ACC Well Represented in NBA Draft

By BRIAN MAHONEY
AP Basketball Writer
    NEW YORK (AP) - Blake Griffin was the consensus No. 1 pick. Shaq
to the Cavs was the consensus blockbuster.
    On a day of head-turning trades around the NBA, the Los Angeles
Clippers started Thursday night’s draft with the obvious choice:
Griffin, the only player considered a sure thing in a class full of
question marks.
    Griffin was the consensus college player of the year after
leading the nation with 14.4 rebounds per game while averaging 22.7
points last season for Oklahoma. The Clippers said they would take
the forward with the top pick just hours after they won the draft
lottery last month, and never considered changing their minds.
    “The fact is we’re getting an incredible player, incredible
person, an impeccable work ethic and a guy that we plan on having
in L.A. for many years to come,“ Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy
said. “He’s going to be a great, exciting fit for our ballclub.“
    The draft followed a day of big trades in the NBA.
    The deal that sent Shaquille O’Neal to play alongside LeBron
James in Cleveland was completed earlier Thursday, and Eastern
Conference champion Orlando acquired Vince Carter from the Nets in
a swap completed shortly before the first pick was made.
    San Antonio landed Richard Jefferson from Milwaukee on Tuesday,
and more big names could be available this summer as teams are
forced to slash payroll. The best way to improve quickly this year
was through trades, because the draft was considered weaker than in
recent years.
    It lacked the star power of 2007, when Greg Oden and Kevin
Durant battled it out for top pick honors, or when Derrick Rose
beat out Michael Beasley last year.
    There was no debate this time. Dunleavy announced the Clippers’
intentions shortly after his team’s surprising lottery win, and
they began a marketing campaign featuring the forward the next day.
    The Clippers are hoping Griffin turns out better than their last
No. 1 overall pick. They opened the 1998 draft by taking center
Michael Olowokandi, a bust who is out of the league.
    “Hopefully I can bring something they don’t have,“ Griffin
said. “I know they have a lot of great players but at the same
time I’m excited about the opportunity and hopefully I can bring
something to the table that they don’t have or maybe they need.“
    The Memphis Grizzlies then grabbed Connecticut center Hasheem
Thabeet, a dominant rebounder and shot blocker who doesn’t have
strong offensive skills.
    After the two big men, the rest of the first round was expected
to be dominated by point guards, with perhaps 10 or more expected
to go in the top 30 picks. Seven guards went in the first 10
selections.
    The Minnesota Timberwolves took two of them with the fifth and
sixth picks. They snapped up Spanish teenager Ricky Rubio at No. 5,
a pick they acquired from Washington earlier this week, before
going for Syracuse’s Jonny Flynn with the next pick.
    It was thought Rubio might go as high as No. 2, but that never
worked out for Memphis. Instead the Grizzlies went with Thabeet,
the 7-foot-3 native of Tanzania who switched from soccer to
basketball just a few years ago. He has rapidly developed his
defensive skills, but still has work to go on the other end.
    “I’ve been around great guys, coach Calhoun, the UConn program
helped me out a lot,“ Thabeet said.
    Oklahoma City took high-scoring Arizona State guard James Harden
with the No. 3 pick and Sacramento followed by drafting Memphis
freshman Tyreke Evans - who like Griffin was wearing a purple tie.
So was Stephen Curry, the NCAA scoring leader from Davidson who
went at No. 7 to Golden State.
    Jordan Hill (New York), Demar DeRozan (Toronto) and Brandon
Jennings (Milwaukee) rounded out the top 10, but Jennings didn’t
come out to don his Bucks hat and shake hands with commissioner
David Stern. His agent, Bill Duffy, released a statement earlier
Thursday saying he had advised Jennings and his family not to
attend the draft and wait in the green room because he was unsure
of his client’s draft position.
    However, Jennings - the point guard who skipped college to spend
a year playing in Europe - came out from behind the stage, wearing
the Milwaukee cap, to greet Stern and wave to the fans after the
14th pick was announced.
    A run of forwards followed before Philadelphia grabbed another
point guard, UCLA’s Jrue Holiday, who was considered a top 10 pick
but tumbled to No. 17. Minnesota followed with its third point
guard of the draft, Ty Lawson of national champion North Carolina,
and Atlanta grabbed another playmaker, Wake Forest’s Jeff Teague,
at No. 19. Utah kept up the run by selecting Eric Maynor from
Virginia Commonwealth.
   
2009 NBA Draft Selections
By The Associated Press
At New York
Thursday
First Round
    1. L.A. Clippers, Blake Griffin, f, Oklahoma.
    2. Memphis, Hasheem Thabeet, c, Connecticut.
    3. Oklahoma City, James Harden, g, Arizona State.
    4. Sacramento, Tyreke Evans, g, Memphis.
    5. Minnesota (from Washington), Ricky Rubio, g, DKV Joventut
(Spain).
    6. Minnesota, Jonny Flynn, g, Syracuse.
    7. Golden State, Stephen Curry, g, Davidson.
    8. New York, Jordan Hill, f, Arizona.
    9. Toronto, DeMar DeRozan, g, Southern California.
    10. Milwaukee, Brandon Jennings, g, Lottomatica Roma (Italy).
    11. New Jersey, Terrence Williams, g-f, Louisville.
    12. Charlotte, Gerald Henderson, g-f, Duke.
    13. Indiana, Tyler Hansbrough, f, North Carolina.
    14. Phoenix, Earl Clark, f, Louisville.
    15. Detroit, Austin Daye, f, Gonzaga.
    16. Chicago, James Johnson, f, Wake Forest.
    17. Philadelphia, Jrue Holiday, g, UCLA.
    18. Minnesota (from Miami), Ty Lawson, g, North Carolina.
    19. Atlanta, Jeff Teague, g, Wake Forest.
    20. Utah, Eric Maynor, g, Virginia Commonwealth.
    21. New Orleans, Darren Collison, g, UCLA.
    22. Portland (from Dallas), Victor Claver, f, Pamesa Valencia
(Spain).
    23. Sacramento (from Houston), Omri Casspi, f, Maccabi Electra
(Israel).
    24. Dallas (from Portland), B.J. Mullens, c, Ohio State.
    25. Oklahoma City (from San Antonio), Rodrigue Beaubois, g,
Cholet (France).
    26. Chicago (from Denver through Oklahoma City), Taj Gibson, f,
Southern California.
    27. Memphis (from Orlando), DeMarre Carroll, f, Missouri.
    28. Minnesota (from Boston), Wayne Ellington, g, North Carolina.
    29. L.A. Lakers, Toney Douglas, g, Florida State.
    30. Cleveland, Christian Eyenga, g-f, DKV Joventut (Spain).