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"I still believe Marvin will be remembered as the best player from the 2005 draft.."
.. says Chad Ford.
"On the bright side, last year's No. 2 pick, Marvin Williams, tried to shut all of us up for criticizing the Hawks for passing on Chris Paul to draft him last year.
Williams was awesome at the Rocky Mountain Revue, averaging 23.2 ppg, 7.5 rpg and 4.8 apg while shooting a red hot 55 percent from the field. Williams did a little of everything, but most importantly, he was aggressive putting the ball on the floor and getting to the basket. No one could defend him here. If he shows up playing like that next season, the Chris Paul criticism will hush.
I am still holding true to two seemingly inconsistent propositions. I still believe that in five years Williams will be remembered as the best player in the 2005 draft. And I still think the Hawks made a mistake by passing on Paul. Had they drafted Paul, they could keep Al Harrington this summer and have a team that could approach 35 to 40 wins next year.
As it stands now, Speedy Claxton is now Chris Paul and makes a lot more money. Williams is a better prospect than Harrington, but it looks like the Hawks are in for another long season.
Second-round pick Salim Stoudamire also played well, shooting an impressive 55 percent from the field and 50 percent from 3.
This year's picks didn't fare so well. The general consensus was that Shelden Williams was the most disappointing lottery pick in the summer league. For a guy that was drafted this high because he was supposed to be NBA ready, Williams averaged just 8.0 ppg and shot a miserable 33 percent from the field.
"I was high on Shelden before the draft," one NBA executive at the Rocky Mountain Revue told Insider.
"But after watching him here I have to say that I think I was wrong. I never want to read too much into the summer league, but every one of Shelden's weaknesses looked glaring here. I'm not sure he'll overcome them. That's not fair, but he's not going to grow or get more athletic and that was what was holding him back. I don't think he has the craftiness in his game to overcome those shortcomings."
With the two guys drafted right behind Williams -- Brandon Roy and Randy Foye -- looking awesome, this could be the last nail in the coffin for Billy Knight."
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"I still believe Marvin will be remembered as the best player from the 2005 draft.."
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