WILDCAT NOTEBOOK: Hill gets booed, Budinger freefalls

Draft day is typically a cause for celebration for Wildcat basketball fans.

After all, Arizona leads the nation in NBA draft picks, with 31 players selected since 1989 — including 14 first-round selections.

But this year’s draft created some mixed emotions, as a pair of former UA standouts realized a life-long dream, but not exactly in the way they envisioned it.

Jordan Hill completed his improbable climb to the top of the basketball world on Thursday, becoming the No. 8 pick in the 2009 draft. New York Knicks’ head coach Mike D’Antoni told the Newsday “I’m thinking this could be lucky. He’s 6-10 and can shoot and run the floor. You just don’t find those guys.”

But the Knicks fans who attended the draft didn’t feel the same way, as they lustily booed the selection as Hill shook hands with NBA Commissioner David Stern.

Everyone in New York was hoping to see Davidson standout Stephen Curry fall to the Knicks, but Golden State snatched up him one pick earlier. As a result, those fans took their frustrations out on Hill.

Hill, who averaged 18.3 points, 11 rebounds and 1.7 blocked shots per game last season, was visibly upset by the booing as he conducted his on-camera interview with ESPN’s Mark May, but New York General Manager Donnie Walsh said this is nothing new.

“I’ve been through that in Indiana,” Walsh told the New York Daily News. “They booed Chuck Person. They booed Reggie Miller. I can go on and on.”

Aran Smith, president of NBADraft.net, told me that any player the Knicks drafted in that spot was going to hear boos, simpy because those fans had their hearts set on Curry.

“They just got caught up in Curry hysteria and were dissapointed they didn’t get him,” Smith said. “Hill is going to be a very nice player; we had him rated fourth overall in this draft.”

Smith added that he thinks Hill fits in well with D’Antoni’s up-tempo philosophy, and could give the Knicks added leverage when negotiating a possible contract with David Lee.

Hill might also be a key piece in a rumored trade to Minnesota for Spanish sensation Ricky Rubio.

While Hill might’ve been disappointed by the boos, he was still taken in the lottery. His draft standing guarantees him a $2.06 million salary next year. Meanwhile, Hill’s teammate Chase Budinger had a much rougher draft night experience.

Budinger, who expected to hear his name called at some point in the first round (Smith had Budinger rated 18th overall, and ESPN.com’s Chad Ford had him going 25th in his final mock draft), slid all the way to pick No. 44 and the Detroit Pistons.

Shortly after the pick, Budinger was involved in his first NBA trade, as Detroit sold his rights to the Houston Rockets.

“There was word the day before the draft that he was a guy that could slip, but I was still surprised he fell that far,” Smith said. “I think he was undervalued and should be an excellent addition for Houston.”

Budinger will battle for a roster spot and a non-guaranteed contract, but if he makes his mark, he could cash in on a lucrative extension. Second-round picks like Gilbert Arenas, Michael Redd, Rashard Lewis, Monta Ellis and Paul Milsap (among others) have enjoyed very successful NBA careers.

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