his second year, despite being in the same conference with Stockton and Gary Payton, who also started as a rookie and was an All Star in his fourth season. Chris Paul and Deron Williams, the two most likely candidates for furture Hall of Fame inductions among current players, both started as rookies.
Now does anyone out there think that any of the potential only guys drafted in 2009 (Tyreke Evans, Jrue Holiday, Stephen Curry, and Brandon Jennings) will be All Stars in the near future? I doubt it. Does anyone even think they will be starting this year? I sure don't. Point guards aren't made in the league; the ones who go on to big things usually show up from day one doing big things. Stockton and Steve Nash are the only ones in recent memory who didn't start as rookies, and both were playing behind solid starters/All Stars at the time. Assuming that none of them are traded before the season starts Evans, Holiday, Curry, and Jennings will be backing up Beno Udrih, Andre Miller, Monta Ellis, and Luke Ridinhour, respectively. Only Miller has sniffed an All Star game. If the rookies were any good there's no way they'd be backing up that crew.
