You've already seen our take on the big news for the Knicks from last night but figured we should cover Wilson Chandler of DePaul and Demetris Nichols of Syracuse as well. Chandler was the worst kept secret in the draft since it was rumored far and wide that Isiah had locked in on the long, athletic forward who didn't set the world on fire during his two years in Chicago. He seems to duplicate a lot of what they get from David Lee and Renaldo Balkman which could come in handy if there are more trades in the team's future. A lot of people say that Chandler will be a better pro player than a college one, which sounds like a nice way of saying he didn't try all that hard. He's young, though, has a good body and Thomas's problem has never been finding decent players in the draft. Nichols is another forward but is known for his strong shooting skills which could win him a place in the rotation. All in all it was a good night for the Knicks who dropped two of their worst players and brought in an All-Star forward and two good prospects.
We'll cover the rest of the draft in drips and drabs in relatively chronological order:
Greg Oden seems too nice. He's talented, strong, great defensively and everything else but he seems a little cuddly for a dominant center. In the Times, Selena Roberts compares Oden to Tim Duncan. She isn't the first to draw that comparison but it strikes us as being a bit off. Duncan isn't a surly, bad guy but he does come off as a standoffish prick who only opens his mouth to whine at referees when a call goes against him. What he definitely doesn't give off is the vibe of Mr. Nice Guy the way that Oden does. You wouldn't be friends with Duncan, you might respect him and his ability but you wouldn't go out to dinner with him. Oden is more affable, dresses like a middle-aged banker and wanted to be a dentist. Basically he's like someone you'd actually know, except for being seven feet tall. Does this matter?
Get ready for a schizophrenic take on the deal that the Celtics made last night. On the one hand, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce together seems like a terrible fit because they overlap in terms of age, game and mindset. If Danny Ainge was going to deal the fifth pick after denying he was to anyone and everyone the hope would be that he'd bring in someone who would complement Pierce rather than duplicate him. On the other hand, though, Al Jefferson's a beast in the post who will draw doubles and give those two shooters plenty of good looks. Rajon Rondo showed enough potential at the point to keep the ball moving to the right people at the right time and nabbing Big Baby Davis only makes the Celts more formidable down low. We'll see how it all works out but it looks like the Celtics got better last night.
The trade for Seattle was a sure winner. Kevin Durant and Jeff Green will look good wherever the Sonics end up playing. Green lucks out by going to a team that won't need him to do a ton of scoring but will look to him to do everything else which is undoubtedly his strong suit. Durant benefits because he can concentrate on filling it up while the Sonics have Wally Szczerbiak to carry some of the scoring load while the rookies settle into the Association. A big step in the right direction for the Sonics last night.
We've talked about the Knicks but the trade looks bad for Portland. Francis isn't much as a player anymore and is a dreadful human being while Channing Frye adds nothing that they didn't already have. LaMarcus Aldridge fills their need for a long, thin black duke, Martell Webster and Travis Outlaw need minutes and then they went and got Josh McRoberts, a white version of Frye, in the second round. While getting Randolph's salary off the books was probably their overwhelming desire all along it's hard to think that they couldn't have found a way to get more in return for such a talented player.
What's Milwaukee thinking by taking a guy who doesn't want to play there, refused to work out and lied about his age so he could dominate younger kids? At first we thought they could be working on a deal with the Warriors who were said to covet Yi but Golden State made a trade with Charlotte instead. They got their young forward in Brandan Wright and probably won't trade Monta Ellis, who would have made Milwaukee dangerous. The Bobcats did well in that deal. Jason Richardson fills their need for an experienced scorer while Wright will take some time to develop.
Minnesota took the right guy in Corey Brewer but they still need to pull the trigger on a Garnett deal.
Chicago also took the right guy in Joakim Noah. For their roster anyway and if they ever needed the strangest looking Southern lawyer that you've ever seen. He looks like a cross between Sideshow Bob, Atticus Finch and a mop.
Spencer Hawes to Sacramento at number 10 is a laugh. Non-athletic white guys tend to develop pretty well, just ask Jay Bilas. Hawes in his interview with Stu Scott said that he hoped to gain more athleticism down the road but that's not the way it works. Not a good way to start the Reggie Theus era.
Atlanta made the chalk picks for a change and Al Horford and Acie Law both look like players. Like Minnesota, though, they need to make some trades to bring better balance to their roster. Horford takes care of a lot of their needs in the low post offensively so they need to look into trading Josh Childress, Josh Smith or one of the Williamses for interior defense and/or a vet point guard to team with Law.
It's hard to sit and listen to everyone go on and on about how Al Thornton is a mature, older player who is ready to contribute right now when he's got the braces of a seventh-grader shining in brilliant high definition. At 24 he should be ready to help the Clippers right now but it is a wonder why a player who was old for his level and didn't dominate is so well liked. What kind of numbers would Ellis, two years younger than Thornton, put up in the ACC?
Nick Young to the Wizards was a bit of a surprise with Sean Williams still on the board. The Wiz play dreadful defense on the interior and Williams is a shot-blocking machine who can rebound and dominate in the paint. He should be a great fit in New Jersey which also desperately needed such a player. Just like they did with Marcus Williams a year ago, the Nets have benefitted by taking a player with some off-court issues and trusting their organization can keep him in line.
(AP Photo/Jason DeCrow)
Hawes will be fine. Andrew Bogut is white and not that athletic and he still got selected #1 overall. Hawes may not be able to rebound well but he can sure play in the post
Posted by: Del | June 29, 2007 at 11:25 AM
Del - Fair point about Bogut and must admit to not having seen Hawes play a ton. It seems like he'd have been a better fit on Chicago, perhaps, where he could flash his skills with some cover for his rebounding and athletic shortcomings. What do you think?
Posted by: The Feed | June 29, 2007 at 11:27 AM