by Bob Young, columnist - Jun. 2, 2012 05:12 PM
The Republic | azcentral.com
We're certain that it's just a happy coincidence that Tom Benson, newly minted owner of the New Orleans Hornets, won the NBA lottery and the first pick in the draft.
It probably had nothing to do with the team being run by the league last season and sold to Benson after Chris Paul was traded to the Clippers.
No conspiracy theorists here at The Heat Index. We can't imagine such a thing ever happening under the watchful eye of NBA Commissioner David Stern.
Anyway, the Suns had less than 1 percent of a chance to get the No.1 overall pick, and ended up with the 13th for a second draft in a row.
So what can they expect to get there?
Well, over the past 20 drafts the players taken 13th have 14 All-Star Game appearances, an Olympic gold medal, an Olympic bronze medal, 10 selections to the All-NBA first team and one NBA Most Valuable Player award.
Of course, if you take Kobe Bryant, the 13th player taken in 1996, out of it, then all you're left with is the bronze medal. Richard Jefferson, who was the 13th pick in 2001, got that in 2004.
Bryant, of course, was taken by Charlotte in that 1996 draft out of Lower Merion High in Philadelphia, then traded to the Lakers for center Vlade Divac.
Jerry West probably should have gone to jail for that one.
Not that Bryant was a once-in-a-lifetime 13th pick. Karl Malone went 13th in 1985 out of Louisiana Tech. Malone played for 19 season, was a 14-time All-Star, 11-time first-team All-NBA selection and two-time Most Valuable Player.
Coincidentally, he also reportedly once hit on Kobe's now ex-wife, Vanessa. Evidently 13 was not her lucky number.
Like Vanessa, the Suns passed on Malone in 1985. They took Ed Pinckney, who had helped Villanova shock Georgetown for the NCAA championship, at No.10.
History tells us, though, that it is a player like Pinckney, not Bryant or Malone, the Suns can expect to draft at 13. They tend to be solid pro players who put together nice NBA careers. But they are not stars.
Other than Bryant, there were no All-Stars selected in the past 20 drafts at 13 -- keeping in mind that several of them are active players and could one day get there.
That's something for Markieff Morris, the Suns' pick last year at 13, to shoot for, right?
Of course, the strength of the draft varies from year to year. This one is supposed to be deeper than most. So there's a better chance that a quality player, such as Duke point guard Austin Rivers according to a lot of mock drafts, is available when the Suns select.
Is there a steal like Bryant or Malone? Doubtful, but the Suns surely should find a contributor.
Players taken 13th in the 10 drafts from 1992 to 2001 have played an average of 10.1 years, and Bryant, Jefferson and Corey Maggette still are playing and will up that average.
In the 10 drafts since then, three players selected 13th already are at least temporarily out of the league.
Sean May was taken 13th out of North Carolina in 2005 and lasted four seasons. Marcus Haislip was Milwaukee's pick at 13 in 2002 and played parts of four seasons. Both remain active overseas. And Marcus Banks, drafted in 2003 out of UNLV, played with Idaho of the NBA Developmental League in 2012.
Suns fans are familiar with Banks. The team signed him as a free agent in 2006 and almost immediately regretted it. He was traded after less than two seasons as part of the Shaquille O'Neal deal, speaking of regrettable.
Reach The Heat Index at 602 444-8271 or bob.young@arizonarepublic.com.
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