NBA 2006 Draft

Fresh Faces

You can find the full list of picks here. Surprisingly, it wasn't Adam Morrison, LaMarcus Aldridge, or Tyrus Thomas who was the number one pick. It was Italian player Andrea Bargnani. There were many deals. Many of them were to trade picks, like Chicago trading the second pick to Portland for the fourth pick AND Viktor Khryapa. You can read about the main deals here at ESPN. While I don't know about Bargnani, I think Morrison will be fine, having lead the NCAA in scoring this year, under Jordan's guidance with the Bobcats, and Thomas should satisfy the needs of the Bulls. After all, the Bulls can't count on getting Ben Wallace from Detroit. Detroit will try its best to keep Big Ben and rightly so. The chemistry of the Pistons, despite their poor showing in the playoffs, is very well set. Notably, also the Pistons have the last pick in the draft and are looking for "hidden gold." Most sports commentators haven't hesitated to note that there is no Lebron or Dwyane in this year's draft.

Miami, meanwhile, didn't have a pick in this year's draft due to previous deals such as with the Lakers in acquiring Shaq. It will be interesting to learn about Miami's roster as the summer heats up, but the main thing that matters is that Wade signs a new extension contract. I would prefer it if Zo comes back because he is the best backup center in the league. It's also nice to know Udonis will be back, as he is Miami's Big Ben. By that I mean he brings great energy with him to the floor and provides some good defense. I would also especially like to see Posey back because of his toughness in defense and perimeter shooting although he can improve a lot. Antoine is necessary in that he helps take some of the burden off of Wade in getting to the basket but he is not very consistent at it. Paton is getting old but he did make "clutch shots" in the final. Will he be able to maintain that? Yes, I know he is a veteran, but I have my doubts. Jason Williams is going to have his knee surgery and his ability in the next year would depend on his recovery. Also, he has been slow in transition but then the knee surgery might just help improve him. If his knee does get better and helps him in his transitions, then I would not mind seeing him again. You can definitely expect the bench to get more minutes in this upcoming year from players like the Andersons, Doleac, and Kapono.

Because there is no Wade in this draft and because we won't see Wade play for a few more months, here are a few videos which you can enjoy from YouTube:

Dwyane Wade Mix
(watch the play at 1:56) Also it's mixed to Remember the Name by Fort Minor -the official song of the NBA playoffs in 2006- so it's sweet.


Top 10 plays from 2006


Here are some additional YouTube D-Wade videos:
Dwyane Wade 2003 Draft
Turn It Up

The Dude also has one additional D-Wade video on his site that I don't have here, but it's like he took the idea right out of my head because I have been meaning to do this for a week. He beat me to it though. Well, keep in tuned for additional NBA info., FIFA Updates, and other random posts.