2007 NBA Draft Round 1 Recap

The NBA Draft's first round eased to a close as Finnish nobody Petteri Koponen pulled his six-foot-four-inch frame towards the podium at Madison Square Garden and accepted the hat of a team he'd never play for. That's how the whole evening went, with a whopping nine trades happening during the draft and several more afterwards.

Teams in the Pacific Northwest probably felt as if they would never get over that hump of being near or at the bottom of the standings last year. Well, that may soon change thanks to some quick thinking and wheeling and dealing. Portland felt like they just stole the entire draft, while Seattle just came in and got the No. 2 and No. 5 picks of the night. So like last year Portland whored itself (in a good way) to get better. Seattle just got rid of Ray Allen and in return got the No. 5 pick along with Wally Scszerbiak. Even New York got in the act, and with Portland's steady but silky smooth gloved hand helped themselves to forward Zach Randolph. Portland, as usual, helped themselves to draft picks--lots of them. As far as I can see, Portland is building a tradition on draft night. Let's hope that someday translates to wins, for Kevin Pritchard's sake. There is only so much money that Blazers owner Paul Allen can spend--or is there more where this came from?

As for the teams in the East, Boston got bitch slapped by Seattle in that Ray Allen trade, which actually surprised me. I did not see the Sonics trading Allen until July 1. Philadelphia may have set a record for drafting big men, which (surprise!) is what I predicted. They may have picked up every third big man in this year's draft. Atlanta didn't swing any deals thus far, but they still may before the trade deadline on July 1. As I predicted, the Hawks would pass up another point guard, even though their floor generals are about as effective as Custer at Little Big Horn. But then they surprised me at No.11, choosing to keep the pick (for now, anyhow) and select Acie Law, the second-best point guard available. So they did okay, after all. And finally we come to the Charlotte Bobcats who not only crapped on themselves but wallowed in it, choosing to take on Jason Richardson's millions (and attitude) instead of building their team around another Carolina Tarheel in Brandan Wright. Then they went out and got Jared Dudley, a real dud compared to Glen "Big Baby" Davis or countless other big men who were still available. And the New Jersey Nets went down the path they've always taken in selecting another potential person you may see on the nine o'clock news for reasons other than basketball. Not to say that Sean Williams will end up that way, but you'll know in a few years if the Nets were idiots in picking him.

THE WINNERS

1. Portland Trail Blazers

1. Greg Oden, C, Ohio State/24. Rudy Fernandez, G, Spain (from Phoenix via trade)/30. Petteri Koponen, G, Finland (from Philadelphia via trade)

As expected, Portland took Oden as their No. 1 pick, choosing to build their team from the ground up (more on that in a minute) as opposed to taking the one guy who could potentially light up the scoreboard in Kevin Durant. But if you thought their first round pick was great, just take a look at the players that slipped to them in the second: Josh McRoberts of Duke, ranked lots higher than where he was picked; Derrick Byars of Vanderbilt (via trade); Taurean Green of Florida (via trade) and Demetris Nichols of Syracuse, also through the trade route. In all the Blazers unloaded gobs of cap room by trading Zach Randolph and Dan Dickau and got Channing Frye and Steve Francis. But it wasn't over there. By the time the draft was complete Byars would be in Philadelphia, the other place where draftees ended up by the ton. And Portland had Fernandez and Koponen, two players who are based in Europe and who won't be in the Pac NW anytime soon. Good news all around.

2. Philadelphia 76ers

12. Thaddeus Young, F, Georgia Tech/ 20. Jason Smith, C, Colorado State (from Miami)

The Sixers, under pressure from upper management, knew something had to be done--and the dealing isn't over by any stretch of the imagination. But picking up Smith and Young is a good start. Then in the second round they were able to get Vanderbilt's Derrick Byars through trade, but the selection of Young raised a few eyebrows, particularly in New York where the draft was held. Overall, though, the Sixers addressed their needs for big men and took a good step towards rebuilding their team.

3. Seattle SuperSonics

2. Kevin Durant, F, Texas/ 5. Jeff Green, F, Georgetown (from Boston)

Though the Sonics are more than likely headed out of Seattle after the upcoming NBA season they have left nothing to the imagination by dealing Ray Allen, franchise player, to Boston and making Rashard Lewis, the new franchise player feel more at home with their selections on draft night. Though Seattle only picked two players in all after dealing their other second-rounder, Carl Landry, to Houston late in the proceedings, the Sonics were able to nab Wally Scszerbiak and Delonte West in the Boston deal. Another winner.

THE TWEENERS

1. Detroit Pistons

15. Rodney Stuckey, G, Eastern Washington/ 27. Arron Afflalo, G, UCLA

Picking up Stuckey wasn't the most macho move for Detroit, but it will likely pay off in the near future. And Afflalo is a wise choice, considering Chauncey Billups is talking about not returning to the Motor City. The Pistons didn't do anything to set the world ablaze, but they didn't hurt themselves either.

2. Atlanta Hawks

3. Al Horford, F, Florida / 11. Acie Law IV, G, Texas A&M

I can't believe I'm saying this, but the Hawks actually had a pretty good draft. They weren't world-beaters by any stretch, but they didn't stink up the joint. Horford can come in and contribute right away and Law may win the point guard job by default.

3. New York Knicks
23. Wilson Chandler, F, DePaul

The Knicks made the list for no other reason than they were able to clear out some cap room in a trade on draft night and get Zach Randolph, an up-and-coming superstar in the league, while getting rid of Channing Frye and Steve Francis. Their draft pick, Chandler, was probably picked a bit early, but New York had a better draft than most expected.

THE WEINERS

1. Charlotte Bobcats

8. Brandan Wright, F, North Carolina (traded to Golden State) / 22. Jeff Dudley, F, Boston College

Perhaps the best way to sum up Charlotte's night would be through the shiny braces of Brandan Wright, who when asked by ESPN if he could take Michael Jordan, his boss, 1-on-1 in a pickup game, replied, "He don't want none of this." Apparently Jordan didn't, because before the night was through Wright was in a Warriors uniform. Then the 'Cats outdid themselves by drafting Jeff Dudley, a projected second-rounder. Far and away the biggest weiner of the night.

2. Milwaukee Bucks

6. Yi Jianlian, F, China

The oinly reason Milwaukee wasn't the biggest wiener is the bonehead move Michael Jordan made to move Brandan Wright out of Charlotte. To draft a guy you haven't even watched in Yi and to draft someone who doesn't want to play on your team is stupid. The Bucks were stupid, and to back it up, they went out and got Ramon Sessions of Nevada in the second round, though Sessions was warned to stay in school another year. So two really dumb moves equals sheer stupidity on the part of the Milwaukee Bucks.

3. Los Angeles Lakers

19. Javaris Crittenton, G, Georgia Tech

When your franchise player says bring in Kevin Garnett or else, and the guy's name is Kobe Bryant, the best player in the universe, you had probably better listen. Else you end up not enjoying the services of a guy who can, on any given night, score 50 points. Then the Lakers did what is fashionable; they drafted another Chinese forward in the second round that nobody had ever heard of and Pau Gasol's little brother.

Honorable mention: Utah Jazz (Zzz...); San Antonio Spurs for drafting Tiago Splitter, a Brazilian known to split from more drafts than anyone on Earth; and the Sacramento Kings for drafting Spencer Hawes, a tall but deceptively quick big guy out of Washington (Chris Dudley?).