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| 10 Years From Now... |
| CUSE.tv ponders the questions "Where will all of these 2002 NBA Draft picks be 10 years from now? Who will be remembered as a bust? a bargain?" |
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| The 2002 NBA Draft begins and ends with the top pick. Yao Ming (having an awkward moment with the 'rents, above left) is the biggest question mark for the following ten years. This is not usually the sentiments following a number one overall pick (except for 2001's Kwame Brown). The number one pick overall should be a sure thing, with no question marks, but 7' 5" people do not grow on trees. Especially in China. CUSE.tv projects Yao as the 3rd rated player 10 years from now. This is mainly due to the fact that we also project Shaq to retire in 3 years max. Without Shaq, Yao can dominate in his own way, shooting 15 footers and altering anyone elses shots who stand shorter than him. If Shaq stays in the league for a couple handful of titles, don't expect Yao to crack the top 10, nonetheless the top 5. Other foreign players in CUSE.tv's top 15 players 10 years from now include Nene Hilario, above, at number 9, Bostjan Nachbar at number 10, Nikoloz Tskitishvili at number 11, and Jiri Welsch at number 15. Nene will be a Ben Wallace with longer arms, which always helps. Nachbar, who can supposedly jump with any white guy on the planet will give the Rockets a stalwart at small forward for the next 10 years. Tskitishvili is where it gets complicated. He could easily move up to the top 5 on this list and be another Dirk Nowitzki, but he's on the Nuggets. Expect him to be a 7 footer who can't play inside. Welsch, a tall point guard, something that the NBA has been looking for since Magic left, may be a good player, but teaming up with Mike Dunleavy, Jr., who didn't even make the list, on Golden State for the next 10 years does not sit well. The top player on the list was easy to pick. Jay Williams will be considered the best overall player 10 years from now. He can just play, end of convo. He may not be a true point guard, but if Preps star Eddy Curry and fellow young 'un Tyson Chandler actually develop, then watch out for the Bulls. Caron Butler was also a no brainer for the number 2 slot. So many people rated Caron as the top pro prospect, it was amazing to see him fall to number 10 to Miami. Hailing from UCONN, the 22 year-old with a 7 year-old, who got caught with cocaine before having that kid, is easy for me to hate, hailing from Syracuse. I have to give him his props, though. I saw him play live in the Tourney. (Speaking of the Tournament, will everyone who pronounces the word "Tornament" and not "Turnament", as it is meant to be pronounced, please die) Rounding out the top 5 are Amare Stoudemire at 4 and Drew Gooden at 5. Stoudemire could easily be a top 3 player in the next 10 years because of his raw talent and highest upside of the draft picks, but I see him as a much better defensive Rashard Lewis who cannot shoot as well. Drew Gooden is just a solid rock as a player and will contribute very well as second flute to Pau Gasol. Chris Wilcox, Jared Jeffries, and Dajuan Wagner go 6, 7, 8, respectively. Wilcox is another guy who could be higher, but I don't see him developing his skills as much as Drew Gooden. Wilcox's athleticism is undeniable, but he will never be as skilled as Gooden or even Jeffries. The Indiana star has reportedly already put on 15 pounds of muscle since early April (where's steroid testing when you need it) and looks to contribute early in the next 10 years. I'm afraid the same cannot be said about Dajuan Wagner. Everyone is calling him the next Iverson, but don't expect him to win Rookie of the Year Award honors. He will be a scorer, but if they try to make him a point guard I see Larry Hughes written all over it. Rounding out the top 15 are Frank Williams at 12, Qyntel Woods at 13, and Kareem Rush at 14. Yes, Frank Williams will be good (please don't be wishful thinking). With a perfect situation to step into in the NYC, Williams has the talent to take New York deep into the playoffs. He just doesn't try that hard. Speaking of probably not trying hard, Qyntel Woods has great guys to look up to in Portland. He could have been better if he got into a better situation. Tough luck. And finally, Kareem Rush is named Kareem and plays for the Lakers. With Robert Horry and Rick Fox going out the door, Rush will probably have a handful of rings when he retires. |
| Top 15 1) Jay Williams 2) Caron Butler 3) Yao Ming 4) Amare Stoudemire 5) Drew Gooden 6) Chris Wilcox 7) Jared Jeffries 8) Dajuan Wagner 9) Nene Hilario 10) Bostjan Nachbar |
| 11) Nikoloz Tskitishvili 12) Frank Williams 13) Qyntel Woods 14) Kareem Rush 15) Jiri Welsch |
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