Last Updated on June 29, 2007 3:35 am by admin
A thumbnail look at the first-round selections of the NBA draft:
NO. 1 PORTLAND
Greg Oden, c, Ohio State
7-0, 250. … 15.7 ppg, 9.6 rpg
Early entry. … Played one year for the Buckeyes. … Most likely the top pick. … A legit seven-footer with all the physical tools to develop into a dominant NBA center. … Can dominate on the defensive end. … Runs the floor exceptionally well. … Prone to foul trouble. … Not comfortable playing with his back to the basket. … Needs to expand his shooting range.
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NO. 2 SEATTLE
Kevin Durant, f, Texas
6-9, 225. … 25.8 ppg, 11.1 rpg
-blocker in college. … Needs to improve his passing.
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NO. 3 ATLANTA
Al Horford, f-c, Florida
6-10, 245. … 13.2 ppg, 9.5 rpg, 1.8 bpg
Early entry. … Aggressive in the paint on both ends. … Has strength and size to become an NBA banger. … Handles the ball and passes well for a big man. … Intense player, tends to get in foul trouble. … Needs to develop more offensive moves in the low post. … Below average on the free throw line. … Son of former NBA player Tito Horford.
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NO. 4 MEMPHIS
Mike Conley Jr., g, Ohio State
6-1, 180. … 11.3 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 2.2 spg
Early entry. … Played one year for the Buckeyes. … Has exceptional quickness. … Makes excellent shot/pass decisions. … May be the best of the point guards in this draft. … Great penetrator. … His outside shot needs work. … Ability to defend bigger point guards is a concern.
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NO. 5 BOSTON (TRADED TO SEATTLE)
Jeff Green, f, Georgetown
6-9, 235. … 14.3 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 3.2 apg
Early entry. … Big East Player of the Year. … Named Most Outstanding Player of the NCAA East Regional and Big East Tournament. … Doesn’t have one standout skill, but is well-rounded. … Is solid in the half court and full court game. .. Strong inside both offensively and defensively. … Needs to be more consistent with his shot.
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NO. 6 MILWAUKEE
Yi Jianlian, f, Guandong Tigers (China)
6-11, 238. … 24.9 ppg, 11.5 rpg
Early entry. … Will turn 20 on Oct. 27. … Competed for the Chinese National Team at the 2004 Olympics and 2006 FIBA World Championship. … An athletic power forward. … Has excellent quickness and jumping ability. … Has a good mid-range jumper. … Will need to get stronger. … More comfortable facing the basket than with his back to the basket.
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NO. 7 MINNESOTA
Corey Brewer, f, Florida
6-9, 185. … 13.2 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 2.8 apg
Early entry. … Named Most Outstanding Player of the 2007 NCAA Final Four. … Long and lean. … An exceptional defender. … Excels in the transition game. … Tough competitor, knows what it takes to win. … Needs to continue improving the range on his jumpshot.
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NO. 8 CHARLOTTE (TRADED TO GOLDEN STATE)
Brandan Wright, f, North Carolina
6-9, 205. … 14.7 ppg, 6.2 rpg
Early entry. … Played one year for the Tar Heels. … Fifth freshman in Atlantic Coast Conference history to win Tournament MVP honors. … Broke the ACC single-season freshman record with .646 field goal percentage. … A force near the basket. … Fluid running the floor. … Some scouts have questioned his intensity. … Must gain more upper body strength.
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NO. 9 CHICAGO
Acquired from New York
Joakim Noah, f, Florida
6-11, 232. … 12.0 ppg, 8.4 rpg
Early entry. … Named Most Outstanding Player of the 2006 NCAA Tournament Final Four. … Has boundless energy and a passion for the game. … A phenomenal athlete. … His basketball skills are raw on the offensive end, except for his passing ability. … Should make his mark as a rebounder and defender while he works on his offensive game. … Father, Yannick, was the 1983 French Open tennis champion.
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NO. 10 SACRAMENTO
Spencer Hawes, c, Washington
7-0, 230. … 14.9 ppg, 6.4 rpg
Early entry. … Played one year for the Huskies. … Has skills around the basket. … Can finish with a soft touch with either hand. … Prefers playing with his back to the basket. … Runs the floor well. … Outstanding passer for a big man. … Needs to improve his defensive game.
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NO. 11 ATLANTA
Acquired from Indiana
M
6-3, 195. … 18.1 ppg, 5.0 apg
M’s third all-time leading scorer with 1,669 points and third in assists with 545. … Performs extremely well in pressure situations. … A sound floor leader. … Creates well off the dribble. … Streaky shooter. … Needs to improve his defensive intensity.
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NO. 12 PHILADELPHIA
Thaddeus Young, f, Georgia Tech
6-8, 220. … 14.4 ppg, 4.9 rpg
Early entry. … Played one year for the Yellow Jackets. … Versatile forward who can score inside and hit the three-pointer. … Can guard both inside and outside scorers. … Ball handling needs to improve. … Needs to gain strength. … Great attitude, hard worker.
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NO. 13 NEW ORLEANS
Julian Wright, f, Kansas
6-8, 225. … 12.0 ppg, 7.8 rpg
Early entry. … An incredible athlete with a tremendous upside. … Has a wide wingspan, enabling him to play bigger than he is. … Can play a variety of positions on both ends of the court. … Must improve his jumpshot. … Must improve his upper body strength.
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NO. 14 L.A. CLIPPERS
Al Thornton, f, Florida State
6-8, 220. … 19.7 ppg, 7.2 rpg
Led Florida State and the ACC in scoring with a 19.7 average. … A versatile scorer. … Likes to face the basket and take defenders off the dribble. … Physically ready for the NBA. … Average ball handler. … Needs to play under control. .. Has been compared to Shawn Marion.
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NO. 15 DETROIT
Acquired from Orlando
Rodney Stuckey, g, Eastern Washington
6-5, 205. … 24.6 ppg, 5.5 apg, 4.7 rpg
Early entry. … Can play both guard positions. … A tremendous scorer. … Can create scoring opportunities. … Solid mid-range game. … Has 3-point range. … Can lose focus on defensive end. … Needs to involve his teammates more.
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NO. 16 WASHINGTON
Nick Young, g-f, Southern Cal
6-6, 200. … 17.5 ppg, 4.6 rpg
Early entry. … Earned First Team All-Pac-10 honors his sophomore and junior seasons. … Ranked second in the Pac-10 in scoring (17.5 ppg). … Has an excellent mid-range game. … Has a quick first step. … Has the physical tools to be a competent defender, but needs to play with more intensity. … Prone to foul trouble.
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NO. 17 NEW JERSEY
Sean Williams, f-c, Boston College
6-10, 235. … 12.1 ppg, 6.9 rpg
Early entry. … Has all the physical tools needed for the next level. … Great leaping ability and quick. … One of the best shot blockers in college. … Must mature. … A risk after getting kicked off Eagles’ team. … Not very effective offensively past eight feet.
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NO. 18 GOLDEN STATE
Marco Belinelli, g, Climamio Bologna (Italy)
6-5, 192. … 12.9 ppg
Early entry. … Can shoot off the dribble. … Has a quick release. … Solid work ethic. … Quick hands on defense. … Average lateral quickness on defense. … Weak rebounder. … Doesn’t attack the basket enough. … Needs more upper body strength.
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NO. 19 L.A. LAKERS
Javaris Crittenton, g, Georgia Tech
6-5, 198. … 14.4 ppg, 5.8 apg
Early entry. … Played one year for the Yellow Jackets. … He’s young and very raw. … Has quick first step. … Excellent body strength. … Very competitive, great attitude. … Needs to improve outside shot. … Needs to learn how to dictate tempo at the point.
—NO. 20 MIAMI (TRADED TO PHILADELPHIA)
Jason Smith, c, Colorado State
7-0, 240. … 16.8 ppg, 10.1 rpg
Early entry. … Good touch around the basket. … Has improved his rebounding. … Runs the floor well. … Still needs to work on playing with his back to the basket. … Needs more upper body strength.
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NO. 21 PHILADELPHIA (TRADED TO MIAMI)
Acquired from Denver
Daequan Cook, g, Ohio State
6-5, 210. … 9.9 ppg, 4.3 rpg
Early entry. … Played one year for the Buckeyes. … Has excellent mid-range game. … Has good court vision. … Has 3-point range. … Can score points in a hurry. … Forces his shot at times. … Ball handling could be stronger. … Had an up-and-down freshman season.
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NO. 22 CHARLOTTE
Acquired from Toronto Through Cleveland
Jared Dudley, f, Boston College
6-7, 225. … 19.0 ppg, 8.3 rpg
ACC Player of the Year. … Has high basketball IQ. … Intense and aggressive on defense. … Excellent court vision. … Hard to match offensively. … Not overly athletic. … Doesn’t create off the dribble very well. … Some scouts feel his game has peaked.
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NO. 23 NEW YORK
Acquired from Chicago
Wilson Chandler, f, DePaul
6-8, 230. … 14.6 ppg, 6.9 rpg
Early entry. … Has a great combination of strength and athleticism. … Has a developing mid-range game. … Has size to defend some power forwards. … Great leaping ability. … Needs to improve shot selection. … Lacks intensity at times.
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NO. 24 PHOENIX (SOLD TO PORTLAND)
Acquired from Cleveland Through Boston
Rudy Fernandez, g, DVK Joventut Badalona (Spain)
6-5, 185. … 16.1 ppg, 2.9 apg
Unselfish player, gets teammates involved. … Excellent at catch and shoot. … Always moving on the offensive end. … Creative at finishing around the basket. … Compared to Manu Ginobili. … Below average rebounder. … Needs to improve defensively.
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NO. 25 UTAH
Morris Almond, g, Rice
6-6, 215. … 26.4 ppg, 6.6 rpg
Has a great frame. … Explosive scorer. … Excellent rebounder. … Needs to improve passing and ball handling. … Has NBA 3-point range. … Unselfish player. … Attacks defenders and draws fouls. … Has high basketball IQ.
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NO. 26 HOUSTON
Aaron Brooks, g, Oregon
6-0, 160. … 17.7 ppg, 4.3 apg
Extremely quick at getting to the basket. … Dependable perimeter shooter. … Has leadership qualities. … Can score points in a hurry. … Doesnt control the tempo very well. … Average court vision. … Size is a concern.
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NO. 27 DETROIT
Arron Afflalo, g, UCLA
6-5, 215. … 16.9 ppg, 1.9 apg
Early entry. … Plays under control. … Has an NBA body and excellent upper body strength. … Fundamentally sound. … Solid court vision. … Good work ethic. … Average first step. … Needs to be consistent with his jumper. … Needs to improve ball handling.
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NO. 28 SAN ANTONIO
Tiago Splitter, f, Tau Vitoria (Spain)
6-11, 232. … 10.7 ppg, 6.0 rpg
The Brazilian runs the court well for his size. … Possesses solid post footwork. … Not a prolific offensive player. … Above average rebounder. … Soft touch around the basket. … Must improve on his upper body strength. … Lacks aggressiveness.
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NO. 29 PHOENIX
Alando Tucker, f-g, Wisconsin
6-6, 205. … 19.9 ppg, 5.4 rpg
A tweener. … Very athletic. … Can create scoring opportunities. … Has good range on his jumper, though streaky. … Great work ethic. … Needs to improve ball handling skills. … Undersized for the small forward position.
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NO. 30 PHILADELPHIA (TRADED TO PORTLAND)
Acquired from Dallas Through Denver and Golden State
Petteri Koponen, g, Honka (Finland)
6-4, 195. … 12.4 ppg, 4.1 apg
Skilled point guard. … Possesses high basketball IQ. … Shoots the ball well from mid-range. … Has 3-point range. … Has played against lower-level European competition.