The Daily OrangeFormer SU point guard Flynn selected No. 6 in NBA draft
By Jared Diamond
Posted: 8/26/09, 11:49 PM EST Section: Sports
NEW YORK - When Jonny Flynn announced he was leaving Syracuse and declaring for the NBA Draft, it didn't take long for the criticism to begin. Suddenly, everybody he knew doubled as his agent. Everyone had an opinion.
The Orange was coming off a trip to the Sweet Sixteen and seemed poised to make a run at the national championship next season with Flynn remaining in the backcourt. That was in March, when Flynn wasn't even considered an NBA lottery pick. At the time, it seemed like he could benefit from another year of seasoning.
But Flynn didn't care. He never stopped believing his stock would rise, that he was ready to make the jump to the pro game. On Thursday night, he was proven right.
Flynn was selected with the No. 6 overall pick by the Minnesota Timberwolves at Madison Square Garden on June 25, officially closing the door on his two-year career at Syracuse. After workouts and interviews for nine NBA teams during the summer, Flynn propelled up the draft board and quickly became one of the most coveted players in a class laden with talented point guards.
He became the first Orange player to be picked in the top 10 since Carmelo Anthony, who went No. 3 overall in 2003 to the Denver Nuggets months after leading SU to its only national championship.
Paul Harris and Eric Devendorf, teammates of Flynn at Syracuse, were also eligible but both went undrafted.
"It's been a crazy ride over the past two months," Flynn said. "...It was definitely a roller coaster ride from then - from people telling you that you should stay in school, and them telling you you're making the wrong decision until now."
Though it seemed all but certain Flynn was going to be selected somewhere in the top 10, Minnesota was perhaps the most unlikely suitor. The Timberwolves took point guard Ricky Rubio with the No. 5 pick immediately before choosing Flynn, and it didn't seem possible they would choose two point guards back-to-back.
Rubio, who starred in the 2008 Olympics for Spain, has been likened to all-time greats such as Pete Maravich and was expected to be selected in the top three. Instead, he fell to Minnesota when the Los Angeles Clippers, Memphis Grizzlies, Oklahoma City Thunder and Sacramento Kings all passed on the 18-year-old phenom.
The Orange was coming off a trip to the Sweet Sixteen and seemed poised to make a run at the national championship next season with Flynn remaining in the backcourt. That was in March, when Flynn wasn't even considered an NBA lottery pick. At the time, it seemed like he could benefit from another year of seasoning.
But Flynn didn't care. He never stopped believing his stock would rise, that he was ready to make the jump to the pro game. On Thursday night, he was proven right.
Flynn was selected with the No. 6 overall pick by the Minnesota Timberwolves at Madison Square Garden on June 25, officially closing the door on his two-year career at Syracuse. After workouts and interviews for nine NBA teams during the summer, Flynn propelled up the draft board and quickly became one of the most coveted players in a class laden with talented point guards.
He became the first Orange player to be picked in the top 10 since Carmelo Anthony, who went No. 3 overall in 2003 to the Denver Nuggets months after leading SU to its only national championship.
Paul Harris and Eric Devendorf, teammates of Flynn at Syracuse, were also eligible but both went undrafted.
"It's been a crazy ride over the past two months," Flynn said. "...It was definitely a roller coaster ride from then - from people telling you that you should stay in school, and them telling you you're making the wrong decision until now."
Though it seemed all but certain Flynn was going to be selected somewhere in the top 10, Minnesota was perhaps the most unlikely suitor. The Timberwolves took point guard Ricky Rubio with the No. 5 pick immediately before choosing Flynn, and it didn't seem possible they would choose two point guards back-to-back.
Rubio, who starred in the 2008 Olympics for Spain, has been likened to all-time greats such as Pete Maravich and was expected to be selected in the top three. Instead, he fell to Minnesota when the Los Angeles Clippers, Memphis Grizzlies, Oklahoma City Thunder and Sacramento Kings all passed on the 18-year-old phenom.
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