What was Kobe's draft stock back in 96?

[Fire Colangelo]

I keep seeing posts about Kobe demanding and threatening a trade from the Hornets to the Lakers when he got drafted by Charlotte. I also heard that he didn't want to get drafted by New Jersey by whatever reason.

I remember reading somewhere that apparently the Clippers (who had the 7th pick) hosted two works out with Kobe, but didn't want to draft him because they didn't want to look "stupid" taking a 17 year old with the 7th pick.

I also read somewhere that a scout from Philly thought very highly of Bryant and said that the 76ers would regret it forever if they didn't draft Kobe (or something like that).

Did he fall to #13 because he threatened to go to Italy/would stay in college (?) had he gotten drafted to a small market? Or was it because other teams had the same mentality as the Clippers? Based on his skills at the time, what was his draft stock? Do you think he would've played if he got drafted by New Jersey?

[DonDadda59]

Pretty much every scout knew he was very skilled, especially Philly's scouts and Jerry West. But they all (except West) were worried about drafting a skinny 17 year old and him playing a man's game. You have to remember it had never been done before- drafting a guard straight out of high school. KG was the first player drafted out of HS since Moses Malone (not counting Shawn Kemp) but he at least was a 7 footer.

His draft stock was as high as it could be under those circumstances. But a genius level talent evaluator like West knew what he had, and was willing to gamble away a proven commodity in Vlade Divac to get it. Took Bean a few years to get used to the physicality of the game at the time, but West's gamble obviously paid big dividends.

Scouting Report From '96 (http://forums.lakersground.net/viewtopic.php?t=116167)

[Fire Colangelo]

Pretty much every scout knew he was very skilled, especially Philly's scouts and Jerry West. But they all (except West) were worried about drafting a skinny 17 year old and him playing a man's game. You have to remember it had never been done before- drafting a guard straight out of high school. KG was the first player drafted out of HS since Moses Malone (not counting Shawn Kemp) but he at least was a 7 footer.

His draft stock was as high as it could be under those circumstances. But a genius level talent evaluator like West knew what he had, and was willing to gamble away a proven commodity in Vlade Divac to get it. Took Bean a few years to get used to the physicality of the game at the time, but West's gamble obviously paid big dividends.

Scouting Report From '96 (http://forums.lakersground.net/viewtopic.php?t=116167)

Thanks!

:cheers:

Wow, that scouting report is actually pretty accurate, even to this day.

[Lebron23]

He was the best HS player during that time. I think he 30/7/8 averaged in his senior season.

[KyrieTheFuture]

I'd be interested to see where he fell if he didn't demand to play for the Lakers.

[dajadeed]

Everyone in the 76ers organization knew how good he was. He was killing their players in workouts as a junior in high school. They were scared of wasting a number 1 pick on a high school guard, which had never been done before. All successful prior high school to pro players were bigs.

He worked out for the Celtics. He didn't want to play in Jersey, and stories kind of vary to this day on exactly what happened there. I'm more inclined to believe they got scared and went with the "sure" thing in Kerry Kittles.

Jerry West saw about 10 minutes of Kobe's workout and said it was the best he had ever seen. He traded a very good center for a high school kid.. and it turned out to be one of the best trades of all time.

[Fire Colangelo]

I'd be interested to see where he fell if he didn't demand to play for the Lakers.

Did he? I've read that the Lakers and the Hornets set a deal for Divac for Kobe before they even drafted him.

[QUOTE]At some point soon after the Hornets selected Bryant with the No. 13 pick, [Dave Cowens and Bryant] had a private phone conversation that went something like this.
Cowens:

[Fire Colangelo]

Everyone in the 76ers organization knew how good he was. He was killing their players in workouts as a junior in high school. They were scared of wasting a number 1 pick on a high school guard, which had never been done before. All successful prior high school to pro players were bigs.

He worked out for the Celtics. He didn't want to play in Jersey, and stories kind of vary to this day on exactly what happened there. I'm more inclined to believe they got scared and went with the "sure" thing in Kerry Kittles.

Jerry West saw about 10 minutes of Kobe's workout and said it was the best he had ever seen. He traded a very good center for a high school kid.. and it turned out to be one of the best trades of all time.

You think GMs would've learned by now that the "sure" thing or "nba ready" draft picks almost never works out. If I'm a shitty team, I'm taking potential over everything else.

[Ca$H]

His stock dropped because there were suspicions that he was a rapist. Those suspicions were confirmed later.

[ZenMaster]

You think GMs would've learned by now that the "sure" thing or "nba ready" draft picks almost never works out. If I'm a shitty team, I'm taking potential over everything else.

Well that "by now" was actually 17 years ago, before any other wing player was ever drafted out of high school.

"nba ready" draft picks works out most of the time, even the example here of Kerry Kittles is spot on. Solid career that very much fit with him living up to the potential of where he was drafted.

[riseagainst]

so does this prove once and for all that Kobe didn't force a trade to the Lakers?

would trolls have to find another thing to bag Kobe on?

[red1]

so does this prove once and for all that Kobe didn't force a trade to the Lakers?

would trolls have to find another thing to bag Kobe on?
he's still a rapist dude

[VIntageNOvel]

I keep seeing posts about Kobe demanding and threatening a trade from the Hornets to the Lakers when he got drafted by Charlotte. I also heard that he didn't want to get drafted by New Jersey by whatever reason.

I remember reading somewhere that apparently the Clippers (who had the 7th pick) hosted two works out with Kobe, but didn't want to draft him because they didn't want to look "stupid" taking a 17 year old with the 7th pick.

I also read somewhere that a scout from Philly thought very highly of Bryant and said that the 76ers would regret it forever if they didn't draft Kobe (or something like that).

Did he fall to #13 because he threatened to go to Italy/would stay in college (?) had he gotten drafted to a small market? Or was it because other teams had the same mentality as the Clippers? Based on his skills at the time, what was his draft stock? Do you think he would've played if he got drafted by New Jersey?


Completely misleading,

he never demanded a trade from hornet, hornet never considered drafting kobe in the first place, lakers asked hornet to draft kobe in order to avoid kobe being snatched by NY who would draft above em (they think NY would somehow could persuade kobe to stay)

this has already been disccused in http://www.insidehoops.com/forum/showthread.php?t=320245

[VIntageNOvel]

Moar from iro fist post:


Peter Vecsey


HOOP DU JOUR

Second of two parts.

Friday, when Kobe Bryant led the Lakers into Madison Square Garden, we looked back at the 1996 NBA Draft, and how so many teams could have been so wary/wrong about someone so gifted.

Today, Kobe discloses other draft dodgers and dissers.

John Nash’s needle isn’t the only one stuck on the 1996 draft. That time period remains equally entrenched in Kobe Bryant’s consciousness. He finds some stuff that happened funny, other things exasperating and a couple occurrences outright incomprehensible.

I didn’t raise the subject; he did.



REUTERS

DEEP ’96’ed: Kobe Bryant felt shafted by a number of teams during the 1996 draft, leading eventually to his selection at No. 13 overall by the Hornets and immediate trade to the Lakers.




The one rubbing Bryant the rawest implicates Dave Cowens, then the Hornets’ coach. At some point soon after the Hornets selected Bryant with the No. 13 pick, the two had a private phone conversation that went something like this.

Cowens: “You know what the deal is, right?

Kobe: “Yes, I do.”

Cowens: “Well, that’s good, because we don’t need you anyway.”

Kobe is as stupefied and infuriated now as he was then.

“Can you believe someone would say something like that to a 17-year-old!” he says, his face one-third smile, one-third scowl and one-third sinister. “That really threw me. It really hurt. Especially since it came from him. I knew about Dave Cowens. I knew what a great player

he was. I followed his career. I looked up to him because he played so hard and showed so much passion. That spit just blew me away!”

Then again, by then, Bryant should have been accustomed to being disillusioned by Hall of Fame players. Twice he worked out for Clippers’ GM Elgin Baylor … and coach Bill Fitch. After the second, the two dream weavers invited Bryant to lunch.

“They told me it was the two best workouts they’d ever seen,” he said. “That’s it, I figured, I was going be a Clipper and play in L.A. I was pumped!”

Before Bryant had finished his fantasy, his magic carpet ride crashed. Out of nowhere, Baylor and Fitch flipped the switch.

“Your skill level is off the charts. Your athleticism is exceptional. And your energy and enthusiasm are remarkable,” they gushed. “But we can’t draft you.”

Huh? What! Why not?

“Because people out here won’t think we’re serious if we draft a high school kid at No. 7.”

So, Baylor and Fitch showed they meant business by plucking Memphis center Lorenzen Wright (whose July 2010 murder remains unsolved).

Bryant never had any reason to believe he would wind up playing in nearby Philadelphia for the 76ers, holders of the draft’s oceanfront lot. There was little doubt Allen Iverson would be the top pick. Yet GM Brad Greenberg invited Kobe in, anyway, for a test run.
“I guess they saw some of my high school games. That was the only explanation I could think of for not being asked to shoot or dribble or demonstrate any of my skills” Bryant said. “All they wanted me to do was to sprint the court. They timed me on a stop watch.”

Greenberg told Bryant him Iverson had run faster.

“So?!?!” Kobe exclaimed.

On the day of the draft, or just before it, Philly columnist John Smallwood implored the Sixers to draft Kobe.

“He said they’d regret it forever if they didn’t,” Kobe recalled.

“The funny thing is, he was on my ass for one thing or another my whole senior year. The Sixers were so bad I guess that’s why he turned his attention on me. And then in the end, for some reason he changed his opinion about me. He’s looking pretty good.”


DEEP ’96’ed: Kobe Bryant felt shafted by a number of teams during the 1996 draft, leading eventually to his selection at No. 13 overall by the Hornets and immediate trade to the Lakers.


Greenberg disputes Bryant’s version. In an email he said the workout consisted of more than running.

“He did shooting drills and other stuff ... had a great workout,” Greenberg wrote. “I just thought Iverson [was] a better selection at the time. I wasn’t comfortable going with a HS kid for the No. 1 pick vs. Iverson.”

Bryant estimates receiving well over 500 scholarship offers. Some were from colleges in places he never knew existed whose courses and schedules are completed online. Each day during a break, he would glide into Lower Marion H.S. coach Gregg Downer’s office and pick up the latest batch of recruitment letters.

One jutted out above the rest. It was from Dean Smith, not a form letter from the University of North Carolina, mind you, but a hand-written message from the aristocrat coach.

“I couldn’t wait to read it, but I didn’t want to do it with people looking over my shoulder,” recounted a roused Bryant . “So I opened it quietly during English class while the teacher was talking.”

Smith said he had heard how well Kobe had played against UNC’s Jerry Stackhouse (third pick of ’95 draft, by the 76ers) and knew it was all but certain he would turn pro when he graduated.

“However, by any chance, if you change your mind, I want you to know I’m holding a scholarship for you.”

Does Bryant still have the letter?

“Are you kidding, bro! Of course, I still have it! It’s from Dean bleepin’ Smith!”

If Dean Smith couldn’t entice Bryant to play for UNC, what chance did John Calipari and the Nets have of getting him to New Jersey vs. skipping off to Italy, which was the threat by agent Arn Tellem?

“Naw,” Kobe countered, “had the Nets drafted me, I would’ve played there and wouldn’t have tried to force a trade. I was 17, bro, I just wanted to ball.”

Oh, great, now he tells them. So, what would have happened had he become a Net?

“Calipari probably would still be coach,” Bryant said.
















The Hornets were not drafting Kobe if it were not for the trade. The Lakers basically drafted him.

and no, kobe didnt really force his way to LA, yes theres a rumour spread by his agent to get into big city,
but teams back then didnt really want to waste top lottery pick on 17 y.o kid

[riseagainst]

he's still a rapist dude

talking purely basketball related. But even then, it was never proven that he did.

[HOoopCityJones]

talking purely basketball related. But even then, it was never proven that he did.

Leave them be, it's all they have to discredit greatness.

[ripthekik]

this thread sure got quiet after real facts are talked about. lebron fans MIA

[I<3NBA]

lol at Kobe saying he would've played for a team that drafted him. ****ing liar. he's just saying that now because he knows how much backlash he got from that pos attitude he had. truth is, Kobe would have refused to play for any team other than the Lakers.

[absalom]

http://sports.espn.go.com/new-york/nba/columns/story?id=6255802


Only Bryant wasn't about to wait years for his liberation. He called Calipari after the coach's lunch with Taub, and Bryant's agent, Arn Tellem, called Nash. Prospect and agent declared they wanted no part of Jersey; Tellem even threatened that his client would play in Italy if the Nets ignored their wishes.

Nash met with a panicked Calipari and tried to calm the coach. The GM made some phone calls and figured out that the Lakers' Jerry West had reached an agreement with Charlotte, holding the 13th pick, to trade Vlade Divac for Bryant; West was confident that Kobe would make it to No. 13 if the Nets passed at No. 8.

Sneaker maven Sonny Vaccaro would later admit he worked with his good friend, Tellem, to maneuver Bryant to a franchise that would maximize his marketing charms. But Nash thought the Nets should hold firm and call Bryant's bluff.

[Yankstar]

His stock dropped because there were suspicions that he was a rapist. Those suspicions were confirmed later.

My suspicions you are a f***** are not confirmed

http://i.imgur.com/mcY1QMw.gif