Suns Get Lucky in Draft
By Dustin Krugel
Posted: June 26, 2002
The Phoenix Suns couldn’t have drawn it any better.
With two first round selections in Wednesday’s NBA Draft the Suns landed two players that they had coveted all along.
“We had plans A, B, C, D, E and F,” said Suns Vice President of Player of Personnel Dick Van Arsdale after the Suns took 6-10, 245-pound forward Amare Stoudemire with the ninth selection overall and 6-6, 215-pound guard Casey Jacobsen with the 22nd pick. “We had different scenarios for the players we liked. Plan A was the plan we wanted, where we had Stoudemire at nine and Jacobsen at 22. That’s the way it worked out. We’re thrilled. I’m not lying; I can show you our (draft ranking) sheets.”
"We got lucky," Suns coach Frank Johnson told the crowd of more than 2,300 gathered at the Dodge Theatre in downtown Phoenix after the Suns tabbed the top high school player with their first pick.
The Suns passed on more proven players such as Connecticut forward Caron Butler and Indiana forward Jared Jeffries, who were taken with the next two picks by the Heat and Wizards, respectively, but the 19-year-old’s immense potential was the deciding factor.
“This guy has star potential,” said Suns CEO Jerry Colangelo, who personally entertained Stoudemire during a Diamondbacks game on May 22 after one of his pre-draft workouts. “Whether he achieves it or fulfills it remains to be seen. That’s the question. But that’s true of any of the players on the board today.
“He’s got great character, he’s a gym rat, he loves the game and there’s nobody on the board with the kind of physical ability he has.”
Colangelo said he wanted Stoudemire in a Suns uniform the moment he first set eyes on him.
“The first time I saw (Kobe Bryant), I said, “I want him, he’s special,” he added. “Of course we didn’t have a chance to get him, but we came close. We tried. I kind of have the same feeling about this kid, and I’m not putting him in the same category of Kobe Bryant. I’m saying the look in the eye tells you this kid is committed. He wants it.”
Thirteen picks later the Suns struck gold again with the selection of Jacobsen, whose long distance skills are reminiscent of Phoenix favorite Dan Majerle, who was in attendance at the party. The Suns were nervous the Jazz might take the Stanford sharpshooter with their 19th pick.
“He’s just a player that is not going to be denied,” Van Arsdale said of Jacobsen, who once tagged Arizona State for a career-high 49 points in a Cardinal victory last season. “He’s not a Majerle, but he works just as hard and he can shoot the basketball. He may not be the greatest athlete, but he can make up for it in other areas.”
Colangelo said the Suns’ draft preparation paid off in the end. Phoenix brought in 51 prospects leading up to draft day.
“If you look at our ratings and how people fell in the draft, it was incredible how close we were in everything,” he said. “And we did pick those two guys out. We wanted them as a complement. We had different combinations had Stoudemire not been there, had it been Nene (Hilario) or had it been Jeffries or (Chris) Wilcox, and the combination would have been a little bit different in terms of the pick at 22. It happened just the way we had hoped, so that’s exciting, it really is. We want to get young. We got young today with a couple of excellent picks.”
NO DEAL
Suns President and General Manager Bryan Colangelo shot down a trade rumor earlier in the day that had the Suns selecting Stoudemire and then packaging him, guard Penny Hardaway and forward Tom Gugliotta to Portland for swingman Scottie Pippen, forward Zach Randolph and the 21st pick overall.
“I don’t know where that came from,” he said. “ I talked to (Blazers President and General Manager) Bob Whitsitt shortly before (the draft) to find out if he knew of any such deal (laughs), and he said no.
“Actually, we would’ve moved up to get (Stoudemire). But it turned out it wasn’t possible and it wasn’t necessary.”
DUTY CALLS
Assistant General Manager Mark West didn’t take his seat in the Suns’ War Room until a few seconds before the Houston Rockets selected Chinese center Yao Ming with the first pick, but he had a legitimate excuse.
It turns out that he was selected for jury duty Tuesday and his trial started on Wednesday. But he didn’t complain, even if it meant he was a little late for one of the biggest days of the year.
“It still doesn’t excuse you from civic duty,” he said. “You do what you have to do.”
BIG WORDS FROM A BIG MAN
Suns broadcaster Al McCoy spent a couple minutes talking with Stoudemire over the phone Wednesday night and asked him to describe his game for the fans in attendance.
“Right now, I’m more of an inside player, but I expect to have a combination of power and finesse,” he said. “So, look out.”
Stoudemire and Jacobsen are expected to arrive in Phoenix on Thursday, when they will receive their new jerseys (which were on display at the party) during an introductory press conference.
SHOOTER’S TOUCH
With the retirement of Majerle and the trade-deadline deal that sent forward Rodney Rogers and guard Tony Delk to Boston, the Suns desperately were seeking to add another shooter in the draft.
“This is Cotton’s favorite line, ‘You can never have enough shooters,’ and we’ve acquired a very good shooter,” Van Arsdale said of Jacobsen.
Johnson, who is notorious for suckering unsuspecting victims into making bets on whether he can make a shot, had another reason to get excited about the selection of Jacobsen.
“He’s another guy I can get money off of,” he joked.
TWO THUMBS UP
Suns forwards Shawn Marion and Bo Outlaw were in attendance at the Suns Draft Party, and both gave the Suns' pick of Amare Stoudemire their stamps of approval.
"I heard he's just a freak of nature," said Marion, who was the ninth pick in the 1999 draft. "I didn't get a chance to see him when he came in here and worked out. I think I was out of town, but I've been hearing good things about him. Anybody who's athletic and can rebound at the four is great. More highlights for us. " Outlaw knew a little bit more about Stoudemire than Marion. The Suns' veteran had a chance to see the Orlando product a couple of times while playing for the Magic.
"He could run and jump. He was athletic," he said. "We've just got to get him here, promote him, let him know what we're doing and get ready to roll."
A HOT PROSPECT
While Jacobsen’s selection drew cheers at the Suns’ Draft Party, his girlfriend, Brittney, was the one drawing cheers at the NBA Draft headquarters in New York. TNT analyst Charles Barkley even went so far as to ask during the live broadcast if she has a sister.
“She got more air time than me,” Jacobsen joked during an interview on ESPN Radio late Wednesday night. “Deservedly so, she’s a lot better looking than I am.”
