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2006 NBA Draft thoughts

Bookmark and Share by Robby Maddux

betting NBA Berman
Will Redick flourish or flop?
The NBA Draft is always a spectacle and this year was no different. Granted, ESPN owns the sports world, but things would have been more enjoyable without Chris ''Back Back Back Back'' Berman giving away the picks before they were announced with a sorry attempt to play on words. He should definitely stick to doing SportsCenter and playing ''Swami'' where even his football picks flatten bankrolls more times than not.

But overall, it was a delightful show (Thanks to Dan Patrick and Screaming A. Smith) with a lot of big happenings that has generated enormous talks around the NBA world. In particular, the J.J. Redick selection to Orlando.

There's mega questions being asked about his game and NBA potential. He may be the ACC's all-time leading scorer with an undeniable shooting touch, but he can't create his own shot, drive the lane or play defense.

But the Orlando Magic hand him the jersey and he's with a team that has the players who are unselfish and able to dish him the ball off drives to the lane, surely providing many open looks. It's a good team for Redick, but I just don't see him making a lot of noise during his NBA career. His best comparison will be to a Jimmy Jackson.

The Portland Trail Blazers captured a lot of attention. In the end, the Trail Blazers made solid choices picking up Texas center LaMarcus Aldridge, Washington guard Brandon Roy, Sergio Rodriguez, and Joel Freeland, in a trade with the Boston Celtics for Raef LaFrentz and Dan Dickau.

Other teams who benefited from the draft include the New Jersey Nets, Memphis Grizzlies and Chicago Bulls.

New Jersey netted Marcus Williams who's a beast as the one Husky with heart and grit in crunch time. Everyone had him as the No. 1 point guard on the board and yet he lands with the Nets, with an aging Jason Kidd. New Jersey jumped at the gift and Williams should be a very good player for a long time at the NBA level.  

The Grizzlies get Rudy Gay from the Jim Calhoun stable who knows how to turn kids into winners. Gay may become an average player or become a star in the pro ranks, but at any rate the Grizzlies now have a big name that can take the club to the next level. In a trade with the Houston Rockets, it cost them Shane Battier, a sound player but not one who can take over a game.

Chicago wanted some size and athletic talent and that's exactly what they got in the likes of Tyrus Thomas out of LSU, Portland's Viktor Khryapa and Thabo Sefolosha of Switzerland.

The Bulls are a team who's hard-working and determined to be a championship caliber type club. The new faces will be the key to their success and with the welcomed talent they become legit contenders in the NBA.