We need some help up front.

[AHF]

If Gasol's final teams were Chicago, San Antonio and Oklahoma City then he was looking for his chances of winning a ring and not at international cities or top profile, high payroll (ala Barcelona, etc.) clubs.  

[Guest]

At the time it looked great. There weren't many foreign success stories from the draft at the time and Reef was a near lock as a 20/10 player every season and he was a local guy. The vast majority of fans here were thrilled with that trade.

I know I was thrilled. Living in the Bay Area I had seem a lot if Reef playing at Cal (even went to a couple of games at Cal, my friends went there at the time). I'd loved his game...he was one of the up and coming stars in the league at the time who was only 24 years old. In my mind, I thought we would have Shareef for a good 6 or 7 years of him being in his prime. 13 years later, I'm still not sure what happened..lol.

[Guest]

If Gasol's final teams were Chicago, San Antonio and Oklahoma City then he was looking for his chances of winning a ring and not at international cities or top profile, high payroll (ala Barcelona, etc.) clubs.

And he picked the wrong team. His order should have been..

1. Spurs/okc

2. Okc/Spurs

3. Bulls

I mean if he wanted a ring. Without a healthy Rose, the Bulls have no chance. Rose us starting to follow in Brandon Roy's footsteps.

[Afro]

So who could we get for Mack? I know we need a good big man, but I'll take any big body at this point... It's clear were saving brand for later.

[capstone21]

Yeah I remember yet another draft blunder.................

We drafted Gasol for Vancouver ... we were going to draft Shane Battier ... 

[Diesel]

We drafted Gasol for Vancouver ... we were going to draft Shane Battier ... 

 

This is the fact..

[Admin]

We drafted Gasol for Vancouver ... we were going to draft Shane Battier ... 

 

Indeed we were. Oh and @capstone21...

 

[Guest]

We drafted Gasol for Vancouver ... we were going to draft Shane Battier ...

I know we were interested in Shane Battier, but only if we traded down to pick 6 to get him. Babcock had scouted Gasol in Europe for a long time and was taking him at 3 for us or a trade. I highly doubt we would have drafted Battier at #3. Although stranger things have happened with us.

[capstone21]

I know we were interested in Shane Battier, but only if we traded down to pick 6 to get him. Babcock had scouted Gasol in Europe for a long time and was taking him at 3 for us or a trade. I highly doubt we would have drafted Battier at #3. Although stranger things have happened with us.

I remember that draft it was Battier .. Battier ... Battier (Who I didn't want  ... hating Duke and all)

 

That was all the talk leading up and then what a surprise when we drafted Gasol ... to which then the announcers said we had drafted him for the Griz.

[buckeye242424]

Now to the 2nd part. I am not a Ferry nuthugger but I do see his situation and every GM before him as well as after him. It is what it is man. Players do not wanna come to At and hopefully one day that will change.

Name the last big free agent signing in At. I will be waiting

I may have missed, a post or two,... But I would say "the last big free agent signing" would be Joe Johnson. We made the playoffs for years....

[Vol4ever]

I may have missed, a post or two,... But I would say "the last big free agent signing" would be Joe Johnson. We made the playoffs for years....

Yeah I thought about Joe before I said Mutumbo. I thought Mutumbo was a bigger signing. I remember signing Moses Malone.

[NBASupes]

Yeah I thought about Joe before I said Mutumbo. I thought Mutumbo was a bigger signing. I remember signing Moses Malone.

I honestly think the Joe signing was a better signing than Deke. With that said, Joe is the most underrated player in NBA with Horford. 

[AHF]

I know we were interested in Shane Battier, but only if we traded down to pick 6 to get him. Babcock had scouted Gasol in Europe for a long time and was taking him at 3 for us or a trade. I highly doubt we would have drafted Battier at #3. Although stranger things have happened with us.

 

If you look at Babcock's record as a drafter, you will realize the only strange thing that could have happened with that pick was Babcock taking Gasol.  Gasol was the best pick and Babcock never drafted the best guy available.  

[Guest]

If you look at Babcock's record as a drafter, you will realize the only strange thing that could have happened with that pick was Babcock taking Gasol. Gasol was the best pick and Babcock never drafted the best guy available.

That's true but you know what they say about a dog, his butt and the sun. Anyone can hit the lottery, even Babcock.

[Guest]

I remember that draft it was Battier .. Battier ... Battier (Who I didn't want ... hating Duke and all)

That was all the talk leading up and then what a surprise when we drafted Gasol ... to which then the announcers said we had drafted him for the Griz.

Oh for sure, I heard Battier a lot as well. I just don't think we would have really selected him all along. I think we would have picked him at #6 but not at #3.

[buckeye242424]

Yeah I thought about Joe before I said Mutumbo. I thought Mutumbo was a bigger signing. I remember signing Moses Malone.

Deke and Joe is a wash. When We landed Deke, centers ruled the game. He, Hakeem, Ewing, Robinson.... It was a big feather. Deke had some players around him, of course , Mookie and Smitty... Role players like Corbin. JJ went there when there was nothing. It built up eventually, but it's hard to distinguish...

[Admin]

If you look at Babcock's record as a drafter, you will realize the only strange thing that could have happened with that pick was Babcock taking Gasol.  Gasol was the best pick and Babcock never drafted the best guy available.  

 

You mean Babcock almost never drafted anyone who even belonged in the NBA, let alone never drafted the best guy available. We had four 1st round picks in the 1999 draft, FOUR of them, and we came out of there with Jason Terry (success), Cal Bowdler (still haunting us), Dion Glover (summer league MVP) and Jumaine Jones. I just knew that was the year that we'd land multiple young studs to re-build our team with and he just absolutely blew that draft. That set us back for years but thankfully he was only allowed to blow our drafts for a few more years.

And to me Deke was easily our best FA signing of the past 20 years. Joe was fantastic but he never really elevated this team. Dikembe made us one of the best teams in the East and if it weren't for those pesky Bulls we might have actually gotten somewhere. 

[macdaddy]

You mean Babcock almost never drafted anyone who even belonged in the NBA, let alone never drafted the best guy available. We had four 1st round picks in the 1999 draft, FOUR of them, and we came out of there with Jason Terry (success), Cal Bowdler (still haunting us), Dion Glover (summer league MVP) and Jumaine Jones. I just knew that was the year that we'd land multiple young studs to re-build our team with and he just absolutely blew that draft. That set us back for years but thankfully he was only allowed to blow our drafts for a few more years.

And to me Deke was easily our best FA signing of the past 20 years. Joe was fantastic but he never really elevated this team. Dikembe made us one of the best teams in the East and if it weren't for those pesky Bulls we might have actually gotten somewhere. 

 

 

That is pathetic drafting although i looked up the draft to make a sarcastic post about the players we missed out on but in reality that wasn't a great draft after Jason Terry.   Not defending our picks at all because they were horrid after JT but the best ones we missed were AK47, artest, jeff foster, corey maggette but a couple of those would have cost us JT.   Of course Manu was selected 57th overall in that draft.   

 

It's really annoying how we haven't really ever struck gold in the draft by getting someone like Manu who went from late pick to a star.   Ok who am i forgetting about to make me look stupid?

[Guest]

I can still hear David  Stern's nasaley voice in my head 'Cal Bowdler - Old Dominion University"......pppppeeeew.

[AHF]

You mean Babcock almost never drafted anyone who even belonged in the NBA, let alone never drafted the best guy available. We had four 1st round picks in the 1999 draft, FOUR of them, and we came out of there with Jason Terry (success), Cal Bowdler (still haunting us), Dion Glover (summer league MVP) and Jumaine Jones. I just knew that was the year that we'd land multiple young studs to re-build our team with and he just absolutely blew that draft. That set us back for years but thankfully he was only allowed to blow our drafts for a few more years.

And to me Deke was easily our best FA signing of the past 20 years. Joe was fantastic but he never really elevated this team. Dikembe made us one of the best teams in the East and if it weren't for those pesky Bulls we might have actually gotten somewhere. 

 

No argument here.  I have made the case before on this site that Babcock was the worst drafter in NBA history.