Wed, April 1st, 2020

The 2000 NBA Draft — Peja’s pass — The Last Dance

April 01, 2020

Wednesday, April 1st, 2020

  The Opening Tip

  • The 2000 draft class went to a combined three All-Star Games. The ‘96 class went to 64. 

  • We have another very important question

  • We’ll be able to watch “The Last Dance” much sooner than we initially thought

  • A career-night anniversary for Kevin Martin

1. The Lead: Remembering the exceptionally unexceptional 2000 NBA Draft

The Ringer is rolling out a series of podcasts on every draft from 1996 on. Here’s the ‘96 one, the ‘97 one and the ‘98 one. The idea has been to redraft the lottery with the benefit of hindsight.For example, the ‘98 redraft would have a top five of something like:

  1. Dirk (who went ninth)

  2. Paul Pierce (who went 10th)

  3. Vince Carter (who went fifth)

  4. Rashard Lewis (who went 32nd)

  5. Mike Bibby (who went second)

Before The Ringer does its podcast on the 2000 draft, let us be the first to proclaim it the worst draft in NBA history.The actual top 10: 

  1. Kenyon Martin, to New Jersey

  2. Stromile Swift, to Vancouver (soon-to-be Memphis)

  3. Darius Miles, to the Clippers

  4. Marcus Fizer, to Chicago

  5. Mike Miller, to Orlando

  6. DerMarr Johnson, to Atlanta

  7. Chris Mihm, to Chicago

  8. Jamal Crawford, to Cleveland

  9. Joel Przybilla, to Houston

  10. Keyon Dooling, to Atlanta

Those 10 players produced: 

  • One All-Star, Kenyon Martin, who made one ASG in a diluted East.

  • Four players who played less than 500 NBA games.

  • Zero starters on a title team (Mike Miller was a bench player on two Miami title teams).

In all, the draft produced three forgettable All-Stars: Martin, Michael Redd and Jamaal Magloire, who each made one a piece in a dreadful era for the Eastern Conference.For how remarkably little three All-Star Games for an entire draft class is, look at this graph:

(Data via basketball-reference)

Other notable to semi-notable players:

Hedo Türkoğlu, Mike Miller -- his class’s Rookie of the Year -- Jamal Crawford, Eddie House, Morris Peterson, Quentin Richardson and Mark Madsen, who would not have made this list had he not further embarrassed all white people

.

A redraft of the top 10 might look something like...

  1. Kenyon Martin

  2. Hedo Türkoğlu

  3. Mike Miller

  4. Michael Redd

  5. Jamal Crawford

  6. Jamaal Magloire

  7. Morris Peterson ??

  8. Eddie House ??

  9. Quentin Richardson ??

  10.  Desmond Mason ???

2. The Grip asks: Is this the best pass ever?

Not the most important. Not the most clutch. Not the best by the best passer. But is this pass from Peja Stojaković to Bobby Jackson the single-best pass during a sanctioned NBA game? It has a real case.A few other candidates:

3. ESPN is bumping up “The Last Dance”   

ESPN’s upcoming mega doc, “The Last Dance,” a 10-part, 20-hour remembrance of Michael Jordan’s last Bulls season, constructed with 100s of hours of never-before-seen footage, has been moved up to accommodate our unquenchable thirst for anything sports related.Originally made to air in June, the first part will be on ESPN on April 19.Peer pressure works.Here’s the first and second trailer.

 4. 4/1/2009: Kevin Martin decides to light it up 

On this day 11 years ago,

Sacramento Kings guard Kevin Martin went off for 50 points in a 143-141 loss to the Golden State Warriors. He went 11-of-22 from the field and was a ridiculous 23-of-26 from the free throw line.

His career-high night was spoiled by Grip favorite Monta Ellis, who put up a 42-9-9 stat line for the Warriors.

Martin won’t be remembered for much other than being “the centerpiece” in the James Harden trade,

. And he did so with

the league has ever seen.

5.  Off the press

  • They celebrated basketball and a birthday. Then came coronavirus. [New York Times]

  • Marcus Smart is donating blood for an experimental coronavirus treatment [ESPN]

  • The two times Michael Jordan played pretty good April Fools’ jokes [SB Nation]