History of the #30 Selection

NEW YORK, NY, June 17, 2005 --The New York Knicks will have the 30th selection in this year’s NBA Draft, acquiring the pick in the February 25th transaction that sent Nazr Mohammed and Jamison Brewer to San Antonio in return for Malik Rose. The pick, which originally belonged to the Phoenix Suns, will be the final selection of the first round. With a fairly deep talent pool, the Knicks figure to land a player who can help the team. Last season, the Cavaliers found a gem in Anderson Varejao, an active player capable of defending and rebounding, and a rarity among rookies. The 30th selection has revealed numerous players that have helped their teams: Spencer Haywood, a dynamic scorer and rebounder, who influenced the game both on and off-the-court; Nate McMillan, the classy Sonic who was one of the best defenders over that past few decades and an up-and-coming Head Coach. From Gheorghe Muresan to Howard Eisley, the 30th pick has shown that all players, big and small, can be selected and can contribute immediately to a team's success. Here are the top-10 #30 selections of all-time.

Year	Player	Career Summary
1971	1. Spencer Haywood	While five all-star games, two All-NBA First Teams, two All-NBA Second Teams, and an ABA MVP trophy are more than enough honors to make a career, it might have been Spencer Haywood’s off-court history that will stand the test of time. After winning an Olympic gold medal in 1968, Haywood decided to forgo his final two seasons of college eligibility and signed with the Denver Rockets of the ABA in 1969. As a rookie, he won the ABA scoring title, averaging 30 points per game, and his 19.5 rebounds per game was an all-time ABA record. At the age of 21, Haywood challenged the NBA’s prohibition of the drafting or signing of any player before the graduation of his class. The Supreme Court ruled in Haywood’s favor, and the rest is history. Haywood joined the SuperSonics and became one the league’s most dynamic players. Haywood played four seasons with the Knicks, with his best year coming in 1976 when he averaged 19.9 ppg and 11.3 rpg.
1986	2. Nate McMillan	Mr. Sonic was selected by Seattle in the 1986 draft from North Carolina State and neither side ever looked back. As one of the best defenders in the game, McMillan was one of the key cogs to a Seattle SuperSonics team that made the playoffs in 10 out of 11 seasons throughout the late 80s and 90s. He spent his entire 12-year career with Seattle, retiring as the Sonics’ all-time leader in both steals and assists. McMillan led the league in steals in 1993. His #10 jersey was retired by the Sonics in 1999.
1983	3. Mark West	The original “Big Daddy,” West was one of the most physical players in the NBA. A true space-eater, West was a tough interior presence for over 16 years. His best seasons were with the Suns in the early 90s, when he helped the Suns win the Western Conference championship in 1993. West played in 95 playoff games throughout his 17-year career. He led the Suns and the NBA in field goal percentage in 1989-90, and his .625 field goal percentage ranks second in NBA history in field goal percentage. On the Suns' all-time career list, West ranks first in field goal percentage, fifth in rebounds, and second in blocked shots.
2001	4. Trenton Hassell	While his name may not be familiar to the casual fan, Hassell has developed now in his fourth season into one of the game’s best perimeter defenders. Selected by the Bulls in 2001, Hassell was noted for his offense at Austin Peay University, where he was ranked 13th in the nation in scoring. He played two seasons with Chicago before moving on to Minnesota. Don’t let his numbers fool you. Despite averaging just .37 steals and .37 blocks per game this past season, Hassell is a lockdown defender. Just ask teammate Kevin Garnett. “If we need to slow somebody down, we throw Trenton on him. I think he's probably a gift from God for us."
2000	5. Marko Jaric	Jaric has blossomed in his third season in the NBA after a successful European career. Jaric started next to Spurs’ star Manu Ginobili for Kinder and helped the team win the European championship in 2001. Now a Clipper, Jaric has become a valuable offensive weapon. Capable of playing three positions, Jaric had the best start to his career this season, averaging 12.3 ppg and 6.1 apg in November. Injuries derailed his season, but he remained a solid player in what was the best year of his career.
1996	6. Othella Harrington	Drafted as an undersized power forward out of Georgetown University, Harrington has managed to make a nice career for himself, now with his fourth team, the Bulls. Harrington played three seasons with the Knicks, averaging 6.8 points and 4.6 rebounds per game. As a solid low post-scorer, Othella carved a niche with the Bulls this past season, starting 28 games at power forward. A free agent, Harrington should draw the interest of a number of teams looking to add depth to their bench.
1993	7. Gheorghe Muresan	The star of the blockbuster movie My Giant also had a good NBA career before he was forced to retire due to numerous injuries that were the result of a pituitary gland problem. That being said, the 7-7 giant took the league by storm with the Washington Bullets, with his best season coming in his third year with the team. Muresan averaged 14.5 points, 9.6 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks to earn the Most Improved Player award. “Little George” attempted to come back with the Nets, but he was unable to complete the comeback and finally retired in 2000 at the young age of 28.
1994	8. Howard Eisley	A former John Stockton protégé, Eisley has been one of the better backup point guards in the league over the past decade. Eisley learned under the tutelage of two of the best in Stockton and Jeff Hornacek to become one of the better players to run the pick and roll. Eisley played for the Knicks for two and a half seasons, his best year coming in 2003 when he averaged 9.1 points and 5.4 assists while shooting almost 39 percent from behind the three-point line. Eisley returned to the Jazz this past year to split point guard duties with Keith McLeod and Raul Lopez. A free agent, Eisley is a capable veteran who can be a solid player off the bench.
2004	9. Anderson Varejao	The Brazilian with the Sideshow Bob Haircut was one of the steals of the 2004 NBA Draft and a bright spot for the Cavaliers this past season. An aggressive rebounder and active defender, Varejao pumped energy and excitement into the Cavaliers front-court with his hustle and determination. After averaging 4.9 points and 4.8 rebounds in just 16 minutes per game, Varejao has a lot of upside, and when his career is over, he should have a higher ranking on this list of players.
1993	10. Sean Rooks	After playing with the 11-win Dallas Mavericks-one of the worst records in basketball history-in his rookie season, Rooks turned in a solid 12-year career. As one of the better jump-shooters at the center position, Rooks was a quality backup for many NBA teams. The big man from Arizona provided 8 teams with a solid presence off the bench and managed to play on four playoff teams throughout his career.