Nice timing by David Stern. Not long after he lets fly his notion of an age limit of 20 to enter his hallowed NBA, the league’s talent evaluators stage a frenzied mad dash to scoop up a bunch of towering teenagers.
Youth was not merely served last night, as the NBA Draft morphed into Prom Night at the Theater at the Garden, with fashionable lightweight spring suits replacing tuxedos and cummerbunds. Youth was selected, starting with the first pick and continuing on through a history-making first round. It began with Michael Jordan’s Wizards making 19-year-old Kwame Brown the first-ever high schooler to go No. 1 and continued with another prep player, Tyson Chandler, going second to the Clippers.
Memo to the commish: If you want to install an age limit, you’d better set it at 15.
Brown averaged 20.1 points, 13.3 rebounds and 5.8 blocks as a senior at Georgia’s Glynn Academy and now holds a place in NBA history. “If we felt this kid was not mature enough and could not handle the surroundings,” Jordan said, “we probably wouldn’t have done it. I think Kwame’s going to be fine.”
Might Brown be gifted enough to lure his boss Jordan out of retirement? “I’d love to see him come back, I’d love to play with him,” Brown said.
So, what about it? “It has nothing to do with me,” Jordan said. “I had to make my decision based on Michael Jordan being nowhere around.”
Brown said he understood the magnitude of the moment. “I’m glad to be here, I just made history,” he said. “It feels great, I’ve never been so nervous or so overwhelmed. I come from a small town, not many minorities make it, but I’m one of ’em.”
The Nets may have come up with a night to remember, as Eddie Griffin, who spent one turbulent year at Seton Hall, fell into their laps with the No. 7 pick. The 6-9 forward remains at the Meadowlands and joins a team that had its eyes on Michigan State guard Jason Richardson, who was taken by the Warriors at No. 5.
Duke’s Shane Battier, who stayed in college for four years and at 22 years old seems ancient in this draft, went to the Grizzlies at No. 6.
Chandler, a seven-footer from Dominguez High School in Compton, Calif., stays in his home state with the Clippers. “I know they’ve been s struggling team the last few years, but I think they turned the corner last year,” Chandler said. “I’m coming in at just the right time.”
With the No. 3 pick, the Hawks selected 7-footer Pau Gasol of Spain, but then traded Gasol to the Grizzlies, along with Lorenzen Wright and Brevin Knight for Shareef Abdur-Rahim. At No. 4, the Bulls stayed local and took massive Chicago high school center Eddy Curry. The first surprise of the draft came when the Warriors at No. 5 went for Jason Richardson of Michigan State, considered the top shooting guard in the draft and a player the Nerts supposedly targeted.
Never before was the league expected to see such a rush on youth. Last year, a record 18 underclassmen were taken in the first round. This year, there was a run on seniors: High school seniors. The first 20 year old to be drafted was Richardson with the fifth pick. With the teen brigade dominating the first round and international players from foreign leagues also expected to be highly sought after, it is growing increasingly clear that college hoops is no longer the main supplier of top NBA talent.