Looking Back to the 2006 NBA Draft
Brandon Roy, Andrea Bargnani Top the Headlines
This June marks the one-year anniversary of the 2006 NBA Draft. Hindsight offers a better picture of which teams were most successful in that draft.
With only one season on their resume, the players of the 2006 NBA Draft have had little chance to show what they can do. Many consider last year's draft somewhat weak in comparison to most drafts. Yet, there's no denying the talent and upside of many of these players. No other player has shined quite like guard Brandon Roy of the Portland Trail Blazers, who won the 2007 NBA Rookie of the Year award. His versatility has helped bring hope back to Blazer fans.
The Toronto Raptors selected Italien youngster, Andrea Bargnani, with the first overall pick. The seven foot forward is often compared to Dirk Nowitzki, because of his length combined with outside shooting ability. Though still developing and trying to steal time from star Chris Bosh among others, Bargnani had a very strong rookie campaign and was at his best just before hitting heavy injury. He was able to return just before the playoffs and played well in the first round of the playoffs. He made the All-Rookie first team and averaged 11.6 points per game in 25 minutes of action per night during the season.
The Chicago Bulls selected second overall, acquiring the pick as part of the deal that sent center Eddy Curry to the New York Knicks. The Bulls swapped the pick with Portland, where they selected athletic forward Tyrus Thomas. The Blazers selected forward/center LaMarcus Aldridge. Thomas struggled in the first half of the season, but finished strong and showed that he can be a major force in this league with further development. Though he only averaged 5.2 points per game this season, he had some strong games, including a 27 point game, with 8 rebounds, 3 steals and 3 blocks against the Cleveland Cavaliers on March 31st.
LaMarcus Aldridge showed much more polish than Thomas this year. Averaging 9.0 points per game to go along with 5.0 rebounds per game in 22 minutes of work, Aldridge has also shown a lot of promise.
The Charlotte Bobcats selected high scoring and emotional forward Adam Morrison with the third overall pick of the draft. Morrison struggled to find consistency this season, scoring 11.8 points per game, but shooting an abysmal 38% from the field. Still, he is considered a dedicated worker and should only improve as time goes on.
The Atlanta Hawks surprised many experts by selecting bruiser Shelden Williams with the fifth pick of the draft. With Brandon Roy and Randy Foye still on the table, it was thought that the Hawks would fill their point guard needs with one of them. Roy isn't a true point guard, but he has shown the abililty to play extended minutes at both guard spots. However, Shelden Williams did prove to fill a need for Atlanta. Though they're loaded with forwards, they lack muscle in the post. Williams helped protect the middle this year as an underrated shot blocker and provided additional toughness down low, which they've lacked. Though he averaged just 5.5 points per game and 5.4 rebounds per game in 18 minutes a night, Williams finished very strong as the Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month for April, averaging 11.6 points per game and 10.6 rebounds per game in his last nine games.
The Portland Trail Blazers got a steal in Brandon Roy with the sixth pick. The pick was originally held by the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Wolves sent the pick to the Portland Trail Blazers, the Blazers sent point guard Sebastian Telfair to the Boston Celtics, and the Celtics sent the seventh pick to Minnesota, who ultimately used it to select point guard Randy Foye. The Celtics got the raw end of the deal on this one, though it didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out they were making a huge mistake passing on Roy for Telfair. What's worse is that Telfair finished the season as the team's third string point guard and has recently gotten into trouble with the law, which has really hurt his trade value.
Conversely, Brandon Roy was sensational this season, showcasing the versatility and leadership that most thought he was capable of. Though he played in just 57 games due to injuries, Roy averaged 16.8 points per game, 4.4 rebounds per game and 4.0 assists per game and was one of the Blazers leaders on the court.
Randy Foye had an up and down season with Minnesota, but still has fans giddy about his upside. He fared better toward the end of the season and finished with a stat line of 10.2 points per game in 23 minutes a night.
The Houston Rockets held the eigth pick of the draft and made a bold move by trading the pick along with recently acquired forward Stromile Swift to the Memphis Grizzlies for Shane Battier. Houston felt that Battier was a significant piece of their puzzle to contend for a title and were willing to sacrifice a potential future star in Rudy Gay to get him. As it turned out, Memphis selected Gay with the pick and have enjoyed his inconsistent learning curve. That being said, his upside has a high ceiling and he made major strides in becoming a top flight player this season. He averaged 10.9 points per game and 4.5 rebounds per game in 27 minutes a night.
Other significant picks:
21. Rajon Rondo - Boston Celtics
22. Marcus Williams - New Jersey Nets
47. Paul Millsap - Utah Jazz
Also check out:
"Looking Back to the 2005 NBA Draft"
"Looking Back to the 2004 NBA Draft"
"Looking Back to the 2003 NBA Draft"
"Looking Back to the 2002 NBA Draft"
"Looking Back to the 2001 NBA Draft"
"Looking Back to the 2000 NBA Draft"
"Looking Back to the 1999 NBA Draft"
"Looking Back to the 1998 NBA Draft"
"Looking Back to the 1997 NBA Draft"
