The 2008 NBA Draft introduced the world to a brand new crop of NBA freshmen. A record-breaking 10 freshmen selected in the first round highlighted a draft featuring underclassmen at picks No. 1, 2 and 3. But finding a spot for the upperclassmen, including BYU junior forward Trent Plaisted, seemed like a stretch.

Lucky for Plaisted, the Detroit Pistons didn't think so.

With the 46th overall pick, the Seattle Sonics selected Plaisted but promptly traded him to Detroit for the rights to Indiana forward D.J. White.

"I think this is a tremendous boost for me," Plaisted said. "Detroit is one of the classiest organizations in the NBA. I'm really excited to contribute, no matter what the role may be. I had a pretty good game in that arena, so I hope the trend continues."

BYU coach Dave Rose believes Detroit will be a good fit for the former Cougar basketball standout.

"I see Trent as a Ben Wallace-type, becoming a great rebounder, a guy who can run the floor, gets back into position and similar things," Rose said. "Those are all things that Trent does well now, and he will also develop the rest of his game."

Rose harbors no hard feelings over Plaisted's decision to leave BYU before his final year of eligibility.

"We want to support him in any way we can," Rose said. "I think the position he chose to put himself in is a great position [for the draft]. On draft night, I think he went well. We thought he would go somewhere between No. 25 and No. 40; he waited a little longer than that, but he ended up with the team that wanted him at No. 29. So I think it all worked out the way he really wanted."

When general manager Danny Ainge and the Boston Celtics announced the name of Mountain West Conference co-player of the year J.R. Giddens, Rose was probably one of the few people not surprised by the selection.

"I know both Danny [Ainge] and J.R. [Giddens] pretty well," Rose said. "I think that [Giddens] is a special talent, as far as his size and his ability to defend, rebound and score in such a variety of ways. With the accolades that he had coming out of high school [being a high school All-American] and his great senior year, I think that he prepared himself well. And those are the kind of players that Danny likes: long, athletic players that can be molded into the type of players that he wants them to be."

According to Rose, it was the Celtics who got the great deal.

"I think [Ainge] got himself a really high talented player who's got a chance to have a great career," he said.

But the Celtics weren't the only team to get a great player. The New Jersey Nets picked up some of the best talent of the night, overall, when Stanford center Brook Lopez fell to them at No. 10. Then, early in the second round, when Memphis guard Chris Douglas-Roberts was still available, the Nets jumped at the opportunity to add him at No. 40.

Another team that picked up a much-needed player was the Utah Jazz with the selection of Ohio State center Kosta Koufos at No. 23.

"We're excited about [Koufos]," said Kevin O' Connor, Jazz vice president of Basketball Operations . "He didn't come in and work out for us, but I don't blame him. From everything I had heard, I thought he was going to be gone before our pick. But we got a player who I believe can really help us. If you've done any homework on him, you'll see that he can really shoot the ball."

O'Connor believes Koufos has the right amount of bigness, shooting skill and athleticism to impact the Jazz in a positive way.

"What we feel with him is that he's got the size to be able to play inside," O'Connor said. "I really believe that this is a very good fit: a skilled big man who, at age 19, is 265 pounds and 7 feet tall. We don't have to put a body on him; he already has one."

Koufos is also happy to be with the Jazz.

"With [Deron] Williams at point guard and [Mehmet] Okur, they've got a very versatile team," Koufos said after hearing his name called at No. 23. "Especially winning 50-plus games this season, they have a great team coming back."

The Ohio native is excited about playing for Jerry Sloan, whose tenure with the Jazz started the same year Koufos was born.

"Sloan is a hall of fame coach and he knows what he's doing," Koufos said. "I feel like he can make me become a better player for the next level. But I worked hard. I have no regrets where I was picked."

However, this year's crop of NBA freshmen may still need to experience some growing room. For the few who stayed behind to finish their college careers, next year's draft is looking like a great possibility.

One of those few who stayed behind is BYU guard Lee Cummard.

Even though he will miss playing alongside Plaisted and the rest of the 2007-08 BYU offense, the MWC co-player of the year is ready for next year.

"I don't think there are any regrets," Cummard said. "I just want to be as ready as I can be. J.R. and I were on the same page, but he's a great player and I've got a lot to do still [to be prepared] for the draft."

Nonetheless, seeing his former teammate and other rivals begin their professional careers made Cummard ready to show the world what he's made of.

"I don't think there are any regrets," Cummard said, speaking of returning to BYU for his senior season. "[The 2008] draft was a real motivation, to see guys who I've been working out with be selected where they did. I'm just going to play my game every day, help my team win and overcome every challenge we face."

Copyright Brigham Young University 2 Jul 2008