Another Taste of Italy

Well, apparently there were no smokescreens after all; No tricks or trades up GM Bryan Colangelo’s sleeve. Instead, he went with one of the draft’s worst-kept secrets, and snagged the man they call “The Magician” with the first overall pick.

Andrea Bargnani.

The 7-Footer who everyone in Toronto started being force-fed information about – even more so when the Raptors went and officially hired his former Benetton Treviso General Manager, Maurizio Gherardini.

At that point, if there was any doubt – there shouldn’t have been.

Colangelo warned us all… He massaged the idea of drafting the Italian into our minds for so long, that he wanted it to feel great come June 28th.

Once Bargnani’s name was called, I’m not going to say I felt great… but I didn’t feel bad, or surprised, either.

You know Andrea’s deal: He’s a 7-footer (apparently even 7’1”) who has range past the NBA 3-point line. He’s got a lethal first-step, and an array of offensive moves (hence the brutal nickname). But what he’s got on the one end is apparently non-existent on the other. Can’t hold his space, can’t play defense for a lick, and can’t rebound.

That’s fine, it’s not like the Raptors ever addressed those needs before…

Or did they??

With the 35th overall pick, The Raptors went out and made a stellar selection, nabbing Texas guard, PJ Tucker - a 6’5” guard/forward who’s got a wingspan of 7’1”. Named the Big-12 player of the year, Tucker absolutely shut down his opponent with lockdown defense, while rebounding at a clip of 9.5 a game. He’s a crafty scorer – in the lane – seeing as he’s got minimal range on his jumper, bringing in Longhorns-best 16.5 points per game.

I really like Tucker’s game, and felt he deserved more of a spotlight than what he got from the NCAA tournament. I have no doubt that he’ll make the team.

The Raptors had the chance to draft hometown kid, Denham Brown, but let him slide to Seattle at 40. Bryan Colangelo would later tell the Fan morning show:

“Sometimes there’s a right environment for a player to play… and we didn’t feel that this would be the right situation for him. But I do like Denham as a player. He had a great college career. I wish him the best, and think he’s going to do well wherever he goes.”

The Raptors had one more selection, nabbing 6’11” forward (I don’t know how TSN got 7’5”), Edin Bravcic. A big Bosnian jump-shooter who was then traded to the Sixers for cash considerations.



So who won the draft, you ask??

It’s really tough to say at this point… and per usual, we won’t really know for sure until another year or so… but it’s clear who made the most noise.

Even before the draft started, the Portland Trailblazers set the tone, sending my boy Sebastien Telfair to the Celtics, along with Theo Ratliff… for Boston’s Dan Dickau, Raef LaFrentz and the #7 pick (which turned out to be Randy Foye, then moved to Minnesota)

Portland then swapped the draft rights of Tyrus Thomas (taken 4th) with the Bulls for LaMarcus Aldridge (taken 2nd), Victor Khryapa, and a 2nd round pick in 2007. Could Chicago get anymore fleeced? In my opinion, I’d rather have Aldridge in the first place… let alone a decent Euro (Khryapa, more than just a throw-in… remember when he rocked the Raps for 17 on a near-flawless shooting night?), than Thomas (Chandler redux?) Add to that, the Blazers picked up Brandon Roy in a swap for Randy Foye?? AND they drafted Sergio “Spanish Chocolate” Williams, along with Englishman, Joel Freeland?? 4 first round picks??

Screw Stephen A. Smith… The Blazers, busier than Union Station during rush hour, pulled off quite the draft night.

I also love how the Nets managed to snake Marcus Williams 22nd! 22nd?? Wow. Then they grabbed his UConn buddy, Josh Boone, immediately after. Williams should fit in like a glove in the swamp (and eventually Brooklyn), passing to guys like RJ, VC, and Nenad. Let alone learning from one of the best, in J-Kidd.

I also like the Lakers’ selection of UCLA’s Jordan Farmar at 26. He won’t need to move, and he can rock the Triangle with Phil and Kobe.

This is just the tip of the ice-berg, though… Thankfully, I’ve been invited to share my thoughts in depth in a post-draft-chat on www.buzzer-beater.blogspot.com .