NBA draft: First- and second-round recap
By Mark Heisler, Times Staff Writer
June 29, 2007


2007 NBA Draft


FIRST ROUND

1. Portland — Greg Oden, C, 6-11, 257, Fr., Ohio State--Rare package of size and athleticism makes him the best center prospect since Tim Duncan in 1997. Raw on offense but will improve. So good on defense, he'll have an immediate impact. Great personality, too.

2. Seattle — Kevin Durant, F, 6-9, 215, Fr., Texas--Ready as he is, he's so good, one GM (not Portland's Kevin Pritchard) said he should go No. 1. Incredible year, averaging 26 points, 11 rebounds, 1.9 blocks, 1.9 steals, shot 40% on threes and he's a sensational young man, too.

3. Atlanta — Al Horford, F, 6-8 3/4, 246, Jr., Florida -- Big, physical, hard-working and athletic. Raw on offense. May not have the upside of Brandan Wright or Yi Jianlian but a safe pick for a GM who needs someone ready to play.

4. Memphis — Mike Conley, G, 5-11 1/2, 175, Fr., Ohio State--Tough little point guard, great penetrator but just a so-so shooter. Wasn't on many first rounds in mock drafts before the NCAA Tournament but has rocketed up the board since.

5. Boston — Jeff Green, F, 6-7 3/4, 228, Jr., Georgetown--That must be some college program with one lottery pick, Roy Hibbert, having already pulled out and Green yet to hire an agent. Big-time prospect that Green is, he has to show he's not as tentative as he often looked.

6. Milwaukee — Yi Jianlian, F, 6-11, 230, Guangdong Tigers--Big, skilled and athletic to boot. Unlike Yao Ming, he can speak English, which will help him make the transition but he's also making a huge jump in the quality of the competition.

7. Minnesota — Corey Brewer, F, 6-6 3/4, 185, Jr., Florida--NCAA Tournament where he made seven of 13 threes dazzled scouts. Actually just an OK shooter (36% on threes for his career) but a defensive hound whose length and athleticism make him special.

8. Charlotte — Brandan Wright, F, 6-8 3/4, 200, Fr., North Carolina--Long, super-quick and athletic but will arrive as a featherweight among NBA big men. Could hit it big but isn't helping himself, working out against the air, refusing to face other prospects.

9. Chicago — Joakim Noah, F, 6-10 1/2, 223, Jr., Florida--Would have been the No. 1 pick in 2006 but his unconventional game, weird shooting stroke and brash personality dropped him behind surer things. Still a high-energy shot-blocking big man.

10. Sacramento — Spencer Hawes, C, 6-10 1/2, 244, Fr., Washington--Has legitimate size, OK athleticism but he's a prodigy as far as post offense goes. Can play high post or low, jump hooks with either hand and he's a good passer, too.

11. Atlanta — Acie Law IV, G, 6-2, 186, Sr., Texas A&M--His first three seasons didn't impress anyone but a big finish got him on the first round. Just an OK athlete but can run a team. Improved from 21.6% on threes as a freshman to 45.8% as a senior.

12. Philadelphia — Thaddeus Young, F, 6-5 3/4, 210, Fr., Georgia Tech--Like Crittenton, he has major tools but a long way to go. Young is a long, athletic, wing player. Raw as he is, he shot 42% on threes.

13. New Orleans — Julian Wright, F, 6-6 1/2, 211, So., Kansas--Corey Brewer without shooting range... or any range. Wright was a prep guard who looked like he'd grow into a super-talented power forward. Pros still love him but he's small-forward size and a reluctant shooter.

14. Clippers — Al Thornton, F, 6-5 3/4, 221, Sr., Florida State--Late bloomer whose stock rose fast. Not a great ball handler so he'll have to play forward but he's tough, athletic, works hard and has range, shooting 44% on threes for his career.

15. Detroit — Rodney Stuckey, G, 6-3 3/4, 207, So., Eastern Washington--Popped up on radar screens this season. Big-time scorer although he's not much of a playmaker for a point guard. Not a great athlete or outside shooter. Some like him a lot, some don't.

16. Washington — Nick Young, G, 6-5, 206, Jr., USC--Major athlete whose 39 ½ inch vertical jump was best at the pre-draft camp by four inches over Mike Conley. Improving shooter. Was expected to go in teens, with both local teams considering him.

17. New Jersey — Sean Williams, F, 6-8 1/2, 235, Jr., Boston College -- Size and athleticism have him moving up fast after trouble-filled career ended with his expulsion from the team. Worked out with John Lucas who told the Boston Globe, "His issue is, he just wants to smoke some weed sometimes -- and you can't."

18. Golden State — Marco Belinelli, G, 6-5, 200, Climamio Bologna--Impressed scouts at the 2004 World Games but didn't blow them away this season. Still had the size and shooting ability to go on the first round.

19. Lakers — Javaris Crittenton, G, 6-3, 194, Fr., Georgia Tech--Big young point guard, who wasn't expected to come out but his size and athleticism had him rocketing up the boards ahead of better-known upperclassmen like Acie Law


20. Miami — Jason Smith, F, 6-10 3/4, 233, Jr., Colorado State--Willowy in high school but has filled out. People wonder if he's soft but shooting and ball-handling ability make him a fit for open-court teams.

21. Philadelphia — Daequan Cook, G, 6-3 3/4, 203, Fr., Ohio State--Terrific athlete who can shoot but something is missing. He looked like a lottery pick early in the season before fading into oblivion at the end.

22. Charlotte — Jared Dudley, F, 6-7, 225, Sr., Boston College--Athletic forward. A lot of energy and a scoring threat.

23. New York — Wilson Chandler, F, 6-6, 230, Fr., DePaul--Word is he has a promise from Isiah Thomas, who sees him as another Trevor Ariza.

24. Phoenix — Rudy Fernandez, G, 6-4, 175, Joventut Badalona--Pros started tracking this athletic young Spaniard three years ago. He can shoot, too, but everyone still worries about his frail body.

25. Utah — Morris Almond, G, 6-5, 215, Sr., Rice--Big, high-scoring guard, all but invisible in a program that attracts little attention. Some admirers even see a little Mitch Richmond in him.

26. Houston — Aaron Brooks, G, 5-10 1/2, 161, Sr., Oregon--One of those roadrunners no one can stay in front of, becoming more popular as the game opens up. Improving shooter who made 40% of his threes as a senior.

27. Detroit — Arron Afflalo, G, 6-5, 215, Jr., UCLA--Good as he was for the Bruins, was considered a long shot for the first round. Size and athleticism are OK for an NBA wing player but he has trouble getting his own shot.

28. San Antonio — Tiago Splitter, F/C, 6-10, 240, Tau Vitoria--The story never seems to change on this Brazilian big man, who pulled out of the last two drafts. No NBA team has ever liked him enough to want to buy him out of his still-in-force contract in Italy.

29. Phoenix — Alando Tucker, G/F, 6-5, 210, Sr. Wisconsin--Another fine college forward whose game is below the free throw line, which doesn't project that well at the next level where he's more the size of a guard.

30. Philadelphia — Petteri Koponen, G, 6-3, 195, Espoon Honka (Finland) -- This spring's all-but-unknown European point guard who makes a late move that some thought would get him on the first round. OK athlete but a real playmaker and he can shoot.

SECOND ROUND

31. Seattle — Carl Landry, F, Purdue

32. Boston — Gabe Pruitt, G, USC

33. San Antonio — Marcus Williams, F, Arizona

34. Dallas — Nick Fazekas, F, Nevada

35. Seattle — Glen Davis, F, LSU

36. Golden State — Jermareo Davidson, F, Alabama

37. Portland — Josh McRoberts, F, Duke

38. Philadelphia — Kyrylo Fesenko, F, Ukraine


39. Miami — Stanko Barac, C, Bosnia

40. Lakers — Sun Yue, F, China

41. Minnesota — Chris Richard, F, Florida

42. Portland — Derrick Byars, G, Vanderbilt

43. New Orleans — Adam Haluska, G, Iowa

44. Orlando — Reyshawn Terry, F, North Carolina

45. Clippers — Jared Jordan, G, Marist

46. Golden State — Stephane Lasme, F, Massachusetts

47. Washington — Dominic McGuire, F, Fresno State

48. Lakers — Marc Gasol, C, Spain

49. Chicago — Aaron Gray, C, Pittsburgh

50. Dallas — Renaldas Seibutis, G, Lithuania

51. Chicago — JamesOn Curry, G, Oklahoma State

52. Portland — Taurean Green, G, Florida

53. Portland — Demetris Nichols, F, Syracuse

54. Houston — Brad Newley, G, Australia

55. Utah — Herbert Hill, F, Providence

56. Milwaukee — Ramon Sessions, G, Nevada

57. Detroit — Sammy Mejia, G, DePaul

58. San Antonio — Giorgos Printezis, F, Greece

59. Phoenix — D.J. Strawberry, G, Maryland

60. Dallas — Milovan Rakovic, C, Serbia