What Might Have Been

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. – Illinois coach Bruce Weber has been on a slippery slope in Champaign despite winning 89 games in his first three seasons and taking the Illini to the 2005 national championship game because he inherited the guts of those teams, including the dynamic backcourt of Deron Williams and Dee Brown, from previous coach Bill Self.

Here’s why recruiting matters: Last year, Weber’s fifth, Illinois went 16-19 overall and a dismal 5-13 in the Big Ten. But had he been able to sign both Derrick Rose and Eric Gordon – who originally committed to Illinois and was working on Rose to join him before Mike Davis was fired and Kelvin Sampson swung Gordon to Indiana – no one would have been surprised if Weber would have had the Illini back at the Final Four.

While Rose, a Chicago native who considered Illinois strongly, is favored to be the No. 1 pick in Thursday’s draft and is certain to be gone in the top two, Gordon is also considered a lottery pick. While Gordon is the top-rated point guard in this draft, Gordon is generally considered the best of a weak crop of shooting guards, at least if Southern Cal freshman O.J. Mayo is grouped with the point guards.

It’s likely Gordon will go either seventh to the Los Angeles Clippers or eight to the Milwaukee Bucks – and even that might be too low for him. Gordon’s play tailed off badly in the second half of his freshman season as Indiana got caught in the turmoil that eventually cost Sampson his job over recruiting violations. But over the first half of the season, Gordon was dynamic, displaying NBA 3-point range as well as explosive to-the-basket moves and finishing ability.

Physically, Gordon is already a size-strength match for Chauncey Billups with room still to grow.

Beyond Gordon, though, beauty is in the eye of the beholder for a group that’s significantly weaker than most years.

The next shooting guard, in fact, probably won’t be taken until the early 20s. That could be Rose’s teammate, Detroit native Chris Douglas-Roberts, or it could be Western Kentucky’s Courtney Lee.

Douglas-Roberts is a slasher with a relentless motor. Though he doesn’t have Rip Hamilton’s polished mid-range game, Douglas-Roberts is similar to Hamilton in physique and relentlessness. Though he brings an unorthodox shot to the table, Douglas-Roberts has a pure scorer’s mentality. Even though he’s worked out well for several teams, the feeling persists that CDR won’t go in the teens.

The drop spot for either him or Lee, in fact, could be Orlando at No. 22. Lee is a very good athlete and maybe the best shooter of all first-round prospects. He was the leading scorer on a Western Kentucky team that made some noise in the NCAA tournament and, at 22, is more fundamentally ready to step into an NBA rotation right out of the gate.

That might be it for first-round shooting guards. The next group includes Mississippi State’s Jamont Gordon, New Mexico’s J.R. Giddens, Washington State’s Kyle Weaver and Arkansas’ Sonny Weems.

Teams that might be in the market for a shooting guard:

LA Clippers – Assuming Elton Brand doesn’t go anywhere, the Clippers are pretty well set up front with Chris Kaman and rookie Al Thornton to go with him. But their backcourt is in flux, especially if Corey Maggette leaves as a free agent, as looks likely. Gordon, a combo guard, would give the Clips flexibility.

Phoenix – Even though Mike D’Antoni is gone, the Suns still want to surround Steve Nash with more good perimeter shooters than they currently have on their roster. The 15th spot might be a little high for Lee, but he’d be a nice fit if small forward Brandon Rush is gone.

Philadelphia – Willie Green has given the 76ers what he can give, but if they can find somebody to push him and share the position a young team would get a little deeper.

Orlando – Mo Evans and Keith Bogans essentially split the job last year, but the Magic will be on the lookout for another option. Lee makes sense, giving a 3-point shooting team another weapon to spread the floor and give Dwight Howard room to operate.

New Orleans – Lack of perimeter depth hurt the Hornets in the playoffs. If Douglas-Roberts falls to 27, you have to think he wouldn’t get past New Orleans.

for the clippers, get rid maggette or try to put him on a small forward spot. and take gordon so quinton ross can come off the bench and give LA clippers some nice perimeter shootings.

also develop the bench of the clips especially chris kaman who came out explosive during the 05 and 06 season with the clips. also mobley for a bench scoring.

clippers need a great coach not a faggot like dunleavy