How does that make any sense?
Well think of it like this:
#8 = Adonal Foyle
#9 = Tracy McGrady
We had to dig back into the San Francisco Chronicle archives to bring you this one: Warriors Take Shot-Blocker: Colgate's 6-9 Foyle goes 8th
Here's a look back at what has to be the most embarrassing interview that former Warriors Coach P.J. Carlesimo ever gave in his entire life. This is pretty shameful. How else can I put it? When it came to the 1997 NBA Draft, P.J. CHOKED.
Should have been T-MacJust to point out this post isn't criticizing Foyle the wonderul community man that he is it's to seriously question some of the drafting decisions and projections of the Warriors (mis)management back in 1997. So here we go.
But he believed all along that he would have a choice between Colgate center Adonal Foyle and forward Tracy McGrady, the high school star from Durham, N.C. Given that choice, Carlesimo passed on the raw, talented youth in favor of the player that would fill the greatest of the Warriors' many needs. He went for Foyle, a 250-pounder who's either 6-foot-9 or 6-10, depending on who's measuring him -- and a big-time shot- blocker and rebounder.
11 years later Foyle is [drumroll, please]... raw and untalented. Adonal has not filled the Warriors' greatest need, but instead helped create the Warriors' biggest need.
And if there's one thing above all else the Warriors lacked last season, it was any type of physical defensive presence inside.
11 years later the Warriors lack [drumroll, please]... a physical defensive presence inside.
McGrady, who at age 18 has drawn comparisons to Scottie Pippen, went one pick later to Toronto, and few doubt that he will be a star -- some day. That isn't what this team coming off a 30-52 season needs, Carlesimo said, even as he acknowledged that former general manager Dave Twardzik passed last year on high schooler Kobe Bryant in favor of the safer big man Todd Fuller."
9 years later few doubt that passing up Kobe Bryant for Todd Fuller and passing up Tracy McGrady for Adonal Foyle in back-to-back lottery appearances is the most embarrassing 2-year draft run in NBA history. Instead of the second coming of Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, the Warriors had two F's. And that doesn't refer to just the beginning of their names.
There's a chance that Tracy's going to be a fabulous player,'' Carlesimo said last night. ``But there's a chance Adonal's going to be terrific for us.'
'
9 years later there's still a chance that George W Bush will convert to Buddhism and stop the violence, but we all know that's not going to happen. On a side note I'd like to add that at least Adonal is terrific for democracy!
Passed on them both ouch!And they would like for him to be terrific as soon as possible. But considering Foyle rang up huge numbers in a very small-time league (the Patriot) against underwhelming competition, there is lots of room for skepticism about Carlesimo's inaugural pick with the Warriors.
11 years later Orlando's still waiting for Adonal to be terrific. 11 years later there's skepticism that Carlesimo's inaugural pick could put up big numbers in the WNBA.
Foyle probably will be a power forward at some point in his career (``I think I'll just leave that up to Coach,'' he said of his preference for center or forward), but even that will be an improvement, because Joe Smith, at 6-10, moved his game more and more to the perimeter last season. Spencer and Fuller, last year's first-round pick, were hardly the answer in the middle, and the Warriors became known as one of the NBA's soft touches, allowing opponents to score 104.4 points a game and shoot 47.5 percent, both among the worst marks in the league.
11 years later the Warriors are even softer in the middle. Adonal does have quite a nice soft touch for airballs though!
Foyle, meanwhile, averaged 12.7 rebounds and 5.66 blocks a game in his three-year career (he left Colgate after his junior year). His 492 career blocks are an NCAA record, 11 more than the first overall pick, Tim Duncan, and 39 more than Alonzo Mourning, both of whom played four years.''
9 years later saying Foyle in same sentence with Duncan or Zo is usually preceded by "Duncan dunked on..." or "Zo dunked on...". Actually, I take that back. Tim Duncan doesn't dunk, so it would be "Duncan hit a boring shot over...
But, said Carlesimo, ``The key to the draft was Adonal being there. He had recruited Foyle while a coach at Seton Hall three years ago. Foyle's workout in Oakland impressed him, too, as he exhibited the wingspan of a man 7- foot-6 and showed good hands and footwork -- two areas that other scouts had downgraded.
10 years later the key to the Warriors winning was eventually Foyle being bought out Seriously was P.J. blind?
If nothing else, Foyle will bring to the Bay Area one of the more charming personalities of this year's crop. Foyle grew up in the Caribbean island of the Grenadines, and offered this geography lesson to the curious media: ``You remember when you guys invaded Grenada?'' Foyle was brought to the United States during high school, to upstate Hamilton, N.Y. by a sponsor family.
11 years later Foyle is the most charming personality on the Orlando sports scene.
He did not start playing basketball until 10th grade; before that, he said, ``I played -- or tried, I won't say I played -- cricket, and I was pretty bad at it. And when I played soccer, they stuck me at goalie. If I hadn't found basketball, I don't know what I would have done.''
12 years year careslimo made up for the Franchise damagibg passing T-Mac mistake by selecting Kevin Durant with the second pick of the 2007 Draft but considering it was a two man Draft he would have hadto be an idiot to pass on him. He should never be allowed near a NBA Franchise Front Office.
Worst Warriors Draft pick #1 chris Washburn
Worst Warriors Draft Pick #2 Todd Fuller
Worst Warriors Draft Pick #3 Carlos Rogers and Clifford Rozier
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