Charlie Villanueva, Chris Paul and other recent draftees recall their Draft day memories in the 
Picking first, the Toronto Raptors went with Italy’s Andrea Bargnani, who plays for Benetton Treviso. There was a lot of conjecture that perhaps the Raptors would want to trade down and take him later, but he’s a seven-footer with outstanding shooting skills. It’s an outstanding pick for the franchise. In the second round, the Raptors added P.J. Tucker, who I think can play some two-guard in the NBA. He’s a tough kid who’s a great rebounder for his size and finds ways to score.
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Bargnani kicked off the 2006 Draft
Jennifer Pottheiser/NBAE/Getty Images |
Michael Jordan came back to the NBA with a very solid pick in small forward Adam Morrison, who should be able to step in and play right away and give the Bobcats some much-needed scoring punch.
The Atlanta Hawks surprised some people, taking Shelden Williams to give them some rebounding strength. They also added Solomon Jones in the second round, a lengthy center prospect out of South Florida. He was very impressive in both the Portsmouth and Orlando Pre-Draft Camps.
Minnesota took Brandon Roy at six, probably the most complete player in the draft. They traded him to Portland for the No. 7 pick, Randy Foye, who the Celtics took for the Blazers at seven. So, Minnesota winds up with Foye. Portland gets Aldridge and Roy. I know it will be hard for you readers to follow all of this, but there were so many trades, and it needs to all sink in for everyone.
With the eighth pick, the Rockets selected Rudy Gay, a fluid athlete who played for Jim Calhoun at Connecticut. He was the first of five UConn players to be drafted tonight. There was speculation that Gay could be headed to Memphis for Shane Battier.
At nine, the Golden State Warriors took Bradley’s Patrick O’Bryant, a legit center prospect who they feel will develop.
Seattle surprised everybody by taking one of the real sleepers in Saer Sene. He’s a 6-11 center prospect, a great shotblocker, a very young player. He’s from Senegal.
The Orlando Magic then took J.J. Redick. Everyone knows the resume there. He can really shoot the basketball.
The Hornets were able to add size with Hilton Armstrong, then a few picks later, added Cedric Simmons. They should help solidify the team’s frontcourt alignment in the future.
At 13, Philadelphia took Thabo Sefolosha and wound up trading him to Chicago for Rodney Carney, a second rounder and some cash. Chicago gets a big guard, who’s very good on defense. Philadelphia gets one of the best athletes in the draft in Carney.
In between, Utah gets Ronnie Brewer, who can play a few positions and is one of the better defenders in this draft.
Indiana was looking to get younger and took Shawne Williams of Memphis. Later, they added James White of Cincinnati in a trade.
Washington took Oleksiy Pecherov, who they hope will develop and be able to come over to play in the near future.
Sacramento grabbed Quincy Douby, next to Redick, one of the best shooters available in the draft.
That brought us to the Knicks, who gave us the biggest surprise of the drafting, taking the MVP of the NIT, Renaldo Balkman, a 6-6, 207-pound jumping jack from the University of South Carolina. I like Balkman. He gives you 110 percent. He’s a climber. He runs the court. He’ll get you easy baskets. Everyone was saying he went too early. I’ve always had a theory in my 52 years. If you like a guy, take him, no matter when he’s available. A few picks later at 29, they took Mardy Collins, a guy who can play the one or two, and also defend the three position. A very versatile player who was well-coached at Temple by John Chaney.
At 21, Phoenix took Rajon Rondo and traded him to Portland. He’s an athletic, on the ball defender, who needs to improve his outside shooting.
New Jersey was shocked to see Marcus Williams , the best point guard, probably the only true point guard in the draft. One pick later, they took his teammate Josh Boone, a 6-10 power forward who should give them some depth in the frontcourt.
Memphis, who supposedly has a deal in place for Rudy Gay, took Villanova’s Kyle Lowry, a scrappy point guard who plays with great energy.
Cleveland took Shannon Brown, a big two-guard from Michigan State.
The Lakers took Jordan Farmar, who played well in Orlando and has a bright future in the league.
At 27, Phoenix took Sergio Rodriguez, then traded him to Portland. He’s a flashy point guard, with good ball-handling and passing skills. A few picks later, Portland took England’s Joel Freeland, a young player who’s playing in Spain.
Dallas took Maurice Ager, who we really liked and were surprised he was still available.
There were many interesting picks in the second round, a bevy of trades and a large number of international players coming off the board. We’ll touch on a few things that stood out.
Houston took Steve Novak, a great outside shooter, one of the best shooters in the draft.
The Clippers grabbed Paul Davis. Some felt he could go in the first round.
Minnesota grabbed Craig Smith, who was hurt and couldn’t play in Orlando, but has an impressive body of work. He’s a tough kid who’ll bang. The Wolves also took Bobby Jones and traded him to Philadelphia. Jones was very solid in Portsmouth and Orlando. He’s a terrific defender.
Milwaukee took David Noel, who tested as the best athlete in the draft. Understands how to play the game and should develop.
Seattle gets Denham Brown, a native of Canada. He’ll be able to help them at all the perimeter spots. He was the fifth player from UConn drafted.
Orlando went big in round two, getting James Augustine, who runs like a small forward. He had some first-round buzz.
Cleveland took Daniel Gibson in the second round, the third player from Texas. He’s a shooting point with a good upside.
Dee Brown went to Utah. He was rated a bit higher last year, before withdrawing. The Jazz also added Paul Millsap, the nation’s leading rebounder, a blue-collar guy.
Leon Powe went to Denver at 49. The Nuggets then traded him to Boston.
Charlotte gets another big man in Ryan Hollins, who some felt could go in the late first round. He improved dramatically over the second half of his senior season.
Guillermo Diaz went to the Clippers. He’s a scorer, who could give them some punch off the bench.
New Jersey got another solid player late in Hassan Adams, who some felt could sneak into the first round. He doesn’t have a definitive, but if New Jersey is going to run, he fits in with that scheme.
Detroit finished the draft by taking Will Blalock, a point guard, a real hustler, who was very impressive in Orlando. I think he can be a backup.
I thought it was a great draft. It was exciting. I think there a lot of players from this draft that will have outstanding careers in the NBA. If some people question some of the picks, just remember Josh Howard went 29th a few years back. There are a lot of good college basketball players, good international players.
There are probably 20-25 players who didn’t get picked tonight who will have a real chance to play in the NBA, Oklahoma’s Taj Gray, West Virginia’s Mike Gansey and Kevin Pittsnogle, Steven Smith of La Salle, Villanova’s Allan Ray. Just a lot of really good college basketball players who will consider playing overseas, or perhaps in the NBA Development League, where they’re a phone call away.
Let’s see what happens over the summer, and I look forward to my 55th draft next year.
