Taking a Look at the 30th Pick

The Washington Wizards enter the 2010 NBA Draft with three selections, however, they will not know the exact location of their first and third picks until after the Draft Lottery on Tuesday, May 18th.

The one thing the Wizards are assured of is the 30th overall selection in the 2010 Draft. With that in mind, WashingtonWizards.com takes a look at the history of the 30th overall pick.

The Last Time Washington Had the 30th Overall Pick: The last time the franchise entered the Draft with the 30th overall pick was the 1993 NBA Draft. While the big names of that draft, names like Chris Webber, Shawn Bradley and Anfernee Hardaway, went early the Bullets elected to select the biggest player in the Draft and the tallest player in NBA History, Gheorghe Muresan. Muresan, a 7'7" center out of Romania, played for the Bullets for four seasons and had his best season in 1995-96, averaging 14.5 points, 9.6 rebounds and 2.26 blocks per game on his way to earning the NBA's Most Improved Player Award. Muresan also holds the franchise record with the highest field goal percentage in franchise history (minimum 1,000 made) making 57.8% of his shots from the field.

Three Names Of Note Drafted at #30:

1.Spencer Haywood Buffalo Braves 1971
Despite never playing for the Buffalo Braves, the record books will show that Spencer Haywood was selected as the 30th overall selection in the 1971 Draft. Haywood, a four-time NBA All-Star, Olympic Gold Medalist and ABA MVP is a player who's influence still effects the draft to this day. After dominating the college game in 1969 to the tune of 32.1 ppg. and 21.5 rpg., Haywood left the University of Detroit after his sophomore year to play with the Denver Rockets of the ABA. After winning the ABA scoring title en route to Rookie of the Year and MVP awards, Haywood tried to jump ship to the NBA and signed with the Seattle Supersonics. The NBA at the time prohibited the drafting or signing of underclassmen and took the Sonics and Haywood to the Supreme Court, which eventually ruled that Haywood was eligible to play due to him being the sole wage earner in his family. The "hardship case" as he became known altered professional basketball draft rules and eventually led to the NBA's Early Entry procedure. For more information on Spencer Haywood and his role in the NBA Draft click here.

2. Nate McMillan Seattle SuperSonics 1986
While many fans may know the name Nate McMillan for his current work on the sidelines as the Head Coach of the Portland Trail Blazers, McMillan also had a very successful 12-year career in the NBA for the Sonics. McMillan was known for his outstanding defense which earned him two NBA All-Defensive Second Teams as well as his innate passing ability that helped him finish in the top ten in assists in three consecutive seasons. McMillan's hard work on the court lead to the SuperSonics retiring his #10 jersey.

3. David Lee New York Knicks 2005
A member of the 2010 Eastern Conference All-Star team, David Lee was selected by the New York Knicks in the first round (30th pick overall) of 2005 NBA Draft. This season, Lee averaged 20.2 ppg., 11.7 rpg. and 3.6 apg. while also ranking 9th in the NBA by shooting 54.5% from the field. Lee has averaged a double-double in three of the past four seasons.

An Interesting Fact Regarding The 30th Pick
Nate McMillan is not the only 30th pick from the 1980's to be a head coach in the NBA. Kenny Natt, who was drafted with the 30th pick by the Indiana Pacers in 1980 was the interim head coach for the Sacramento Kings in 2009.