Finding a diamond in the ruff during the second round of the NBA Draft has become more and more of a crap shoot with each passing year. Now, Twitter updates, YouTube highlights, national exposure to numerous college teams and draft combine results can make anyone an expert on the upcoming NBA draft. By the end of June, people generally have a pretty good knowledge as to who’s first round material and who’s going to be stuck in the second round come draft night. However, that has not stopped certain players from slipping down the draft board, and ultimately becoming second round steals.
Although the Lakers possess no first round picks in this month’s NBA Draft, they do have four second round picks (#41, #46, #56 and #58), which means the purple and gold have a nice shot at leaving the draft with something special. In light of the Lakers’ second round steal potential, let’s take a look at the top 10 second round picks of the last 20 years.
9. Cuttino Mobley – Selected 41st overall by the Houston Rockets in the second round of the 1998 NBA Draft – The possessor of arguably the most unique, non-foreign name in NBA history, Cuttino Mobley was a quick-as-a-cat shooting guard with a deft shooting touch. He spent the most productive years of his NBA career with the Houston Rockets, where he was paired up with the high-flying Steve Francis, forming one of the stronger backcourts in the league. After six successful seasons in Houston, five of which Mobley averaged at least 15.8 PPG, the sweet-shooting guard was traded along with Francis, his fellow backcourt partner and good friend, to the Orlando Magic in a deal that landed the Rockets Tracy McGrady. Mobley only played 23 games for the Magic, averaging 16.0 PPG before he was traded yet again, this time to the Sacramento Kings in a move that brought Doug Christie to Orlando. After finishing out the 2005 season with the Kings, Mobley changed uniforms yet again, opting to move to Los Angeles, where he signed with the Clippers, and was their starting shooting guard for two and a half seasons. After two more seasons of decline, Mobley was traded to the New York Knicks mid way through the 2008 season. However, he never suited up for the Knicks, and was waived by the franchise in April of 2010. Currently in retirement, Mobley finished his NBA career with averages of 16.0 PPG, 2.7 APG and 3.9 RPG in 37 MPG.
8. Monta Ellis – Selected 40th overall by the Golden State Warriors in the second round of the 2005 NBA Draft – Although he has only been in the league for six seasons, Monta Ellis has carved a successful path for himself since being drafted by the Warriors out of Lanier High School (Miss.) in 2005. While he doesn’t possess the mentality to be a point guard, or the necessary height to be a traditional shooting guard, Ellis has become one of the league’s most lethal offensive weapons. He’s coming off two stellar seasons in which he’s posted scoring averages of 25.5 PPG and 24.1 PPG, while forming one of the strongest offensive backcourt tandems in the league next to rising star Stephen Curry. Trade rumors containing his name have swirled around for the past year, but even if the young, fiery guard is dealt, he will certainly provide an offensive boost to whichever team he ends up with. At only 25 years of age, Ellis is a budding all-star, and if he can become more of a playmaker, the sky is the roof for one of the league’s last high school-to-the-pros players.
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Next: Three Wings With a Knack For Offense
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6. Michael Redd – Selected 43rd overall by the Milwaukee Bucks in the second round of the 2000 NBA Draft – Michael Redd’s second round selection by the Bucks probably didn’t seem like much at the time, but 11 years later, he may have been the best player of arguably the worst draft class in NBA history. (The top five picks of that draft were: Kenyon Martin, Stromile Swift, Darius Miles, Marcus Fizer and Mike Miller.) Injuries to his knees have certainly derailed his career, but having spent his entire 10-year career with the Bucks, Redd was an extremely formidable scoring threat for a few years – posting averages of 25.4 and 26.7 PPG from 2005-2007. He’s long gone in terms of his presence as an all-star, but for someone who seemed fairly irrelevant at the time of his drafting, Redd’s gone on to have a very strong NBA career.
5. Stephen Jackson – Selected 42nd overall by the Phoenix Suns in the second round of the 1997 NBA Draft – While he’s probably going to be remembered for his very enigmatic personality, unique choice of tattoos and of course, his role in the Malice at the Palace, Stephen Jackson has become a very special player since being selected by the Phoenix Suns after playing at Butler County Community College. He’s been a classic journeyman since entering the NBA in 2000 (While he was drafted by the Suns in 1997, he didn’t see his first NBA action until signing with the New Jersey Nets prior to the 2000-01 season.), having suited up for the Nets, San Antonio Spurs, Atlanta Hawks, Indiana Pacers, Golden State Warriors and Charlotte Bobcats over the course of his 10-year NBA career. He won an NBA title in 2003 with the Spurs, for whom he averaged 11.8 points in 28.2 minutes per game. But it wasn’t until he signed with Atlanta the following offseason that his career began to take off. Since then, he has averaged at least 15.5 PPG each season, and even posted two years of over 20 PPG. He’s never been the most efficient scorer, the most mentally stable or the best defender, but as a competitor and an offensive threat, Stephen Jackson has found his place in the NBA.
Next: Second Selection Stars
[phpbay]3,,[/phpbay]3. Carlos Boozer – Selected 34th overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the second round of the 2002 NBA Draft – Duke basketball players have been a hot commodity in the NBA for quite some time, and although Boozer may have been a product of Blue Devil basketball, it didn’t help him sneak into the first round of the 2002 NBA Draft. However, it didn’t matter, as he found instant success during his rookie year with the Cavaliers, averaging 10 PPG and 7.5 RPG while being named to the all-rookie second team. After two years with the Cavs, Boozer bolted for the Utah Jazz in a controversial contract negotiation, which ended up staining his image among NBA teams. During his time in Salt Lake City, Boozer became one of the league’s top big men, and most intimidating forces, putting up a double double in all but two of his six seasons with the Jazz. He’s a two-time all star, and is now Derrick Rose’s sidekick on the Chicago Bulls. While he has had a fairly injury-plagued career, Boozer has definitely established himself as one of the all-time great second round steals, posting career averages of 17.3 points and 10.1 rebounds per game.
2. Gilbert Arenas – Selected 30th overall by the Golden State Warriors in the 2001 NBA Draft – Since his two college season’s at the University of Arizona, Gilbert Arenas has always been an underdog. He was told he wouldn’t be a starter during his freshman year, Arenas thought otherwise. Halfway through the season, he found himself in the starting lineup and finished they year with a 15.4 PPG scoring average. After a second season with the Wildcats, despite being told he should remain in college, Arenas entered his name in the 2001 NBA draft, under the impression he would be a first round selection. He waited, and waited, but did not hear his name called until the second round by the Golden State warriors. During his rookie season, parallels to his freshman year in college were constructed, as he was expected to not receive much playing time, let alone start. However, continuing the parallels with his first year at Arizona, he was not phased, and for the entire month of March and April, he had become the team’s official starting point guard and finished the season out with an average of 10.9 PPG. After two years in Northern California and a Most Improved Player award in 2003, he used his free agent rights to sign with the Washington Wizards, where he became one of the league’s top scoring threats, improving his scoring average each year (19.6 in 2004, 25.5 in 2005, 29.3 in 2006 and 28.4 in 2007). His career took a turn for the worst when he suffered a major knee injury at the end of the 2007 season, forcing him to undergo microfracture surgery – a very difficult procedure to recover fully from. Since then, he has yet to become the player he once was, and is now a member of the Orlando Magic, where he has assumed the role of the highest paid sixth man in NBA history, as he made over $17 million this past season.
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Next: The True Diamond in the Ruff
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