The Mystery of the Chris Douglas-Roberts Draft Slide
June 27th, 2008 at 11:46 amBy Chris
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Last night, the most valuable player for the Memphis Tigers — no, it wasn’t Derrick Rose — didn’t get drafted until later in the second round and I have to wonder why. Here is a list of some of the guards taken before CDR:
Derrick Rose
O.J. Mayo
Russell Westbrook
Eric Gordon
Joe Alexander
D.J. Augustin
Jerryd Bayless
Brandon Rush
Courtney Lee
George Hill
J. R. Giddens
And that’s just the first round. In the second round, Chicago decided Sonny Weems was a better player than their new point guard’s running mate from college. I guess winning a Final Four dunk contest goes a long way.
The question is why. Why did CDR get overlooked so badly? During his senior junior season, Roberts averaged 18 points, shot 40 percent from behind the arc and helped lead his team to a couple of minutes away from a National Championship. During this same game, he also showed Brandon Rush — the 13th overall pick — couldn’t guard him.
So again, what is the reason for Roberts dropping so far? If there are/were questions about his athleticism, perhaps the scouts should have asked Kevin Love.
CDR can shoot, dribble and is as long and athletic as any other guard in the draft. That does not sound the ingredients of a player who should slip in the draft so badly, the team that got him looks like they pulled off a Grand Theft Auto type of steal. Whatever the reason he was passed on, I have a feeling teams like Boston and Chicago — two teams with later picks who were in a position to take this potential steal — will be regretting passing on the Memphis guard for some time.
Meanwhile, New Jersey fans should be ecstatic with their good fortune.
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June 27th, 2008 at 3:28 pm
No joke, CDR reminds me of Glenn Robinson. Robinson was more athletic but he was long and could score on an assortment of moves just like Roberts.
June 27th, 2008 at 3:48 pm
Me and a friend of mine pretty sat there in disbelief as he dropped out of the first round. I mean, how can the Celtics ignore what he brings to the table?
June 27th, 2008 at 4:21 pm
Monkeys with darts could draft better than half these GMs.
June 27th, 2008 at 4:23 pm
Agreed.
June 28th, 2008 at 10:11 am
I was pretty shocked too. Couldn’t understand CDR slipping like that. I was hoping the Pistons might take him but no cigar. Sonny Weems ahead of him? I don’t get it. Hope he makes some people regret it
June 29th, 2008 at 6:55 am
Quote: “During his senior season, Roberts averaged 18 points, shot 40 percent from behind the arc and helped lead his team to a couple of minutes away from a National Championship. During this same game, he also showed Brandon Rush — the 13th overall pick — couldn’t guard him.”
CDR was a junior, not a senior.
June 29th, 2008 at 9:19 am
Thanks for pointing that out. Duh. Stupid WordPress (when in doubt, blame the software).
June 30th, 2008 at 10:38 am
[...] Friday, I wrote a post intimating a lot of NBA teams missed out on drafting Chris Douglas-Roberts, a would-be senior guard [...]
July 11th, 2008 at 4:54 pm
SONNY WEEMS KILLED HIM IN ALL WORK OUTS THEY HAD TOGETHER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1