The Best Steals Of The 2005 Draft

10) #50: Ryan Gomes, SF/PF – Boston Celtics
With one of the best second round picks I can remember, the Boston Celtics stole Gomes with the 50th selection after he was a projected first rounder on several mock drafts. Gomes was very consistent in his senior season with the Providence Friars, scoring 10 or more points in every game including a 37 point game against Big East powerhouse Connecticut. With his body and ability to shoot from the perimeter, he will be able to make the transition to small forward in a similar manner to Corliss Williamson and be a serviceable NBA player, which is more than most teams that have selected at the 50th spot can say.
9) #37: Ronny Turiaf, PF – Los Angeles Lakers
Turiaf has been a beast on Gonzaga and should have cracked the first round with his big body, height, leadership and rebounding ability. Turiaf was a senior for the Bulldogs and lead them to a solid 26-5 record while averaging 15.9 points-per-game and 9.5 rebounds-per-game. Turiaf dropped 40 on Idaho and is an absolute force inside. He will contend for a starting spot in the weak Lakers frontcourt, similar to Carlos Boozer’s situation coming out of Duke.
8) #42: Chris Taft, PF – Golden State Warriors
After his freshman season, Taft was a potential first round selection but decided to go back to Pittsburgh in attempt to become a top-10 selection in this year’s draft. Unfortunately, Taft did not improve very much, immediately raising questions about his work ethic. Despite this speculation, there are no questions about Taft’s athleticism and shot blocking ability. The Warriors were able to snag Taft early on in the second round having worked him out to potentially be their 9th selection. This pick could pan out to be a true draft steal.
7) #44: Martynas Andriuskevicius, C – Cleveland Cavaliers
Andriuskevicius has been projected to be a lottery pick in the past two drafts. After withdrawing from last year’s draft citing the lack of a promise, he decided to stay in this year’s draft after he considered pulling out. Andriuskevicius has been personally trained by basketball legend Arvydas Sabonis, has very long arms, a soft touch from the perimeter and oodles of potential. The Cavaliers can either bring him in to be tutored by fellow Lithuanian big man Zydrunas Ilgauskus or keep him in Europe under the tutelage of Sabonis. Either way, trading a future 2nd rounder for him is a steal.
6) #29: Wayne Simien, PF – Miami Heat
Thanks to constant questions about his health, the Heat were able to scoop the oft-injured Simien with the second-last selection in the draft. Pat Riley must have been thrilled to see the big bodied 6’9” power forward fall into his lap. Simien averaged career highs of 20.3 points-per-game and 11 rebounds-per-game with the Jayhawks this past season. Simien was a wildly consistent scorer and rebounder and will be a welcome addition to the Heat, especially if they are unable to renew the services of starter Udonis Haslem.
5) #41: Roko Ukic, PG/SG – Toronto Raptors
Widely regarded as the fourth best point guard in the draft behind the obvious Deron Williams, Chris Paul and Raymond Felton (drafted at 3, 4 and 5 respectively), Ukic was rumored to have a promise from the Raptors at the 16th pick. Instead, Ukic remained undrafted at the Raptors’ 41st selection. The challenge for Raptors GM Rob Babcock will be to convince him to play in the NBA and will likely offer him a three year guaranteed contract to do so. Ukic is another player who opted out of last year’s draft and decided to stay in this year’s without a strong end result. Ukic averaged 18.6 points-per-game, 4.3 assists-per-game and 1.9 steals-per-game in Europe this season, which are very impressive stats considering that players get less minutes in Europe. Not only has he improved, but he’s also gained over 30 pounds in mass (from 185 to 218) and an inch in height (now 6’6” in shoes). Ukic’s size and leadership abilities make him an intriguing prospect and Babcock pleased every Raptors fan with this great selection.
4) #4: Chris Paul, PG – New Orleans Hornets
I have already confessed my love for Chris Paul enough, but I still cannot get over how far he dropped in this year’s draft. In my eyes, he was the 2nd most sure selection in this year’s draft with probably has the highest superstar potential. Both the Atlanta Hawks and Utah Jazz will rue the day that they passed on Paul and he could end up being an absolute stud and superstar in the league.
3) #16: Joey Graham, SF – Toronto Raptors
One of the Raptors biggest needs was a defensive player and Graham is just that. Graham is long, strong and versatile with the ability to score from the perimeter, post and has exceptional ability in draining free throws. Graham will also add some much needed rebounding from the small forward position and should earn the starting position by season’s end. Graham is an athlete through and through, playing multiple sports and possessing a strong, football player’s body. Luckily, Graham has played the shooting guard and small forward positions at his respective colleges (University of Central Florida and Oklahoma State), where he would likely play power forward at other colleges due to his body, strength and apt rebounding abilities. He benefits from this because he translates into an NBA shooting guard or small forward and has the experience to back it up. This pick certainly makes up for the potential Villanueva blunder at the 7th pick.
2) #17 – Danny Granger, SF – Indiana Pacers
Despite being a small forward, Granger was a 20 and 10 threat for the New Mexico Lobos all season and on top of that is a fantastic defender. Many teams around the league have asked questions about a problem with his knee, but Granger has not missed a single college game. The Pacers, who needed to fill a hole at backup small forward also may need a backup plan for the erratic and unpredictable Ron Artest and Stephen Jackson will be glad to have Granger handy. Granger is also known to be a great character player who buys into the team system. Granger will be Rick Carlisle’s type of player and help them push for a championship this season.
1) #18 – Gerald Green, SG – Boston Celtics
Green may have the most upside in the entire draft and he fell right into the Celtics laps at the 18th selection. He was the nation’s top high school player and despite not being a tweener or raising any questions about his athleticism was the third high schooler selected in the draft beyond any sort of comprehension. Green already has an NBA body, has good size at 6’8” and has been projected by many to be another Kobe or T-Mac if he keeps getting better. To get a player with this sort of ceiling who was projected as a top-7 talent with the 18th selection is a blessing for the Celtics who have already been one of the better drafting teams under Danny Ainge.