Day: June 28, 2006 (Page 1 of 3)

Well, this puts a wrap on the 2006 NBA Draft. This was hailed as one of the most unpredictable and weird drafts to date and I really don’t think it disappointed.

J. Paulsen will have a recap as well as his thoughts tomorrow, but here are picks 46-60 and what analyst had to say about the selections:

46) Utah (from Chicago) – Dee Brown, Guard, Illinois
Small, but jet quick with great transitional speed. Brown is a competitor and even though he could have come out last year and been taken higher, he will succeed somewhere in the NBA.

47) Utah – Paul Millsap, F, Louisiana Tech
Is the only player in NCAA Division I history to lead the nation in rebounding in three consecutive years. Earned First Team All-WAC honors his junior and senior seasons and was Second Team as a freshman. Draws comparisons to Malik Rose.

48) Washington – Vladimir Veremeenko, F, Russia
A member of the Belarusian National Team, Veremeenko began his Russian Superleague A career in 2002-03 with Avtodor Saratov. He played there until signing with Dynamo St. Petersburg in 2004-05, and is currently still playing there.

49) Denver – Leon Powe, F, California
Powe has had some knee problems, but is very strong. Should have stayed in school and needs to prove that he can succeed at the next level. He can rebound, however.

50) Charlotte (from Sacramento) – Ryan Hollins, C, UCLA
Hollins finished collegiate career as the fourth all-time leading shot-blocker in UCLA history with 101. In the summer of his freshman year, was a member of the United States team that won the Global Games Championships in Dallas, and finished in fifth place at the 2003 FIBA Junior World Championships in Thessaloniki, Greece.

51) L.A. Lakers – Cheik Samb, C, Senegal
Samb played his first year at the professional level with WTC Cornella in the Spanish LEB2 league. Also appeared with Winterthur F.C. Barcelona with their U-20 team in the Circuito Sub-20, a four-phase competition organized by the Spanish basketball leagues separate from their regular seasons.

52) L.A. Clippers – Guillermo Diaz, G, Miami
Second team All-ACC, Diaz is a big time athlete. He started off as a volleyball player, so he can really jump, but he needs to learn how to play the game a little more instead of just relying on his athleticism.

53) Seattle – Yotam Halperin, G, Israel
Possibly down the road he can be an NBA player, but Halperin is still probably two to three years away from coming overseas.

54) New Jersey – Hassan Adams, G, Arizona
Adams is an explosive transition athlete and a very good offensive rebound guard. He is a scrapper and could be a defensive stopper. He’s not a great passer or shooter, but is a terrific athlete.

55) Cleveland – Ejike Ugboaja, F, Nigeria
Ugboaja is a raw big man from Nigeria who is a long way away. But he has athleticism and size could land him on an NBA roster. He played this past season for Union Bank Lagos in the Nigeria Premier League.

56) Toronto (from Miami) – Edin Bavcic, F, Bosnia
He’s a perimeter-oriented big man who likes to shoot 3-pointers. Decent rebounder. Good size. He’ll probably stay in Europe, however.

57) Minnesota (from Phoenix) – Loukas Mavrokefalidis, C, Greece
This could be a steal for the Wolves. A big center who has put up excellent numbers in Greece and who can hit the 3.

58) Dallas – Danilo Pinnock, G, George Washington
Named First Team All-Atlantic 10 as a junior. Also earned All-District 4 honors from the NABC. Named Atlantic 10 Sixth Man of the Year as a junior, and earned league All-Rookie Team honors as a freshman.

59) San Antonio – Damir Markota, F, Croatia
What a surprise, the Spurs go with an international player with their selection. At this rate, nobody in the San Antonio brass will speak a lick of English by 2009. At least the Spurs have had a ton of success overseas.

60) Detroit – Will Blalock, G, Iowa State
The Pistons have been looking for a backup guard and Blalock should make the team. He currently ranks 22nd all-time in Iowa State history in scoring (1,078 points), sixth in assists (464), tied for sixth in steals (177), and eighth in three-point field goals made (100).

Here are picks 31-45 in the second round and what is being said about each selection:

31) Portland – James White, G, Cincinnati
White can fly down the floor and is a very instinctive player. He is a little bit turnover prone, but is also very versatile and should make a dismantled Portland roster.

32) Houston Rockets – Steve Novak, F, Marquette
Novak has deep range and is a terrific catch-and-shoot player. He is not that strong, but can be a very good perimeter defender.

33) Atlanta Hawks – Solomon Jones, F, South Florida
Very long armed and is a big time shot blocker. He is very raw offensively, but is a solid athlete and this is a good very good selection at No. 33. Anything on the anterior can help the Atlanta Hawks and could help push Sheldon Williams.

34) L.A. Clippers (from Charlotte) – Paul Davis, Michigan State
Davis is a good pick and pop shooter. He is solid rebounder, but not particularly a good scorer under the basket.

35) Toronto – P.J. Tucker, F, Texas
Tucker has a 7-1 wingspan, even though he is only 6’5” and is a complete scrapper. He might be the best Long Horn in this draft and is a great rebounder.

36) Minnesota (from Boston) – Craig Smith, F, Boston College
Undersized power forward who uses his body well, but might have trouble scoring underneath against larger opponents. Smith doesn’t have a whole lot of lift, but is tough as nails.

37) Minnesota – Bobby Jones, F, Washington
Jones doesn’t have much offense, but is a great perimeter defender anybody can guard multiple positions.

38) Golden State – Kosta Perovic, F, Croatia
Perovic is not a great athlete and isn’t a defensive presence. He might be a backup center someday, but really isn’t a good rebounder and must keep improving on his scoring.

39) Milwaukee – David Noel, F, North Carolina
First Tar Heel drafted in ‘06, Noel can hit any open shot and is built like a linebacker. He is a guy that won’t harm you on the floor, but won’t necessarily carry an offensive load for the Bucks. Either way, he can compete at the NBA level.

40) Seattle – Denham Brown, G, UConn
Brown finished his career with 1,267 points, the 39th player in UConn history to reach the 1,000-point mark.

41) Orlando – James Augustine, Forward, Illinois
Named First Team All-Big Ten by the league coaches and Second Team by the media as a senior. Earned Third Team All-Conference honors as a junior and was an Honorable Mention selection as a sophomore.

42) Cleveland (from Philadelphia) – Daniel Gibson, Texas
This is a great pick at 42. Gibson is a great athlete who can be a solid player in the NBA. He might not be a true point guard, but next to LeBron James, Gibson has the chance to be a good perimeter scorer.

43) New Orleans/Oklahoma City – Marcus Vinicius, Forward, Brazil
6’10” small forward who has had success in the Italian league. He put a little bit of weight on, but once he gets his weight down, he could be a solid player.

44) Orlando (from Milwaukee) – Lior Eliyahu, F, Israel
First Israeli drafted in NBA history. He’ll probably stay overseas and might be a long way from playing in the NBA.

45) Indiana – Alexander Johnson, F, Florida State
Good size, solid prospect and can shoot from 17 or 18 feet. He’s not much of a post player and should have probably stayed in school for another year to work on his game, but might develop down the line after some seasoning.

Here are picks 16 through 30 and what is being said about the prospects:

16) Chicago (to Philadelphia) – Rodney Carney, F, Memphis
Dick Vitale liked the defensive ability he did on J.J. Redick when Memphis played Duke last season. He has extraordinary speed that can guard well and has pure athleticism. Many analysts like Carney, but scuffed at the selection by the 76ers, citing that Allen Iverson could have used a better complementary player.

17) Indiana Pacers – Shawne Williams, F, Memphis
Memphis has never had multiple players selected in the NBA Draft, never the less back to back in the first round. Williams is aggressive and has all the tools to be a nice contributor. However, he is focused on only scoring and might be too immature to play at the next level.

18) Washington – Oleksiy Pecherov, C, Ukraine
This is the first international pick in the first round for the Wizards. Pecherov is not a project, but does need some seasoning. He is an outstanding rebounder, but doesn’t have a lot of experience. Good size, good range and might have to stay overseas for at least a year.

19) Sacramento – Quincy Douby, G, Rutgers
Douby can light it up from the perimeter and can really fill up the basket. He is an excellent scorer who can be compared to the likes of his draft counterparts Adam Morrison and J.J. Redick. Probably a two guard at the NBA level, he might turn out to be a steal at No. 19 for the Kings.

20) New York (from Denver) – Renaldo Balkman, F, South Carolina
Considered a second round talent on most analyst draft boards, Balkman has limited ball skills and may struggle under a shaky Knicks frontcourt. Balkman probably wouldn’t have been selected by any other teams in the first round and with Marcus Williams still on the board at this point in the first round, New York probably blew this pick.

21) Phoenix (from L.A. Lakers) – Rajon Rondo, G, Kentucky
First point guard taken in the first round, Rondo isn’t a great shooter, but led Kentucky in assists last year. He is one of the best perimeter defenders in the draft and won’t be counted on to be an offensive threat if he stays in Phoenix.

22) New Jersey (from L.A. Clippers) – Marcus Williams, G, UConn
Fell all the way to No. 22 despite being ranked as the best point guard in the entire draft. Williams needs to get into better condition, but is the best pure passer in the draft and should be a solid contributor early for the Nets.

23) New Jersey – Josh Boone, F, UConn
Boone is a very good defender and probably the best offensive rebounder in the draft. Offensively he thinks too much and has a hard time making free throws, but was the Big East Defensive Player of the Year. Overall, very good back-to-back picks by New Jersey, although Boone might have been a bit of a stretch.

24) Memphis – Kyle Lowry, G, Villanova
Plays with control, is very energetic and is a complete gym rat. Lowry is the type of guy that gets to every lose ball and has a high motor. He doesn’t shoot the ball, but is becoming more disciplined and as his shot improves, he should be a solid pick for Memphis.

25) Cleveland – Shannon Brown, G, Michigan State
NFL body who is athletic and strong. Brown can make shots and really get out in the break that might be the steal of the draft. Has no problem shooting and was well coached at MSU by Tom Izzo. He does need to work on his decision-making, however.

26) L.A. Lakers (from Miami)- Jordan Farmar, G, UCLA
This pick was used from the Shaq trade. Farmar is staying close to home while staying in L.A. He is a good passer and has great leadership ability. He can make open shots, but isn’t necessarily a shooter. Farmar can defend the point well and might be a starter as a rookie.

27) Phoenix (to Portland)– Sergio Rodriguez, G, Spain
Not a good shooter, but he is a tremendous passer and at only 20-years old, he is magical with the basketball. Rodriguez is not a great defender and is turnover prone, which leads to many questions surrounding what Portland is doing with now their fourth trade thus far in the first round.

28) Dallas – Maurice Ager, G, Michigan State
The senior guard out of MSU is a great transition player who is very comparable to Michael Finley. He can run the floor and is a good shooter when he gets his feet set. He needs to attack of the dribble more and doesn’t pick up concepts particularly well, but overall is a great kid who wants to learn the game.

29) New York (from San Antonio) – Mardy Collins, G, Temple
Not a bad pick at No. 29, Collins has a pretty good ability level and has great size. He doesn’t knock down free throws real well, but is a way better value pick than Renaldo Balkman at No. 20.

30) Portland (from Detroit) – Joel Freeland, F, England
Freeland is very rare and has come out of nowhere in the past six months. He shoots well and runs well, but he is at least two years away from helping the Portland Trail Blazers.

Here are picks six through 15 and what is being said about the prospects:

6) Minnesota (to Portland)– Brandon Roy, G, Washington
At one point, Roy was considered an early entry into the 2002 NBA Draft, but withdrew his name in hopes of gaining more experience. Named Pac-10 Player of the Year and earned consensus First Team All-American honors as a senior. Was also a finalist for the Wooden Award, Naismith Award, Oscar Robertson Trophy and Adolph Rupp Player of the Year.

7) Boston (to Minnesota)– Randy Foye, G, Villanova
Named to The Associated Press All-America First Team and to the Big East First Team as a senior. Averaged 13.5 points per game during the World University games and helped team to a gold medal. Foye was a three-time All-Big East member as a junior.

8) Houston – Rudy Gay, F, Uconn
Gay was considered a Top 5 pick, but his potential might be being pushed aside by a risk that he might be a slow developer. As Stewart Scott alluded to on ESPN, members of the media and even former UConn coach Jim Calhoon have questioned Gay’s motivation and focus. Still, nobody questions this kids talent.

9) Golden State – Patrick O’Bryant, C, Bradley
Isn’t ready or strong enough to step right in and help the Warriors, but good footwork and hands should give him the opportunity to eventually be a contributor in Golden State. He is the second Bradley player taken in the Top 10 (Hersey Hawkins was the first).

10) Seattle – Saer Sene, F, Senegal
Sene is the third center selected in the first round by Seattle in the last three years. He complete project that is a shot blocker and a rebounder, but doesn’t have a clue on the offensive side of the ball.

11) Orlando – JJ Redick, G, Duke
The All-Time leading scorer in ACC history has a 10 times better 3-point shot than driving record. Yet another instant offensive threat early in the draft, Redick is lights out from behind the arch and will be a dangerous shooter for the Magic.

12) New Orleans – Hilton Armstrong, C Uconn
Big, strong rebounder who is still learning how to play with feel on the offensive end. He has the ability defensively to play at the next level and with the tutelage of P.J. Brown, might provide the biggest impact of any center in the entire draft.

13) Philadelphia (TRADED to Chicago)– Thabo Sefolosha, G Switzerland
Born in South Africa, Sefolosha is versatile, tough and considered a jack-of-all-trades. Sefolosha is athletic and has good size for a Bulls’ backcourt that could use a guard with solid defensive skills.

14) Utah – Ronnie Brewer, G, Arkansas
Transition player with great athleticism and a dad who played in the NBA. Brewer is considered a slasher who isn’t necessarily a great offensive option, but none-the-less a solid option for the Jazz.

15) New Orleans/Oklahoma City – Cedric Simmons, F, North Carolina State
Plays bigger than his height and has tools to work with, including a nice shooting touch. He has to get better on the offensive end and is a bit of a project, but he will provide athleticism for the Hornets.

The Hawks had their sites on power forward Sheldon Williams from Duke for a few weeks. And their assumption that Williams would be at five was dead on.

Williams is possibly the safest “big man” selection in the entire draft, based on his track record. At No. 5, this seems like a solid pick for Atlanta, who will benefit from Williams’ defense and rebound skills.

At 6-9, 260, Williams has the size and potential to be a solid contributor at the next level. His experience of playing his full collegiate career at Duke will only help him give Hotlanta a big man they can lean on to solidify their inconsistent inside game.