Recapping the Madness

The 2007 NBA Draft was one of the most anticipated drafts in years and it did not disappoint. Neither Kobe Bryant nor Kevin Garnett was traded, but the five-hour draft was chock full of unexpected big-name trades, surprise picks, intriguing story lines, and of course, Paul Allen buying as many draft picks as possible. Here are my first impressions on what could very well end up being one of the best drafts in history:

Draft Day Headlines
Portland selects Greg Oden #1 Overall
Portland can finally rejoice. As can Oden, who will finally retire from the boring 9-5 office job that he has held down for the past 25 years.

Portland Trades Zach Randolph, Dan Dickau, and Fred Jones to New York for Steve Francis and Channing Frye.
This is another trade that I think benefits both teams. Given that Francis’ knee is healthy, which is a bit of a risk, Portland is getting a tremendous point guard to play alongside Brandon Roy. A lineup of Francis, Roy, Travis Outlaw/Martell Webster, LaMarcus Aldridge, and Greg Oden (with Jarrett Jack, Frye, and Josh McRoberts coming off the bench) will have a legitimate chance to win a title in the next five years. The Knicks pulled off the unthinkable by ridding themselves of Francis’ contract and at the same time adding a 24 and 10 player in Randolph. The only question mark for New York is that Randolph is similar to Eddy Curry in the sense that he doesn’t move very well and block shots, so adding an athletic back-up forward in the offseason should be a priority. The trade of Francis also opens up playing time for Jamal Crawford, Quentin Richardson, and Mardy Collins in a backcourt that didn’t have any chemistry when Francis was in the lineup.

Seattle selects Kevin Durant, and trades Ray Allen and the draft rights to Glen Davis to Boston for the draft rights to Jeff Green and Delonte West.
This works for both teams. Obviously, Seattle will build around Durant, but also will be getting a superb complimentary player in Green and an underrated point guard in Delonte West. Seattle still is in need of a post presence, and with Durant and Green in town, but has . As for Boston, they put themselves in good position to be very competitive in the East next year. They have a strong core of Allen, Paul Pierce, and Al Jefferson. Those three players alone will make them a threat in the East, but until Rajon Rondo becomes a reliable point guard and/or the team finds a legitimate center, the Celts will probably fall short of reaching the NBA Finals before Pierce and Allen retire.

Milwaukee selects Yi Jianlian #6 overall and releases their new slogan for the 2007-2007 season: Yi! True Hollywood Story.

After watching his interview and highlights on ESPN, Memphis insists that they picked Mike Conley Sr., and David Stern just got confused.
Stern has seen this one before. A team tries to retract their pick after seeing video of their new draftee’s 44-year old father/agent dunking from the foul line. Don’t think you’ll be able to pull that old trick, Memphis. Not on David Stern’s watch.

Big Winners

Portland
In addition to drafting Greg Oden, the Blazers acquired Steve Francis and Channing Frye, traded for two very intriguing European prospects in Rudy Fernandez and Petteri Kopponen, and arguably made the three best second round picks in Josh McRoberts, Taurean Green, and Demetris Nichols. All three of those players have the ability to start in the NBA, which is not something you can say about many second rounders. This is essentially the best draft a team can realistically have.

Seattle
The Sonics were able to pair Kevin Durant with Jeff Green and also picked up a solid guard in Delonte West. If the team plans to re-sign Rashard Lewis, as it has indicated, Seattle could be one of the best teams in the West over the next few seasons. The extent of their success will hinge on the development of at least one (or all three) of their young centers; Robert Swift, Johan Petro, Mohamed Sene.

Golden State
The Warriors came into the draft with the worst frontcourt in the NBA and left with some very promising young big men. They robbed Charlotte in trading Jason Richardson for potential All-Star Brandan Wright, and compensated for the loss of Richardson by drafting Italian sharpshooter Marco Belinelli with the 18th pick. Adding shot-blocker Stephane Lasme with the 46th pick doesn’t hurt Golden State’s cause either.

Philadelphia
The Sixers maxed out in this draft by acquiring Thaddeus Young, Jason Smith, and Derrick Byars. The Sixers have a terrific young core at the wing positions with Andre Iguodala, Rodney Carney, Young, and Byars. While Young has more potential than Byars, both should play a big role on this young 76er squad from Day 1. Smith, selected 19th overall and acquired for the rights to Daequan Cook, has a complete offensive game and will complement Sam Dalembert very well on the interior.

Atlanta
The Hawks didn’t make a lot of noise on draft day, but they took care of business. Atlanta grabbed the draft’s third best player in Al Horford and then added the most NBA-ready point guard in Acie Law. The big knock on Law is that he doesn’t pass the ball as well as Conley and Javaris Crittenton, but a lot of that stems from the fact that Law had to score in order for Texas A+M to win. Law will have much more talent around him in Atlanta than he did in A+M and will be able to showcase his playmaking skills

Didn’t Quite Have a Portland Trailblazer Draft

Detroit
The Pistons cleared up their point guard dilemma by drafting Rodney Stuckey 15th overall, who may start next season if Chauncey Billups leaves as a free agent. With several big men on the board when Detroit picked again at #27, they took hard-nosed shooting guard Arron Afflalo. Afflalo fits into the Detroit philosophy, but adding a big man such as Carl Landry or Josh McRoberts should have been the team’s priority there. Detroit ignored the frontcourt again in the second round as they took Sammy Mejia, another shooting guard. The fact that the Pistons did not even attempt to address the power forward and center positions is, as Stephen A. Smith would put it, simply inexplicable. When Antonio McDyess, Chris Webber, and Dale Davis all check into nursing homes this offseason, I’m sure Detroit will wish they drafted at least one young forward.

Los Angeles Lakers
The Lakers unexpectedly took Javaris Crittenton with the 19th pick. The 6’5’’ Georgia Tech playmaker was probably the best prospect on the board at the time, but is not ready to make a big contribution right away and won’t serve as a reason for Kobe Bryant to retract his trade demand. Furthermore, the Lakers drafted a point guard, Jordan Farmar 26th overall last season. The selection of Crittenton signals that LA may have given up on Farmar after just one season. The Lakers’ second round picks, Sun Yue and Marc Gasol, are huge projects that are likely to remain overseas. LA is drafting like a very confused team that has no intention of putting pieces around Bryant.

Draft Day Steals

LA Clippers select Al Thornton 14th overall
The Clippers’ point guard situation is still in flux, but LA got an absolute steal in Thornton. He will come in and average 12-15 points per game and give the team tenacity on the boards and on the defensive end. Thornton should help push the Clippers back into the playoffs next season.

Philadelphia selects Derrick Byars 42nd overall
Byars was considered a mid-first rounder and was slotted to Washington at #16 in many mock drafts. He unexpectedly fell all the way to #42 and despite being Philadelphia’s last pick of the draft, he may have the most impact of all the Sixer rookies. Byars is has a big, strong body, a complete offensive game, and the athleticism to be a starter in the NBA.

Orlando selects Reyshawn Terry 44th overall
Terry would have been a terrific addition to a team picking in the late first or early second round, but slipped a bit and fell into Orlando’s lap at #44. He is a four-year player with great skills and athleticism who could conceivably start as a rookie. Depending on how he performs in training camp, this pick could signal the end of Grant Hill’s run in Orlando.


Questionable Moves

Chicago selects Joakim Noah 9th overall
Noah’s mother was runner-up Miss Universe, so the true mystery of this pick is how Joakim ended up looking like that. In all seriousness, Noah doesn’t exactly fit the Bulls needs, as he, Tyrus Thomas, and Ben Wallace are all energy players on the interior that lack developed offensive skills. Spencer Hawes would have been a much better fit for the team right now. Though Noah is considered a winning player who will come in and play right away, the true impact of this pick won’t be felt for a few years. Assuming they get better offensively, Noah and Thomas will be a good combination in the next 3-4 years, but next season Chicago will face the same problem that essentially eliminated them from the playoffs last year- the lack of an inside presence.



Phoenix trades away the 24th pick for cash and selects Alando Tucker 29th overall
The Suns traded away Luol Deng, Nate Robinson, Rajon Rondo, and Sergio Rodriguez in the last three years. Phoenix continued their trend by trading away Rudy Fernandez, a player who would have been a good fit in their system, for cash. The Suns are a few players away from getting over the hump, and there were some players available at #24 that could have helped them win next season. The Suns compounded that mistake by using the 29th pick to draft Alando Tucker, a gritty, undersized small forward who doesn’t shoot particularly well from outside. Tucker does not fit into Phoenix’s system, while athletic long-range shooters like Vanderbilt’s Derrick Byars and North Carolina’s Reyshawn Terry, who would both mesh well into the Suns offense, were on the board at the time.

Charlotte trades the rights to Brandan Wright to Golden State for Jason Richardson and the draft rights to Jermareo Davidson
This was the biggest headscratcher of the entire draft. The Bobcats desperately needed some length and athleticism up front, so what do they do? Trade the longest, most athletic player in the draft for a shooting guard, a position in which they already have two reliable players in Adam Morrison and Matt Carroll. The acquisition of Richardson may mean the team plans to let free agent SF Gerald Wallace walk and rotate J-Rich, Morrison, and Carroll at the SG and SF positions. Davidson is a good athlete and can shoot, so he may pay off as a second rounder, but there is still no excuse for giving up Wright. Charlotte added to their questionable draft by selecting Jared Dudley 22nd overall. Dudley has all the makings of a great college player that


Puzzling Draft Day Occurences

Dick Vitale mentions Eva Longoria in every interview during the draft
Vitale somehow tied Longoria into conversations about Greg Oden, Mike Conley, and the Zach Randolph/Steve Francis trade. Now we officially add Longoria to the list of “Things Dick Vitale Loves,” which already includes Duke, four-year players, the entire ACC, talking about cancer, name-dropping, JJ Redick, and Mike Patrick.

New Jersey selects Sean Williams 17th overall
At #17, the Nets needed a big man and though Williams is a bit of a risk, there weren’t any post players available that can be considered a sure thing. Jason Smith was thought to be the pick if he was still on the board because of his offensive ability, but Williams may be a better fit in New Jersey’s system because of his freakish athleticism and ability to run the floor.

Chicago selects Snoop Dogg 9th overall
Wait…my bad, that was Joakim Noah.

Chris Richard is drafted before Taurean Green
Richard, who averaged 6.2 points and 3.7 rebounds per game in a reserve role for Florida last year, was taken 41st overall, 11 picks ahead of Green, the floor general who averaged 13.3 points per game for the national champion Gators.

Several Players wear braces during the draft
Joakim Noah and Brandan Wright both wore braces, a very unusual accessory for a 20-year old male to wear. Rumors were flying that both players were just trying to impress Greg Oden, who earlier in the night said he had dreamed of being a dentist when he was a child.

Giorgios Printezins was at the draft
Printezins, the 58th overall pick by San Antonio, was very lucky to have been drafted- or else it would have been a fairly awkward exit and walk back to his car.

Had it not been for the Spurs’ love for foreigners, Printezins would have been an undrafted free agent. Going undrafted isn’t such a bad thing, however, as we’ve seen some players such as Udonis Haslem, Smush Parker, Matt Carroll, and Chuck Hayes make an impact over the last few years without hearing their name called on draft night. Here are five undrafted players from last night that could end up contributing for an NBA team next season.


1. Kyle Visser 6’11’’ 250 Wake Forest
Visser was thought to be a late first to early second round pick. He is a big body with good all-around skills, a combination that NBA GM’s usually jump at. If Visser was from Lithuania, he probably would have been a first-round pick

2. Ali Traore 6’9’’ 239 France
Traore was widely projected as a second-rounder and even as a late first-rounder at one point. He’s an athletic, wide-bodied forward who should have no trouble signing on with a team soon.

3. Caleb Green 6’7’’ 230 Oral Roberts
There is always a place for energy players, and that’s exactly what Green is. He will give a team a lot of effort and versatility at both forward positions.

4. Russell Carter 6’4’’ 220 Notre Dame
Carter is a terrific three-point shooter with NFL-like strength. He is a little rough around the edges, but has enough potential to warrant a free agent contract.

5. Ron Lewis 6’4’’ 195 Ohio State
Lewis was often overlooked on Ohio State last season, but at times was the best player on the floor. He is an excellent scorer and shooter who will find a place in the NBA as instant offense off the bench.