This is the draft of Greg Oden and Kevin Durant, considered perhaps the deepest and most talented since '03, the fabled draft of Lebron James, D-Wade, Melo, Chris Bosh, and etc. College basketball was treated to quite the show in '06-'07, since the NBA's new rule forcing players to attend college for at least a year after high school led some phenomenal players to play college ball. But most of those one year wonders were in Madison Sqaure Garden for last nite's draft, thus bumping sure 1st rounders of a year ago to likely spots in the 2nd round. Portland and Seattle surprised everyone at the Draft lottery when they won the right to choose 1 and 2, respectively, when everyone assumed that it would be either Memphis or Boston, the teams with the two worst records. This gave Portland the choice of either the franchise center, Oden, an amazing athlete/defender and the rare big man a team can win a title with, or Durant, the most offensively gifted freshman in college basketball history, an incredible talent and scoring machine with a 7 foot 5 wingspan and rail thin arms. Durant will score and be a dominate wing player, but the last wing player to lead his team to a title without a real center was Micheal Jordan. Are we really going to set the bar that high for Durant? Definitely not fair. He has the drive and the skills to be on Jordan's level someday, but there are tons of other equally talented wing players in the league who have yet to even lead their team past the 1st round of the playoffs (T-Mac?). On the other hand, the Spurs have built around Tim Duncan, their franchise big man, and have won 4 NBA titles since 1999. So Oden would be the safe/sensible pick for Portland to make. Portland is a young team on the rise that should start becoming a playoff perennial if not this season than the next one for sure. They have re-tooled their roster from the bottom up and gotten rid of the troubled talents that caused sportswriters to brandish them with the nickname "Jailblazers." So with a guy like Oden added to the mix, not only a rare talent but one of the nicest/funniest guys around, the Blazers might have the final piece to their talented young puzzle. So let's start with the teams in alphabetical order.

Atlanta was the cause of much speculation with their two picks, at number 3 and number 11. Trade rumors floated around all day, concerning Amare Stoudemire coming to Atlanta, KG going to the Suns, and the two picks being dealt to Minnesota. Well the Hawks did the safe thing and decided to pick up some talented young players to add to the NBA's youngest roster. They selected Al Horford from Florida and Acie Law from Texas A&M. They don't need more forwards to clog up their frontcourt, but Horford was the most talented player available and he does satisfy a need for more muscle and rebounding inside. Zaza Pachulia showed off some skills but he's a softie, while Shelden Williams was a huge stretch at number 5 last season and doesn't seem to have NBA starting talent. Horford is strong and athletic, truly a beast on the interior. He can block shots and hit the boards hard, and he has good footwork, but he still needs to improve his touch and overall offensive game. Law was an amazing college point guard, a fearless leader who was responsible for one of the best re-building jobs in college basketball history. Law is fearless in the clutch and unselfish, but there are questions about him having NBA-level athleticism and speed, and no matter how much it goes in, his jumper is still ugly. They may regret passing on Mike Conley, who has the talent and skill-set of Tony Parker. Law seems like more of a scorer, and while Atlanta finally drafted a good point guard, I'm not sure if Law is the right one. I would have picked Conley at 3 and tried to trade down to get a power forward later in the draft.

The Boston Celtics hit panic mode as soon as their hopes of landing the 1st or 2nd pick in the Draft Lottery failed horribly and they ended up with number 5. It really is kind of sad, because they have some young talent and a legit superstar in Paul Pierce, and one of those top two phenom players in this year's draft might have been enough to push Boston back into the playoffs as a low seed in the East. Well the Celtics pushed that panic button in a desperate move to keep Paul Pierce around for the rebuilding, Beantown traded their number 5 pick, along with oft-injured sharpshooter Wally Sczerbiak and perennial backup Delonte West, for Ray Allen, an aging All-Star but perhaps the best pure shooter in the NBA. Allen is banged up and getting old, past the age when every shooting guard except Reggie Miller has declined, but he can still stroke it and will temporarily make Pierce happy because he is an established vet with at least 2 good years left in the tank. So this doesn't help Boston in the long-term, but they may have enough to sneak into the East as a low seed, unfortunately the rest of the conference got a little better in the draft too. In the 2nd round Boston got great value and some real sleepers in USC point guard Gabe Pruitt and LSU forward Glen "Big Baby" Davis. Pruitt was inconsistent and probably could have used one more year of experience at USC but he's a talented, score-1st guard with a lot of potential and athletic ability who might excell as a defender and take West's position as backup. If Davis can keep the weight off he could be the biggest sleeper of this draft, and he provides the Celtics with great inside depth. He has great footwork and skills, especially scoring inside, and the size of a Chuck Barkely, without the athleticism. He could always balloon up again and become a bust but he has the skills to be a talented contributor. But the Celtics did not give up after draft night, and a seismic trade was about to be made. Rumors of KG going to Boston floated around all day before the draft, but were quickly dismissed when the superstar said that he didn't want to play in Boston. Well a couple weeks later, at the end of July, The Big Ticket sang a different tune as Boston traded away much of their bench and young future (Al Jefferson, Gerald Green, Bassy Telfair, Theo Ratliff, draft picks) for Kevin Garnett, thus forming one of the best superstar trios in the league, an instant hype machine and title contender. Ignoring their current depth issues and based on name-value alone, Boston is one of the NBA's elite, but realistically they are going to have a tough time getting through the East and facing the dominant West unless they can garner more depth and Rajon Rondo plays pretty solid at the point guard position. KG gives you an all-world superstar and unique commodity, one of the most versatile players in the league and the hardest playing guy around, giving 100 percent intensity in every game and every possesion, seemingly approaching each task as if it's his last. It's this child-like enthusiasm for the game and hunger for a title that has won him so many fans, along with his era-changing game. He has not won much throughout his career in Minnesota, but he has never played with two other hungry star players like he is now. The window is short for him to win a title and Boston is jumping at the chance to win now, and with this new Big Three of superstars there just may be a shimmer of hope. At the very least the Celtics have blocked out the disappointment of not winning the lottery. Another, more minor acqusition is Eddie House, an instant offense shooting machine off the bench who has trouble making an impact if his lightning-quick threes aren't sinking.

The Charlotte Bobcats nabbed some much-needed scoring punch by trading pick Brandan Wright to the Warriors for Jason Richardson, a uber-athlete who has a deadly stroke from downtown. He is not quite a superstar but definitely an electric scorer who instantly becomes a go-to option here to temporarily make up for the early failures of Adam Morrison. Other than that the Bobcats focused on depth, getting a fantastic, versatile, and blue-collar college stud in Jared Dudley of Boston College and nabbing shot-swatting center Jermareo Davidson from Alabama. Dudley is the epitome of great, hard-working college player, the type of guy who brings his lunch pail and just goes to work. He's not gonna get you with jaw-dropping athleticism or speed but he has game in all areas, plus he's a big body who can just fill up the stat sheet. Davidson is skinny and not much of a scoring center, but he's an athlete and a shot-blocker who can thrive in an up-tempo system, which appears to be what Charlotte is gearing for.

The Chicago Bulls came into the draft a low-post scorer away from title contention, and while they didn't really solve this problem in the draft they did stock up on depth and in getting some big bodies down low. In the 1st round the Bulls picked up Joakim Noah out of Florida, one of the most charismatic and visible players in college basketball the past two seasons. His constant energy/motor, athleticism, and willingness to run the floor are all positive attributes. Noah is one of the most active big men around, on the boards and on defense, but he lacks much of an offensive game and doesn't solve the scoring need in the paint for Chi-town. In the 2nd round the Bulls got Pitt center Aaron Gray and Oklahoma State combo guard JamesOn Curry. Gray has plenty of size, he can pass, and he's a strong finisher; unfortunately, his senior season was not good for his draft stock, as his severe lack of NBA-level athleticism and weak offensive skills were on display. Curry can stroke it but he has had his share of off-the-court problems and he is kind of a tweener. He'll be lucky to see the court. Chicago also nabbed veteran power forward Joe Smith, more of a scoring threat than P.J. Brown.

Cleveland apparently liked their chances of returning to the Finals in the East, and did not make any roster changes worth talking about. They better hope Lebron can tune in some kind of all-universe performance, because their roster has too many holes to put a dent into the West's elite and one more year of playoff maturity isn't going to change that.

The Dallas Mavericks wisely decided not to blow up their talented roster after their mental collapse in the playoffs, but they did land some minor acqusitions. In the draft the Mavs picked up Nevada forward Nick Fazekas, a versatile big man with a sweet outside touch. There are questions about his speed and strength but he should be able to take over the Keith Van Horn role, a good shooter and offensively skilled big man to give them some versatility off the bench. They also picked up massive forward Brandon Bass and veteran 2-guard Eddie Jones. Bass is a big dude who should provide some depth, but he has had trouble keeping the weight off and seeing some playing time so far in his career. Jones is getting up there in age but he can still play. He's a good shooter and tight defender, and he provides a good vet/leadership presence.

The Denver Nuggets didn't have any draft picks, like last year, but they did pick up underrated veteran guard Chucky Atkins. The Nuggets are still desperate for anyone who can shoot threes and this acqusition proves that, as Chucky provides a nice perimeter scoring threat off the pine.

The Pistons focused on getting some young bodies in their backcourt for this year's draft, and they also signed raw African big man Cheick Samb, an athlete and shot blocker who needs more seasoning before he can make an NBA impact. The two new guards on the Detroit roster are Arron Afflalo of UCLA and Rodney Stuckey of Eastern Washington. Stuckey appears to have more potential as a star, as he dominated the mid-major competition with his scoring ability. Stuckey can score in bunches and will provide energy and offense when subbing Chauncey Billups, something the Pistons have lacked the past few years. Afflalo is quick and athletic, he will be counted on as a defensive stopper to start and brings much needed depth to Detroit as Lindsay Hunter gets older and closer to retirement.

Golden State landed much-hyped Italian guard Marco Belenelli, former Mavericks forward Austin Croshere, North Carolina forward Brandan Wright (in the 1st round), and signed Euro big man Kosta Perovic. The Warriors play at a mind-numbing pace, constantly pushing the ball up the floor, and to play for them you gotta be fast/athletic, able to play different positions, and the easiest one, you have to shoot a bunch of threes. Not too tough a task for most NBA players. Belenelli fills that role, a versatile and athletic scorer who can be utilized in a variety of ways. He has the potential to be the next Euro offensive star. Wright has incredible length and is just plain smooth around the basket, cleaning up the glass or dropping in a patented hook shot. He runs the floor and finishes very well, a big man with great athleticism and versatility. Perfect fit, even though he doesn't have much shooting range, he provides good size. Croshere can hit threes and is a good offensive player for a small-ball style. Perovic has plenty of size and a budding offensive game, but seasoning is a must.

The Houston Rockets had quite the offseason, gathering a star-studded, mismashed cast of talent and ball-hogs while re-tooling their roster for new coach Rick Adelman. This will definitely be a different Houston team than the grinding, defensive-minded unit Jeff Van Gundy put on the floor last season. Scoring, athleticism, and a banger opposite Yao were apparent flaws in the Rocket's 1st round loss to the Jazz, but all of that except a power forward seems to have been fixed. This could be offensive genius or a chemistry mess, but it's much better to have overstocked talent than having a lack of it. I'm just worried so many selfish players on one team is bound to fail. Look at the Knicks of a few years back, they had tons of scoring talent but no chemistry and they fell apart. Larry Brown/Isaiah Thomas may also be to blame, but that is another story. I cannot deny the excitement that is building up from gathering so many talented backcourt players, I just have a feeling there will be mixed results and a lack of ball-movement. In the draft Houston landed Oregon guard Aaron Brooks and traded for Purdue power forward Carl Landry and international power forward Luis Scola. Brooks is tiny and may not see the floor much with our other two new acqusitions in front of him, but he can light it up on any given night and provides some great energy/scoring for our backcourt. Landry may not make the team because he is very similar to Chuck Hayes; undersized, not incredibly athletic, blue-collar banger who hustles and grabs boards. Scola has tons of potential and may even start, he has great offensive skills around the basket. Houston also got scrappy Justin Reed for inside depth and big man Jackie Butler, who brings size and inside-scoring potential but who has never seen the court much in his career. Our big free-agent gets were guards Mike James and an old friend, Stevie Francis. Both of these guys made names for themselves originally in Houston, especially Francis, who was a superstar caliber player when he played for the Rockets before his career fell off in Orlando and New York. Francis may not be the player he was, but he is still a fan favorite with great athleticism and scoring ability, as long as he doesn't have to play point he can attack the rim and become a dangerous scorer. The only problem I have is his selfishness, he will dribble the air out of the ball and I'm not convinced that he will happily accept a minor role, possibly off the bench. James is also a selfish player who has a score-1st mentality and needs to ball to be effective, but it was evident at various times last season that we needed a guard who could hit open threes and score off of T-Mac and Yao's double teams, and I think James is that guy. So lots of backcourt scoring, but I'm not sure if there are enough balls to go around for all these players. Tracy needs to control the ball and act as the point, while Yao also needs his touches, so it will be interesting to see how this experiment works. All these players are hungry for success and to prove that the down-years they experienced last season were not a sign of things to come. There are the obvious chemistry issues, but the talent is there.