1. Los Angeles Clippers: Blake Griffin- No surprise here, even the Clippers weren't dumb enough to pass on him.
2. Memphis Grizzlies: Hasheem Thabeet- He may not be the best offensive player, but Thabeet is a monster on defense and will immediately help a Grizzlies team that was in need of a dominant big man.
3. Oklahoma City Thunder: James Harden- I was surprised Harden went this high, but I'm very happy for him. He's a great player with a great IQ for the game. The Thunder now have a great shooting guard to complement Russell Westbrook.
4. Sacramento Kings: Tyreke Evans- Evans is a very physical player. I'm surprised the Kings didn't pick Ricky Rubio, but nonetheless Evans will have a positive impact for Sac town.
5. Minnesota Timberwolves: Ricky Rubio- Fantastic pick for Minnesota, and quite the steal at #5. They are a rebuilding team, and now they have a great young point guard. It will take some time for Rubio to develop, but in four or five years he could be one of the best point guards in the game.
6. Minnesota Timberwolves: Johnny Flynn- I was surprised that Minnesota took two point guards back-to-back, but nonetheless Flynn is a great player with great defensive skills and great leadership skills.
7. Golden State Warriors: Stephen Curry- Great pick for Golden State, even though they already have Monta Ellis as a point guard. Curry is a small guy, but he's a great scorer and should fit in well with Don Nelson's up-tempo style of play.
8. New York Knicks: Jordan Hill- Solid pick for the Knicks. All the fans at Madison Square Garden were booing because they wanted Stephen Curry, but Hill is a great big man that could thrive in Mike D'Antoni's offensive game.
9. Toronto Raptors: DeMar DeRozan- He could be the most athletic player that was taken. DeRozan has a ton of upside and could be a great scorer. Look for the Raptors to build around him since Chris Bosh will probably leave the team next summer.
10. Milwaukee Bucks: Brandon Jennings- Interesting pick since I thought the Bucks were going to take Jrue Holiday. Jennings is somewhat of a risk since he didn't play in college and went to Europe instead. He needs to work on his jump shot, but this could be a great pick for Milwaukee down the line.
Former Arizona State Sun Devil Jeff Pendergraph was taken with the first pick in the second round by the Sacramento Kings. I'm very happy for both Harden and Pendergraph. They represented ASU Basketball very well, and hopefully they will do great things in the NBA. I hope Coach Herb Sendek can use Harden and Pendergraph as examples that players who come to ASU can be just as successful in getting drafted as players that go to powerhouses like North Carolina, Duke, and UCLA.
I said in my previous post that the NBA world had been changed with the Shaquille O'Neal trade, but that was only the beginning. The Orlando Magic traded Rafer Alston, Tony Battie, and Courtney Lee to the New Jersey Nets for eight-time NBA All-Star Vince Carter and former California Golden Bear Ryan Anderson. All I have to say is WOW. What a great move for the Magic. In my opinion this trade makes Orlando the clear cut favorites to win the Eastern Conference and get back to the NBA Finals next year. If they can re-sign Hedo Turkoglu, then the Magic's starting lineup will be as follows: Jameer Nelson, Vince Carter, Hedo Turkoglu, Rashard Lewis, and Dwight Howard. That would by far be the best starting five in the NBA. Carter averaged 20.8 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists in 80 games with New Jersey last season. I sure hope the Lakers re-sign Trevor Ariza and Lamar Odom, because the biggest competitors in the NBA are only getting better.
There are still plenty of NBA Trade rumors that are surfacing, but my oh my what an incredible 24 hours it has been for the NBA. Only four more months until the beginning of the regular season!
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