Philadelphia 76ers: Top 5 draft selections in Bryan Colangelo's career
Philadelphia 76ers
Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
With the 2017 NBA Draft just around the corner, here's a look back at the best draft selections in the career of Bryan Colangelo.
June 22 is money time for the Philadelphia 76ers' president of basketball operations and general manager, Bryan Colangelo.
Now entrenched in the job for over 12 months, the Sixers' No. 3 overall selection represents one of the most important decisions in recent memory for the franchise. As presently constructed, the Sixers' roster appears to have some bonafide stars to lead them into the future.
Center Joel Embiid demonstrated over 31 games in his debut season that he has seemingly limitless potential.
Dario Saric, who was also chosen prior to Colangelo's arrival, demonstrated enough in his rookie year to indicate that he is going to be a force to be reckoned with in coming seasons.
And then there is Ben Simmons, who Colangelo chose last year with the No. 1 overall pick in his first major role for the franchise.
Naturally, there are plenty of options for Colangelo and the Sixers in terms of how to best utilize the pick. They can simply stand pat and choose the best player available at that position. They could try to trade down if they felt the player they most covet will still be available later in the draft.
Or, they could package the pick with a combination of other players for a proven, quality player who could the team climb up the standings immediately.
Prior to going the Sixers, Colangelo was in charge of the front offices of both the Phoenix Suns and the Toronto Raptors. At each stop, Colangelo had varying degrees of success, as illustrated by winning the NBA Executive of the Year award at each stop.
Therefore, here's a look at the best draft selections made during Colangelo's reign as an executive.
5. Michael Finley (SG) — No. 21 pick in 1995 NBA Draft
Michael Finley emerged from a relatively strong draft class by providing amazing value at pick No. 21. Chosen after players coming from bigger programs such as Shawn Respert, Ed O'Bannon and Cherokee Parks, the University of Wisconsin product had an immediate impact for a Phoenix Suns team fresh off a 59-win season.
With three-time All-Star and team stalwart Dan Majerle traded in the offseason, Finley was thrust into the action immediately, starting in 72 out of 82 games in his rookie season. Averaging 15.0 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game, Finley finished fourth in Rookie of the Year voting.
Despite a highly productive start to his career, Finley was traded to the Dallas Mavericks midway through his second season in a deal that saw the Suns land All-Star point guard Jason Kidd. Following an initial transition period, Finley would prove to be an inspired addition for the Mavericks. Just prior to the trade, Colangelo had nothing but praise for Finley:
"Michael Finley is the epitome of hard work and effort. He plays every game hard for the Suns."
In his first five full seasons in Dallas, Finley averaged at least 20 points per game, while missing a total of 13 games during that span. His career year occurred in 1999-00 where he averaged 22.6 points, 6.3 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.3 steals while leading the league with 42.2 minutes per game.
Finley wound becoming a two-time All-Star while playing nine seasons in Dallas, of which the last five seasons consisted of 50+ wins. Following his last campaign for Dallas in 2004-05, Finley chose to sign with the reigning NBA champion San Antonio Spurs in his pursuit for an elusive title.
He was granted his wish in his second season with the Spurs, as they complete a 4-0 Finals whitewash against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
So although Finley played just 109 off his 1,103 career games with the Suns, his selection is certainly still a feather in the cap for Colangelo and his due diligence come draft night.
Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
4. Shawn Marion (SF/PF) — No. 9 pick in 1999 NBA Draft
"The Matrix" was a fixture for the best part of a decade for the Phoenix Suns, which included back-to-back trips to the Western Conference Finals. One of the best athletes of his era, Marion was an inspired choice at No. 9 in a very solid draft class that featured Duke's Elton Brand as the No. 1 pick.
At 6'7″, Marion's outstanding quickness and agility combined with his incredible athleticism made him a menace at both ends of the floor. These physical attributes gave him the ability to defend a number of positions, finishing with career numbers of 1.5 steals and 1.1 blocks per game.
Overall, Marion was a four-time All-Star and a member of the bronze medal-winning Team USA at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. At his absolute peak, Marion was simply one of the most valuable all-round players in the league. The following numbers over a five-year period illustrate just how dominant Marion was during this stretch.
But soon thereafter, after being unable to come to an agreement on a contract extension, Marion was sent packing by Colangelo to the Miami Heat in exchange for center Shaquille O'Neal. Ironically, shortly after he took over the reins with the Toronto Raptors, Colangelo orchestrated a deal with the Heat to bring Marion north of the border.
At the time of this transaction, Colangelo noted:
"Shawn can pretty much guard anybody in the league and has always been, I thought, a very solid defender. He's always been underrated as far as the perception of him. He's a very solid defender, solid rebounder and he finds ways to score. I can't think of a better complement to our team."
Following up from his success with the Suns, the latter stages of Marion's career encompassed a five-year stint with the Dallas Mavericks. This included the ultimate reward, the 2011 NBA title, where the Mavericks defeated the Miami Heat, 4-2. Although past his athletic prime, Marion was nonetheless a key ingredient, averaging 13.7 points and 6.3 rebounds in 35.7 minutes per game in the Finals.
Following his time in Dallas, Mavs head coach Rick Carlisle was full of praise for Marion's accomplishments:
"He'll go down as one of the all-time great Mavs because of his contributions to a championship team, number one. But number two is his versatility and his ability to do so many different things that contribute to winning."
Furthermore, 2011 Finals MVP and future of Hall-of-Famer, Dirk Nowitzki, was equally complimentary:
"It was a great five years. He's one of the most versatile defenders this league has ever seen. We basically had him guard anything from one (point guard) to sometimes even switch on fives (centers). He was the best at that, because he had the strength to play with big guys, but he also had the quickness to defend little guys, and the length. He was a special player. And on offense you never had to run a play for him and you look at the stat sheet and ended up with 15-20 points some nights and we didn't run one single play for him. So he's a special player."
Following an unsuccessful run at a title in 2015 as a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers, Marion retired at age 36.
Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports
3. DeMar DeRozan (SG) — No. 9 pick in 2009 NBA Draft
Having bombed out with his initial high-end lottery pick with the Raptors (Andrea Bargnani, No. 1 pick in 2006), Colangelo was certainly determined to right the ship. His selection of DeRozan was certainly an inspired choice, with a high-end draft class featuring the likes of Blake Griffin, James Harden and Stephen Curry.
Here's what ESPN analyst Jay Bilas had to say about the selection:
"He's a great finisher. He's an outstanding athlete that can play in the open floor. He can get to the basket. He's not a very good shooter — yet — but I think he can become a good shooter in time. He's just a young kid. He has played only one year of college basketball. In the second half of the year, DeMar DeRozan got better and better. He shot just about 60 percent from the field.
"His feel for the game started to improve….He needs to improve his shooting consistency, there's no doubt about that….You're going to have to wait on him a little while. But remember: Bryan Colangelo years ago at the No. 9 spot was the guy who spotted Amare Stoudemire. No. 9 has been good to Bryan Colangelo."
Bilas was spot-on with his analysis.
After an initial adjustment period when entering the league, DeRozan has gradually established himself as one of the most explosive scorers in the game. Teamed with fellow backcourt partner Kyle Lowry, DeRozan has helped lead the Raptors to the postseason the past four seasons, including one trip to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2016.
DeRozan was first named an All-Star in 2014, when he averaged 22.7 points, 4.3 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game. He has since earned All-Star honors another two times, including this season where he averaged a career-high 27.3 points per game (fifth in the league).
At the time of selecting DeRozan, Colangelo was highly optimistic in terms of his potential:
"This is DeMar DeRozan and he's going to establish himself as a player that is different than Vince (Carter). He's going to establish himself as DeMar the basketball player. Those comparisons are fun to make and easy to make because of the athletic attributes, but let's see what DeMar can become as far as the best basketball player possible. He's got the right attitude and mentality. He's got a chance to be special, but let's do it on his own time."
In hindsight, these proclamations have proven to be spot-on as well.
In return, DeRozan has been equally effusive for Colangelo:
"Oh, man he's one of the most stand-up guys I've known, ever met coming into the business,'' said DeRozan of the man who drafted him. "He gave me the opportunity of a lifetime, you know? And I credit a lot of my success to him. [He's] one of those stand-up honest guys. [He'll] work extremely hard, and wants the best for whatever organization and players that he's working for."
Following a summer of winning an Olympic gold medal as a member of Team USA, DeRozan kicked off the season by demonstrating what he is truly capable of producing. In his opening 12 games, DeRozan averaged the following phenomenal numbers:
Granted, DeRozan came back down to earth to a degree following the streak. But this incredible streak demonstrated the ultimate potential that DeRozan possesses. It also demonstrates Colangelo's ability to procure elite talent.
Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports
2. Amar'e Stoudemire (PF) — No. 9 pick in 2002 NBA Draft
Chosen straight out of high school in Florida, Amar'e Stoudemire was seen as somewhat of a speculative pick when selected by Colangelo.
But the selection was soon to proven as a masterstroke.
Colangelo and his father, Suns' owner Jerry Colangelo, had Stoudemire come in for an audition leading into the draft. And they soon realized they had found their player.
"It was incredible. Jerry called me over and said, 'This is our guy'. There was an immediate attraction on Jerry's part."
Stoudemire's power and athleticism were the obvious traits that stood out with his performance. He took no time in adjusting to the league, capturing the 2003 Rookie of the Year award by averaging 13.5 points and 8.8 rebounds in 31.3 minutes per game. He continued to grow after his rookie campaign, averaging at least 20 points and eight rebounds per game over his next six full seasons with the Suns.
In particular, Stoudemire's game went to the next level with the return of point guard Steve Nash to the Suns in 2004. As a pick-n-roll tandem the pairing was unstoppable, with Nash's ball-handling wizardry and Stoudemire's supreme athleticism.
Nash's first season back in Phoenix was also possibly Stoudemire's most impressive of his career. With the Suns winning 62 games, Stoudemire averaged 26.0 points and 8.9 rebounds while shooting 55.9 percent from the field. Notably, Stoudemire was overall a +602 while on the floor for the season.
During the 2000s, the Suns were heartbreakingly close to reaching the ultimate goal, losing in all three trips to the Western Conference Finals. Following their 2010 Western Conference Finals loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, Stoudemire and the Suns were unable to come to terms on a new contract. As a result, he signed a five-year, $99.7 million deal with the New York Knicks.
Aside from the financial compensation, Stoudemire was also reunited head coach Mike D'Antoni, who finished up with the Suns in 2008. But the knee problems that plagued Stoudemire earlier his career began to flare up again in just his first season with the Knicks.
As a result, Stoudemire's suffered notable regression, certainly not helped by the arrival of fellow All-Star Carmelo Anthony.
In all, Stoudemire played in six All-Star games, and was selected to the All-NBA first team in 2007, and the second team on four other occasions. Considered a risky selection at the time, Stoudemire more than rewarded Colangelo for sticking with his convictions, once again at No. 9.
Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Stewart-USA TODAY Sports
1. Steve Nash (PG) — No. 15 pick in 1996 NBA Draft
Not even Colangelo could have come close to forecasting what Nash would accomplish throughout his career. Especially when you consider that when he was drafted, the Suns already had veteran point guard Kevin Johnson at the starting spot, only to bring in superstar point guard Jason Kidd midway through his rookie campaign. It was therefore no surprise that Nash averaged just 3.3 points and 2.1 assists in 10.5 minutes per game.
After a second frustrating season, Nash sought and was granted a trade to the Dallas Mavericks. Following an initial adjustment period with the Mavericks, Nash's confidence and overall game simply grew year by year. Teamed with All-Star forward Dirk Nowitzki, Nash quickly established himself as one of the most proficient and consistent point guards in the game.
Despite earning All-Star honors twice in his six seasons in Dallas, team owner Mark Cuban wasn't interested in matching the five-year, $65 million contract offered by the team that originally drafted him – the Suns. Nash was 30 years old at the time and had a history of back issues, but Colangelo nonetheless saw the possibility of teaming the Canadian native with incoming offensive-minded coach, Mike D'Antoni.
At the time of the move, Nash noted:
"It's exciting, but it's also bittersweet. I'm really sad to leave my teammates, but I'm glad to be going somewhere where they really wanted me."
The result would've defied even Colangelo's wildest expectations. Nash's first season back in Phoenix resulted in 62 wins and a trip to the Western Conference Finals, falling to the eventual NBA champion San Antonio Spurs. The following season saw the Suns return to the conference finals, this time falling to Nash's old team, the Mavericks.
Although the team came up short, Nash was richly rewarded, earning back-to-back MVP awards. Considering where Nash came from entering the league and his initial few seasons, this was simply an amazing accomplishment.
Almost as impressive as the impact Nash had in his second year with the Suns was his durability. Eventually retiring at age 40, Nash's commitment to training, nutrition and recovery was almost ahead of his time.
Once his career had wound up, Colangelo offered his perspective on Nash's amazing career:
"He's one of the best players to never win a championship…I think Steve's comfortable with the fact he didn't win it because I know he did everything possible and laid out every ounce of effort that he needed to try to help his team. He did make his teammates better on and off the floor because everything he did reeked of professionalism across the board.
"Whether it was endless hours of individual shooting routines, diet and exercise, leadership on and off the floor, the things that he was committed to for the organizations he played for….He's certainly a future first-ballot Hall-of-Famer."
So naturally, every diehard Sixers fan will be following the June 22 draft and praying that Colangelo can procure the next Nash or Stoudemire among this year's loaded draft class.
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