Way back when: Doc lobbied against drafting Gerald Green

Anybody else of the opinion that this is an odd picture?
As Zach Lowe pointed out in his Saturday Notebook, Doc Rivers was quoted in a story about David Lee to have lobbied for drafting Lee rather than Gerald Green. (Sports Illustrated)
Rivers was a fan of Lee’s and begged the Celtics to acquire him in the 2005 draft. “It’s the one I stuck my chest out about because I was in the minority in the draft room that night,” said Rivers. “But I had the advantage of being in Florida and I’d seen him, and my oldest son had played in a ton of pickup games with him and he said, ‘All I know about David Lee is every time I play a pickup game, his team wins.’
“But he’s even better than I thought he could be because he has a high basketball IQ, and his quickness is so much better than you thought it could be.”
For those of you who don’t remember, the Celtics drafted Green with the 18th pick that year, and the Knicks scooped Lee with the 30th pick.
Lee is a nice player. He rebounds like an animal, works hard at all times, and is relentless around the rim. He’s also added a midrange game that’s made him — along with his work around the hoop — very tough to defend. To be honest, he’s a lot, lot, lot, lot better than Gerald Green.
But I wonder if Doc’s son now says, “All I know about David Lee is every time I see him play an NBA game, his team loses.”
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