Bucks: Getting a solid performer with eighth pick? It's a coin flip

Rob Schultz  —  6/27/2008 8:48 am

Recent history shows that players selected at the No. 8 spot of the first round, which is the Milwaukee Bucks' pick during Thursday's National Basketball Association draft, have about a 50-50 chance at becoming a solid performer.

Memphis forward Rudy Gay, New York guard Jamal Crawford, Philadelphia guard Andre Miller and Chicago guard Larry Hughes -- all of whom are former No. 8 picks -- are among the most notable successes over the past 12 years.

The 6-foot-8 Gay, who was drafted by Houston and immediately dealt to Memphis in 2006, nearly doubled his scoring output in his second year in the NBA. The former UConn forward averaged 20.1 points and grabbed 6.2 rebounds a game for Memphis this past season.

Crawford, a 6-5 guard from Michigan who was drafted by Cleveland in 2000 and immediately dealt to Chicago, started every game for a bad Knicks team this past season and averaged 20.6 points and 39.9 minutes per game.

Miller, a 6-2 guard from Utah who was drafted by Cleveland in 1999, has averaged double figures every season he has played in the NBA. This past season was his best as he averaged 17 points, 6.9 assists and 4 rebounds while starting all 82 games for the Sixers.

Hughes, a 6-5 guard from Saint Louis who was drafted by Philadelphia in 1998, was dealt this past mid-season from Cleveland to Chicago. He started 25 of 28 games for the Bulls after starting 32 of 40 for the Cavaliers. Hughes has a career scoring average of 14.9 points.

You also must say some kind words about Toronto point guard T.J. Ford and Seattle forward Chris Wilcox.

Ford was originally drafted by the Bucks in 2003 and had an excellent rookie season before suffering a neck injury that sidelined him until the 2005-06 season. He was traded to the Raptors prior to the 2006-07 season for forward Charlie Villanueva -- a deal that has been lopsided in favor of the Raptors.

Wilcox, a 6-10 forward from Maryland who was drafted by the Los Angeles Clippers in 2002, started in 55 of the 62 games he played for the Sonics this past season and averaged 13.4 points and 7 rebounds. He also made 52.4 percent of his shots.

The other six players who were No. 8 picks over the past 12 years aren't all flops but most of them have had pedestrian careers.

Adonal Foyle has started 269 of the 723 games he has played in since he was drafted with the No. 8 pick by Golden State in 1997. Foyle, who has career averages of 4.1 points per game and 4.8 rebounds, played with the Warriors for 10 years before signing with Orlando prior to this past season.

Channing Frye, the No. 8 pick by New York in 2005 after playing collegiately at Arizona, had a great rookie season with the Knicks and averaged 12.3 points and 5.8 rebounds a game. He has since leveled off and was a reserve center for Portland this past season and averaged 6.8 points and 5.2 rebounds.

DeSagana Diop, the No. 8 pick by Cleveland in 2001 out of Oak Hill Academy (Va.), has been a classic journeyman. A reserve 7-foot center who has career averages of 2.1 points and 3.9 rebounds, Diop spent four years with the Cavaliers and three with Dallas before being sent to New Jersey along with Devin Harris in the deal last winter that brought Jason Kidd back to the Mavericks.

Last year's No. 8 pick was forward Brandon Wright, the former North Carolina star who was picked by Charlotte and immediately traded to Golden State. He barely played this past season, averaging 4 points and 2.6 rebounds in 9.9 minutes per game for Don Nelson's Warriors.

Just two players selected with the No. 8 pick over the past 12 years are out of basketball. The first is Kerry Kittles, the 1996 pick by New Jersey who last played during the 2004-05 season. Kittles was solid when he played. He averaged double-figures points in all but his final season.

The biggest bust has been Rafael Araujo, a center from BYU who was selected by Toronto in 2004. He averaged 2.8 points and 2.8 rebounds a game for his first three seasons. He was released by Utah before this past season and went overseas to play for Spartak St. Petersburg in Russia.

The Bucks have some history of their own with the No. 8 pick that goes beyond Ford. They had the No. 8 pick for three straight years in the 1990s and picked one player who had a solid professional career -- Hartford center Vin Baker in 1994. Baker was an all-star with the Bucks before he was traded to Seattle. They also drafted Arkansas guard Todd Day (1992) and Michigan State guard Shawn Respert (1995) with their No. 8 picks in that decade.

Also, former Bucks star Junior Bridgeman was a No. 8 pick by the Los Angeles Lakers in 1975 before he was traded to Milwaukee as part of the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar trade.

Other notable No. 8 picks include Robert Parish (1976 by Golden State), whose Hall of Fame career reached its pinnacle with the Celtics; Jack Sikma (1977 by Seattle), whose all-star career included a stint with the Bucks; Clark Kellogg (1982 by Indiana), who has had a more distinguished career as an analyst with ESPN; Detlef Schrempf (1985 by Dallas), and Ron Harper (1986 by Cleveland), who was Michael Jordan's longtime backcourt sidekick with the Bulls.

Rob Schultz  —  6/27/2008 8:48 am