Obviously there isn’t going to be a lot of pixels wasted on a 2nd round pick a few hours after the draft. Still there are some things.
Apparently Knicks fans at the Garden were screaming for Taft when the Knicks picked at #30. So, I’m guessing, was Taft’s agent.
The weird things about Taft being drafted by Golden State. The GM and him shared the same high school. Add in the fact that the Warriors took Ike Diogu at #9. Diogu was part of the reason for Taft’s tumble — dominating him during a private workout for teams.
Right now, some see Taft providing Golden State with a little extra defensive help.
Here’s a recap of some of the comments Jay Bilas made about Taft when he was finally picked.
Frank Burlison has an excellent draft recap of the bad night for many draft hopefuls.
Kennedy Winston (Alabama) and Anthony Roberson and Matt Walsh (both of Florida), three of the SEC’s 10 best players last season, and Randolph Morris (Kentucky), one of the conference’s most promising post players, were all blanked Tuesday night.
And each left NCAA eligibility on the table, the first three a year apiece and Morris three seasons’ worth.
They learned a very painful lesson and one that, unfortunately, too few players — and whoever happens to be advising them — are going to heed in the future:
If you’re not going to exhaust your college eligibility — and the free education and room and board that come along with it — you’d better have as much of a guarantee that someone is going to pick you as is possible in a business in which promises can sometimes be taken with a whole box of salt.
Do you think each of those four would like to be back on campus in the fall, helping their teams compete for an SEC title and deep runs into the NCAA tournament and the opportunity to enhance their stock for what should be a very thin — thanks to the ban on high school players — 2006 draft, talent wise?
That’s not a difficult question.
…
Add Chris Taft to the list — very near the top of the list — of college guys’ who made decisions to depart school that were proven to be ill-advised. Many Internet sites hyped the Pittsburgh sophomore as a sure-fire lottery selection — and possible No. 1 overall selection — for much of the season, even when it became apparent that he was a long way, effort- and skill-wise, from being the kind of prospect anyone was going to invest a early- or mid-first round selection on. Tuesday night, he lasted until 12 picks deep into the second round before Golden State stopped his freefall.
And he too was shocked over the Villanueva pick by Toronto.
Still, for Golden State, it was seen as a good…
In the second round, the Warriors went for low-risk, high-reward picks in Mississippi prep guard Monta Ellis and Pittsburgh big man Chris Taft. Both were considered first-rounders by many; now that their egos were checked, we’ll see whether they have the fortitude to respond. This is the franchise that once took a flier on Gilbert Arenas, and might have similar success with at least one of these guys.
to potentially great pick.
But what might end up being the coup of the draft was Golden State snaring Chris Taft at #42. The same Chris Taft was projected to be a top 5 pick before the season. Taft already has a prototype body for playing power forward as well as excellent strength and athleticism. He still is very raw in the skill department, but has the potential to become an absolute force on both ends of the court. Unfortunately, he also is widely reported to have no motivation at all (which is what sunk him to #42). I can only hope that falling so far in the draft will serve as a wake up call for Taft. Of course, his precipitous plummet could also be the final nail in his NBA-coffin if he takes it the wrong way.
Maybe a little too optimistic there.
As for Pitt’s history of players in the draft, well it’s a little thin, though Coach Jamie Dixon still feels positive.
Taft, the former Pitt center, would have become the Panthers’ seventh NBA/ABA first-round pick and the first Pitt player taken in the draft since guard Vonteego Cummings was chosen in 1999 by the Indiana Pacers, before being traded to the Warriors later in the same draft.
Pitt has had 25 players drafted in school history.
“We’re excited for Chris, and we’re excited for our program,” Dixon said. “This is the first draft pick we’ve had (in six years).”
“I don’t think anyone can make a decision for anyone else,” Dixon said. “That just isn’t fair. Everybody has their own situation to think about, and only that person knows what the right decision is. We’re proud of Chris; we’d obviously have liked all of our guys to go as high as possible, but only he knows what his situation is and what is best for him and his family.
“I don’t know how anyone who isn’t in another person’s shoes can decide what is best for him.”
One silver lining for Taft was that he at least will find a familiar face in Golden State. The Warriors’ vice president of basketball operations is Chris Mullin, who, like Taft, attended Xaverian High School in Brooklyn. Dixon said that should not be overlooked.
“I think it is great that he is going somewhere where he already knows somebody who can help him continue to develop as a player,” Dixon said. “That’s a great thing for Chris, and I am happy for him.”
I’m guessing Carl Krauser might be breathing a sigh of relief that he didn’t keep his name in the draft.
