The 2015 NBA draft is a little over a month away, and for teams that aren’t still participating in the NBA playoffs, the focus is on using that event to build toward a better future. Now that the NBA Draft lottery is complete, the speculation can truly begin as to which player each franchise will pin its hopes on for the future. Of course, having one of the top selections in any draft doesn’t guarantee that a team will snag a future All-Star. Team executives and scouts still have the difficult task of making the correct call with their picks.
With this in mind we at Hoops Rumors will be taking a look back at the draft history of the primary basketball executive for each NBA team. Their names, reputations, and possibly employment will be on the line as a result of the decisions to come on June 25th, and we’ll be examining what they’ve done in previous years in charge of a club’s front office. Note that many of them have played other sorts of roles within a team’s executive structure, but this won’t take that into account. We’ll begin with a look back at the calls made by Grizzlies GM Chris Wallace…
Celtics (January 2001-May 2003)
2001 Draft
- No. 10 Overall — Joe Johnson: 1062 games, 17.3 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 4.2 APG. .443/.371/.800.
- No. 11 Overall — Kedrick Brown: 143 games, 3.6 PPG, 2.4 RPG, 0.7 APG. .405/.274/.640.
- No. 21 Overall — Joseph Forte: 25 games, 1.2 PPG, 0.7 RPG, 0.7 APG. .234/.000/.800.
Notable players passed over: Richard Jefferson (No. 13), Zach Randolph (No. 19), Gerald Wallace (No. 25), Tony Parker (No. 28), and Gilbert Arenas (No. 31).
2002 Draft
- No first-rounder, No. 22 overall pick (Casey Jacobsen) owned by Suns.
- No. 50 Overall — Darius Songaila: 495 games, 6.9 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 1.2 APG. .499/.158/.844.
Notable players available at draft slot or passed over: Carlos Boozer (No. 35) and Luis Scola (No. 56).
Grizzlies (June 2007-November 2012, May 2014-Present)
2007 Draft
- No. 4 Overall — Mike Conley: 581 games, 13.4 PPG, 2.9 RPG, 5.6 APG. .442/.374/.803.
Notable players passed over: Joakim Noah (No. 9), Arron Afflalo (No. 27), and Marc Gasol (No. 48).
2008 Draft
- No. 3 Overall — O.J. Mayo*: 506 games, 14.3 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 2.9 APG. .432/.377/.822.
- No. 27 Overall — Darrell Arthur**: 373 games, 6.5 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 0.7 APG. .442/.274/.762.
*Acquired from Wolves along with Greg Buckner and Marko Jaric in return for No. 5 overall pick (Kevin Love), Brian Cardinal, Mike Miller, and Jason Collins.
**Acquired in three team trade with Rockets and Blazers in return for the No. 28 overall pick (Donte Greene) and a 2009 second round pick.
Notable players passed over: Russell Westbrook (No. 4), Love (No. 5), Brook Lopez (No. 10), Roy Hibbert (No. 17), JaVale McGee (No. 19), Serge Ibaka (No. 24), DeAndre Jordan (No. 35), and Goran Dragic (No. 45).
2009 Draft
- No. 2 Overall — Hasheem Thabeet: 224 games, 2.2 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 0.8 BPG. .567/.000/.578.
- No. 27 Overall — DeMarre Carroll: 316 games, 7.6 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 1.2 APG. .462/.366/.733.
- No. 36 Overall — Sam Young: 249 games, 5.8 PPG, 2.3 RPG, 0.7 APG. .442/.280/.742.
Notable players passed over: James Harden (No. 3), Ricky Rubio (No. 5), Stephen Curry (No. 7), Brandon Jennings (No. 10), Jrue Holiday (No. 17), Ty Lawson (No. 18), and Jeff Teague (No. 19).
2010 Draft
- No. 12 Overall — Xavier Henry: 185 games, 5.7 PPG, 1.9 RPG, 0.6 APG. .406/.325/.635.
- No. 28 Overall — Greivis Vasquez: 375 games, 9.2 PPG, 2.6 RPG, 4.9 APG. .422/.356/.816.
*Traded the No. 25 overall pick (Dominique Jones) to the Mavericks for cash.
Notable players passed over: Larry Sanders (No. 15), Eric Bledsoe (No. 18), Hassan Whiteside (No. 33), and Lance Stephenson (No. 40).
2011 Draft
- No first round pick. No. 20 overall (Donatas Motiejunas) owned by Timberwolves.
- No. 49 Overall — Josh Selby: 38 games, 2.2 PPG, 0.5 RPG, 0.9 APG. .330/.143/.720.
Notable players available at draft spot or passed over: Kenneth Faried (No. 22), Nikola Mirotic (No. 23), Reggie Jackson (No. 24), Jimmy Butler (No. 30), Chandler Parsons (No. 38), and Isaiah Thomas (No. 60).
2012 Draft
- No. 25 Overall — Tony Wroten: 137 games, 11.2 PPG, 2.5 RPG, 3.0 APG. .416/.234/.654.
Notable players passed over: Draymond Green (No. 35) and Khris Middleton (No. 39).
2014 Draft
- No. 22 Overall — Jordan Adams: 30 games, 3.1 PPG, 0.9 RPG, 0.5 APG. .407/.400/.609.
- No. 35 Overall — Jarnell Stokes*: 19 games, 3.0 PPG, 1.8 RPG, 0.2 APG. .568/.000/.536.
*Acquired from Jazz in exchange for a 2016 second-rounder.
Notable players passed over: Rodney Hood (No. 23), K.J. McDaniels (No. 32), and Jordan Clarkson (No. 46).