NEW YORK (AP) -The Los Angeles Clippers selected Blake Griffin with the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft Thursday night, grabbing the only player considered a sure thing in a draft full of question marks.
Griffin was the consensus college player of the year after leading the nation with 14.4 rebounds per game while averaging 22.7 points last season for Oklahoma. The Clippers said they would take the forward with the pick just hours after they won the draft lottery last month.
The Memphis Grizzlies then grabbed Connecticut center Hasheem Thabeet, a dominant rebounder and shot blocker who doesn't have strong offensive skills.
After the two big men, the rest of the first round was expected to be dominated by point guards, with perhaps 10 or more expected to go in the top 30 picks.
The draft followed a busy day of trades in the NBA. A deal that sent Shaquille O'Neal to play alongside LeBron James in Cleveland was completed earlier Thursday, and Eastern Conference champion Orlando acquired Vince Carter from the Nets in a swap completed shortly before the first pick was made.
San Antonio landed Richard Jefferson from Milwaukee on Tuesday, and more big names could be available this summer as teams are forced to slash payroll. The best way to improve quickly this year was through trades, because the draft was considered weaker than in recent years.
It lacked the star power of 2007, when Greg Oden and Kevin Durant battled it out for top pick honors, or when Derrick Rose beat out Michael Beasley last year.
There was no debate this time. Coach and general manager Mike Dunleavy announced the Clippers' intentions shortly after his team's surprising lottery win, and they began a marketing campaign featuring the forward the next day.
The Clippers are hoping Griffin turns out better than their last No. 1 overall pick. They opened the 1998 draft by taking center Michael Olowokandi, a bust who is out of the league.
``I'm not worried about what's happened in the past,'' Griffin said. ``Just excited about the opportunity.''
Oklahoma City took high-scoring Arizona State guard James Harden with the No. 3 pick and Sacramento followed by drafting Memphis freshman Tyreke Evans - who like Griffin was wearing a purple tie.
