EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J., June 26 -- Stephon Marbury and Ray Allen, early entry candidates for the NBA draft Wednesday night, got an early taste of life in the professional ranks. The Milwaukee Bucks took Marbury at No. 4, but less than half an hour later traded his rights to the Minnesota Timberwolves for the rights to Allen -- the No. 5 pick -- and a future draft pick. The two players were brought back out onto the podium at The Meadowlands to exchange the hats they had been given earlier. 'A guy pulled me over and said there was a possible trade,' Marbury said. 'I didn't know what team he was talking about, but when he said Minnesota, I was happy.' For Allen, the swap was a rude awakening. 'I felt like a product,' he said. Marbury, 6-foot-2, averaged 18.9 points and 4.5 assists as a freshman at Georgia Tech, where he was the first freshman to lead the team in scoring since Mark Price. Allen, 6-5, scored 23.4 points, grabbed 6.5 rebounds and dished out 3.3 assists per game to lead the Huskies to a school record 32-3 mark in his junior season. Both teams needed guards, but apparently Minnesota general manager Kevin McHale thought Marbury's point guard skills would fit better with forwards Kevin Garnett and Tom Gugliotta, both of whom run the floor and pass well. 'Now I'm where I really, really wanted to play,' said Marbury, who cried after his selection by the Bucks was announced, saying Milwaukee was the team he wanted to play for.
'Not only did my dream come true, but I'm playing with Kevin Garnett. I'm just looking forward to being there forever. 'Milwaukee was a great situation too, but I'm just going to be at Minnesota with Kevin Garnett.' With the Bucks, Allen joins two talented young frontcourt players in Vin Baker and Glenn Robinson. Those two found themselves carrying the load night after night last season, but with Allen's athleticism and ability to create his own shot, that shouldn't be the case this coming season.
