A short time later Jennings appeared on stage with David Stern to shake the commissioner's hand. No harm had been done and he was happy with the final result -- thanks to Minnesota's decision to draft two point guards and the slide of Jrue Holiday out of the top 10. In the end, Holiday was picked 17th by the Sixers.

1. DeJuan Blair goes to San Antonio in the second round. The burly Pitt star was viewed as a lottery pick until teams got wind of his medical exam. Blair underwent ACL surgery on both knees in high school, and many teams said his long-term prognosis was not good.

Though he went undrafted in the first round, his landing site could not have worked out better for Blair. He'll join the Spurs and help them as a rookie while playing limited minutes, which should set him up for a contract in three years.

Many executives in the league didn't like seeing Blair fall this far, but there was little they could do to stop it. Most team doctors red-flagged him, which prevented the GMs from taking Blair in the first round.

"This is the worst I've ever seen as far as doctors unwilling to put their butts on the line," said a senior executive of an Eastern conference team. "If there's any kind of gray area, they're going to flunk the player."

Because of the sophisticated testing of MRIs and other high-tech devices, team doctors "know things they never used to know," the executive went on. "They never used to flunk players, and now they flunk them all the time. And a lot of the time it's to cover their [butts]."

4 huge moves

In the next section I'll also deal with Washington's trade with Minnesota ...

4. The Warriors' potential trade for Amar'e Stoudemire. Unlike the other deals in this category, this one made sense in basketball terms. As widely reported, the trade couldn't be completed until July 1 because of the base-year status of Warriors' center Andris Biedrins, who would be included in the package to Phoenix.

The Suns would also receive Stephen Curry, who was picked No. 7 by Golden State and would go to Phoenix as part of the deal. And so, in one day, the Suns shed their frontcourt of Shaquille O'Neal and Stoudemire and head into next season with a team led by Steve Nash, Jason Richardson and Curry.

I have recently criticized the Warriors for perpetually rebuilding for a future that never comes, but I won't be saying that any longer if they have Stoudemire. He will thrive in Don Nelson's offense with Monta Ellis pushing the ball. Once again, the Warriors are going to be a fun team to watch.

3. Shaquille O'Neal to the Cavaliers. In sending Ben Wallace and Sasha Pavlovic to Phoenix, Cleveland satisfies its short-term and long-term ambitions.

For next season, it'll have a post presence who -- in combination with LeBron James -- will create open space for Mo Williams and his fellow shooters. Shaq will be fired up to win another championship while proving he's worthy of a new contract. He was third-team, all-NBA last season with Phoenix, and more of the same can be expected next year.

Because Shaq's contract is expiring, the Cavs can retain maximum cap space in 2010 to recruit a star free agent alongside LeBron (provided he decides to re-sign). That means they'll be positioned to win this season with him, and then over the next several years without him. It could be the best of both worlds -- pending LeBron's decision, of course.

2. Vince Carter goes to Orlando. The former All-Star was coming off one of his best seasons while providing leadership to the young Nets. When the Magic said they were willing to spend in order to remain in contention, they weren't exaggerating: Carter's contract runs another three years at $51 million, and in the exchange they gave up the contracts of Tony Battie and Rafer Alston, which both expire in 2010.

Carter is a go-to scorer, but he isn't a selfish player. In fact, he is a gifted passer, and coach Stan Van Gundy will surely insist that the ball keeps moving rather than allow it to stall when it goes to Carter. The next question is whether Orlando will be able to re-sign free agent Hedo Turkoglu, which would put it well over the luxury tax but also could push it back into the Finals.

1. Jamal Crawford to Atlanta. The Hawks gave up the small price of Acie Law and Speedy Claxton in exchange for Crawford, who will join with Joe Johnson to form a younger starting backcourt.

This trade is one example of an interesting new dynamic in the league. The deal was dreamed up by Hawks' director of pro personnel, Steve Rosenberry, who was assigned to scout rival NBA teams for potential acquisitions. "This is the first time I've had someone with that title," said Hawks GM Rick Sund of the pro-personnel job description. "Think of the money we spend scouting to make one NBA pick -- the attention and the focus we put on making that one pick. Having someone scout the NBA teams is a new position in the league, and more and more teams are doing it."

It only makes sense to invest in learning the behind-the-scenes facts of players currently in the NBA. Based on Rosenberry's recommendation, the Hawks now have one of the best clutch shooters in the league to pair with their All-Star in Johnson.

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