Luka’s Corner

It has been a relatively quiet two weeks since the NBA title was handed to the San Antonio Spurs. There have been no major transactions between teams, only trade talks (and rumors) involving either Kevin Garnett or Kobe Bryant, which are most likely not going to happen. The only event worth mentioning now that the season is over is the NBA draft. The first two picks by Portland and Seattle went as expected (Oden and Durant), and Horford was then taken at #3 by Atlanta. While the picks went as planned, there were a few interesting (and somewhat unexpected) trades involving some marquee names. I will talk about two: the Zach Randolph transaction and Jason Richardson swap (I will elaborate on the Ray Allen deal to Boston in a later article).

The first major deal was Randolph coming to the New York Knicks, along with teammates Fred Jones and Dan Dickau. New York also received the draft rights to Demetris Nichols, a 6-8 senior from Syracuse. In return, Portland received Steve Francis and Channing Frye, along with a 2008 second round pick. I believe that this is one of those few trades where both teams will improve because of it. For Portland, the loss of Randolph (their best player in 06-07) will free up the starting power forward position for LaMarcus Aldridge. Aldridge, who (in my opinion) will develop into a consistent 15-8-2 player, will create a dangerous frontcourt alongside the impressive Greg Oden. Also, with the addition of Francis and Frye, the Trail Blazers will now have a solid starting PG (in Francis) teaming up with ROY Brandon Roy. Frye will also turn out to be a good sixth man, coming off the bench to replace Oden or Aldridge when they’re in foul trouble or simply need a break. New York, on the other hand, dramatically improves its frontcourt with the addition of Randolph. He will team up with Eddy Curry (another 20-10 guy) and David Lee (a very good rebounder), which will finally bring New York’s name into discussions of teams with the best frontcourts. The Knicks also get Jones, who is a very athletic guard capable of developing into a possible sixth or seventh man behind Quentin Richardson and Jamal Crawford. All in all, both teams will profit from the trade.

The deal which brought J-Rich to Charlotte in exchange for Brandan Wright (the #8 pick overall) and Jermareo Davidson (the #36 pick overall) is very one-sided, in my opinion. Charlotte got the better part of the deal by adding Richardson, a very athletic two-guard who can create his own shot. He excels in the open floor (witness his spectacular dunks against Dallas this postseason) and is capable of putting pressure on opponents’ guards with his great stealing ability. This is exactly the type of player Charlotte needs because their go-to-guy Gerald Wallace has already opted out of his contract and will most likely go to another team. Now, Raymond Felton and J-Rich will form an explosive backcourt and will turn Charlotte into a running team, which is what they should have been last season. Golden State, on the other hand, received Wright, an athletic forward from North Carolina. I do not think that he will emerge as the explosive forward many predict he will be in the NBA. I have rarely seen him create his own shot with a post move or off the dribble, since the majority of his points come in a fast break situation. Wright is incredibly slim, and it will take him at least a year just to bulk up and prove that he can play on the block with physical NBA forwards. This trade does not fill the Warriors’ need, which is a low post scorer who can consistently rebound the ball and block shots. That is why Charlotte got the better end of this deal.

This draft is the deepest in recent years (other than in 2003), and it was very exciting to see mediocre teams satisfy their team needs by getting a young player. The trades in the draft were also critical for the franchises involved, with three stars (Ray Allen, Randolph, and Richardson) switching teams and bringing their games to a new city. All of this excitement makes it very hard to wait for the start of next season.

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