FanHouse PLEASE DRAFT ME

Some prospects aren't getting enough respect on draft boards. PLEASE DRAFT ME aims to change that.

The problem I have with the NBA draft is that too many teams try to hit home runs instead of taking players that can come in and help their team right away. Listen, not all of these kids are going to turn into 20 point per game scorers. However, having players that can come in and knock down an open shot and play excellent defense is probably just as important to building a winning team as having a 20 point scorer is.

I mean, look at Raja Bell, Shane Battier, and Bruce Bowen. All three of them have carved niches for themselves within the league as charge taking defensive stoppers. They've also all honed their offensive games so that they can be successful on that side of the floor without actually having the ball (in other words: all of them have become solid spot up shooters). They also all have been winners throughout their careers.

Some prospects aren't getting enough respect on draft boards. PLEASE DRAFT ME aims to change that.

In most years, a 6'10" athletic freak with great shot blocking ability would most certainly be a top ten pick. However, this year there is a player that has all of those qualities, yet will likely not be selected in the top 15. That player is none other than former Boston College center, Sean Williams.

Williams is a big man in the mold of a young Theo Ratliff that has the ability to change games just with his defense. He's more fluid than Ratliff on the offense side of the ball and has a nice set of hands, so in the right situation (like playing next to Steve Nash or Kobe Bryant), he could have an impact at both ends of the floor. As well, outside of Greg Oden, Williams is more athletic/explosive than any big in the draft.

The problem with Williams is not about his effort on the court, but his issues off of it. He reportedly was kicked off of the Boston College squad because of a bad marijuana habit. But wasn't Lamar Odom once deemed a knuckle head because of his marijuana problem? Despite Lamar's past affinity for "talking to Samson", most now see him as one of the most well behaved players in the entire league.