2009 Draft in Review
The 2009 NBA Draft was one of excitement and suspicion for Thunder fans with so many options available at the third overall pick. I, for one, had researched Sam Presti’s quotes, rumors, and other media dealings to no end. I still had no idea who was going to be selected when the time came. Most of 
us believe that Presti had been spreading both true and false rumors to a number of media outlets in order to keep both the fans and other franchises guessing. I would say that it is a pretty smart move.
One might surmise that Presti wasn’t locking onto one player because he was holding out for a trade offer. Others might believe that he honestly didn’t know. I tend to lean in that direction simply because there were so many tempting options. At this point in the season, it would suffice to say that no player has truly turned out to be a bust.
You could argue that Hasheem Thabeet can already be called a bust, but he still has great potential, and was considered raw when he was taken. Give him 2 years and he will be starting quality player. Does a good starter justify the second overall selection? Probably not, but it was to be expected for Memphis GM 
Chris Wallace to make one bonehead move per year; if you count Iverson, he has filled his quota for this year and next.
Prior to Oklahoma City’s selection of Arizona State guard James Harden, the primary suspects likely to be taken by Presti included Harden, Steph Curry, Ricky Rubio, and Tyreke Evans. Only a few months into his rookie season, Brandon Jennings has thrown his name into the hat as a player who should’ve been selected in the top 5, but fell outside the top 10 on draft night. At the time, picking Jennings with number 3 would’ve been considered lunacy, but it’s now clear that he will probably be a better NBA player than any rookie not named Griffin, Harden, or Evans.
The stats below indicate the relative effectiveness of each one time potential member of the Thunder. As you can see, Harden’s stats don’t blow your mind, but he has played far fewer minutes but still carries a super efficient stat line.
| Team | G | Min | FGM | FGA | FG% | 3PTM | 3PTA | 3PT% | FT% | Reb | Ast | TO | Stl | PPG | |
| Stephen Curry | GS | 21 | 32 | 4.3 | 9.6 | 45.1 | 1.1 | 3 | 37.1 | 80 | 3.3 | 4.9 | 2.7 | 1.7 | 11.1 |
| Tyreke Evans | SAC | 20 | 36 | 7.4 | 16 | 46.4 | 0.6 | 2.1 | 26.2 | 77.4 | 5 | 5.1 | 3 | 1.5 | 20.2 |
| B. Jennings | MIL | 21 | 35 | 7.9 | 18.8 | 41.8 | 2.2 | 5.1 | 43.9 | 79.8 | 3.8 | 5.7 | 3 | 1.1 | 21.1 |
| James Harden | OKC | 20 | 21 | 3 | 7.4 | 40.5 | 1.2 | 3.2 | 37.5 | 83.3 | 3.3 | 2.6 | 1.2 | 1.1 | 9.7 |
I loathed the possibilities of Thabeet and Rubio at the third pick, but was reassured in the back of mind with my knowledge of the breadth of Sam Presti’s intelligence. I said “surely he isn’t that stupid.” And, in fact, he is not. 
Rubio has turned out to be a headache and Thabeet is probably never going to make an All-Star team. In my opinion, any player taken in the top 10 should make at least one All-Star team. I’m not sure how that mathematical ratio works out of the course of a series of NBA Drafts, but it sounds right in my head.
This topic was brought to light when the Nellie-less Golden State University Warriors made the trip to downtown Oklahoma City for the matchup of two of the top rookie guards in the game. Curry is going to be a very nice NBA guard once he gets on a team that runs a real offense. He is not a traditional point guard by any means, but he is no less of a point guard than Russell Westbrook. He is a deadly shooter from anywhere on the floor, and I mean anywhere. This ability will probably mean his career will turn out a bit more like Ben Gordon’s.
Tyreke Evans was the only other legitimate option for the Thunder, given
their current roster make up. We all knew exactly what Evans was going to be before he ever put on an NBA uniform. It was already enough to know that he wanted to play for the slimy program that is the University of Memphis headed by John Calipari (at the time). To add to that, he wasn’t able to put up good numbers until he had the ball in his hands on every possession. Red flags were flying everywhere. There is no doubt in my mind that he is a very good NBA player, I just don’t think he will ever be successful in the playoffs. He doesn’t play a winning style of basketball.
All of the above reasons are why James Harden was the perfect selection for Oklahoma City. He is a pass-first star of a player, which is more rare than you may realize. His shooting ability and defensive awareness make him a perfect complement to the players around him. Given those things, he is perfect already, but take into account his high character and team-oriented personality, and it’s easy to see why Sam Presti and all Thunder fans are so excited about the future of Harden, and therefore the future of this team. Both could be very special in the near future, and that fact is much more certain than the lottery.
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