2007 NBA Draft Thoughts

Last night's 2007 NBA Draft saw things happen as most thought, such as the Portland Trail Blazers selecting Greg Oden first overall, as well as some things that many didn't think would happen, such as the Boston Celtics actually pulling off a trade for a superstar that wanted (or didn't mind so much) to play in Boston... but then again, Ray Allen is coming from playing with the Seattle SuperSonics. In any case, there were many twists, turns, and finally some answers as to where NBA prospects would land. You'll see a lot of grading and/or winner/lower-type reviews, but I'll keep it more about what I liked and what surprised me and vice versa. However, if you want to see grades and winner/loser reviews, I'd suggest clicking this out. And this one. And I always like reading a Marty Burns analysis.

To see the full results of the NBA Draft, click here. Don't forget to check out what trades went down because there were quite a few! Now on to my thoughts about this year's draft happenings!

Three Things I Liked:

• The Atlanta Hawks Keeping Their Picks. Okay, they almost had Amare Stoudemire if their ownership issues didn't exist, but getting Al Horford and Acie Law is pretty darn good if you ask me. I think that Horford can defend on the NBA level right now and he comes from a Florida program full of players not afraid to work hard. That really is a special group and Horford stood out from them the most this past season. Why were people so down on Law before the draft? I didn't see him slipping at all past the eleventh pick unless the Hawks took Mike Conley, Jr. at three. Law will do well in Atlanta and while his fourth quarter heroics will probably take a backseat to Joe Johnson, Law should get a lot of assists passing off to the likes of J.J., Josh Smith, and Marvin Williams. In a "weak" Eastern Conference, the Hawks could surprise next season.
  
  
• The Celtics' Acquisition of Allen. Yes, I'm going to say it... I actually liked the deal that brought Ray Allen over to the Celtics. The duo of Allen and Paul Pierce should not only help the team as a whole, but also the young Al Jefferson down in the post. Can you say no more double-teams down there? Some people are panning this trade because of Allen's gimpy ankle, but remember that Allen averaged 26.4 ppg last season while playing (okay, fine) part of the season on said ankle. Considering they got rid of another injury problem (Wally Szczerbiak; yeah, I didn't even look up the spelling... I ROCK!) and an uproven (although really good) rookie in Jeff Green, this isn't so bad of a trade. Although giving up Delonte West could hurt, especially with an unexperienced PG in Rajon Rondo. Still, Danny Ainge needed to make a deal and I'm sure people have to be happy in Beantown.
  
  
• Agent Zero, Antawn, Caron, and... Nick. I think the Washington Wizards got a great two-guard in Nick Young. A really good one. Luckily the offensive system the Wizards employ spreads the ball around, so one ball will be enough for this high scoring group of four. Of course, there really isn't any defense, but if the Golden State Warriors can do it, why can't the Wiz? Back to Young - not only can he score, own a quick release, and has great body control, but he has a documentary about his life playing at the Los Angeles Film Festival. Please save the Sebastian Telfair jokes because Young is gonna do well in the NBA.

Three Things I Disliked:

• What Is Isiah Thomas Thinking? I live in New York. I'm a long-time New York Knicks fan. I'm talking when Bernard King was getting busy on the court and Pat Cummings was scaring everyone courtside watching the game. Yes, Steve Francis and his ridiculous contract are gone. But, now the Knicks inherit Zach Randolph's ridiculous contract. What's that you said? Yes, I know... Z-Bo is a 20/10 player. However, he will be the second "black hole" player on the Knicks along with Eddy Curry - pass the ball down into the post and the ball isn't coming back out. I just don't see these two players co-existing, especially considering their youth and off the court issues. Add the fact that Stephon Marbury is going to demand the ball as well... yeah, the locker room is going to be a fun place to be.
  
  
• Yi Jianlin Don't Like Cheese. The Milwaukee Bucks, despite being shunned from workouts and explicitly being told that Yi did not want to play for them, still drafted him. Umm, last I heard, having disgruntled employees is not a good thing. Of course, the Bucks can play hardball with Yi since they own his rights, but Yi's agents are probably going to ask for him to be traded to a city with a substantial Asian population, something they wanted from the beginning. This looks like the beginning of a rocky marriage... think Dennis Rodman and Carmen Electra.
  
  
• The Philadelphia 76ers Picking Twelfth. Thaddeus Young? In the lottery? Okay, he has a lot of potential, I'll give him that, but so does about 59 other players last night. Al Thornton would have a been a much better fit and he would have helped right away, but I guess the Sixers can wait until (best case scenario) Young has a breakout season in his third year in the league, BUT then leaves to realize his potential on another team Jermaine O'Neal style. Ugh! Luckily, they got Derrick Byars as a steal in the second round. And Jason Smith ain't so bad either. But, they could have done so much better with this lottery pick.

Three Things That Surprised Me:

• A superstar caliber player actually agreeing to play for the Celtics.
• Michael Jordan showing zero loyalty to his alma mater by trading UNC product Brandan Wright for Jason Richardson formerly of the Warriors. (For the record, I like this trade because J-Rich is a proven scorer, still young at 26, and will help the Charlotte Bobcats win sooner than later - something Jordan is keen on doing).
• The aforementioned Byars and Josh McRoberts dropping out of the first round and Aaron Brooks sneaking in.

Three Things That Didn't Surprise Me:

• Eight out of a whole 30 draft picks! Wow, my Mock Draft stunk percentage-wise, huh? However, I swear, the picks made sense at the time.
• Kevin Garnett wasn't traded.
• The fashion! Thank you, Joakim Noah... you're the best! Not at dressing, but at something!

Photo: Chris McGrath/Getty Images