In the second round, you take chances. The risk is minimal; if you aren't gunning for a rotation player, why bother? Just sell the pick to some other team. The Memphis Grizzlies understood this heading into the 2011 NBA Draft, and may have ended up with the prospect with the most potential in the second round.
NBA Draft Grades 2011: Grizzlies Roll Dice On Josh Selby
Gained: Josh Selby.
Gave up: Nothing.
Synopsis: Taking Selby at No. 49 is like finding a scratcher in a vacant parking lot. Selby was a McDonald’s All-American who struggled first with academic eligibility and then an injury at Kansas. If there were no age minimum in the NBA, he likely would have been a lottery pick.
That would have been a bad, risky lottery pick, in retrospect. He’s small, not might not have the court vision to play point guard at this level and many have questioned his attitude and work ethic. Those are problems in the lottery, and in the first round. At Pick No. 49? Nuh uh. Roll them dice.
Grade: A.
For more on the Grizzlies, visit Straight Outta Vancouver.
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