There was plenty of activity in between picks in tonight’s
NBA Draft where the newest professional athletes were forced to relocate barely
fifteen minutes after hearing David Stern announce their names. Before they
could even read their draft day hats, centers Kelly Olynyk of Gonzaga, Gorgui
Dieng of Louisville, Brazilian Lucas Nogueira; Kentucky big man Nerlens Noel;
and Michigan guard Trey Burke would all find a new home.
Burke, the reigning Consensus Player of the Year, was traded
to the Utah Jazz from the Minnesota Timberwolves after his selection at number
nine. The Jazz would draft picks fourteen and twenty-one overall for Minnesota,
first reported by ESPN’s NBA Insider, Chris Broussard. Utah would draft UCLA
forward Shabazz Muhammad with the fourteenth overall pick and Louisville center
Gorgui Dieng at number twenty-one for Minnesota.
Leading Michigan to a National Title Game appearance, Burke
averaged over 18 points and about seven assists per game this past season.
Burke would also shoot .463 from the field and .384 from downtown as a
sophomore.
After being a top prep recruit from Las Vegas’s Bishop
Gorman, the high profiled Muhammad will join the Timberwolves after a
disappointing season as part of an underperforming UCLA squad. In his lone
college season Muhammad averaged just under eighteen points and just over five
rebounds per game.
Coming off a national championship over Trey Burke’s
Wolverines, Dieng scored 10 points and pulled down nine rebounds per game in
his junior season.
Noel fell all the way to number six on the board after
discussion as the number one pick and was drafted by the New Orleans PELICANS. The
Pelicans traded the former Wildcat to the 76ers in return for point guard Jrue
Holiday and a 2014 first round draft pick. Picks one to three in the 2014 draft
will be protected for New Orleans.
New Orleans is forfeiting the opportunity to create the best
young shot blocking duo below the basket in Noel and Anthony Davis. Coming off
an ACL injury, Noel will likely replace the basically nonexistent Andrew Bynum
in Philadelphia. In his shortened freshman season, Noel averaged just over 10
points but blocked an astonishing 106 shots through 24 games.
Holiday scored just under 18 points per game with Philadelphia
and may be a reasonable replacement for Chris Paul in New Orleans.
The Dallas Mavericks would trade their thirteenth overall
pick, Gonzaga center Kelly Olynyk, to the rebuilding and Doc River-less Boston
Celtics for their sixteenth overall pick, another center, Lucas Nogueira
(Better start learning how to say/spell that). Dallas will also receive future
two second round picks.
Olynyk scored 18 points and grabbed 8 rebounds per game this
season where he and his iconic ‘do became the poster boy of Gonzaga’s run to a
top seed in this year’s March Madness. In Brazil, Nogueira rocked the one
hairstyle more stylish than Olynyk’s, an afro which a Celtics hat was perched
upon for a mere five minutes. In the ACB, Nogueira posted average stats not
recorded by ESPN but has a high ceiling, due to his age and size.
2003 was the best Draft with Lebron James, Dwayne Wade,
Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh, and of course Darko Milicic. 2000 was the worst
where Kenyon Martin went number one overall. In what was considered to be a
weak draft class, 2013 became the craziest with three trades taking place in
the first round, involving five players changing cities minutes after being drafted.
All trades only grant rights of each player to prospective team.
It case anyone got lost with all the acquisitions:
Trade #1- Utah Jazz get: Trey Burke (9th overall)
Minnesota Timberwolves get: Shabazz Muhammad (14th overall)
and Gorgui Dieng (21st overall)
Trade #2- Philadelphia 76ers get: Nerlens Noel (6th
overall)
New Orleans Pelicans get: Jrue Holiday
and 2014 1st round pick (after pick #3)
Trade #3- Dallas Mavericks get: Lucas Nogueira (16th
overall) and two future 2nd round picks
Boston Celtics get: Kelly Olynyk
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