2007 NBA Draft Day Notes
Oden to be No. 1 Pick; Garnett Staying in Minnesota
The 2007 NBA Draft promises to be exciting, fast-paced with lots of transactions and full of surprises.
The countdown to the 2007 NBA Draft has finally reached its final ticks and the rumor mill is spinning like an eratic tornado. There are so many scenerios that could happen, which may cause most fans and experts to discard their NBA mock drafts before reaching the fourth pick.
It was reported yesterday that NBA star Kevin Garnett was close to being traded to the Phoenix Suns, while Amare Stoudemire would head to the Atlanta Hawks and the Hawks' 3rd and 11th picks in todays draft, as well as center ZaZa Pachulia and guard Anthony Johnson would head to Minnesota. Today, insiders dispelled that rumor. That's about how quickly things can change around draft day.
The most recent rumor includes the Seattle Supersonics trading point guard Luke Ridnour to the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for its 11th overall pick. With that pick, the Sonics are thought to be interested in Eastern Washington University's Rodney Stuckey, whose draft stock has seen a steady rise in the recent weeks. The Sonics also may be shopping the services of star guard Ray Allen. One rumor has him heading to the Boston Celtics for the fifth overall pick and Theo Ratliff (whose $11 million contract expires after next season).
Other rumors include the New Jersey Nets sending Richard Jefferson, Nenad Krstic and Jason Collins to the Indiana Pacers for Jermaine O'Neal; the New York Knicks sending Steve Francis and Channing Frye to the Portland Trail Blazers for Zach Randolph and Martell Webster; and the Philadelphia 76ers sending picks 12 and 21 to the Milwaukee Bucks for the sixth overall pick.
Whatever ends up happening today during the Draft, there is certain to be some noise made by several teams. The first two picks are pretty much set in stone, as the Portland Trail Blazers have all but confirmed that they plan to use the first pick on center Greg Oden.
Here's a modest prediction of how the picks might go:
- Portland Trail Blazers - Greg Oden C
- Seattle Supersonics - Kevin Durant F (easy guessing so far)
- Atlanta Hawks - Al Horford F
- Memphis Grizzlies - Mike Conley PG (they're interested in five players)
- Boston Celtics - Yi (pronounced "E") Jianlian (apparently it is untrue that Paul Pierce is demanding a trade)
- Milwaukee Bucks - Brandan Wright F (some think he's the third best player in the draft, but he could slide past here)
- Minnesota Timberwolves - Corey Brewer GF (could go higher; should produce right away)
- Charlotte Bobcats - Joakim Noah F (he's all over the board depending on which mock draft you look at)
- Chicago Bulls - Spencer Hawes CF (a good fit in Chicago)
- Sacramento Kings - Jeff Green F (could go as high as 5, but may slip due to his limited ceiling)
- Atlanta Hawks - Rodney Stuckey G (his stock is climbing fast; he could be traded to Seattle)
- Philadephia 76ers - Al Thornton F (freakish athlete)
- New Orleans Hornets - Thaddeus Young F (they also like Nick Young)
- LA Clippers - Javaris Crittenton PG (they seem set on this 6-5 point guard)
- Detroit Pistons - Nick Young G (a good fit in Detroit)
- Washington Wizards - Julian Wright F (someone's got to slip in this draft and Wright's overrated)
- New Jersey Nets - Jason Smith F (great upside as a seven-footer)
- Golden State Warriors - Tiago Splitter F (may not be able to come to the NBA for another year)
- LA Lakers - Acie Law PG (could slip to 20)
- Miami Heat - Derrick Byars F (NBA-ready and tough-nosed)
- Philadelphia 76ers - Rudy Fernandez G (reminds some of Manu Ginobili)
- Charlotte Bobcats - Daequan Cook G (great upside)
- New York Knicks - Wilson Chandler F (another player Isiah Thomas likes; could also go with Taurean Green)
- Phoenix Suns - Marco Belinelli G (could be the best shooter in the draft)
- Utah Jazz - Arron Afflalo G (a good fit for Utah)
- Houston Rockets - Josh McRoberts F (good size, skill; somewhat soft)
- Detroit Pistons - Jared Buckley F (a hard worker with good talent)
- San Antonio Spurs - Alando Tucker F (high basketball IQ and very coachable)
- Phoenix Suns - Petteri Koponen PG (making his way onto many scouts' radars of late)
- Philadelphia 76ers - Sean Williams F (talent-wise, he's a lottery pick, but teams are concerned with his many off-court problems)
