Five trades, plenty of intrigue and a somewhat surprising No. 1 pick - that was the NBA draft in a nutshell.
The league brought its annual coming-out party to its most remote and northernmost outpost Wednesday night, and the out-of-the-way experience didn't put a damper on the action.Michael Olowokandi University of the Pacific was chosen first by the Los Angeles Clippers, and the Vancouver Grizzlies grabbed Arizona point guard Mike Bibby with the second pick before trading away the point guard they selected last year.
Four other trades were made involving the fourth, fifth, sixth, ninth, 19th, 23rd and 29th picks. Another was completed Thursday morning, sending Charles Oakley from New York to Toronto for Marcus Camby (see story this page).
The Toronto Raptors, after picking Antawn Jamison of North Carolina fourth overall, sent him to Golden State for his college teammate, Vince Carter, who was selected fifth.
The Phoenix Suns sent guard Steve Nash to the Dallas Mavericks in a three-way trade also involving Milwaukee. The Bucks got the sixth pick, Robert "Tractor" Traylor, from the Mavericks in exchange for the ninth pick, Dirk Nowitzki of Germany, and the 19th pick, Pat Garrity of Notre Dame. Garrity was then sent to the Suns along with Bubba Wells, Martin Muursepp and Dallas' 1999 first-round pick for Nash, whose parents came to the draft to represent the Suns.
The Los Angeles Lakers sent guard Nick Van Exel to Denver in exchange for Tyronn Lue, the second of the Nuggets' two first-round picks (No. 23), and Tony Battie (See story this page).
The Utah Jazz sent the 29th pick, Nazr Mohammed of Kentucky, to Philadelphia for future con-sid-er-a-tions.
Olowokandi, a 7-foot-1 Nigerian who grew up in England and has been playing competitive basketball for only three years, was overwhelmed by being picked first.
"Seeing my name in the No. 1 spot is unbelievable, especially when you consider where I came from three years ago - not having played basketball - and then to this, not the No. 3 pick but the No. 1 pick," said Olowokandi, who averaged 22.2 points and 11.2 rebounds last season. "That's something that'll take me a week or so, or a little bit longer, to get over."
His father, a Nigerian diplomat, and mother traveled across an ocean and a continent to see him picked - the first time they had seen him do anything associated with basketball.
"I'm sure they don't fully appreciate or have a good feel for the significance of being the No. 1 pick," Olowokandi said of his parents, who have never seen him play. "I kind of feel sorry for them. They came to this whole thing still struggling with basketball ideals."
The Grizzlies, the hosts of the draft, selected Bibby to roars of approval from a crowd of about 10,000. The decibel level of those cheers was almost matched by the roar that greeted the trade that saw Antonio Daniels, the fourth pick in last year's draft, traded to San Antonio for Carl Herrera and the rights to Felipe Lopez, the Spurs' first-round pick.
Many expected Bibby to be drafted first overall, and he refused to hold a workout for any team other than the Clippers.
"It wasn't my decision. I went off what David (agent David Falk) told me, so it wasn't up to me," said Bibby, whose father, Henry, played several years in the NBA and now coaches Southern Cal.