Second round has its own excitement

[Dr.Zoidberg]

Second round has its own excitement
Peter Schrager
FOXSports.com, Updated 8 hours ago

Though most folks watching Thursday night's NBA Draft will be focusing on Portland's first-round pick (one that may land them a franchise center and potential 10-time All Star), it's worth noting the Blazers will also be the talk of the second round. With an unheard of four second-round selections, Portland truly is in the driver's seat once David Stern steps away and new NBA deputy commissioner Adam Silver (we'll miss you, Russ Granik) takes the podium.

So what, you ask? Who cares? After all, isn't the second round where college basketball's leftovers (seniors? That's so 1990) and Eastern European bloc projects (that may or may not even really exist) go to dwell?

Blasphemous!

For an NBA Draft nut, the second round is truly where it's at. When the three-piece suits from Brooks Brothers, the green-room camera shots and the over-exaggeration of every player's "length" and "athleticism" are put to rest with the 30th pick — the real meat of the evening begins.

The cameras dim, the crowd empties, and the skills of highly paid scouts are openly on display. The second round is a magical time for the desperate and the weary. Is that second-round selection going to be the next Dennis Rodman or Mark Price? Or will it be A.J. Guyton or Khalid El-Amin? (Sorry, Bulls fans.)


Antics and hair color aside, Dennis Rodman was a second-round steal once upon a time. (JEFF HAYNES/Staff / Getty Images)

Bethlehem Shoals — of the basketball blog FreeDarko — views the second round as part comedy/part tragedy. Ethos/pathos and all that Greek stuff. "The second round can be most aptly described by two simple words: pain and joy. Certainly, it's like that for the players — the prospect whose rep soared in workouts must come crashing back down to reality, while that dude who used to date your sister somehow squeaks in at pick No. 67. But it's pretty much that for fans, too. Much of the preparation for that night is about imagination, and by the time the second round kicks off, you have to acknowledge that a lot of your high hopes for certain players were just that. At the same time, though, you can delight in seeing underdog sagas begin right before your eyes. After the laughter comes two kinds of tears, indeed."

The yin and the yang.

In truth, some of the greatest draft moments I've witnessed over the past few years have occurred during the second round. There's nothing worth discussing involving Andrew Bogut and/or Andrea Bargnani's special days.

But back in the summer of '05, Mickael Gelabale's big night in New York was something worth writing a screenplay around. At roughly 10:30 p.m. EST, with the MSG crowd near a whisper, the Seattle SuperSonics spent the 48th pick on Gelabale, a relatively unknown player out of France. Russ Granik announced the name, the crowd remained silent, and then — like something straight from a Disney flick — the place erupted into an absolute uproar.

Assuming it was just a fight in the stands between two belligerent, depressed Knicks fans, I remember looking to the upper bowels of the theater to see a pleasant surprise — a 6-foot-7 forward with Sideshow Bob-like hair hugging and slapping five with hundreds of NBA fans.

Apparently, Gelabale had spent the first 47 picks seated up in the top row of the building, amongst the fans in Starks and Ewing jerseys, just making friends. When the French forward was finally drafted, his entire section had already adopted him as one of their own. The place was electric. Within minutes, a scattered "Gelabale! Gelabale! Gelabale!" chant was echoing from above.

Second round, folks!

As for NBA talent found in the land of Granik, the list is endless. In the past 10 years alone, Stephen Jackson, Rashard Lewis, Cuttino Mobley, Manu Ginobili, Michael Redd, Gilbert Arenas, Mehmet Okur, Mikki Moore, Matt Barnes, Carlos Boozer, Luke Walton, Mo Williams, Kyle Korver, Anderson Varejao, Monta Ellis, Paul Millsap, Craig Smith and Daniel Gibson were all scooped up in Round 2.

Digest all that? Not a bad list of names.

Who will be this draft class' second-round gems?

Here are five prospects I'd keep an eye on. Sure, David Stern likely won't be saying their names on Thursday evening. But that doesn't mean they won't make an impact on the league:

1. Alando Tucker, Wisconsin, Senior, F: Your classic "tweener." I haven't seen a single mock draft on the Internet putting the All-American in the first round of this year's draft. It makes sense. Tucker's only 6-foot-5, and yet, is likely not a reliable enough shooter or ball handler to play guard in the NBA. An undersized big man, the most appropriate comparison I can think of is former Texas star P.J. Tucker. Big and physical at the college game/a question mark in the pros. That said, Alando Tucker is a flat-out ball player. I wouldn't be shocked to see a playoff-ready squad pick him up in the 40s, plug him into the rotation, and make an immediate impact next year. An underwhelming performance at the Orlando pre-draft camp performance didn't help his stock, but his 19.9 points per game average last season should get him drafted somewhat early in the second round. He's not a huge "upside" guy, but he's a basketball player. Sometimes, that's all teams really want.

2. Ramon Sessions, Nevada, Junior, G: On a team featuring bigger stars Nick Fazekas and Marcelus Kemp, Sessions ran the show at Nevada. After a red-hot Orlando pre-draft camp, Sessions remained in the NBA Draft, hoping to land a place in the first round. I don't see it happening. Doesn't mean he can't be an immediate contributor next season. In '06-'07, Sessions averaged a solid 12 points and 4.7 assists per game. Though injuries stung his sophomore season, the Nevada PG's body of work from his freshman and junior year show a heady, pass first playmaker. I can see him coming off the bench and making a difference in '07-08.

3. Taurean Green, Florida, Junior, G: Everyone's talking about the three amigos out of Florida (Noah, Brewer, and Horford), but Green's going be drafted too. The question is when. Some mocks have him going late in the first round, while others have him slipping into round No. 2. I fall in the latter category on that discussion, but still think he enters the league as a valuable NBA contributor. With all the clutch, heartbreaking shots he hit over the past two years for the back-to-back champion Gators, it's hard not to make the Chauncey Billups comparison. Just like Billups, Green's a savvy floor leader, a capable shooter, and the leader on a team of personalities. The love his teammates and roommates have for Green was evident when Noah, Horford and Brewer all showed up in street clothes to the Orlando pre-draft camp to cheer on their old point guard. Green stole the show. I can see him doing the same at the next level.

4. Stephane Lasme, Massachusetts, Senior, F: One of the most intriguing wildcards in the draft, Lasme's likely the best shot-blocker in the '07 draft class not named Sean Williams. Some say he's a future defensive force in the league. Others think he's a 6-foot-7 poor man's Theo Ratliff. One thing that there's no debate about? A mind-numbing average of five blocks per game last season. Some team will take a risk on Lasme in the second round. With some polishing, he can really be a star. Or ... he can be a D-League lifer. We'll have to wait and see.

5. Jared Dudley, Boston College, Senior, F: Like his former teammate at Boston College — Timberwolves power forward and rookie standout Craig Smith — it looks like Dudley is going to slip to the second round of his draft class. Pretty much the unanimous MVP at the Orlando camp, everyone spoke volumes about Dudley's rebounding work and gritty play. That said, few think he'll be cracking the top 25, or even the first round. An early second-round pick is the most likely case. And whichever team gets him will have a proven college star looking to prove about a million people wrong. Scary thought.

The highlights from this year's draft will likely focus on the Lottery picks, their hats and handshakes, and some potential blockbuster trades. But don't count out the second round.

After all, Granik Time's when the action really starts. And where the draft's real gems are discovered.

http://msn.foxsports.com/cbk/story/6951672

[EricaLubarsky]

all I could think of when I read the title of the thread was, "good for you Tracy. I hope you get there one of these days"

Anyway its a great article with some good analysis. I hope we can pick someone up that will have an impact. Regularly hard-workers drop through the cracks to the second round and even out of it. Avery is a good example of that. If you work hard, understand the game and have the ethic for it, you can make a difference.

[snoop]

there sould be alot of decent talent at 34