A No. 48 Overall Draft Pick? Not To Worry, There’s Hope For The Hawks

The NBA Draft is 22 days away. While it was fun for a little while to entertain the possibility that the Hawks would trade for a first round pick, it’s time to come back down to reality. Atlanta traded away its first round pick along with Jordan Crawford in exchange for Kirk Hinrich in February. The deal leaves the Hawks with the No. 48 overall pick in the second round as its highest selection.

Now, all is not lost. I took a look at a few of the top No. 48 draft picks over history. And among the crowd, you’ve got a rap star, the record-holder for consecutive free throws and a political protester:

  • Craig Ehlo: Nickname: “Mr. Everything.” Most active with: The Cavs. Points-per-game: 8.6. Fun fact: Ehlo also played for the Hawks from 1993-1996 as Steve Smith’s backup. Might keep this one off the resume: Ehlo was the one defending Michael Jordan when he made “The Shot” at the buzzer to win the final game of a 1989 playoff series against Cleveland.
  • Cedric Ceballos: Nickname: “Ice.” Most active with: The Suns. Points-per-game: 14.3. Fun Fact: Ceballo won the Slam Dunk Contest with a blindfolded dunk in 1992. Might keep this one off the resume: “Ice” was featured on Warren G’s hip-hop song, Flow On in 1994.
  • Micheal Williams: Most active with: The Timberwolves. Points-per-game: 11. Fun fact: Williams holds the NBA record for consecutive free throws at 97. Might keep this one off the resume: Williams played in only 35 games over his last four years, including only two in his final year.
  • Craig Hodges: Most active with: The Bulls and Bucks. Points-per-game: 8.5. Fun fact: Hodges led the league in 3-point shooting percentage three times and won three consecutive Three Point Contests in the All-Star Game. Might keep this one off the resume: On a trip to the White House after winning the 1992 NBA Championship, Hodges dressed in a dashiki and delivered a hand-written letter to George H. W. Bush expressing his discontent with the administration’s treatment of the poor and minorities.
  • Marc Gasol: Most active with: The Grizzlies. Points-per-game: 12.6. Fun fact: In high school, Gasol was named the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association’s “Mr. Basketball” in 2003.  Might keep this one off the resume: Gasol has a personal blog where he discusses topics like what he misses from home, trash-talking in the NBA, how he met Shaq and Christmas dinner in Memphis.

So maybe we won’t get Kemba Walker, Kyrie Irving or Derrick Williams. But those guys are overrated anyways.