New York Knicks general manager Isiah Thomas has never seen nor
met Trevor Ariza in person.
No problem.
Thomas gave the former Bruin an early birthday present ““
he turns 19 on Wednesday ““ by drafting Ariza with the 43rd
pick in the June 24 NBA Draft.
“There’s no looking back,” Ariza’s
agent, Todd Ramasar said. “Trevor’s excited to be a
part of the Knicks organization. He’s ready to make the jump
to the NBA, and the next thing he’s focused on is making a
good impression.”
Ariza played just one season in Westwood, averaging 11.6 points
and 6.5 rebounds a game. He was criticized for leaving too early,
as most believed that he was a surefire first-round and possible
lottery pick had he stayed at UCLA for a little longer.
At one point, there were questions about whether Ariza would
even be drafted. Against the recommendations of both his coach and
mother, Ariza declared for the draft, giving up the chance to hone
his game for another year in college and possibly receive the
guaranteed contract that comes with being a first-round pick.
At 6-foot-7, 194-pounds, Ariza also needed to add weight and
gain strength. Slated to be the team’s starting power forward
this season, Ariza and coach Ben Howland often clashed over
Ariza’s decision-making and his team-high 3.4 turnovers per
game.
Despite being selected, Ariza realizes he still has his work cut
out for him.
“I’m pretty excited, but I know nothing is
guaranteed yet,” Ariza told the Orange County Register.
“I’ve still got to keep working hard and go out and make the
team.”
The general consensus entering the draft was that the Knicks
needed shooters. But while Ariza doesn’t fulfill that need
““ he only shot 23 percent from three-point range last year
““ he does give Thomas a very young athletic wing with
enormous upside.
“We liked his athleticism,” Thomas told Newsday.
“He has the ability to defend and he has a 7-foot wingspan.
He can handle the ball and possibly play three positions for us.
And he’ll get bigger.”
Which three positions remains to be seen. The Knicks are already
loaded with wing players, including Allan Houston, Anfernee
Hardaway, Shandon Anderson, DerMarr Johnson and Tim Thomas. The
indication seems to be that Thomas will be active in trading some
of those players during this offseason.
Even though the Knicks were not among the dozen or so teams
Ariza worked out for, the team still coveted him. Thomas, fearing
Ariza might be taken earlier, tried to work out a deal to get into
the first round. Those deals never panned out, but as it turned
out, Ariza was still available at No. 43. Ramasar said after the
draft that, although he believed his client was a first-round
talent, the indications he received from NBA executives accurately
reflected Ariza’s draft position.
As a second-round pick, Ariza has no guaranteed contract
awaiting him. Instead, he will have to prove himself again,
traveling to New York to practice with the Knicks and then
returning to Long Beach to participate in the Knicks summer pro
league.
Things weren’t so lucky June 24 for former Bruin T.J.
Cummings, who returned for his senior season hoping to increase his
draft stock. Cummings went undrafted and immediately becomes a free
agent.
Cummings went through an up-and-down senior year. Academic
problems led him to consider foregoing his senior season to enter
the draft last year. But after earning the necessary grades, he
became eligible this past December and gave UCLA its only
legitimate offensive threat at times, turning in a solid season by
averaging 12.8 points and 6.7 rebounds a game.
Attempts to reach both Cummings and Ariza for this article were
unsuccessful.