"there were 15 deals last night.-Globe

Thu Jun 29 06:17:58 CDT 2006

http://www.boston.com/sports/basketball/articles/2006/06/29/ 
italian_darling_of_draft?mode=PF

The Boston Globe
NBA NOTEBOOK
Italian darling of draft
Forward Bargnani No. 1 overall pick

By Shira Springer, Globe Staff  |  June 29, 2006

NEW YORK -- The 2006 NBA draft had suspense and unpredictability to  
spare, including several trades, the rise of forward Mouhamed Saer  
Sene to No. 10 and the fall of Marcus Williams to the Nets at No. 22.  
But by the time commissioner David Stern stepped to the podium for  
the last night at the Theater at Madison Square Garden, there was no  
uncertainty surrounding who the Toronto Raptors would select with the  
top pick. Andrea Bargnani looked every bit like a consensus No. 1  
pick as the cameras crowded around his table in the friends-and- 
family area just below the stage.

``First of all, I want to say sorry for my English," said Bargnani.  
``It's not so good. It's an incredible feeling. I feel so excited, so  
proud to represent my country. It's an incredible sensation. I cannot  
describe in words. It's incredible.

``I hope to help the team as soon as possible. I'm a young player. I  
know that I will find a lot of tough moments because it's a new  
league and I'm used to playing in Europe. So, it's a new experience,  
and I have to work a lot."

Bargnani, a forward who played for Benetton Treviso last season,  
became the eighth international player selected with the first  
overall pick. In that category, he joined Mychal Thompson (Bahamas,  
1978), Hakeem Olajuwon (Nigeria, 1984), Patrick Ewing (Jamaica,  
1985), Tim Duncan (US Virgin Islands, 1997), Michael Olowokandi  
(Nigeria, 1998 ), Yao Ming (China, 2002) and Andrew Bogut (Australia,  
2005). He was just the second international player drafted first  
overall who did not play college basketball in the United States.

Bargnani, however, knows news of his selection will not be greeted  
with the same sort of enthusiasm in Italy as it was in New York . A  
little something called the World Cup has all of Italy otherwise  
engaged.

``I hope in Italy all of the attention is for the soccer," said  
Bargnani. ``[Today], I hope there's a little picture [of me]."

Wheeling and dealing
In addition to the Celtics' three deals, Minnesota, Chicago, Memphis,  
Orlando, Houston, Denver, Indiana, Philadelphia, Portland, and  
Phoenix also had fun swapping players. In total, there were 15 deals  
last night.

The Timberwolves traded the rights to No. 6 pick Brandon Roy to the  
Trail Blazers for guard Randy Foye and cash considerations. The Bulls  
traded the rights to No. 2 pick LaMarcus Aldridge and a future second  
round pick to the Portland Trail Blazers for the rights to No. 4 pick  
Tyrus Thomas and forward Viktor Khryapa. The Sixers traded the right  
to No. 13 pick Thabo Sefolosha to the Bulls for the rights to No. 16  
pick Rodney Carney, a 2007 second round pick and cash considerations.  
The Suns traded the rights to No. 27 pick Sergio Rodriguez to the  
Trail Blazers for cash considerations.

In the second round, the Timberwolves traded the rights to No. 37  
pick Bobby Jones to Philadelphia for a future second-round pick and  
cash considerations. The Trail Blazers traded the rights to No. 31  
James White to the Pacers for No. 45 Alexander Johnson and two future  
second-round picks. The Magic traded the rights to No. 44 pick, Lior  
Eliyahu to the Rockets for cash considerations. The Trail Blazers  
traded the rights of Johnson to the Grizzlies for a future second- 
round pick.

The Lakers traded the rights to No. 51 pick Chei k Samb to the  
Pistons for Maurice Evans. The Raptors traded the rights to No. 56  
pick Edin Bavcic to the Sixers for cash considerations. The Spurs  
traded the rights to No. 59 pick Damir Markota to the Bucks for a  
future second-round pick. The Mavericks traded the rights to No. 58  
pick J.R. Pinnock to the Lakers for a future second-round pick.