The Chicago Bulls welcomed the return of hometown hero Derrick Rose, but New York fans showered Italian Danilo Gallinari with boos at this year’s National Basketball Association (NBA) entry draft.
The Bulls used the first overall pick on Thursday to select Rose, who grew up in Chicago before leading the Memphis Tigers to a runner-up finish in his lone season of American college basketball.
“Point guards are really hard to find,” Bulls general manager John Paxson said. “He has a great burst. I think he’s going to make other players better.”
PHOTO: AP
Rose quickly put on a Bulls hat before shaking commissioner David Stern’s hand on stage at Madison Square Garden.
“I was a little nervous when they came back out, but I always had that in my mind that I want to be No. 1,” Rose said. “So, it was great hearing my name and being the No. 1 pick.”
Forward Michael Beasley was the second overall pick by Miami and guard OJ Mayo rounded out the top three by going to Minnesota.
Seattle used the fourth pick to take guard Russell Westbrook while Memphis chose forward Kevin Love with the fifth pick.
The first non-American player picked got a boorish welcome from the Garden crowd.
The New York Knicks used their sixth pick to select Gallinari, who plays for Armani Jeans Milano.
The 19-year-old Italian was jeered when his name was called and Knicks fans continued to boo as US broadcaster ESPN interviewed Gallinari on the stage.
“I’d be more worried if they’re booing him next year,” Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni said. “But I don’t think that’ll happen.”
A visibly shaken Gallinari tried to placate the angry mob during his interview by saying: “I will help the team to win. New York is best city in the world.”
Gallinari’s father, Vittorio, was a teammate of D’Antoni when they both played in Italy.
Gallinari is the third international player chosen by the Knicks in the first round.
The Bulls, who had a 1.7 percent chance of landing the top pick in last month’s lottery, selected Rose over Kansas State’s high-scoring forward Beasley, who averaged 26.2 points and 12.4 rebounds as a freshman last season.
Beasley did not fall past the Miami Heat, who chose the 2m forward with second.
Miami had the worst record in the league last season at 15-67.
The Minnesota Timberwolves also chose a freshman, selecting Southern California guard Mayo with the third pick.
It is the first time in draft history that three freshmen were chosen with the top three picks.
The Milwaukee Bucks dealt former first round pick Yi Jianlian of China to the New Jersey Nets just hours before the entry draft. The deal also includes the Nets getting Bobby Simmons, while Richard Jefferson goes the other way.
“We feel that Yi can be a very special player,” Nets president Rod Thorn said. “He is a 20-year-old seven footer who shoots the ball extremely well, and he is an excellent addition to our frontcourt.”
Playing in a major North American market is something the giant Chinese forward Yi had hoped for when he announced his intentions to join the NBA.
The Bucks drafted Yi sixth overall in the NBA entry draft last year.
The 20-year-old Yi has been compared to Dallas Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki. As a rookie he averaged 8.6 points and 5.2 rebounds last season.
The prize for Milwaukee would be getting Jefferson, who averaged a career-high 22.6 points last season.
“Richard Jefferson is a hard-working, proven, dynamic performer at the forward position,” Bucks general manager John Hammond said.
Taiwan’s Chou Tien-chen yesterday exited at the BWF World Tour Finals in China, losing in the semi-finals to China’s world No. 1 Shi Yuqi. Shi, who was named the BWF Men’s Singles Player of the Year, had a 9-4 record against Chou going into the match. He extended that record to 9-5 with a 21-14, 21-18 victory. Chou advanced to the men’s singles semi-finals on Friday by upsetting top-seeded Anders Antonsen of Denmark in a must-win match at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center Gymnasium. The 16-21, 21-18, 21-15 victory saw Chou secure his second semi-finals appearance at the tournament, despite his relatively older
‘REMARKABLE’: Gaelic football is a traditional Irish sport that blends the skills of soccer and rugby, and hurling is an ancient sport played with a wooden stick and ‘sliotar’ The Taiwan Celts Gaelic Football Club marked a milestone achievement at the Asian Gaelic Games in Bangkok on Nov. 23 and 24, with two sides advancing to the knockout stages and competing at hurling for the first time. The event brought together 68 teams from 16 clubs across Asia, with more than 800 players in men’s and women’s tournaments. Gaelic football is a traditional Irish team sport that blends the skills of soccer, rugby union and basketball. Hurling is an ancient Irish sport played with a wooden stick, called a hurley, and a small ball, or sliotar. The Taiwan Celts’ women’s team reached
India’s chess star Gukesh Dommaraju returned to a hero’s welcome in his home city yesterday after becoming the youngest world champion aged only 18. Hundreds of fans crowded the arrivals area of Chennai International Airport, cheering alongside banks of television cameras as Gukesh made his way out of the airport after victory in taking the World Chess Championship title. “It means a lot to bring back the trophy to India,” Gukesh told reporters, with garlands of flowers draped around his neck, brandishing the glittering trophy in his hand. “I can see the support and what it means to India, I
LIVERPOOL WIN: The 50th Champions League goal by Mohamed Salah helped the leaders of the Premier League to keep their perfect record intact Real Madrid’s big stars on Tuesday turned on the style to revive the Spanish giant’s faltering UEFA Champions League title defense. Galacticos Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham all scored in a thrilling 3-2 win against Serie A leaders Atalanta BC. However, Madrid still had to ride their luck as Mateo Retegui fired over from in front of goal in stoppage-time when handed a golden chance to level the game. It was only Madrid’s third win in the competition’s revamped league phase and leaves the 15-time champions in the unseeded playoff positions in 18th place. “It’s a very important win. Not everyone wins
RSS