In Colorado Springs, Paul Klee writes "draft ace" Nuggets President of Basketball Operations Tim Connelly "did ... it ... again." When NBA Draft night rolls around, Connelly "hides in the tall grass," then he "recalls the lottery projections from the previous year and pounces." He "pounced" on Michael Porter Jr. and Bol Bol last when when they fell down the draft board, and he "did it again" last night by trading for the rights to G R.J. Hampton. These are elite basketball players who "trickled down draft boards due to injury concerns or one bad season and ultimately became Nuggets" (Colorado Springs GAZETTE, 11/19). In Denver, Mark Kiszla writes "nobody drafts better" than Connelly. Kiszla: "Kudos to him for landing both Hampton and Arizona big man [No. 22 overall pick F] Zeke Nnaji late in the first round" (DENVER POST, 11/19).
GOOD SIGNS: In N.Y., Mike Vaccaro writes under the header, "Knicks' New Regime Got This NBA Draft Right." Vaccaro: "If you've seen enough of the draft-night hijinks this team has endured across the past few decades, you know this much: This was a distinct step up." A "definite step" in the "right direction." The Knicks "went for the familiar" with their No. 8 overall pick F Obi Toppin, who is repped by CAA -- Knicks President Leon Rose's former agency. This draft "wasn't about certainties for the Knicks as much as it was establishing competence, and confidence in a new regime whose entire tenure here, so far, was geared toward getting this night right" (N.Y. POST, 11/19).
LOOKING UP: In Detroit, John Niyo writes it is Pistons GM Troy Weaver's team now -- "that much is obvious after a whirlwind NBA Draft." The Pistons turned "three trades into four draft picks and one dramatically-altered vision for the future of this franchise" with the No. 7 overall pick of G Killian Hayes. Pistons fans have "fallen for too many head-fakes here in Detroit recently," and the results have been "exactly what you'd expect from a franchise that couldn't decide which way it was headed." But now "we've got a better idea, and maybe they've got a more sensible plan" (DETROIT NEWS, 11/19).
