By Paul Levine Jun 29, 2006, 6:55 GMT
Los Angeles - With most of the Italians were cheering for their beloved soccer team that advanced to the quarterfinal round in the World Cup Championships, countryman Andrea Bargnani quietly stole some of the headlines.
Bargnani made history Wednesday night as the first European player to be selected as the top pick overall in the NBA Draft when the Toronto Raptors chose the highly-touted 20-year-old.
'I feel like I am dreaming to become an NBA player in the best league in the world,' Bargnani said from draft headquarters in New York's famed Madison Square Garden. 'I'm so proud to represent my country.'
The 6-foot-11 forward became the second consecutive international player to be taken as the No.1 pick after the Milwaukee Bucks chose Australian big man Andrew Bogut last year.
Because of size and outside shooting skills, Bargnani has drawn comparisons to five-time all-star forward Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks. Last season, he averaged 11.6 points, connected on 40 per cent of his field goals, and hit 37 per cent from behind the 3-point line for Benetton Treviso in Italy's Liga A.
However, Bargnani isn't expecting the success the German wunderkind has achieved right away.
'I hope to help the team as soon as possible but I know I will have a lot of tough moments because it's a new league and I'm used to playing in Europe,' Bargnani. 'So, I have to practice hard to become a good player.'
New Raptors general manager Bryan Colangelo was undecided whether to take Bargnani or Texas forward Lamarcus Aldridge in a draft that was deep but lacked an impact player. However, he is excited about the Italian's upside potential.
'Everyone had strengths and weaknesses but at the end of the day we felt Andrea was really the best pick for the future of this organization going forward,' Colangelo explained. 'It's not about the today it's about today and tomorrow. We think Andrea is not only a player who can help us in the short run. We think he is going to grow into a terrific star in this league.'
In the first of their two first round picks, the Chicago Bulls took Aldridge with the second selection. But the Bulls traded his rights to the Portland Trail Blazers for Louisiana State forward Tyrus Thomas, who was picked fourth, and forward Viktor Khrypa.
Choosing third, the Charlotte Bobcats and new part owner Michael Jordan went for Gonzaga's offensive machine Adam Morrison, who led the nation in scoring with 28.1 points per game as a junior.
'He has a real hunger to score and when you're as skilled a player as Adam Morrison, you're going to be a big-time player in the NBA,' ESPN college analyst Jay Bilas said. 'Adam Morrison has big time player written all over him.'
Addressing a need for interior defence, the Atlanta Hawks chose Duke's Shelden Williams with the No. 5 pick. Williams finished as the Blue Devils' all-time leader in blocked shots, and was named the Atlantic Coast Conference Defensive Player of the Year the last two seasons.
With the No. 6 pick, the Minnesota Timberwolves tabbed Washington guard Brandon Roy, regarded as an NBA-ready player, while the Boston Celtics followed with Villanova guard Randy Foye.
Hours earlier, the Celtics acquired second-year point guard Sebastian Telfair, shot-blocking centre Theo Ratliff and a 2008 second-round pick for forward Raef LeFrentz, guard Dan Dickau along with a 2008 second round selection.
Portland turned around and dealt Foye to Minnesota for the rights to Roy.
The Houston Rockets grabbed Connecticut guard Rudy Gay and the Golden State Warriors went for Bradley centre Patrick O'Bryant with the No. 9 selection.
At No. 10, the Seattle SuperSonics took forward Mouhamed Saer Sene, who played with Vervier-Pepinster of the Belgium First Division last season. The Orlando Magic chose sharp-shooting guard J,J, Redick, who averaged 26.8 points per game for Duke last season.
At No. 12, the New Orleans Hornets chose Connecticut Big East Defensive Player of the Year Hilton Armstrong. The Philadelphia 76ers took guard Thabo Sefolosha, who played for Angelico Biella in Italy's Serie A last season.
The Utah Jazz picked Arkansas versatile guard Ronnie Brewer with the No. 14 selection, while the New Orleans Hornets used theirs on forward Cedric Simmons of North Carolina State.
The Bulls went for Memphis forward Rodney Carney, and the Indiana Pacers grabbed Tigers teammate Shawne Williams with the numbers 16 and 17 picks, respectively.
Later, the rights to Sefolosha and Carney were later swapped.
The Washington Wizards took centre Oleksiy Pecherov, who played for Paris Basket Racing in France Pro A last season
With the 19th pick, the Sacramento Kings chose Rutgers shooting guard Quincy Doulby, and the New York Knicks followed by taking Renaldo Balkman.
The Celtics acquired Kentucky guard Rajon Rondo, the No. 21 pick overall, and veteran forward Brian Grant from the Phoenix Suns. In return, the Suns will acquire a future first round pick the Celtics acquired from the Cavaliers in exchange for swingman Jiri Welsch.
With the next two picks, the New Jersey Nets selected a pair of Connecticut stars in guard Marcus Williams at No. 22, and Josh Boone, the 2005 Big East Defensive Player of the Year.
At No. 24, the Memphis Grizzlies went for Villanova guard Kyle Lowry, and the Cleveland Cavaliers grabbed Michigan State guard Shannon Brown.
After the Los Angeles Lakers took UCLA guard Jordan Farmar with the No. 26 pick, the Phoenix Suns selected Sergio Rodriguez, who played the past two seasons with Adecco Estudiantes Madrid in the Spanish ACB league.
The Suns sent the rights to Rodriguez to the Trail Blazers for cash considerations, though.
The Mavericks followed with Michigan State guard Maurice Ager and the Knicks chose Mardy Collins at No. 29. The Trail Blazers closed out the first round by taking British forward Joel Freeland, who played for Gran Canaria Fadesa of the Spanish EBA league last season.
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